Students in History 6 acquire a broad understanding of western history, from prehistory to the beginnings of the modern era. Geography, prehistory, ancient, medieval, Renaissance, and the Enlightenment are covered in the course of study. Most readings come from the textbook All Ye Lands: Origins of World Cultures, published by Ave Maria University, while some primary sources are included as the teacher sees fit.
Content Course Goals
- Ch. 1 An introduction to geography, the reading of maps, climates and their impacts on history
- Ch. 2 The prehistory of man and early civilizations
- Sumer / Mesopotamia
- Egypt
- Ch. 3 The Mission of Israel
- Summary of the Old Testament and ancient civilizations of Phoenicia, Assyria, Babylon and Persia
- Ch. 4 The Marvelous Greeks
- Homeric Myths: Iliad and the Odyssey
- Greek City-States: Athens and Sparta
- Wars: Persian and Peloponnesian
- Philosophers and other great men
- Ch. 5 Eternal Rome
- Legendary Beginnings: the Aeneid, Romulus and Remus
- The founding of the Roman Republic
- Punic Wars against Carthage and the extension of the empire
- The Rise of the Caesars
- Growth and Decline of the Em
- Ch. 6 The Christian Church: A Gift from God
- The Incarnation: Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ
- The Growth of the Church
- The Age of the Early Christian Martyrs
- Heresies of the Early Church
- The conversion of Constantine and its impact on the Church and the Empire
- Fathers and Doctors of the Church
- The Barbarian conquests and the fall of the Western Roman Empire
- Ch. 7 The Byzantine Empire and the Rise of Islam
- Muhammad and the Muslims
- The Spreading of Islam
- Ch. 10 (First Sections only, p. 229-236): Intro. to China as a complement to English 6
- Early Chinese Dynasties
- Ch. 8 Europe: The Middle Ages
- The Dark Ages
- Restoration of the Roman Empire
- The Feudal System
- The Changing Farm and the Rise of Towns
- The transformation of feudal kingdoms to Nations
- Saints who rebuilt the Church: Sts. Francis, Clare, Dominic and Thomas Aquinas
- The Black Death
- Ch. 9 Europe: The Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Modern World
- Martin Luther and the Protestant Revolt
- The Progress of Science: Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, etc.
- The Beginnings of Modern Literature: Miguel Cervantes, William Shakespeare.
- The “Glorious Revolution,” the American Revolution, the French Revolution
Geography points include:
- The seven continents
- The four oceans
- Equator, Meridians, etc.
- Mediterranean Sea
- Mesopotamia
- Tigris River
- Euphrates River
- Sumer
- Ur
- Upper Egypt
- Lower Egypt
- Egypt
- Nile River
- Red Sea
- Israel
- Jerusalem
- Sea of Galilee
- Jordan River
- Dead Sea
- Phoenicia
- Carthage
- Hippo
- Greece
- Peloponnese
- Athens
- Sparta
- Corinth
- Ionia
- Marathon
- Thermopylae
- Salamis
- Italy
- Rome
- Tiber River
- Sicily
- Milan
- Spain
- France
- England
- Ireland
- Germany
- Russia
- Constantinople
- Alexandria
- Antioch
- Mecca
- Medina
- Baghdad
- Tour
Analysis Course Goals
- Identifying main points from a text for purpose of discussion
- Constructing an extensive timeline of historical dates and events
- Identifying the most important aspects of a historical figure or event
Composition Course Goals
- Executing a standard format for homework
- Writing answers in complete sentences
- Composing sentence answers that include context, description, cause, and result; i.e. going a step beyond limited, literal responses
- Identifying answers to study guide questions in the text and writing them in a complete, neat, and legible manner
- Summarizing a longer selection from the text
- Re-telling a historical narrative orally