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Ancient Civilizations & The Bible A Biblical World History Curriculum – Volume One Diana Waring – History Alive! A Digging Deeper Curriculum $ 34.95 Hardcover Teacher’s Guide $ 24.95 Student Guide $ 11.95 Elementary Activity Book Review by Jolene Underwood |
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When I first heard Diana Waring speak, I was attending my first homeschool conference in Wichita, Kansas, it was huge! Thousands of fellow homeschooling folk, and what seemed like truck loads of books, curriculum and other resources, were gathered together in a large convention center. The Waring’s were the key speakers that year and I’ll never forget Diana’s exuberance, her knowledge and her obvious love for history and especially the “Coffee Song” her family sang together - what fun! Diana wowed me with stories and bits of history that I knew nothing about. The song cracked me up, but then, I do love coffee so the song fit well. OK, I am digressing from the point here, but in knowing this about the Warings, you have a glimpse into the personality behind the curriculum and the knowledge and vibrancy behind the voice on Diana’s history audio tapes and CD’s. I only wish the coffee song was included! Bill and Diana Waring have published a variety of materials over the years primarily related to the study of history, with a twist for fun and creativity. The History Alive! curriculum has included audio tape sets, history study guides by time period, maps and timelines. History is covered from Creation to the Korean war through three volumes of study guides. Each volume is intended to be used over a nine month (or one school year) time span. Recently, the first volume of Ancient Civilizations and the Bible was greatly revised and expanded from its 1997 original publication. This review will focus on the changes and the structure of the revised editions now available. Method behind the Material What are some of the things that make the Waring’s materials unique? For starters there is Diana’s passion and zeal; not only for the study of history but over the way history reveals God and how God has revealed His grace over and over again throughout time. There is also the fact that the History Alive! materials seek to reach students of all ages and learning types, (more on this below). In addition, out of the numerous home-grown history studies on the market today some are guides to studying history, some are literature based, some are textbook with the inclusion of hands-on activities and a “living book” flair, some are unit studies and some (like the new Ancient Civilizations and the Bible) are a combination of the above. For more information, please see the Waring’s statements on their FAQ page. Originally, the first edition of Ancient Civilizations and the Bible was written so that learning history would be fun and interesting to all learning styles. The newly revised edition expounds upon this premise, keeping in mind four learning styles; feeler, thinker, sensor, intuitor and three learning modalities; visual, auditory, kinesthetic. The revisions came on the heels of spending time in New Zealand on a family mission trip. While there, the Waring’s were mentored with further information and insight regarding various learning issues and have applied this information to the materials. Layout & Coverage A distinct change to the revised material is that there are now two books versus one. There is now a large hardcover Teacher’s Guide and a larger paperback Student Book. Together these books provide more support for the parent/teacher who is unsure about how to go about studying history in this manner. It is meant to spark interest and guide students into deeper personal studies as well as addressing a variety of learning styles. The Student Book includes space for students to write responses, i.e.: timelines and maps. Both books also provide a clearer and friendlier-to-use layout. Student Book – Unit Layout Introduction: The first things I noticed in the new Student Book were the commentaries, or articles, written by Diana that introduces each of the nine units. Her insights help the reader to not only become engaged in the time period of study, but to understand underlying cultural changes, interesting archaeological evidences, issues of the time, and the workings of a sovereign God. In a compelling way, the reader will learn how events unfold history as they were foretold by prophets and how God used various people to carry out His plans. Phase 1 (Introduction Week – Feeler): Each learning style is approached one week at a time, in a four week cycle. Week one focuses on the feeler and begins with the above mentioned Introduction reading. Then the student will listen to segments of the What in the World’s Going on Here? audio series, and perhaps other audio options like True Tales. The information sourcing continues with suggested Bible verses and/or chapters to read. Once the student completes the readings and audio commentaries, there are several Opinion Column and Critical Puzzling questions to choose from for discussion between you and your student(s). An example of an Opinion question is: “Think about Abraham and his experiences with God. In your own life, when has it been easy to trust God and when has it been difficult?”. A Critical Puzzling question that pulls together biblical studies with other typically covered areas of ancient studies asks, “Why do you think God sent Jonah to Ninevah, and how did the “revival” at Ninevah impact the Assyrian nation?” What a great question to spark discussion and deeper thinking! Finally, the student wraps up week one by choosing additional books or internet sources to gather additional information and insights. The layout is easy to read and each selection is coded to approximate grade ranges; such as E+ for Elementary and up, MS for Middle School, etc. Phase 2 (Exploration & Discovery Week – Thinker): While the first week appeals more to the person who is interested in how things affect other people and in learning about the people of history, this week should appeal more to the student interested in fact gathering. The week begins with a section on Research & Reporting. The student is instructed to choose one area of study for their focus. For example; in Unit One: Creation & the Flood, the student can choose to study about Metallurgy, Intelligent Design, Genealogy or other suggested areas. Specific materials are not generally provided here, so the student will need to utilize the internet and a library to find resources. Students are then provided numerous vocabulary words to study and a one-page timeline so notes and dates can be written right in the book. Key points of consideration for addition to the timeline are also suggested. Phase 3 (Hands-On Week – Sensor): Now for all you creative minded parents and students, here’s a week dedicated to hands-on activities to further integrate what is being studied. The first project will be map-work. Maps are provided as needed, rather than in the back of the book. Mapping suggestions include physical and geo-political areas as well as suggestions for additional exploration, such as the Cradle of Civilization and Mt. Ararat. A good atlas (in this case a Bible atlas) will be helpful. This is a full week of opportunities for study in a variety of areas. Suggestions are provided and are categorized by focus; art