Originally published in 2009*

There are many ways of teaching, in fact, there are almost as many ways as there are programs. At MODG we are often asked why we teach history the way we do. Particularly we are asked why we don’t study history chronologically.

A true classical curriculum follows the child's natural learning stages and moves from the "more known" to the "less known". This means that the teacher helps the student to understand new ideas by focusing on what is familiar to him and relating new concepts to concepts he already knows.

The study of history depends on a knowledge of time, a knowledge of "before" and "after". As we all know, little children have a incomplete sense of time. Thirty years, 300 years and 3,000 years are all a long time ago. Before they can study history, one needs to help them establish a sense of “before” and “after”.
The best way to do this is through a study of their extended family, which is relatively familiar.

Children in Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grades should focus on learning "before" and "after" through family trees, old family pictures, and stories about when Grandma and Grandpa were younger. Once the student acquires a generational sense of time based on his family, he needs to develop this “sense” over a longer period of time. However, one still wants to strengthen his understanding of time through more familiar history. Children in the Unites States are most familiar with "American" history and so that is the best place to start. (Similarly, children in Canada should study Canadian history.)

In 3rd Grade students study American History through biographies. At this age it is easier to imagine and keep track of people as opposed to dates and events. The student is able to place George Washington, Ben Franklin, and Abraham Lincoln mentally as "before" or "after" each other much more easily than he would be able to track and order the "Declaration of Independence", "The Civil War", and other such events. In 4th and 5th Grade students study American History again. This time, however, it is done in more depth and is event driven. In 4th Grade they study events from the Colonization of America to the Revolutionary War. In 5th Grade they study events from the Revolutionary War to Modern America. By the end of 5fth Grade the student should have a good sense of "what" history is!

In Sixth Grade the "formal" study of history begins. (Kindergarten-Fifth Grade is preparatory and provides an important place to practice skills.) Once the formal study of history is begun one moves both chronologically and cyclically. In 6th Grade students study Ancient Civilization focusing on Egypt and Biblical Events. In 7th Grade they study Ancient Greece and Rome along with Early Church history in religion. In 8th Grade they study medieval history. In 9th Grade they study American history. At this point we repeat the historical cycle for emphasis, and in more depth, but we also have a focus on the principles of government. In 10th Grade we study ancient history (particularly Greece & Rome) focusing on the various governments. In 11th Grade we study medieval history (particularly England and Spain) focusing on the formation and types of medieval governments, of which England and Spain provide very good examples. In 12th Grade we study American government along with a formal study of the principles of government.