History Revealed

What others are saying

We have used Diana's guides off an on since before the revisions. The tapes were always exciting for us, and history was made more of a delight. But when the guides were revised... oh me oh my, what a joy!! The articles are excellent and when coupled with the CDs the puzzle pieces of history begin to come together like with no other curriculum that we have tried! Combining biblical and secular history is exactly what is needed, and it is what Diana does.

We study it all together with my 6th grader reading Diana's wonderful stories and then we all listen to the CD's during lunch or some other time. Even my little ones remember certain things from that. Diana is such a wonderful story-teller that you can't help but get hooked. Then with all of the "digging" opportunities there is so much fun with this program. I have graduated two children from our homeschool, but when they were all schooled together they each chose their own projects from the wide variety that Diana provides. Then they would all share their research finds, etc. It was so much fun to see what each other had dug up.

There are times when I just sit and read the articles for fun, and then there are times when I just listen to the CDs while riding to town to run errands. So this program even lends itself beyond our school time.

For me, I must say that I've been enjoying History for the first time in my life! I've learned more than I ever did in high school and have been blessed so much by integrating Bible into "secular" history (if you can call it that since God IS in the center of ALL History). You can't go wrong with Diana's material for any age group. 

—Paula in Mississippi

I am newer to this curriculum and need to share what we've experienced. I LOVE the information provided through this series. I have a 4th and 1st grader. I have to say that the text in the student guide and the reading from teacher guide is written at a middle school level (at least). Diana has an incredible vocabulary and used very descriptive compound sentences that I've found is not highly digestible without rephrasing for even my 4th grader at times. The information given is the best. We will repeat this in full detail in the future. The Student Guide is excellent, clear, gives MORE than enough choice of what to read and do and is clearly laid out. I would say it would be very applicable as a challenging 5th grade curriculum. . . . it does an incredibly comprehensive job of combining Bible history with world history. The teacher's guide is organized into learning types and has Bible references for each period in history. You will get a very synchronized understanding of the history of the world as God's design and His handiwork using this. My 4th grader LOVES listening to the audio recordings, even though Diana talks a little fast for us sometimes. She's very excited and has so much to say that it's overwhelming, but fascinating. We take those in the car and listen while driving.

—Anne in Indiana

[History Revealed] is an excellent resource. Diana has done mountains of research and put together an excellent overview of the history of the world. She really has addressed all types of learners and this can be used with all ages. The primary focus is history—HIS story—from a creationist, Bible-as-history point of view. It does, however, address all content areas (except math and phonics) within this framework.

I ended up choosing this curriculum PRIMARILY for a history course for my high school boys that I could also use with my younger children (I have 6, 5 of them are boys.) I had always taught the children unit studies together, but needed a more rigorous, systematic, chronological curriculum for my son who was entering high school. Enter History Revealed, which I chose after months of online searching (and more months of saving.) WE LOVE IT!! I am so glad I bought this instead of one of the four other major programs I had seriously considered first. You could readily use JUST this course plus math (and reading instruction) for your family at the elementary level.

History Revealed can be very fun and it is an excellent resource. It is NOT designed as a textbook that you simply work your way though, beginning to end. You might consider each week's suggestions and choose ONE main activity for each child to focus on. If there is time, interest, and enthusiasm for more than that, we do it. But my expectation is that each child will do ONE thing in each of the "phases," plus the work we do as a whole group: listening, reading articles aloud, outlining articles together, reading good books aloud, working on the timeline, filling in the maps, putting together a final project or presentation.

If you are more diligent than I have been about sticking to the one-unit-a-month schedule, you can easily do a book a year. There are three volumes, and I use a four year rotation with the 4th year being my state's history. You can easily use this program 2, 3, or 4 times for the same children. There are plenty of different activities to choose from, and my observation has been that the more times you cycle through, the less pressure there is to "get it all done." The children will learn more each time through, and not be bored.

I HEARTILY RECOMMEND THIS PROGRAM as a multi-level, large family actual user.

—Kathy in Maine

I am THRILLED to pieces with Diana's curriculum!!

