One of the great things about the Big Ideas through History program is that it can be successfully and easily used not only by students of different ages in the same family, but can also be reused as kids grow and are ready for more depth in each topic.
Tips for Using BItH with High School Aged Students (9th-12th grade)
For learners 9th to 12th grades, I suggest doing history work four or five times weekly, covering one Section/Peoples per week with each Unit (3 Sections plus one Peoples) taking 4 weeks to complete.
I recommend picking age and level appropriate chapter books or novels for your student to read independently throughout each Unit (the number will vary based on the length of each selection and how quickly your student can get through the selections).
For each Section or Peoples I suggest:
Day 1
- Read from a suggested reference book or web article(s) from the Section’s recommended resources.
- Discuss or summarize the reading or take notes of the section read.
- Complete part of the Unit Literature Resource.
Day 2
- Revisit the topic by:
- Watching a web video from the Section’s recommended resources or
- Exploring an interactive website from the Section’s recommended resources or
- Watching a recommended movie or show.
- Complete the Section Outline, highlighting the main points for the Section.
- Add the Section and other important dates to the timeline.
- Complete part of the Unit Literature Resource.
Day 3
- Review the topic by reading from another suggested reference book or web article from the Section’s recommended resources and review the main points for the Section.
- Discuss or summarize the reading or take notes of the section read.
- Complete part of the Unit Literature Resource.
Day 4
- Complete the Section Activity.
- Complete part of the Unit Literature Resource.
Day 5
- Complete the Section Quiz or Unit Quiz Show (on the last week of the unit when there is no quiz for Peoples section).
- Explore the Peoples of Color and Important Women for the section.
- Work on the Unit Writing Project.
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