Need some ideas for your 5th-grade history and/or geography homeschool curriculum? Here are a few resources and that I put together to create a complete our 5th-grade world history, world geography, and U.S. geography homeschool curriculum.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links that I have provided for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
World History
The Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer
Volume 1 and 2: Ancient Times and the Middle Ages
Last year, I taught the boys ancient history without a curriculum. This year, I decided to try Story of the World after reading many recommendations it got from other homeschooling blogs.
I ordered both volumes: 1 and 2 to see what if anything I missed when I covered ancient times last year. I was surprised that the book covered a lot that I did teach but they also had a lot I didn’t.
Because volume 1 was more of a review, we quickly got through the lessons so that we could also fit in volume 2 for this same year. I have to say that the boys really enjoyed it. I only wished we had started using it in 4th grade.
What I Liked
The text covers each time period in forty-two manageable chapters. The student activity book provides a ton of hands-on activities from creating medieval artwork and costumes to sticker booklets and recipes.
Every chapter also covers world geography through its mapping activity. The teacher’s edition contains review questions, suggested narration prompts, and suggested reading for each chapter.
I don’t put a lot of emphasis on history tests and quizzes but they are available if you prefer.
Timeline Binder for History
As part of our 5th-grade history curriculum, I added a timeline requirement. I highly recommend History Through the Ages “Record of Time” by Homeschool In The Woods.
The binder is great for children because the pages are made from heavy card stock making them a little tougher to withstand accidental tears. We’ve had them for a while now and so far no rips.
I also suggest getting their History Through the Ages Collection of Historical Timeline Figures CD. The CD contains almost every possible historical figure and event. You simply click on the figure/event that you want, copy, paste and print out.
Because we will repeat these historical times later in high school I did not want the boys to glue their figures and events into their timeline binder.
What we do instead is glue them onto Post-Its Full Adhesives and then stick them into their Record of Time.
Once dried, I re-cut the figure again and then have the boys place them in their timelines. So, if we have to make room for another figure or event, we can simply peel them off and move them over a bit.
Productive Homeschooling’s Notebook Pages for History
For some of the more significant figures in history, I have the boys copy a quick biography using Productive Homeschooling’s Notebook Pages.
I currently have a lifetime membership with Productive Homeschooling’s Notebook Pages. It is by far one of the best investment I made. As a member, I simply visit their site, enter the figure or event and choose from an assortment of pages that are specially lined for specific ages.
Not sure if Productive Homeschooling Notebook Pages are the right choice for your family? Check out their free sampler and give it a try.
Videos for History
Mankind, The Story of All of Us DVDs
I love both the Mankind and Story of US DVDs. I pair up Story of the World chapters with the DVD chapters. The boys love seeing history unfold even if it’s done by actors. It certainly gives them a better understanding and appreciation of the past.
U.S. Geography
Whichway, USA by Highlights
This subscription was a great add-on to our U.S. geography curriculum for both 4th and 5th grade.
Every month Highlights sends 2 state activity books with maps. Inside each booklet are some fun activities like crosswords and mazes but there are also learning activities that involve map reading and state fact puzzles.
Other Notebook Pages for History and Geography
I also use Productive Homeschooling’s Notebook Pages for our U.S. geography curriculum. Notebooking Pages has an assortment of state pages covering state symbols, famous people, state history, and more. Below are some examples of their pages.
Hands-On Crafts
The Barbarian Book: Warfare by Duct Tape
Although the Story of the World provides an array of hands-on activities for each chapter (some of which we do), I also included The Barbarian Book: Warfare by Duct Tape to supplement our Middle Ages studies.
As you can see below, Josh had fun creating his weapon out of PVC pipes and duct tape. Not to worry though. We padded the weapons with piping insulation.
The size of the weapons given in this book are a bit big for kids so I just adjusted the sizes. No big deal.
I hope you find these reviews of our 5th-grade history and geography resources helpful. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below in the comment sections.
Check out more of our 5th Grade Resource and Curriculum Reviews by clicking the links below:
- 14 Awesome Resources You Should Add to Your 5th Grade Homeschool
- 5th Grade English: Homeschool Curriculum Review and Switch
- How to Teach 5th Grade Homeschool Science Without a Curriculum
Bonus: Get our free student planners by clicking here.
Need a homework station for your child? Click here to put one together and get your kid organized for school.
Save This
Want to save this post for later? Pin the pic below to your favorite Pinterest board.
Leave a Reply