This is our first year and we are using Romans, Reformers, Revolutionaries. I have a 14 year old, 11 year old, and an 8 year old and I use the curriculum for all of them.

The way I go about making it work for my kiddos so that we can learn together is . . . I read the student article for each unit and the teacher notes first. Then before I start anything, I present it to all my kids. Kind of an overview of who and what we will encounter in our study of this unit. Everyone has their own teaching style. I like to make it fun, especially for my younger two. After we do that, the next day we listen to Diana's awesome, amazing, incredible CDs—only my 14 year old and my 11 year old. My youngest doesn't need to know all that yet. Then we continue on as the plan is laid out! My kids ADORE this curriculum and so do I! The "hard part" of lecturing is already done by Diana on the CDs. And she is fun and funny . . . we all love to listen!!!

We flesh out the units with my older daughter reading some of the core history books that Diana recommends, as well as others. And I am always reading historical fiction to all the girls at night. My younger kids do more crafty stuff, but they all like doing many of the suggestions in Diana's curriculum.

—Jill in Colorado

I have used Ancient Civilizations for three children at once, when they were about 12, 10, and 8 and it worked well. It does take a bit of getting used to though, if you are used to being told exactly what to do. There is way too much in those study guides to actually do it all! Diana designed it that way so it could be used with different learning styles, and so different students could pick things that excite them to study.

When I first used it, I mistakenly believed we would cover the whole of history in an orderly manner with no gaps by using this curriculum! Tall order for any curriculum, eh? When I realized it was meant as a GUIDE and we weren't meant to do it ALL, I was free to enjoy it. We loved that year (well, maybe 18 months or more in the end) and learned so much about the Bible in history, and how the history all fits in there.

—Emma in Australia

I just wanted to say today was our first day [using Ancient Civilizations]. I did absolutely nothing to prepare except for rearranging other stuff we were already doing. And it was such an awesome day! The teacher's manual is so great! Plus the writing style makes it so easy to read aloud to all my kids and keep their attention. I can't wait to do tomorrow. In fact, stopping today was the hardest part. We all wanted to keep on going. Even my three year old had some very interesting things to say. She was listening in and I just asked sort of joking who was her favorite person from creation to Noah. She said that God was her favorite "person" because He made everything from nothing and it all was good, very, very good. We all laughed because she said it so dramatic with arms waving everywhere to emphasize. My other kids had some insightful answers as well and I was surprised at some of the things that were said. We discuss the Bible a lot but I could see they had gained new insight even on things we had already studied.

I am really excited we found this! I know it's going to be a great year.

—Brenda in Georgia

I have to say that [Diana’s CDs] are really awesome!! My 13 year old wants me to play them all the time and loves the stories. Thank you! I live in Alberta, Canada. I am married to a wonderful hubby, and we have three children. We have been homeschooling for 4 years this year. And I just can't believe that it has taken us this long to find these super great history items.

—Shannon in Alberta, Canada

My parents live 45 minutes from our house, so we spent the 1 1/2 in the car yesterday relistening to one of the [Ancient Civilizations and the Bible] lectures. The kids didn’t seem to mind that we had heard the lectures before. They are animated and exciting; and everyone learns better when they hear things over and over. What we are learning is so interesting . . . (and yes, that was WE who are learning, not just the kids.)

—Leslie in Colorado

Frequently Asked Questions

1. For what age level is this curriculum appropriate?
2. How does AiG’s history curriculum by Diana Waring differ from Diana’s old curriculum?
3. What supplementary materials are required or recommended for History Revealed?
4. Are the answers provided in the Teacher Guide?
5. Is this a one-year curriculum?
6. How is History Revealed different from other history programs, such as Mystery of History or Story of the World?
7. Is your curriculum chronological?
8. Is this curriculum usable for the whole family?
9. How much time does this curriculum take?
10. Why are there so many books? Are we supposed to read them all? What do I do if I can’t find them?
11. Why are there so many projects? Are we supposed to do them all?
12. Is there a lesson plan to follow?
13. Can I use the History Revealed curriculum with my early elementary-aged children? If so, what parts of the curriculum should I order?

