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Alison
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| Posted: April 11 2012 at 10:51pm | IP Logged
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Hoping I can get some help here, I am wanting to do a brief study of the 16th to the 17th century over the next 10 weeks. I am trying to decide how to frame it. Whether to key in on main events or emphasize historical figures. I always have a tendency to get bogged down with detail so what I need help with is keeping this as an overview rather than in depth!
So for the 1500's some things that jumped out at me were
Ferdinand Magellan
Henry VIII of England(thought we could watch "A man for All Seasons")
Mary Queen of Scots
Battle of Lepanto
Francis Drake
Copernicus
Council of Trent
William Shakespeare( kind of already doing in literature/english)
Walter Raleigh
I should add I have a grade 5 + a grade 9 boy to excite with history!(actually they do like history but I just want it to be boy relevant!!)
So how would you spend your time? What books/sites/projects would you cover
thanks in advance
Alison
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jawgee
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| Posted: April 12 2012 at 5:48am | IP Logged
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Michelangelo picture studies
Queen Elizabeth (my kids liked Good Queen Bess, but they are younger)
Galileo
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Alison
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| Posted: April 12 2012 at 7:12am | IP Logged
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Thanks for your reply Monica,
Michelangelo yes for our art study and Galileo for science.
How would you tackle Galileo?Does anyone know of a book that has a balanced perspective or even one that gets the kids thinking about the church's position.
Also wondering about a book by Belloc or such for the grade 9.
Then some historical fiction...
You see how I start to add more rather than keeping it concise.Two hundred years in ten weeks...am I expecting too much?!
Please keep the ideas coming 
Alison
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stellamaris
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| Posted: April 12 2012 at 8:05am | IP Logged
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I would certainly include St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Francis Xavier. They had a tremendous impact not only on the spiritual lives of many people, but also on history in general. You might also want to study a few of the North American Martyrs, especially St. Isaac Joques and St. Jean de Brebeuf.
For the Belloc book, you might consider How the Reformation Happened. And on the note, you will also need to include at least Martin Luther and his impact in order to have basic knowledge of that period of time.
Yup, I do think you are trying to do too much in 10 weeks, but good luck  !
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Caroline
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Mackfam
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| Posted: April 12 2012 at 8:40am | IP Logged
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Ten weeks is pretty much a term of work, and it's a lot of ground to cover. If other reading were curtailed, and other work was confined to narrations of this period's reading, and Book of Century work, you could probably do it. If you have planned other heavy work in other subjects, the suggestions below will be too much.
SCIENCE: Galileo:
Read Mary Daly's concise and helpful page about Galileo. And do read what it means to be a Galileist - it is quite thought provoking! Dealing further with the science of the early 17th century, there is another page that discusses the "pigeons" that took the Bible literally in matters scientific. Reading through this bit of history gives one a very good, and soundly Catholic foundation for understanding Galileo as well as a "coming of age" of sorts within Holy Mother Church in terms of her fostering and nurturing the sciences which heretofore was not really understood well. You could read through these background pages in one day, so that would really help fit in your tight schedule. If you had time for further reading, a book that I highly recommend is Copernicus, Galileo, and the Catholic Sponsorship of Science by Jane Meyerhofer with Mary Daly. From there, a very simple and enjoyable study of Astronomy seems appropriate.
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HISTORY: 16th and 17th century - I'm only going to list my favorite books that illustrate important happenings of this time period, namely: exploration, the Battle of Lepanto, the beginning of the Reformation. An EXCELLENT book, worth finding and owning, to read aloud at the beginning of studying any century is 2000 Years of Christianity with historical articles by Warren Carroll and narrative paintings by Gloria Thomas. Each century receives thorough treatment through a summary article, which could easily be read in a day, and a painting which illustrates the significant happenings of the century. This would help you provide a sense of overall context since you're moving quickly, and as I said, you could introduce the two centuries in one day, and then have the reading follow.
* * *
5th grade - depending on the reader, you could possibly get through these three books in 10 weeks, but I think it would be close.
