Suggested
Grade Levels

K = Kindergarten
(Picture Books)

E = Elementary:
Grades 1-3
(detailed Picture Books
& easy reading)

E-UE = (books for
younger, fluent readers)

UE = Upper Elementary:
Grades 4-6

JH = Junior High:
Grades 6-8

HS = High School:
Grades 9-12

+ = "and up"

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Teaching History

We give you lots of ideas for teaching history with our American and World History reading lists, history crafts and games, timelines, and maps. Here are a few more things that can add some spark to teaching history in the classroom.

Reading Logs

Co-op/Classroom Ideas

Notebooks

Crafts

Make Your Own Blank Timeline Book!

Download PDF Teachers Books from the School eBookstore!

Reading Logs

We offer several Reading Logs for you to choose from. Print these in color (or on colorful paper) for each student to record his/her year's history reading. The students should three-hole-punch these and keep them in their notebooks.

Ancient History
Middle Ages
Age of Discovery, Renaissance & Reformation
World History

America: The 1600's
America: The 1700's
America: The 1800's
America: The 1900's

Co-op/Classroom Ideas

If you are using the recommended reading list as you are teaching history, there are creative ways to encourage your students to read, and read as much as they can! Use the Reading Logs for your students to record their books. Reward every 5 books with candy or a small toy from a Prize Box. If the book is long, every 50 pages can count as 1 book.

Have a "Book Share" at the beginning of your classtime. Encourage your students to bring in their book(s) for "Show and Tell". They can show everyone a few pictures and tell why they liked that particular book. For those students who participate, they can earn one reading credit to count towards earning a prize.

Want to offer a little more structure for your students in choosing their outside reading? On the one hand, you can be totally structured--assigning your choice of reading throughout the year for all your students. Another approach is to be partially structured. That is, assign a few of your favorites as required reading, and then allow your students to fill in the rest of their Reading Logs with their personal choices.

Notebooks

Notebooking
Notebooking is best described at Hold That Thought, which offers materials on CD for your student to make their own history notebook. Choose and print out from over 350 worksheets in Vol. 1 and over 600 in Vol. 2 to create attractive reports and other creative activities (including maps). Covers both World and American history from a Christian perspective. The Beginner's Set contains 400 sheets with large-ruled lines for the younger student.

Another great history Notebooking resource is a series put out by Evan-Moor called History Pockets. The titles range from Ancient Civilizations to Moving West in America. The selections are offered in Grades 1-3 or Grades 4-6. History Pockets offers a wide variety of projects while incorporating a little art in the mix, and all of these can be stored in a Notebook.

Notebook Covers
Print out these fabulous Notebook Covers to decorate the front of your History binder! Then use it to include things like Reading Logs, mapwork, pictures of your student with a completed craft, pictures of field trips, written reports, etc.

Crafts

Make sure to visit our Craft Pages for lots of ideas to complement your Social Studies Lesson Plan!

Make Your Own Blank Timeline Book

Blank Timeline Books are simply empty pages with dates. The teacher gives students an illustration for a person or event in the lesson, and the student glues this illustration in his/her Book on the appropriate page. Illlustrations can come with captions, or the student could be expected to write the date, a title, or possibly other explanatory information on his/her own. Illustrations can be pre-purchased, or teachers could find and print their own pictures from the internet (see the Timeline information on this website!).

Blank timeline books can get expensive—especially if you have to buy them for an entire class. And many times you don't need the entire scope of history--you may only need one section.

Also, making your own Timeline Book can get tricky since a book that will last a full school year requires cardstock, and most printers can't handle printing cardstock in larger quantities (and some can't print it at all!).

We offer an eBook to solve these problems! Use the detailed instructions and colorful time period separation pages to put together as many Timeline Books (or portions of Timeline Books) as you need. Dates are printed separately and attached to each cardstock page. The dates are formatted for labels for convenience, but can also be printed on paper to be cut and glued for the most economical option. Visit our teacher's store for more information on this resource!