1. For what age level is this curriculum appropriate?

History Revealed is appropriate for use in grades 6 through 12. Students in grades 1-4 can be included in your family study of history by using the Elementary Activity Book.

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2. How does AiG’s history curriculum by Diana Waring differ from Diana’s old curriculum?

Ancient Civilizations & the Bible

A. General

It is basically the same text in each book, though the AiG version has a new presentation and has updated some resources and dates. Some of the CD tracks were re-recorded to update them.

B. Specifics

• All of the dates (in books and audio) have been aligned with Archbishop Ussher’s chronology as found in Annals of the World.
• The text has undergone some minor editing and updating.
• More up-to-date recommended resources have been added.
• Answers keys for mapping and timeline exercises have been added to the Teacher Guide.
• An student self-evaluation page has been added to every Phase.
• New artwork has been created for the Elementary Activity Book.
• Three interview audio tracks with AiG personnel (including Ken Ham) have been added to the What in the World? audio series.
• An interview with Tim Lovett on Noah’s Ark has been added to the Digging Deeper: Noah’s Ark audio CD.
• Some audio material concerning research by Bob Cornuke was replaced by new recordings concerning research by AiG staff.
• Nine unit tests (with answers) have been created, geared for school settings or for those who want a more traditional testing option.
• All student pages are sequentially imaged in the Teacher Guide, rather than having some set in the Appendix or partially imaged, making a more direct connection for the teacher to follow along with the student.
• The Teacher Guide has a new, easier-to-read layout.

Romans, Reformers, Revolutionaries

• The text has undergone minor editing and updating.
• The former audio series, That’s Why They Call It Grace, has been renamed Digging Deeper: Church History and is now an integral part of the curriculum.
• New artwork has been created for the Elementary Activity Book.
• Answer keys for mapping and timeline exercises have been added to the Teacher Guide.
• Nine unit tests (with answers) have been created, geared for school settings or for those who want a more traditional testing option.
• All student pages are sequentially imaged in the Teacher Guide, rather than having some set in the Appendix or partially imaged, making a more direct connection for the teacher to follow along with the student.
• The Teacher Guide has a new, easier-to-read layout.

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3. What supplementary materials are required or recommended for History Revealed?

All that is required to successfully teach History Revealed is the standard curriculum set, a Bible, and access to a library or the Internet. Ussher’s Annals of the World is recommended for older students, but not required.

There are recommended reading lists in each Unit for further study. Many of these books can be found at a local library, and some that are still in print can be purchased. Rainbow Resource Center has put together several book packs that accompany Ancient Civilizations & the Bible (and will soon have packs for Romans, Reformers, Revolutionaries). These contain many of the recommended books for each Unit (or replacements for out-of-print books). The kits can be viewed and purchased at Rainbow Resource Center.

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4. Are the answers provided in the Teacher Guide?

Yes and No. Let us explain. In Diana Waring’s early editions of this curriculum, there were no answers provided. This was in part because of her approach to education. She believes that history is not just memorizing people, places, and dates, but is an understanding of the flow of history and how God has been working His purposes out through individuals and nations. Most of the questions asked in the curriculum are open-ended questions that encourage discussion, thought, and synthesis. To help students with these questions, there are abundant teacher notes and explanations in the Teacher Guide.

There are, however, also objective questions for which answers are included in the AiG edition of the Teacher Guide. These include answer keys for the mapping and timeline exercises, and answers for the Unit tests.

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5. Is this a one-year curriculum?

Each Volume of History Revealed is designed to be completed in one year. There are nine Units, each divided into four Phases. Each phase is to be done in one week, so the course can be completed in 36 weeks. However, we have found that many people take longer to complete the course, sometimes up to two years. They choose to read more of the suggested books, do more of the projects, or just take their time digging into history. While there is a suggested weekly schedule, there is built-in flexibility for those who wish to speed through the course and for those who wish to take a leisurely stroll through history, smelling the flowers on the way.

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6. How is History Revealed different from other history programs, such as Mystery of History or Story of the World?

