17th
Century History Curriculum
After a few years with Sonlight (which I loved and highly recommend), I decided to "wing-it" with history in our homeschool. For the past 2-3 years I have created my own curriculum, and finally decided to share it with you! Read my full post on Our History Curriculum to understand how we use it.
The 17th Century is such an exciting time to
study! The Renaissance is wrapping up, exploration of the world is still
exploding, modern science is growing, and new worlds and civilizations are
being born. We will cover Shakespeare (whose main works and his death were in
the 1600s), the beginnings of America
(my FAVORITE part of history!), Galileo, Isaac Newton, Pilgrim’s Progress,
Pirates, and many other notable historic facts.
My current students are 5, 8, 10, and 15. These are widely
varied ages, I know, so the approach to each topic will be different depending
on the student. Since my oldest student will graduate in a couple of years,
this will be our last time to cover the 1600’s to modern era, so she will study
more in-depth than the younger children.
How we do it:
Using this timeline, I read through Story of the World (SOTW) and other history
books, stopping for videos, literature, and hands-on activities as they arise. For this century we are
adding a more formal History Timeline/Notebook/Smashbook which will include a foldable
timeline and sections for History & Geography, Science, Literature, and The
Arts. Costumes, food, and field trips round out the fun! Photos of completed
lessons to come.
I have provided links to books we use, as well as websites
with printables. This list is not at all exhaustive, but it covers the main
points discussed in Story of the World, Volume 3 and The Light and the Glory,
as well as a few extra events I wanted to cover with my children.
As noted above, my students vary widely in ages and
abilities, and this list includes resources for the whole family.
Your family may want to explore some topics more than
others, or skip a few, or add in more. Just have fun with it. I share this as a
help to myself (so I can easily link from my iPad during school) and to share
my ideas and sources for others who wish to “wing-it” in their homeschool.
There is no set time limit on this study. We just go with the
flow.
(Links in RED. ** notes my top favorites!)
(Links in RED. ** notes my top favorites!)
So...let's begin!
Resources:
Main History Spine: Story
of the World Volume 3, and Activity
Book
Story of the World timeline figures from Tending Our Lord's Garden
Story of the World timeline figures from Tending Our Lord's Garden
The Light andthe Glory (for high school) and The Light and the Glory for Children (for the elementary age)
Usborne Book of World
History for younger students
Usborne Internet
Linked Encyclopedia of World History for older students
Usborne Book of World History p. 146-147
William Shakespeare-
1564-1616
(Read my full post here on teaching Shakespeare at home)
**Illustrated Stories from Shakespeare by Usborne
**Shakespeare Lesson Plans at About.com/Education (free)
**The Shakespeare Encyclopedia by A.D. Cousins
**Illustrated Stories from Shakespeare by Usborne
**Shakespeare Lesson Plans at About.com/Education (free)
**The Shakespeare Encyclopedia by A.D. Cousins
**Great
Scenes from Shakespeare’s Plays (Dover Coloring Book)
A
Shakespearean Tale by S. A. Cranfill
How to
Talk Like Shakespeare at Writers Write
The Complete
Works of William Shakespeare online at Many Books (free)
Teaching Shakespeare to Kids at
Kids Love Shakespeare
The
Play’s the Thing board game
YouTube Video: Animated fly-through 17th
Century London
Lego
Hamlet on YouTube
Lego
The Tempest on YouTube
Alan Rickman reciting Sonnet
130 on YouTube
Romeo
and Juliet paper doll costumes and here
Try to watch a live play, or at least a movie of a play (original scripts!)
Try to watch a live play, or at least a movie of a play (original scripts!)
There’s lots more on my Shakespeare
Pinterest Board!
other –
Galileo 1564-1643
Along Came Galileo by Jeanne Bendick
Galileo
learning ideas from Teach Beside Me
Galileo
For Kids book on Amazon
Movie
Learning Guide from Teach with Movies
Galileo’s
Telescope children’s books
Draw a Telescope from Draw and Write Through History
(Vikings, Middle Ages, and the Renaissance)
This is a good time to talk about (or jump all in to)
Astronomy
Other topics include the thermometer, pendulum clock
The New Way Things Work pgs 42, and 186-189
The New
World
1600: History/Literature: Sackett’s Land by Louis L’amour – historical fiction coinciding
with Jamestown and Plymouth (You can read all about teaching history with Louis L'amour here)
1602: Dutch East India Company Formed
Elizabethan
Men’s Fasion at DeviantArt
Elizabethan Era paper
dolls and paper
men
1603 Queen Elizabeth dies and King James VI of Scotland
becomes King James 1 of England
1605 – Australia
is discovered by the Dutch
Australia
mini-unit at The Pinay Homeschooler
Usborne Book of World History p. 156-157
1607 – Jamestown
1608 - Champlain
1610 – Hudson
1611 – King James Bible
1614 – Pochahontas marries John Rolfe
SOTW3 – Chapters 1 – 3
Light and the Glory
(regular and kid’s versions) Chapter 4: Jamestown
SOTW: Chapter 7 – Jamestown ,
Tobacco, Slaves (Colonial America coloring book p. 28)
Hudson and Champlain: Colonial Coloring Book p. 26
American Family of the Colonial Era Paper Dolls by Tom
Tierney
Life in Colonial America Coloring Book by Peter F.
