Here is a list of The Good and the Beautiful history resources that can supplement Classical Conversations Cycle 1 history memory work.
I tend to get a bit overzealous with my reading choices with the children. We are on a continuous cycle of read alouds — and while I’d love to always align these with our Classical Conversations history memory work, that is not always easy.
The Good and the Beautiful has a four year history curriculum for grades 1 to 12. And this is the perfect supplement to our Classical Conversation history memory work. I love how pick-up-and-go this system is and I wanted to share my research here.
Jenny Philips, creator of TGTB, has her entire history scope available for download, so while Years 1 & 2 are the only ones available for purchase, you can see where the whole program is going. And! Year 3 will be available in July of 2018. #excited
So I thought it would be fun to share what lessons will correspond with each week of history memory work for Classical Conversations Cycle 1. Since TGTB History books jump around a bit — each covering a bit of ancient, medieval, renaissance, and modern (to include American) history, you will be jumping around in the guides.
The lesson books are beautiful, and the corresponding Big Book of History Stories are also just lovely.
Another part to note, are the audio recordings that are included for about half of the lessons. These are wonderful to listen to during lunch time! They are tender hearted and full of good truths and manners!!
- Years One (and Three) have the Big Book of History Stories, including Maps & Images.
- Year Two has Maps & Images only, but includes four suggested read alouds for different age groups throughout the year.
The stories are pulled from classic, living texts by the likes of Pratt, Baldwin, and Marshall so you know you are getting the best of the best, the good and the beautiful! These compilations also include famous artwork and artifacts related to the time period, as well as maps too that pinpoint certain geographical areas.
I highly recommend the program, and even if you aren’t doing Classical Conversations, this is what I would recommend to the homeschool mama who is very wary and doesn’t want to create anything on her own. It can be used (albeit without all the prompts included in the lessons, favoring narration over question/answer type discussion) with a Charlotte Mason inspired homeschool as well. The Good and the Beautiful history program will provide a fantastic foundations for Biblical and godly history.
Classical Conversations Cycle 1 & The Good and the Beautiful History Curriculum
Weeks 1 & 2: Ten Commandments
Year 1, Lesson 13
Year 3, Lesson 3
Week 3: Greek and Roman gods
Year 2, Lesson 1
Week 4: Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
Egypt: Year 1, Lessons 4 – 7
Babylon: Year 3, Lesson 7
Week 5: Roman History (27 BC to AD 467)
Year 3, Lessons 14 – 17
Year 4, Unit 1 (not available until Fall 2019)
Week 6: Ancient Greeks (Homer, Pythagoras, Socrates, Archimedes)
Year 2, Lessons 2 – 6
Week 7: Hinduism (1500 BC) and Buddhism (6th century BC) in India
Year 2, Lesson 12
Week 8: Age of Imperialism and British rule over India (1858) and Gandhi
Year 1, Lessons 49 & 50
Week 9: Lao-Tzu and Confucius in China (6th century BC)
Year 2, Lessons 7 – 11
Week 10: Japan’s Heian Period (794)
Week 11: Emperor Constantine and Byzantine Empire (AD 330 to 1453)
Week 12: Muslim Empire (founded in AD 622) and Ottoman Turks (1400s)
Year 4, Unit 2 (not available until Fall 2019)
Week 13: Kush and Berbers (2000 BC to AD 350)
Egyptian focus: Year 1, Lessons 4 – 9
Week 14: African Trade in Ghana, Mali nation and Timbuktu, Songhai Empire (700 to 1400s)
Year 3, Lessons 19 – 24
Week 15: Prince Henry of Portugal (1400s)
Week 16: Mesoamerican Civilizations: Olmecs, Mayans, Aztecs (1200 BC to AD 1500)
Year 2, Lessons 23, 24, 26
Week 17: Aztecs and defeat by Cortes of Spain (1519)
Year 2, Lessons 25 & 27
Week 18: Mound Builders: Adena, Hopewell, Mississippians (1000 BC to AD 1450)
Week 19: Anasazi in United States (500 BC to AD 1200)
Week 20: Mexican Revolution: Villa and Zapata (1910)
Week 21: Exploration of Canada and Hudson’s Bay Company (1670)
Year 4, Unit 4 (not available until Fall 2019)
Week 22: British North American Act of 1867 and Dominion of Canada (Independence in 1982)
Week 23: Liberation of South America (early 1800s)
Week 24: Portuguese Empire and Brazil’s Independence (1822)
Try it, you won’t regret it. It’s beautiful.