First, this curriculum brings a truly biblical perspective to the study of world history—seeing God as central to our understanding of history. In this curriculum, the student is frequently asked to consider, “What was God doing in this moment of history?” The answers are found and explored in the Bible (ancient times), Church history, and the modern missions movement. This overlapping of what most people study in history (which we could call “secular”) and the “sacred” history helps students gain insight into some of the incredible timing, amazing people, and fascinating effects of God’s interaction in our world. Because of this, students will not only gain academic understanding of history, but grow in their personal understanding of God’s faithfulness and wisdom.

Second, History Revealed is designed with the four-learning styles in mind, bringing an excitement and enthusiasm to the study of history for EVERY learner. This includes the Feeler (the “people” person), the Thinker (the “facts” person), the Sensor (the “hands-on” person), and the Intuitor (the “idea” person).

Third, because we approach history studies from many different subject areas (such as geography, literature, music, art, etc.), the student will have a much broader grasp of the events and people of history, as well as a far better retention of the material. This is one form of what is often referred to as “Unit Studies.” By offering opportunities to learn history through geography, science, art, architecture, music, literature, creative writing, and more, our curriculum constantly connects your history class to the real world. All you and your students have to do is dive in!

A wonderful complement to this integrated approach is the fact that students will learn new information from a combination of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic materials. This ensures that your students have the opportunity to learn in the way they learn best! Again, the History Revealed curriculum has already designed this multi-modality approach into every Unit. All you and your students have to do is use it!

Fourth, this curriculum offers an individualized program, which allows for the differences in students’ interests. This is not an “everyone must read these two pages and answer these questions” style of curriculum. We provide a chronological framework of history, giving a “big picture” understanding of the events and people of history, through the articles in the Student Manual as well as through the accounts in the audio CDs.

We provide a selection of books, a variety of questions, and an assortment of research projects, which allows students to pursue the particular people or events that most interest them. For instance, during the Unit on Napoleon, one could study Lord Nelson (sea battles), Beethoven (music), Louis Braille (blindness), or Toussaint L’Ouverture (slavery).

We have carefully crafted opportunities, both to learn and to practice what has been learned, through various creative means: write a limerick, create a mosaic, do a video presentation, become an “on the spot reporter” in a historic moment, create a PowerPoint presentation, put on a play, hold a feast, play a game, etc.

In summary, here are some things that set our curriculum apart from many, and make Diana Waring’s curriculum unique:

• Biblically-integrated lessons that demonstrate God’s hand in all of history
• Encourages students to evaluate acts of individuals according to biblical standards
• Specifically designed to address all learning styles and modalities
• Integrates various disciplines including science, art, architecture, language arts, drama, cooking, music, etc.
• Includes timeline and mapping exercises
• Timeline of events parallels Archbishop James Ussher’s chronology
• Provides an abundance of choices for student projects and activities
• Includes Diana’s riveting audio stories from history
• Provides suggested reading lists of both nonfiction and historical fiction
• Focuses on Western civilizations—Europe, Middle East, Eastern Europe, the Americas, etc. Less attention is given to China and India, though these are touched on as missionary endeavors to these areas are studied
• Includes both non-traditional methods for evaluating students’ work as well as traditional Unit tests

It is difficult for us to objectively compare various curricula, and we would suggest that you personally compare the ones that you are interested in to find the one that fits best with your needs. There are textbook and audio samples on this website to help you in your decision-making process.

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7. Is your curriculum chronological?

Yes. Since history is best understood from a chronological perspective, we start students at the very beginning—Creation—and bring them step by step over a three year period to the 1950s. Our curriculum covers these areas:

Ancient Civilizations & the Bible: Creation to Christ

• Old and New Testament
• Creation
• Early man
• The Flood
• The Tower of Babel and dispersion
• Ancient Assyria, Babylon, & Persia
• Ancient Greece & Rome
• Hellenistic Period
• Archaeology
• Jesus, the Messiah

Romans, Reformers, Revolutionaries: Resurrection to Revolution

• Church History
• Fall of Rome
• Middle Ages
• Vikings & Crusades
• Renaissance/Reformation
• European History through the 1700s
• A taste of early American History

World Empires, World Missions, World Wars: Napoleon through Korea

• Modern Missions Movement
• Industrial Revolution
• Colonization, Nationalism
• Darwinism, Communism
• World Wars I & II
• Rebirth of Israel
• Korean War

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8. Is this curriculum usable for the whole family?

