Notgrass World History is created for homeschoolers. If you’re looking for a solid, user-friendly, Christian worldview history course, then check out our complete Notgrass World History review. Here’s an inside peek into the curriculum plus the details of how we used it.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this product in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. I will receive a commission if you purchase from these links. Thank you.
Notgrass World History Curriculum
The Exploring World History course centers around the three hardcover textbooks, which cost about $110 total:
- Part 1: Creation Through the Middle Ages
- Part 2: The Renaissance to the Present
- In Their Words – hardcover original documents, speeches, poems & stories from world history
Here is a peek at the Table of Contents for In Their Words.
The textbooks are printed in hardcover and include color illustrations. Each unit begins with a short summary and complete list of projects and assignments. Then, after each lesson, your student will find a list of tasks for that lesson. This will usually include:
- Bible reading, commentary reading, and Scripture memory work
- In Their Words excerpt – reading from original sources
- Unit project
- Student Review – reminder to answer the questions for the lesson
In addition, you will likely want the Student Review Pack which costs about $17. This pack includes:
- The Student Review Book has literary analysis, literature review questions, plus lesson review questions and Bible commentary.
- Quiz & Exam Book – Includes unit quizzes plus History, English, and Bible Exams.
- Answer Key – includes answers to all the lesson questions plus unit quizzes and the Exams for History, English, and Bible.
Check out this short video from the publisher.
Scope & Sequence
This curriculum includes 30 weekly units, giving you enough flexibility to fit this into a 36-week homeschool year if you so choose.
Your student will study world history beginning with biblical Creation and early civilizations. Biblical history is woven in with emphasis on world empires in Ancient history. The first textbook takes students through the Middle Ages.
Part 2 picks up with the Renaissance, then progresses through the Age of Reformation and the Age of Exploration. Your student will study key figures in philosophy and thought, along with the wars of the 20th century. Finally, Latin America, Asia, and Africa are all given their own unit in the lessons on the modern era.
At the end of every 5 lessons (roughly one week), then your student will take a unit quiz. After five weeks of work, your student will take the exam. There are 30 unit quizzes in this course and six exams each for History, English, and Bible.
The Notgrass history courses are unique in the homeschool world in that it is an integrated curriculum. That means that if your student completes all the assignments, he will have 3-credits worth for his high school transcript – 1 credit each in history, English, and Bible, Notgrass curriculum is a great investment. It also helps to have the subjects so connected.
Literature Titles
This course includes twelve literature titles that go with the history study if you want your student to earn the English credit.
You can also purchase a complete literature package from Notgrass. The book list includes:
- The Cat of Bubastes – G.A. Henty
- The Art of War – Sun Tzu
- Julius Caesar – William Shakespeare
- The Imitation of Christ – Thomas a Kempis
- Here I Stand – Roland Bainton
- A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
- North and South – Elizabeth Gaskell
- The Hiding Place – Corrie ten Boom
- Animal Farm – George Orwell
- Bridge to the Sun – Gwen Terasaki
- Cry, the Beloved Country – Alan Paton
- The Abolition of Man – C.S. Lewis
Highlights of Notgrass World History
One highlight of Exploring World History is definitely the integration with the literature and Bible studies. This is an excellent way to allow your student to deep-dive into the material each day for several hours and know that you are completing three courses in one.
Having history presented from a Christian world view is important to our family. If this is a priority in your home as well, then you will appreciate Exploring World History.
Since this is a World History Course, you should expect that many of the lessons in Part 1 will be Bible history as well, including several units on key people and events in the nation of Israel.
Many traditional high school textbooks include far too many lessons to actually finish in one school year. Because the Notgrass curriculum includes 30 units of study, my high schooler is much more likely to complete the course.
Homeschool History Membership Site
Notgrass has a new Homeschool History membership site. It’s a searchable database of history-related videos, websites, games, books, historic sites, and more.
It’s certainly a good fit if you have kids who would benefit from additional resources or video links.
HomeschoolHistory.com can be used with whatever curriculum you are using! On this site you will find:
- Books
- Videos
- Audio resources
- Field trip ideas
And it’s a great resource to go along with your history curriculum because you can quickly find what you’re looking for by searching according to:
- Topic
- Type of resource
- Location
Additionally, you can even sign up for a free trial!
Did you know that Homeschool Planet offers made-for-you lesson plans for hundreds of curriculum options, including Notgrass History? Check it out by clicking the button below.
Find lesson plans available for this product at Homeschool Planet. Sign up for a 30-day FREE trial.
Recommendations
In addition to being a great course overall, we were excited that Exploring World History has worked very well for our teen with dyslexia. He appreciates the layout of the textbook and finds it easy to follow. In order to complete the literature assignments, we find them on audiobook.
Ray Notgrass does a good job with presenting history in a connected way. Our dyslexic can follow the course on his own because of this way of presenting history that is not so focused on memorizing names and dates, but rather following thoughts, philosophies, and world views through time.
Since my high schooler who is currently taking this course is also dual enrolled in a college Bible class, I’m not making him complete the Bible components of Exploring World History.
However, we are using the literature component to supplement the grammar that he is also working on as part of his English credit for 11th grade.
It’s important to remember that you are in charge of your curriculum, and not the other way around! That means if you only want to use Exploring World History to complete a history credit, then your student wouldn’t need to read the literature selections, or complete the literature or Bible assignments.
Since using this course for a month and a half, we highly recommend the Notgrass Exploring World History curriculum!
Additional Notgrass History Homeschooling Resources
We used the Exploring American History high school course with great success. I’m planning on using their new Exploring World Geography course the next time I have a ninth grader.
Finally, here are some additional courses that you may want to check out.
Elementary (1st-4th grade)
Middle School (5th-8th grade)
High School (9th-12th grade)
Thank you for sharing your review, Abby. We are delighted to hear that your son is enjoying his study!