Knights Besieged by Nancy Faulkner (oop, but worth the find!) - 16th century, Isle of Rhodes, Battle of Lepanto
Ships Boy With Magellan by Milton Lomask - 16th century, world explorer as seen through the eyes of a boy, fantastic historical fiction
A Trumpet Sounds reprinted under a new title: Crossbows and Crucifixes: A Novel of the Priest Hunters and the Brave Young Men Who Fought Them by Henry Garnett - 16th century, England, Catholic Church persecuted under Queen Elizabeth
* * *
9th grade - reading will be heavier, taking into account a high school reader....and even paring this list down to my absolute favorites, I'm not sure I could cover it adequately (enough to convey a good sense of the period) in 10 weeks....I would probably take 20 weeks (or two terms). I'm going to star (**) my top picks - the ones I'd place as priority reading.
Characters of the Reformation by Hilaire Belloc
How the Reformation Happened by Hilaire Belloc - these two Belloc books are excellent non-fiction for historical understanding. I really highly recommend them, but because of your 10 week period of time to cover this period...
I'd recommend staying with historical fiction - excellent literature to cover this topic and period,
and I would leave these two Belloc books out and instead read:
** Come Rack, Come Rope by Robert Hugh Benson - 17th century, Catholics in England during time of Reformation, several mentions of St. Edmund Campion.
** The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain - 16th century, division of classes and life in England, excellent historical fiction classic and very readable.
Lepanto by G.K. Chesterton - 16th century, naval battle of Lepanto, read the version with excellent commentary by Alquist. You may save this and study Lepanto again at another time (perhaps as it comes up around the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (October), which was promoted through Pope St. Pius V's insistence upon the praying of the Rosary during the Battle of Lepanto)
** Blood Red Crescent by Henry Garnett - 16th century, novel on the Battle of Lepanto (easy read for a 9th grader with excellent writing)
** Outlaws of Ravenhurst by Sister Imelda Wallace - 17th century, Scotland, Catholic faith, excellent classic novel with a gripping plot line - this is one not-to-be-missed and could probably fit in the 5th grader's line-up, too. Gripping and exciting tale for any child, but especially boys! My own son was riveted listening to his older sister narrate the story, and insisted that no written narrations be completed on this book so he could hear everything! 
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Shakespeare
I might also read about Shakespeare, since this is the period of history from which he originates.
Will Shakespeare and the Globe Theater by Anne Terry White - oop Landmark, excellent historical fiction account of Shakespeare's life, could be read aloud.
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Most of what I listed covers the significant happenings from European history, but the 16th and 17th centuries are rich in literature fleshing out the early settlement of the Americas, as well as Native American history....but in 10 weeks I figured you might cover that some other time. ???
Hope this is a help for you, Alison! It's a very rich and deep period to cover in 10 weeks, but I do think it could be do-able...you just could not add in much else besides worthy literature and simple narrations, Book of Century work, and language arts that springs from the reading (dictations taken from the classic literature). If you're planning on requiring several book reports, multiple language arts workbooks, other texts from other subjects, you would not be able to cover (in 10 weeks) the literature list I detailed above with any adequacy. So, my 2 cents of advice would be to stick with worthy literature and keep the peripheral stuff simple and connected-to/springing-from the literature at hand. 
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Alison
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| Posted: April 12 2012 at 5:34pm | IP Logged
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Once again thank you Caroline and Jen, 
Perhaps I should explain why I am speeding through this time period.I have in my mind that i need to cover all time periods up to modern times before ds in 9th finishes homeschooling. He has only 1 more year as for yr11 and 12 he wants to use our state school system to complete his entry into uni.
So I am in panic mode trying to "do it all' before then.Usually we take our time (excuse poor pun) in each century or time period we study. The middle ages took two years. We spent a good year on each ancient civilisation etc.
I don't think I need to do every aspect of history but its deciding what and how much.Perhaps I could ask advice in this too: do people aim to cover all right up to modern times and if so how do they fit it all in and keep it meaningful?
What do we want our children to be left with from a study of history?...Once again I think I spend too much time considering all this. Back to practicalities for the day, and drying that large load of washing
Alison
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JodieLyn
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What will he study in the 2 years in the state school system? I mean as far as history? Will he cover your national history then? What will he be likely to cover in world history? or will he do even those?