appreciation, architecture, active art participation, cooking, science and music. For example, in Unit Two: The Rise of Civilization, (you and) your student may study the Royal Standard of Ur (Art Appreciation), look at photos of ziggurats (Architecture), construct a small city out of Legos or other items (Arts in Action), dig a hole at least 12 inches deep and examine the layers of soil (Science), listen to harp music (Music) and/or cook lentils with tomatoes (Cooking). It will be up to you and your student to decide what activities to participate in and what areas of study are of the greatest interest to you. Phase 4 (Expression Week – Intuitor): Do you have a child that says, “Hey mom, I know what we can do!” Hmmm? Well, I do! There’s a little bit of this in both of my older children and they like to share with me all of their wonderful ideas as often as they can. My job is to keep them on track, but I often get caught up in their ideas because they can be very interesting! This last week for the unit will appeal more towards this type of learner. Your job will be to help them see to completion whatever form of expression they, or you, choose. Finally, your student has the opportunity to take all the knowledge and wisdom they have been gleaning from the unit’s studies and apply them in a way that can be expressed in a variety of individual means. Suggestions are broken down by form of expression. Examples from Unit Four: The Children of Israel include: writing monologues for Solomon on living with 700 wives, or a fictional account of an Israelite on the sixth and seventh day of the march around Jericho (Linguistics), creating an artistic rendering of Moses receiving the Ten Commandments (Art), writing lyrics to a tune of choice about Queen Sheba visiting Solomon (Music), doing a humorous skit about Gideon and his army (Drama), designing a board game (Conceptual Design) and learning a Jewish folk dance (Movement). As you can see, there are numerous options and many suggestions. Perhaps one will spark interest for your student(s) and perhaps you will modify one of the suggestions to meet your students own ideas!
Often when a curriculum offers a Teacher’s Guide, a common question I hear is, “Is it needed?” Well, I’ll describe how this Teacher’s Guide works and what is included and let YOU be the judge of that question. As my oldest son used to say, “How about that’s a deal?” When I first looked at the original publication of Ancient Civilizations… I ended up putting it down pretty quickly because there was little in the book that gave my visual aptitude a sense of order. The new books (especially the Teacher’s Guide) are completely different in that respect as far as I am concerned. The original book gave recommendations of study listed by type of activity, one after the other. The new Teacher’s Guide provides instructional information to the parent/teacher, daily assignment suggestions for each weeklong unit of study, tips on making the information more useful and helpful insights into the material being covered. The first 33 pages are devoted to the parent/teacher to provide an introduction to the materials and a proper amount of information that is helpful in implementation and getting the most out of the material. Included are; scope and sequence, an explanation on the structure of the material, goals, a key for icon’s used throughout the guide (i.e.; Teacher Tip, Motivate, Question etc.), instructions on how to implement each phase of each unit, a suggested schedule and even information for classroom teachers and homeschool parents on how to evaluate and asses their student’s work. Following the introductory material are over 200 pages dedicated to guided instruction for each page in the student’s guide. Reduced images of each student page are provided with numerous notes and tips for the teacher in the remaining spaces and margins. At the beginning of each phase, the teacher is provided suggestions on how to space out the week’s study/activities by day. Diana suggests that students do Math and Language Arts related works in the mornings, which allows afternoons for digging into their history studies. In Unit Three: Egypt & the Exodus Phase 1, the teacher’s guide includes notes and commentaries directed to the teacher about Ancient Egypt and God’s Plan, Joseph’s Life, and The Exodus. Next is a page connecting the teacher to the discussion section of the student manual. Here, a Teacher Tip is provided in the right margin that suggests bringing up an informal discussion with your student(s) about possible routes for the Israelites Exodus from Egypt. Diana provides insight into the controversy over the traditional route of the Exodus and encourages exploration in this area. This would all be as in introduction to the unit’s study of Egypt & the Exodus. Additional suggestions for teacher’s include classroom discussions, how to apply a section of study to different needs, suggestions for recapping information and evaluation and much more. The Teacher’s Guide concludes with four appendices; learning style descriptions, modalities and intelligences, information on worldview issues and following the Lord as a teacher. Additionally, supplements such as maps, articles and reviewed resources are included. Additional Resources: Audio Tapes (& CD’s) The history “spines” for each of Waring’s study guides are the audio tapes entitled, What in the World’s Going on Here? and the True Tales… series. If you want to hear history in a whirlwind, catch the ride by listening to Diana speak! She nearly bursts with energy and passion as she lays out key events and information throughout history. In What in the World’s Going on Here? Diana provides an overview of history chronologically. She brings up several interesting facts and questions about what happened in history and points out how it relates to God’s word and what it may mean to us today. Diana weaves her knowledge of history with the wisdom and conviction of a Christian worldview. Applying the knowledge of past events to discussions of what history means to us today and how events and peoples action relate to God’s purposes and plan are evident throughout her tapes and study materials. True Tales continues the storytelling experience and includes short biographical information about people studied by time period as well as vignettes of historical accounts, events etc. And . . . as my three year-old daughter likes to say, “Hey mom, guess what?” This audio series has recently been revised and greatly enhanced. Yippee! I am so excited to share with you that the new recordings are now available on an easier to use CD format. The revised materials are not only enhanced in their quality and ease of use (like the break down of topics by tracks making it easy to locate a needed excerpt) but the information is expanded! Diana adds more information and insight to her already wonderful series of audio presentations. As it is with any storyteller, not everyone may appreciate Diana’s passionate presentation of history, but MANY can benefit from the information presented. History is tied to issues relevant to us today and the sheer chronological coverage that is provided on these audios makes them great for may purposes. In my opinion, they would be an asset for personal study and for use as a supplement with any history curriculum! For more information on the new CD’s, please see: What in the World’s Going On Here and True Tales on Diana’s site.
