World History, Year 2 of 2

Explore the ever-changing world of the past 500 years

Sonlight H completes the study that began in Sonlight G. Get a backstage pass to the last 500 years of World History – Colonial rule and Colonial rule overthrown, the influence of the Renaissance on the American and French Revolutions, the World Wars and life for everyday people during those wars. In this program, you'll meet the people whose ideas and actions forged the course of history, from reformers to rocket scientists. Gain a working knowledge of what happened from the 17th century to about 1990.

In this 36-week program, you'll also discuss some uncomfortable realities of history that were largely sidestepped in previous years – things like the Holocaust, poverty, and war.

• Finish the breathtaking journey through World History you started in Sonlight G.
• Enjoy your children as they grow: you get the lesson plans, tools and materials to guide them each day.
• Watch Colonialism and Asian dynasties rise and fall. Wrestle with the reality of two world wars.
• Learn from the past and see how each generation's choices impact the world.
• Fuel a love to learn with gripping historical fiction, fascinating biographies and great literature.
• Purchase this package and you'll get free shipping (lower 48), a one-year guarantee and other perks.

Sonlight H includes challenging books and fun books – thrilling adventures, laugh-out-loud scenes, and heartwarming stories. You'll find a mix of books for a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Estimated daily time for World History, Year 2 of 2 plus your other subjects: Student: 4-6 hrs | Parent: 2-3.5 hrs

Prefer a one-year World History option? See Sonlight W.

Overview of the History

The History uses the final two volumes of Susan Wise Bauer's Story of the World, and the Usborne 12,000 Years of World History (5-Day only) continues as the visual embellishment of, and expansion on, the text.

Overview of the Literature

The Read-Alouds: what a fabulous treat!

The first book, one that may make you spontaneously exclaim, "I love that book," tells of a girl who ends up in a cathedral boys' choir, while also trying to figure out why her father was murdered. (This does not touch on the humor, charm, interest, and delight in this book. As with all the best books, it is impossible to convey the feeling of the whole in a single sentence.)

Both of Sarita's daughters claim The Sherwood Ring as one of their favorites. Not a story of Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest, this is set in New York, mostly during the Revolutionary War, in which dashing military officer Peaceable Sherwood makes life miserable for the rebels. (One of Sarita's daughters hopes that, in heaven, all book heroes are as dynamic and perfect as Peaceable Sherwood.)

One Read-Aloud tells the story of the Jewish Danes escaping to Sweden during WWII. Another one set during WWII includes the evacuation of Dunkirk, and a description of life in a country that is under attack.

There's a book about life in Afghanistan under the Taliban; one about the Japanese occupation of Korea and the later Communist takeover of North Korea; and one about figuring out what causes cholera. One is about the Trail of Tears, when the Cherokee were evicted from their homes in Georgia and forcibly resettled in Arkansas.

And for the final Sonlight Read-Aloud in all our programs: the laugh-out-loud classic story The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (5-Day). An unwilling mother takes over the annual Christmas pageant, and her child gains new insight into what it would be like to be an uncertain visitor to Bethlehem, ready to have a baby. (Some families make this an annual tradition during Advent, to remember to prepare their hearts for the Savior.) No matter what time of year you read this, may you be changed.

Readers

More than a dozen Readers this year continue the Sonlight standard: a range of topics and beautiful writing. Huguenots flee persecution in France and end up on a sugar plantation in the Caribbean. The potato blight and subsequent famine in Ireland. Life in the Tower of London. Exile in Siberia. Growing up in the Amazon rain forest. Growing up on a military base (5-Day). The French Revolution. The Russian Revolution. Stories set in Canada, Japan, Hungary, India, and China.

Sonlight H discusses some uncomfortable realities of history and life: the Holocaust, poverty, war, grief, minorities, and famine. But even though the world can be dark, even though life can be hard, our hope is that when your children face challenges – which, at their ages, might be no more than resolving conflicts with siblings or working hard to understand math – our hope is that they'll say, "I know I can do this because I've read about ordinary people like me who kept on trying. I won't give up!"

With strong heroes to emulate, may your children be prepared to persevere.