Navigating medieval history with young children can feel dry, overly academic, or bogged down by endless dates and obscure royal lines. Susan Wise Bauer’s Story of the World Volume 2: The Middle Ages solves this problem by treating history as a grand, interconnected narrative that spans from the fall of Rome to the rise of the Renaissance. Designed for elementary and middle school students, this curriculum blends storytelling with rigorous chronological grounding.
Whether you're planning a homeschool year or evaluating history spines, understanding how this volume functions in practice helps you decide if it fits your family. The curriculum spans 42 chapters, covering global empires, invasions, religious shifts, and cultural awakenings across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
Structuring Your Medieval Studies
The core of the program is the narrative text, written in an engaging, story-driven style that reads aloud effortlessly. Rather than treating different regions in isolation, the book jumps chronologically across the globe, allowing students to see what was happening simultaneously in Europe, China, the Americas, and the Islamic world.
To build a complete curriculum, you need more than just the narrative text. The complete package relies on several components working together:
- The Text: Available in softcover, hardcover, or audiobook formats, this is the main narrative spine.
- The Activity Book: Essential for hands-on families, it includes review questions, map exercises, coloring pages, coloring-in review cards, and extensive literature recommendations.
- The Test Book: Provides optional multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and short-answer tests for older students.
Families typically spend one to two days per week reading a chapter and discussing the review questions, leaving the remaining days for map work, historical fiction reading, and crafts.
Global Scope Versus Eurocentric Curricula
One major strength of this volume is its commitment to global history. Traditional medieval curricula often hyper-focus on European knights and castles while ignoring contemporary developments elsewhere. Volume 2 intentionally broadens the horizon.
Chapters span major civilizations worldwide, giving children a balanced view of the medieval era:
- The Byzantine Empire and the Rise of Islam: Traces the transformation of the Roman world, the rise of Constantinople, and the expansion of early Islamic empires.
- Asian Dynasties: Explores the great dynasties of China, the medieval Indian empires, and the Samurai codes of Japan.
- African Kingdoms: Introduces trade routes and thriving civilizations south of the Sahara.
- The Americas: Highlights early American kingdoms before European contact reshaped the hemisphere.
This wide-angle lens keeps students from viewing the Middle Ages as a purely European phenomenon. It connects disparate historical threads, helping kids understand how global trade and conflict altered human societies simultaneously.
Hands-On Learning and Literature Integration
The accompanying Activity Book transforms a standard reading session into an immersive unit study. If you're studying the Vikings, your children can map Norse trade routes, build replica longships, or read simplified versions of Beowulf. When moving to the Middle Ages in Europe, kids can attempt illuminated lettering with quill pens or simulate medieval monastic life.
The literature suggestions are another standout feature. Each chapter includes a curated list of historical fiction and non-fiction books tailored to different age groups. Reading novels alongside the spine text deepens empathy and helps children visualize daily life in different eras.
Common Pitfalls and Limitations
While the curriculum is widely praised, it has a few drawbacks that parents should anticipate:
- Pacing and Length: With 42 chapters, rushing through a chapter a week leaves little room for sickness, co-op days, or deep rabbit holes. Many families stretch the book across two years or selectively drop chapters.
- Secular Perspective: The text covers religious history, including the Crusades and the Reformation, from a neutral, secular standpoint. Families wanting a distinct theological framework will need to add their own commentary.
- Writing Requirements: The written narration and outlining tasks in the activity book can overwhelm younger elementary students if forced too early. Parents must scale these writing assignments to match individual developmental stages.
Frequently Asked Questions
What age group is Story of the World Volume 2 best for?
The read-aloud text is ideal for grades 1 through 4, while students in grades 5 through 8 can read the chapters independently and complete the outlining and testing components.
Can I use this curriculum without the Activity Book?
You can use the text alone if you only want a read-aloud storybook. However, you will miss out on maps, review questions, coloring pages, and the curated literature lists that anchor the program.
Is Volume 2 heavily Christian or secular?
The text treats religious history factually and historically. It covers major religious movements like Christianity and Islam objectively without promoting a specific theological viewpoint.
How much time does history take each week?
Most families spend about 30 to 45 minutes on reading and narration two or three days a week, with an optional extra day for crafts, mapping, or historical fiction reading.
