Colonial History (Layers of Learning History)

Colonial History is a history course that covers from approximately AD 1500 to 1800. It includes the history of people all over the world from Europe to Africa to Asia to the Americas. In it students learn the major events that shaped the past, see how kings and governments treated their people, and determine what causes nations to thrive. Students are asked to read widely, think deeply, and get their hands messy.

This is not a textbook; it is a guidebook for mentors to use as lessons and resources to design a custom course for your students.

A mentor uses Colonial History to custom tailor learning to the students. The mentor chooses from among the library book recommendations, video recommendations, and activity ideas presented in the book. Mentors and students learn together as they read, watch, craft, cook, play, and create. To complete the activities you will need craft supplies and some household items. This course was designed for multiple ages or abilities of students to learn together in a homeschool or classroom.

Nine Month-Long Units

Middle Ages History includes nine units, one for each month of your school year.

1. Age of Exploration - From Portugal and Henry the Navigator exploring the west coast of Africa to Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe
2. Colonialism - the Portuguese and Spanish empires and the colonies of Britain, France, and the Netherlands until about 1700
3. Reformation - the religious wars of Europe that took place mostly in the 1600s as well as the Dutch War of Independence
4. India - The Mughal Empire and the British East India Company through the Raj period
5. Far East - Ming and Qing Dynasty China and Edo Japan
6. Aztecs, Incas, and Conquistadors - The civilizations of the Aztecs and Incas before the colonial period and then their conquest by the Spanish
7. Africa & the Slave Trade - northern sultanates, eastern empires, west coast kingdoms, the slave trade
8. South Pacific - Australia and New Zealand history and the voyages of Captain Cook
9. Enlightenment - this is the 1700s and 1800s in Europe when philosophers were challenging the power of monarchs, emperors, and the church

Each unit intentionally contains more information and activities than you will be able to complete. The mentor chooses among the options to design a course just for his or her students. Then, in four years, once the entire Layers of Learning cycle has been completed, you all return to the book and do new activities at a higher level of learning. This course was designed for multiple ages or abilities of students to learn together in a homeschool or classroom and contains activities that will appeal to little ones and to high schoolers, often at the same time.