Richard the 3rd

Posted in College Prep, High School, Middle School, Public Domain, Upper Elementary, Western Civilization on March 25, 2012

King Richard the Third, known commonly in history as Richard the Usurper, was perhaps as bad a man as the principle of hereditary sovereignty ever raised to the throne, or perhaps it should rather be said, as the principle of hereditary sovereignty ever made. Richard III only reigned for two years.  But his rise to kingly Read More »

Peter the Great

Posted in College Prep, High School, Middle School, Public Domain, Reading, Upper Elementary, Western Civilization on March 22, 2012

Jacob Abbott was a prolific writer.  He wrote several biographies of famous historical figures. My next few posts will be dedicated to some of his better biographies.  Each of these books is well suited for upper elementary children and older.  We have used them many times with our history lessons and notebooking projects. First we Read More »

History of Julius Caesar

Posted in College Prep, High School, Middle School, Public Domain, Reading, Upper Elementary, Western Civilization on March 22, 2012

There were three great European nations in ancient days, each of which furnished history with a hero: the Greeks, the Carthaginians, and the Romans. Alexander was the hero of the Greeks. The Carthaginian hero was Hannibal. The Roman hero was Caesar. And so begins Jacob Abbott’s story of Julius Caesar.  His account is thorough, covering Read More »

Stories from Greek Tragedians and Comedians

Posted in High School, Literature, Middle School, Mythology, Public Domain, Upper Elementary, Western Civilization on March 13, 2012

English re-tellings of classic Greek tales written by Alfred J. Church. Some of the stories included: The Battle of Salamis The Buried Treasure The Story of Antigone The Girl of Andros Download Stories from the Greek Comedians from archive.org. Download Stories from the Greek Tragedians from gutenberg.org.

King Alfred

Posted in College Prep, Elementary, High School, Middle School, Public Domain, Western Civilization on March 12, 2012

Alfred the Great figures in history as the founder, in some sense, of the British monarchy. I have to admit that I don’t know much about Alfred the Great (reigned 871-899).  Like Charlemagne did before him, Alfred brought religious and educational rebirth to his country of Wessex.  He fought off invasions by the Vikings and Read More »