I would definately want to cover the Reformation at home and do it reasonably well so that when confronted with it in other places he'll have a good Catholic understanding. But I wouldn't worry about cramming it all in. A good understanding of a few things will help him realize that there is more than the conventional assumptions about history. Whereas if you skim and rush, he may just be left with a confused view and a few events that managed to stand out for him.
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stellamaris
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| Posted: April 12 2012 at 7:02pm | IP Logged
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Alison wrote:
| What do we want our children to be left with from a study of history? |
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This is an excellent question to consider and I really think it deserves its own thread. I only have a minute or two right now, but here's a few thoughts:
From the study of history, I want our children to
develop a knowledge of and relationship to people who have affected the course of history and whose contributions affect us even today. I want them to have examples of godly men and women and how these saints influenced the world for the better, as well as to consider the dastardly impact of evil men and women. In this way, they can develop a sense of perspective on their own lives and choices.
From a study of history, I also want my children to come away equipped with a skeletal outline including critical dates and people/events of Western Civilization. A well-educated person should have at their ready disposal dates such as 752 B.C. (tradidtional date of the founding of Rome), 44 B.C. (death of Julius Caesar), 30 A.D. (the Crucifixion and Resurrection), 313 A.D. (Edict of Milan), 1066 A.D. (William conquers England), 1215 A.D. (Magna Carta), 1492 A.D. (Columbus discovers America), 1521 A.D. (Ninety-five theses of Luther), and so on. So I would have them memorize these dates and events. Everything they learn in the course of their lives can then be placed in the right "place" or period of time.
I wouldn't consider it necessary to cover everything in great depth. History is a lifetime study and the understanding and appreciation of the motives of the people who have gone before us are more clear to us as we grow older.
Lastly, I want to develop in them a love of history. The best way to do this is by using excellent historical novels (Jen has the best lists of these ever!).
Having sent a daughter to Catholic high school for two years, I can testify that the history classes were very sketch. That is, sketchy! They didn't cover all periods by any means, there were few actual history classes, and the historical material was not at all integrated with literature of any kind. I'm sure you will do a much better job at home, no matter how much you are able to cover. So, just relax if you can and enjoy the time with your son! Just reading the books Jen suggested will give him a lot of knowledge!
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Caroline
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JennGM
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| Posted: April 13 2012 at 10:35am | IP Logged
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I love these goals, Caroline! I find it hard to carve into words our goals for history. I like to refer to Christopher Dawson, particularly his chapter in The Crisis of Western Education, The Case for the Study of Christian Culture.
History cannot be piecemeal, but everything we read and study needs to be in context of the whole picture. And what is that whole picture? God's relation to man, the Covenant, with Incarnation as the central point. History is not a dead past, but alive, because the Mystical Body is alive is composed of both past and present.
Of course, that big picture isn't being pounded in or pointed out, but the choices of reading are intentional to support this view, such as you present. We read about heroes, saints of God, and contrast of sin and sinners. We unfold the tales of civilizations and eras, pointing out key events and persons that impacted history.
I don't have much more time to draw this out...but your post, Caroline, made me think and want to go back to my favorite historian to prod me to think deeper on our goals.
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stellamaris
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| Posted: April 13 2012 at 1:58pm | IP Logged
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JennGM wrote:
| History cannot be piecemeal, but everything we read and study needs to be in context of the whole picture. And what is that whole picture? God's relation to man, the Covenant, with Incarnation as the central point. History is not a dead past, but alive, because the Mystical Body is alive is composed of both past and present. |
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Caroline
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Alison
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| Posted: April 18 2012 at 9:39pm | IP Logged
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Totally agree with not making a study of history piecemeal.Wanted to add that the cultural context within which we frame our study of history is something to consider. I think at Grade 9 ds is more than able to grasp this concept.Which leads one into philosophy more I guess but I think both disciplines impinge on each other anyway!
Important to discuss a particular author's viewpoint.So a book like "our Island Story" was written in a particular time that influenced the way it was written.
Also wanting to talk about the impact of historical events on modern times. For example colonization and its impact on modern world politics.
And on a still further thread archaeology and its influence on our history studies. Is there a move away from "the story" to describing history only in terms of "the evidence". I am thinking of the British archaeologist Francis Prior in this context.
Me thinks I spend too much time thinking!!
Alison
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4Real Forums : Across Time and Place
Topic: The 1500's
