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.
Suggested use of Big Ideas through History with young elementary kids (PreK to about 2nd grade):
For learners in 2nd grade and under, I suggest doing history work once per week and focusing on one Section per day. This means you would get through about one Unit each month (3 Sections plus one Peoples).
For each Section or Peoples I suggest:
- Read one picture book from the Section’s suggested book list.
- Discuss the story and main points for the Section (sticking to the big idea, omitting specific dates and details).
- Work with your child to complete the suggested Section Activity if hands on, building, creative, or cut and paste.
- If the suggested activity is too advanced, explore one of the interactive websites or watch one of the suggested online videos listed in each Section’s recommended resources or watch a suggested movie or show.
I also recommend picking one chapter book, novel, or historic text from each Unit to read aloud with your child throughout the month.
As an example, Unit 1: The Beginning of Human Kind could be covered with PreK to 2nd grade learners as follows:
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Throughout your 4 week Unit 1 study, read aloud from the The Adventures of Caveboy series or another suggested novel/chapter book from Unit 1.
Week 1, Section 1: Birth of Earth, The Big Bang
- Read Older than The Stars or another suggested picture book.
- Discuss the big bang and how the universe began including:
- How long 13.8 billion years is (write the number out and show how they have been alive less than 10 years, and how the oldest person alive is a little more than 100 years old)
- After the initial explosion, the universe continued to stretch and expand, and is still doing so today.
- As the particles moved farther apart, they cooled and began to group together to eventually create everything that exists now.
- Do the Section 1 suggested activity together.
Week 2, Section 2: What is Evolution?
- Read Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species or another suggested picture book.
- Discuss the idea of evolution and how all living things have changed over time.
- Watch Elesapiens: Darwin’s Theories
Week 3, Section 3: Evolution of Man
- Read Annabelle & Aiden: SAPIENS: Our Human Evolution or another suggested picture book.
- Discuss human evolution including:
- Our species subgroup “hominin” is more than 5 million years old (again, write the number out and show how they have been alive less than 10 years, and how the oldest person alive is a little more than 100 years old)
- Over time, hominins evolved to have the important traits we have now such as the ability to walk upright, use tools, and develop language.
- Work together to complete the hominins suggested activity using When We Became Humans: Our incredible evolutionary journey or Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: Human Origins as a reference.
Week 4, Peoples I: Cro-Magnon
- Read The First Drawing or another suggested picture book.
- Discuss Cro-Magnon people including:
- Cro-magnon were the first known homo sapiens in Europe.
- They left the first known paintings on the walls of caves, many found in France and Spain.
- Cro-magnon drew human and animal forms.
- Do the Peoples I suggested painting activity.
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