Copeland p. 2-3,11-12,
Pocahontas by Ingri & Edgar Parin d’Aulaire
Movie: The
New World
American Indian paper
dolls
Usborne Book of World History p. 148-150
1616: Sir Walter Raleigh searches for the New
World
1620: Pilgrims Sail
to America
The Light and the Glory (all versions) Chapters 5-6
The Light and the Glory activity book for all
Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford
What the
Pilgrims Did at 400Things
Character
of the Puritan Fathers at 400 Things
Costume Patterns for Pilgrims and Colonials here,
Costume Patterns for Indians here,
Keep the littles busy with this Pilgrims
PreK printable pack
Thanksgiving
printable timeline for younger students
The
Worship of the American Puritans by Horton Davies
Thanksgiving
Activity from No Time for Flashcards
Virtual
Field Trip: Walk Through Plymouth at Scholastic
Pilgrim
Stories by Margaret Pymphrey
Sarah
Morton’s Day by Kate Waters
Rush
Revere and the Brave Pilgrims by Rush Limbaugh
Squanto
and the Miracle of Thanksgiving by Eric Metaxas
Visit MayflowerHistory.Com
for a wonderful list of Mayflower passengers, primary documents, and much, much
more.
Visit Plimouth
Plantation
1620: To the Far Blue Mountains
by Louis L’amour
1620s: The Warrior’s Path and Jubal Sackett by Louis L’amour
Rembrandt’s Art
Career 1626-1660
Rembrandt: Art History for Kids on
YouTube
Rembrandt: Art Lessons
for Children at Hub Pages
Art Masterpieces to Color: Aristotle Contemplating Bust of
Homer
1624: SOTW Ch 6 – Manhattan
Island
Life in Colonial America coloring book p. 9
1628: Light and the Glory (both versions) Ch. 8
The Worship of the American Puritans by Horton Davies
SOTW Ch.
12 – Oliver Cromwell, Puritans
SOTW Ch.
8 – Middle East and Persia
(Ottoman Turks)
Usborne Book of World History p. 142-143
1618-1648: SOTW Ch. 8 – Thirty Years’ War
Usborne Book of World History p. 144
SOTW Ch.
10 – Japan , China
Make a Zen garden
Japan paper
dolls and paper
men
SOTW Ch.
11 – India/Taj Mahal
Usborne Book of World History p. 152-155
1650’s – 1660’s – Vermeer Artist Study
Masterpieces to Color: Girl With a Pearl
Earring
1660 Masterpieces to Color: Diego Velasquez – Infanta
margarita
1660-1675 Masterpieces to Color: Murillo – The Little Fruit
Seller
1660-1730 – Golden
Age of Piracy
Pirates-
Costume patterns here,
here, here, here (we’ve made this one twice),
See Inside the Age of Pirates
Connections:
Pirates (unit study at Homeschool Share)
Pirates of the Carribean (movie)
Pirates
Unit Study at The Homeschool Mom (approx ages 8-13) -
Ch 4 – Landmark History of the American People (How British
Laws made Smugglers and Pirates)
Ch 6 – True Stories of Pirates – Captain Kidd
Pirates Theme Page
at Enchanted Learning
1575 – Cervantes brothers escape Corsairs (True Stories of
Pirates)
Draw and Write Through History: Pilgrims, Pirates, and
Patriots
Usborne Book of World History p. 161
Make Spanish Dubloons (SOTW Activity Book ch. 1)
1664 –Plague in England
1666 - Great Fire of London
1667 – Paradise Lost by
John Milton
SOTW Ch.
13: Louis XIV, Cardinal Richelieu
Usborne Book of World History p. 158-159
1687: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth Speare
1675: SOTW Ch 15 – King Phillip’s War
The Light and the Glory Ch. 9
1678: Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyon
The Family Pilgrim’s Progress by Jean Watson
Lots of
great extras for reading Pilgrim’s Progress at ThielAcademy
Music – Harps begin to be used in orchestras and the
recorder becomes popular in England
Isaac Newton-
1643-1727
Isaac
Newton by John Hudson Tiner (Sower Series books)
Isaac
Newton Unit Study at Garden
Of Praise
Newton’s
First Law of Motion animated video by Smart Learning for All
See Newton’s
Principia Mathematica online
Explore Physics with this fun book: Issac
Newton’s Physics for Kids
John Locke 1632-1704 (Influenced the American Revolution)
1673
-Anton van Leeuwenhoek
Antony
van Leeuwenhoek: Creation “Magnified” Through His Magnificent Microscopes
The Light and the Glory Ch. 10-11
1682 SOTW Ch.
17 – Russia/Peter the Great
Usborne Book of World History p. 145
1683 SOTW Ch.
18 – Ottoman Turks March West
SOTW Ch. 19 – British in India
1692 – Salem
Witch Trials
The Light and the Glory Ch. 12
The Scarlet Letter
by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Check out my World
History: 17th Century Pinterest Board for these and many more
links! If you have any questions, please comment below.