Yes. Our curriculum is “family friendly”—the entire family can study the same era together, but all working on their own levels! History provides an amazing opportunity for the whole family to learn together: read together, listen to CDs together, share what they have learned with each other, create art projects together, put on plays together, sing together . . . the list is almost endless.

Rather than decreasing the effectiveness, learning together actually enhances it. That is why one-room schoolhouses produced academically-prepared students. That is one reason that homeschooling is producing academically-prepared students. And, if the truth be known, it is a lot more FUN!

Our curriculum is arranged on two levels:

Standard Curriculum Pack (Includes Student Manual, Teacher Guide, Test Kit, all audio CDs)—for those with no elementary-age students

• Upper elementary through high school
• Various levels of reading books from upper elementary through college
• Different projects based on reading and interests
• Lots of options to choose from in creative writing, drama, art projects, research, discussion, geography, etc.

Full Family Curriculum Pack (includes all elements above plus the Elementary Activity Book)—for those with elementary-age students

• Kindergarten through mid-elementary
• Fun for the whole family with hands-on activities, skits, silly songs, mazes,
  cartoons to color, and more

Follows format and content of Student Manual, Unit by Unit

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9. How much time does this curriculum take?

For the teacher: Approximately five hours total prep time per Unit. That’s only five hours a month! The amount of time spent with your students will vary with each family. The main preparation is in helping choose and acquire supplementary books. Look through the list of books with your students and choose the age-appropriate and interest-based books. Take this list to your library and, with your librarian’s help, find as many of your selections as possible (or have the librarian suggest a similar, alternative title). Once you have the books, become an enthusiastic listener as your students share their discoveries with you.

For the students: Minimum of three hours per week, broken down as follows:

Week #1: During the first week, students will discover fascinating people and events in history through the article in the Student Manual, which will appeal to visual learners, and through the accompanying audio CDs (What in the World?, True Tales, and Digging Deeper), which will appeal to auditory learners. As they explore history through books and CDs, the students will then be able to discuss the questions provided in the Student Manual.

Obviously, the amount of time a student spends on reading and discussion is variable. However, who is going to complain when a student chooses to read a fascinating history book over watching TV?

Week #2: During the second week, students will spend time researching a topic they have selected (from a list of possible topics in the Student Manual) and preparing to report on the topic. These reports may take many different forms—everything from a written paper, to a first-person monologue, to a video production or a PowerPoint presentation. A video production may take days to complete, but imagine the creativity and fun involved!

Week #3: The third week is the hands-on phase. Many families choose to spend 2 or 3 afternoons on this section. For example:

• Monday – interactive mapping
• Wednesday – art project
• Friday – cooking

The Student Manual offers so many suggested activities, that many days could be consumed if all the activities were accomplished. This gives each family the opportunity to decide which activities are appropriate for them.

Week #4: The fourth week provides a variety of opportunities to be creative. Students might spend a short time creating a historical limerick; or they might spend the entire week creating sets, props, costumes, and a script for a historical play. The choice is entirely yours.

So, how much time? As much as your students desire to spend. (Minimum: 3 hours per week)

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10. Why are there so many books? Are we supposed to read them all? What do I do if I can’t find them?

There are lots of books listed so you have choices and options. Our suggestion concerning the books listed in the curriculum:

• For students who enjoy reading, find as many books listed as possible
• For students who do not enjoy reading, take advantage of all the audio recordings available (What in the World?, True Tales, Digging Deeper). Then, try to find one or two books for the student to read (or have read to him). Next, choose from the alternative resources: art, food, drama, maps, videos, etc.
• If a particular title is unavailable at your local library, ask the librarian for an interlibrary loan or for a suggestion for a substitute title. Generally, librarians like homeschoolers because we increase their circulation, so approach them as a helpful advisor, and be sure to thank them!
• Enjoy the search!! Some homeschool parents and students have commented that one of their favorite parts of our curriculum was the joy of discovering wonderful books that were NOT listed!