As a side note, while the coffee song may not be found on these CD’s
(or any other music) there is a CD available for this very purpose. The title is All Glory Laud and Honor
and offers a series of Christian Hymns for use in family worship and as a
supplement for Romans, Reformers and Revolutionaries. Changes and Updates in Revised Volume If you have tried History Alive! materials in the past and did not find them appealing at the time, don’t automatically think that the new volumes won’t appeal to you either. While the premise of study is still similar, in that it is based on four learning styles, the format and the amount of information included has changed and grown significantly. The format and the amount of information has changed and grown significantly. Previously, there were twelve units of coverage for one year’s study of Ancient History. Now there are nine units, clearly designed for coverage over a one month time period each. This allows the opportunity to schedule your studies with summer and Christmas breaks. If you school year-round, you can take additional time covering areas of interest in further depth. In the older volumes of Ancient Civilizations and the Bible, learning styles, (learning modalities) were addressed in the beginning of the book, but it wasn’t very clear throughout the studies how they were applied. Simple formatting and typeset changes as well as the addition of distinct headings has made it easier to identify what learning style is being applied at different points of study as well as providing an overall easier to read format. Future volume revisions? Now that Diana’s children are fully grown, she has the opportunity to spend a good deal of time digging deeper herself as she writes revisions and expands the offerings provided by the Waring’s company. Where Might This Be A Good Fit…Or Not? As you can tell by now, Diana’s materials are designed with a variety of people in mind, which is addressed by meeting the needs of different learning styles. Having these areas addressed each month, week by week, is something that will help make her studies suitable for a larger audience. The new Teacher’s Guide provides a great deal more guidance than her previous edition for the unsure teacher/parent. It also includes the often looked for suggestions for daily coverage. Each week provides a plan for what activities to do on each day. It should be remembered that while the material is much deeper in content, it is still a “guide” to studying history. This is not a bad thing, it is simply something that should be noted. While there is information provided in the Introductory articles and the audio tapes, the curriculum is designed to guide students to “dig deeper” through additional research, readings, activities and discussions. Several options and suggestions are provided, yet they should not be overwhelming for the parent who has a hard time picking and choosing. If you are not comfortable with searching for books on your own to provide the details and information necessary for your history studies, then you may have difficulty utilizing a history guide such as this. Keep in mind, however, that specific titles and even suggestions as to where to look for additional titles in the library are often provided to assist in this area. Since the premise of these studies is that the students will discover and learn how to find information on their own, they (and you) will need to be prepared do so. Personal Notes & Summary As a customer stated in her review of Diana’s original Ancient Civilizations curricula, “Diana’s excitement is contagious!” This is evident both in hearing her speak and in reading her commentaries. In fact, as I remember the conference in Wichita and think back on hearing her session about “History via the Scenic Route”, I remember how much I learned in a short time and how compelled I felt to study history with my kiddos. Diana’s materials are consistently and decidedly Christian in their worldview presentation. They also offer a wide variety of study modalities which should appeal to a wide range of families. Finally, whether or not the curriculum fits the needs of your particular family, or if you have chosen a different history curriculum, anyone can benefit from the information shared on Diana’s audio series, newly revised and expanded on CD! To see sample pages of the Teacher’s Guide, which include the reduced size images of the student book, you can visit: Sample Pages for Ancient Civilization Teacher’s Guide. Some of Diana’s materials are also available for check-out from our lending library. If you would like to see more, please let us know! As always, many blessings to your family as you prayerfully consider the choices best for you in your homeschooling adventures. Further
Information Was this review
helpful for you? Please let me know by
emailing me at: Jolene @christianhomelibrary.org . (Please
remove the spaces.) or emailing Diana Waring. |
Wholesome materials with you in mind. |