So if you are looking for something wonderful to add to your lunch routine or afternoon routine, this is an easy, grab and go solution! You can also see our list of Living Books for the Classical Conversations Cycle 1 World History Memory Work.
I love TGTB! I am currently using the LA curriculum with my daughter. We are starting CC in the fall. I keep going back and forth if I want to do all TGTB curriculums or Ambleside Online. However, I am happy to see this post and know I can combine TGTB and CC in the future!
Ok, we are 3 years in on Classical Conversations! We LOVE CC! I’m trying to figure how to incorporate TB&TB because I’m really loving it also. So you are saying in order to incorporate TG&TB as far as History with CC History, we need to buy all 3 history books? Just trying to figure out what to do. Thank you!!
Yes Shannon — the way TGTB organizes it is they go thru 4 time periods per Year. (They will have four years, but only the first three are out currently). So you’d have to get each one in order to match up what I’ve posted here. It is very inexpensive, and for under $200 you’d get all three and have a great supplemental curriculum. (We also looove their supplemental board games.) I’ve also posted Living Books that could pair beautifully with CC in my most recent post — so you could choose what books are best for your family. I love TGTB because of their audios and the quick, short lessons that we can incorporate anytime. I hope that helps with your decisions <3
Thank you, yes it does!!
HI,
This is great! Thank you! I was wondering how you did the audio with your kids if you are using all 3 history years. Is the audio story confusing if you are jumping between years ? Im wanting to follow your line up for this years CC cylce 1 :)
Thank you,
Danielle
Will you be posting another blog about the Cycle 2 supplements? Thanks!
Hi Kyleen!! Yes I will be soon :)
Looking for your Cycle 2 recommendations. This is our third year in CC (1st time for Cycle 2) and we are looking to add TGTB. Frankly feeling a bit overwhelmed (again – LOL). Thanks!
Looking forward to it!
I can’t wait to see the connections for years 2 and 3!!
Please post soon!
Hello! So do you use the Story of the World at all? Just curious. I don’t participate in CC, but I have friends who use some of the curriculum and we were looking at doing a co-op that combines CC/CM methods. I was thinking about trying to convince them to use TGTB History because it looks so fun and engaging (plus, I’m not crazy about SOTW). I teach from a Charlotte Mason approach and was contemplating purchasing all the years but jumping around in the guides to make our study of history more chronological (specifically with American History, since that is where we start with CM). Glad to hear it can work. I wasn’t sure if jumping around would mess us up or feel awkward with their layout. If you have any more input, I’d be glad to hear it!
We have listened to SOTW in the car, and that is just as a supplement for the stories. I would suggest Our Island Story, followed by America First as great living books to read for your history! Ambleside Online has many other wonderful suggestions, but yes TGATB is great for history, but they jump around, so it would be rough asking people to purchase all 4 years!
Curious, do you do this history alongside Story of the World? If so, what do you skip? It feels like it would be a lot but I really like how TGTB looks! We also do American History from the start as that fits with Charlotte Mason philosophy. Thinking I would buy Year 3 and start with Native Americans for.
Yes, we do a range of things! My children like the extra map work, audio files, and games included in it, so I don’t use all of it, but have added much of it in!
Is there a guide available yet for Cycle 2? I do love the Good and the Beautiful History and would love to incorporate with our CC Cycle this year.
Is the supplement plan available for Cycle 2?
I would love to see a guide for Cycle 2! :)
It’s up :)
Have you compiled a list of which chapters coincide with CC Cycles 2 & 3 by chance? We have been doing CC for 5 years and love it. Have used SOW alongside for History but bought TGTB because how it’s all-in-one, open & read type of curriculum. I needed more streamlined. But wondering if I should just start from Year 1 and read through (despite it not lining up with CC cycle we are in) or try & bounce around like the schedule you suggested above. Obviously all 4 years are out now and curious if you’ve continued using TGTB alongside CC & would love any suggestions on how you used both.
Hi Rachel! Yes I have my CC2 / TGATB post up, and will be posting my CC3 post hopefully by the week’s end!! We are still in the middle of CC2 personally, but will try to start the CC3/TGATB match up in the fall with the rest of CC :)