• Develops literacy, vocabulary!
• Introduces & explores key people and events in history!
• Fun, hands-on activities!
• Develops critical thinking skills!
• Works well for any-aged student developing literacy!
• Lesson plans are complete and ready to use!  Start now!

I've been using this along with Step 2 History - Leader I book with my 2nd grader for 2-3 months now. We love this curriculum because it's easy to understand, straight forward, age-appropriate and easy to use. All these without using a dumbed-down text. My son's able to narrate and answer comprehension questions from me once he reads the lesson. He also likes the thought-provoking questions from the author, links to videos/pictures, simple hands-on activities and the ball-stick drawing. It makes the history lesson fun and painless.

Before Steps we used literature-based approach in studying history. However, I found myself, even after the read aloud session, to sometimes have to re-explain the story or certain concept to my son because literature is ..ahem ... wordy. Plus, the books are often too detailed that the big picture is sometimes missed by the student.

With Steps, between the reading and activities/questions, student (well, my son) grasps the story and concepts easily by themselves and with high retention. Talking about painless and effective learning here. My son was able to answer the test questions without even a review and he can relate what he learns in history when he encounters something in real life.

We're happy with this curriculum, and my son told me that he would like to continue with Steps for his next year.  D. D., Homeschool Mom
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History for Step 2, students ages 7-8 and for students of any age who are developing literacy.  Part 2 of Great and Terrible People consists of twenty lessons, and covers these fascinating and important leaders (good and bad) who lived between the Fall of Rome through the 19th Century:

• Hongwu (First Emperor of the Ming Dynasty)
• Attila (Fierce leader of the Hun Horde)
• Charlemagne (Unifier of Europe)
• Saladin (The greatest Islamic leader)
• Genghis Khan (Powerful leader of a conquering people)
• William The Conqueror (Changed the rule and face ofEngland) Suleiman The Magnificent (Great Islamic leader)
• Elizabeth I (England’s greatest ruler)
• Ivan the Great (The man with a dream for Russia)
• Ivan the Terrible (Who helped the Russian dream start to come true)
• Peter The Great (Ruler of a Russian Empire)
• George Washington (The United States first President)
• John Adams (Fierce fighter for independence)
• Thomas Jefferson (Founder of the United States idea of democracy)
• Napoleon Bonaparte (Conqueror of the world, French Emperor)
• Abraham Lincoln (President of the United States, freer of its slaves)
• Queen Victoria (The queen who ruled an Empire but who gave her power to the people.)

Students can do our Step 2 History courses in any order. This course is intended to be done as the second course of three, during the second semester (20 week period) of study for a 7 year old, but may be done whenever the parents or students wish.

History is brought to life and made relevant as the student is asked to consider what he or she would do in the famous (or infamous) person's place.  The course is fun. Every lesson works to develop reading, vocabulary and geography skills, as well as critical thinking skills and historical knowledge!