History & Geography
Left: Katie, Andriana, and Alexandra work on their time line for Ancient Egypt. Right: Kindergarteners, while studying ancient Sumer, learned to make mud bricks (using water, potting soil, and grass clippings from the parish/school yard). The bricks were formed in ice-cube trays and baked in the sun. They used the bricks to make a model of a typical Sumerian house -- windowless on the outside walls, but built around and open central courtyard. Don't you love their grass?
See also OCS-NEO Curriculum, Areas of Study section, for a description of the use of Salvation History as the backbone for an integrated curriculum, and a topical summary of the six-year cycle used to study history.
Summary of Course Objectives
The student will:
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achieve a basic understanding of the history of Salvation from creation through the present, and of the Eastern and Western civilizations.
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achieve a basic understanding of the history of tribal Africa, pre-Columbian Americas, aboriginal Australia, and the Far East, prior to and between periods of sustained contact with Eastern and Western civilizations.
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make and use a timeline to give a sense of the time span encompassing historical events.
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develop an understanding of how the present relates to the past.
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learn the proper place of his community, state, and country by seeing the broad sweep of history from its beginning, and fitting his own time and place into that landscape.
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develop an understanding of how different philosophical and metaphysical presuppositions have led nations and civilizations to develop in different ways.
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achieve an appreciation of the uniqueness of Christian civilization in its various manifestations (i.e. the Byzantine Empire, Kievan Russia, etc.)
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achieve a basic understanding of US, Ohio, and local history.
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explore the connections that exist between philosophical/metaphysical presuppositions, religion, economics, government, culture (including music and art), family, and other institutions.
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achieve a basic understanding of the forms of government as they developed and worked throughout history, including lawmaking and the judicial process.
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develop and understanding of the electoral process in pure democracies and representative republics, including the US and state of Ohio.
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learn about how people actually lived during the period being studied.
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learn about the social, economic, and religious stratification of society in each period.
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learn about the development and application of technology in each period.
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study the major wars, people, migrations, and other events of the period.
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read the biographies, autobiographies, or commentaries of key figures in every period of history.
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develop a basic understanding of historical research.
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learn, in context, the history of cartography.
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learn to read and use globes, maps, and architectural drawings.
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learn to create/draw maps.
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develop a love for history and geography.