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11. Why are there so many projects? Are we supposed to do them all?

For goodness sakes, don’t try and do them all! Our curriculum is like a smorgasbord—you can choose what looks appetizing! We offer a great variety of projects in a variety of disciplines so that your students will have choices. They can choose projects that are interesting to them, and learn about historical people and events that fascinate them. By individualizing the study of history in this way, learning is enhanced, retention is increased, and students don’t get bored—rather, they learn to love history!

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12. Is there a lesson plan to follow?

Yes. We offer a weekly plan for you to follow. However, it is flexible and many families end up taking more time for each Unit since they are enjoying themselves so much. Here is the suggested daily plan for each week:

	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4
Monday	Informally discuss the Key Concepts Listen to the What in the World? audio recording(s)	Choose topic and begin research	Create a map and discuss the issues in teams	Choose an area of expression and begin work either individually or in teams
Tuesday	Read the Unit article Listen to the rest of the audio recording(s) Read the Internet articles Read the Scriptures		Examine and discuss art masterpieces & architectural structures
Wednesday	Recap the material with an activity	Construct the timeline	Do an art project
Thursday	Conduct class discussion	Practice vocabulary	Do a science project or field trip
Friday	Read books of interest/Internet search Conduct a review and evaluation	Complete research projects and share in class or hand in Conduct a review and evaluation	Listen to and discuss the music Cook the food listed in the recipe Conduct a review and evaluation	Share creative expressions in class Conduct a review and evaluation Take Unit test, if desired

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13. Can I use the History Revealed curriculum with my early elementary-aged children? If so, what parts of the curriculum should I order?

Diana Waring’s curriculum is mainly designed and written to be used with ages 11–18. However, a lot of the material and concepts can be understood by younger children. The Elementary Activity Book is primarily designed to be used with early elementary children who are learning along with their older siblings, but many have used the curriculum successfully with younger children by themselves.

At minimum, you would want to get the audio CDs and the Elementary Activity Book. You can listen to the CDs together, discuss it with your children, and then have them do the corresponding activities in the book for each unit. However, you would also benefit from the material in the Teacher Guide. It gives a lot of background information on the events, people, and places of the time period being studied. It also gives suggested library books (many that are appropriate for elementary-aged children) that you can check out and read aloud with your children to supplement the audio CDs.

Young children can be fascinated with history, and can see God’s hand in the events of history, but they do not need to worry about learning all the names, dates, and places. You can repeat this curriculum with them in a few years when they can read the articles and do the projects. What you introduce to them now will give them an advantage when they go through the material again in their middle or high school years.

Here is what one homeschool mom wrote on a message board about her advice for using the curriculum with younger children:

I do have a piece of advice concerning using this material with those in the first third of the school grades (PreK–grade 4, as opposed to grades 5–8 and 9–12.) Well, probably several pieces!

First of all, get the whole set. The CDs are an integral part of the program, and I bought every single one and was so glad that I did. The Teacher Guide should not be handed to a student (small print!) but it has materials that are very helpful to parents (especially if you realize that some of what is in there is specifically written for use in a classroom situation and you don't have to do those parts!) The Student Manual is written to a grade 5–8 reading level, so you might need to do what we do— read the articles aloud for the benefit of our non-readers. (But I wouldn't make it off limits to your readers.) Also, plan to get the Elementary Activity Book, as this is what will likely bring the program alive for little ones.

Secondly, RELAX! They do not need to know everything there is to know about world history yet. Dig deep into those things that fascinate them (dinosaurs? pyramids? the Trojan horse?) and skim over those which are not as captivating (like every Egyptian dynasty...). This is such a good age to expose them to God's hand through history, and they will likely surprise you with what they pick up, but don't make them memorize dates and people and places. (Kathy in Maine)

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