History Odyssey: Middle Ages

History Odyssey: Middle Ages

Grade level: 5th - 8th

Pages: 170

Course type: Study guide (See the Booklist tab for the resources required to complete this course.)

Important Notice

The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia (KFH) has become difficult to obtain. While we are hopeful a new edition will be released, there is no confirmed publication date at this time. KFH is the main reference spine for this History Odyssey course and is required for proper use.

Please make sure you have secured a copy of KFH before purchasing this History Odyssey course.

What Is History Odyssey: Middle Ages?

History Odyssey- Middle Ages (“Middle Ages”) is a year-long, secular homeschool history curriculum for middle school students who are ready to begin learning more independently.

This comprehensive course combines history, language arts, and world geography into an integrated study of world civilizations during the Middle Ages. Students will engage in reading and writing assignments, mapwork, and timeline construction, developing academic and analytical skills as they explore this period of history.

Because Middle Ages is secular, it presents religious beliefs and texts not as factual accounts, but as sources and perspectives to be examined through a historical lens.

Middle Ages is the second course in the four-part History Odyssey series (Ancients, Middle Ages, Early Modern, and Modern). While each course can stand alone, skills in writing, time management, and critical thinking advance with each level.

 

What Resources and Materials Are Needed?

In addition to this study guide, you will need:

• The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia (main reference spine)
• Access to additional reference materials (library or internet)
• The History Odyssey Timeline or supplies to create your own large-scale timeline
• A detailed world atlas
• Colored pencils for mapwork
• 3-ring binder with dividers and lined paper
• Books from the original and/or alternative booklist for literature study units (see Booklist tab for full list)

The study guide integrates all twelve books from the original book list into the course.

To expand global perspectives, Pandia Press has also curated an alternative book list. Students may choose to replace or supplement books from the original list with the corresponding alternative selections.

 

Who Can Use History Odyssey- Middle Ages?

This course is appropriate for students in grades 5–8, whether learning:

• at home (independently or with parent guidance)
• in co-ops, learning pods, micro-schools, or charter schools

The study guide is written directly to students in clear, concise language to promote independent study.

Prerequisites

Each History Odyssey course builds upon the writing and critical thinking skills developed in earlier levels.

Before beginning Middle Ages, students should already be comfortable:

• Writing outlines
• Creating paragraph summaries of their readings

These skills are introduced in History Odyssey: Ancients and are assumed knowledge for this course.

Flexible Scheduling

• The course includes 113 lessons, each designed to be completed in 1–2 sittings.
• Students should expect to spend about 2 hours per session, 3–4 days per week, to complete the course over one school year.
• The exact schedule can ebb and flow as needed, allowing flexibility for families and co-ops.

Because the lessons are longer and more involved than those in Ancients, this course requires greater time management and organization skills.

What Material Does Middle Ages Cover?

Students will study world events from approximately 250 CE to the mid-16th century. Major areas of study include:

• The Byzantine, Ottoman, Mayan, Aztec, Incan, and Spanish Empires
• Medieval dynasties of China
• European royal families
• The Crusades
• The Black Death
• Japanese Feudalism
• The Renaissance and Reformation

 

What Skills Will Students Learn?

Throughout the course, students will develop:

• Independent study and time management skills
• Critical reading and analytical thinking
• Historical reasoning and chronological understanding
• Evidence-based writing and paragraph composition
• Research and reference techniques
• Geographical literacy through map and timeline work
  

 

Important Copyright Information

If you choose the eBook version of this course, you are purchasing a license to use the PDF for your own children. You may make copies for your own children, but you may not share (email, download, print and distribute, resell, etc.) this eBook or any portion of this eBook to others. Licensing is available for group, school, and co-op use. Please contact Pandia Press for details on group licensing (info@pandiapressbooks.com).