• Develops literacy, vocabulary, geography!
• Introduces & explores key ideas in history!
• Introduces the subject and importance of history!
• Introduces and explores in detail key early civilizations!
• Introduces and explores in detail Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Confucianism!
• Covers major people & events in the order they happened!
• Hands-on activities make history relevant to the student!
• Develops critical thinking skills!
• Develops study in a self-determined manner!
• Lesson plans are complete and ready to use!  Start now!

We're currently working our way through this program and loving it.  The children (aged 12 and 16) work independently on most of their subjects, but we chose to do this together to tie in with this year's Great Books studies. As we started with The Epic of Gilgamesh, the Mesopotamian start to this unit worked perfectly.

This program has been designed for independent study, but we've found it to be ideal for collaborative learning, encouraging interesting discussions. All the hard work has been done, but there is plenty of scope for shaping it to your family's needs. If necessary the children can work on their own too, so I love the freedom this gives us.  Highly recommended.  E. R., Professional Educator
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History for students ages 11-adult. The histories of early, great civilizations - ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Middle East, India and China.

Where did civilization first begin? What was the first city, the first religion, the earliest profession? How did the idea of government start, and why? An in-depth study of early civilization.

This second Step 4 History course covers the beginnings of civilization, including Mesopotamia and Sumeria, Ancient Egypt, various kingdoms of the Middle East including the ancient Hebrews, China and India. Our Upper School History courses integrate History, Geography, Philosophy, Art, Literature, Economics, Politics, Science and Religion to create a full and involving view of humanity as it developed.

The beginnings of early religions are covered extensively, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, and Jainism. The earliest dawning of science is studied. The first literature and art is reviewed. Aspects of the Old Testament are covered through film and reading. The first code of laws and social contracts are looked over.  These factors alone make this course an indispensable aid to understanding life today.

In short, the beginning of nearly every area of human endeavor is opened up for the student’s discovery. And in every case, the student relates the studied materials back to his own life, finding ways to make history, science, religion, art, government and economics real and usable.

In covering a religion, the student reads about that religion's birth, its beliefs and practices from materials belonging to that religion. Then, he attends services or ceremonies regarding that religion. The student interviews people who practice that faith, and asks them a prepared list of questions, including questions like "Why do you practice this religion?"; "What about your religion could society benefit from today"; etc.

In studying the first motions of science, the student often re-creates in simple ways the methods or experiments used by the original discoverers. Students develop their own theories based on observation, and use science as it was originally used. The student develops his own view of each science as he experiences first hand that area of study.

The first method of writing is looked at. The student even recreates the method of the first writings, in clay and with a sharpened tool.

The first great architecture is studied, in reading, photos and in documentaries.

The first laws ever written are reviewed, and re-written by the student to be more effective. The student is constantly asked to compare thoughts and beliefs of the ancients with his own considerations, looking for relative values.

This is a lengthy course, sometimes requiring a semester. It comes with a related materials list that requires securing access to several books and films, all carefully listed and priced in the "Added Materials" section of the attached materials. (Many of these can now be found on the Internet for free, with a simple search. It is always your responsibility to secure added materials.)

The course comes with a full Teachers Guide, to help the teacher/tutor assist the student when needed, as well as including all required tests and answer keys.

The result of this course will be a student who knows where and how civilization, and most of our beliefs and institutions, started. The student will understand the genesis of much of modern life, and he will know that it all started long ago.

Step 4 History is history made alive in the student's mind, experienced and understood. 

75 lesson plans, five tests and answer guides, 110-150 hours of study/a semester.

Subjects covered in this course include:

• The state of man before the advent of the first civilization (3 lessons for those who wish to skip it)
• Mesopotamia
• The Tigris and Euphrates River Valley (The Fertile Crescent)
• What a civilization is - 7 points shared by all real civilizations
• Sumer
• Life in Sumer
• Sargon
• Babylon
• Hammurabi and the first Code of Law
• babylonian Science
• The end of Mesopotamia
• The land of Egypt, the Nile River Valley
• The Old Kingdom
• Pyramids
• The Middle and New Kingdoms
• Hatshepsut, great female Pharaoh
• What ancient Egyptians believed
• Akhanaton, the first Monotheist
• Ramses the Great
• Moses and the Ten Commandments
• The Rosetta Stone
• Egypt falls
• Everyday life of ancient Egyptians
• Egyptian Art and Science
• Civilizations of the Middle East
• The Hittites
• The Phoenicians, the first sailors, businessmen, and givers of our Alphabet
• The Hebrews
• The Old Testament - the history of the Hebrew people (a large section of the course)
• About Judaism
• The Aramaeans and Assyrians
• Assyrian Art
• Media, Lydia and Chaldea
• Persia
• Zoroastor and Zoroastrianism
• The land of India
• Hinduism (a large section covering its history, holy writings, practice)
• Mahavira and Jainism
• Buddha and Buddhism (A large section)
• The land of China
• The Shang (Chang) Dynasty
• The Zhou (Chou) Dynasty
• Chinese Feudalism
• Confucius
• Lao Tzu and the Tao
• Mencius
• The Qin (Chin) Dynasty gives China a name