History Video Supplements for upcoming week

Secrets of Lost Empires: Incas
Directors: Michael Barnes
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Language: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Wgbh Boston
DVD Release Date: February 28, 2006
Run Time: 56 minutes


Touring Israel (Questar)

HIstory Video Supplements

Lost Worlds DVD: Volume 1. Includes Atlantis, Rameses' Egyptian Empire, and Athens: Ancient Supercity.

Discovering Egypt Dvd
Visit modern Egypt with its crowded bazaars in Cairo and Alexandria, the famous dam at Aswan, and the intriguing River Nile. At El Alamein, visualize one of the most important battles fought during World War II. Marvel at awesome pyramids, huge monuments, and dazzling tombs. Experience the incredible sights of treasures from King Tut’s tomb, the Great Pyramids at Giza, and remnants from the ancient city of Thebes. Extra Features: Great Pyramids at Giza - Great Pyramids at Giza probably took a half-million men and 20 years to build. Learn how these great wonders of the world were constructed. See recreations of what they looked like 4,000 years ago. And explore the intricacies of their clverly designed corridors. Find out how mummies were made. Learn the names of important Egyptian Gods and the influence they had on everyday lives of ancient Egyptians. See the death mask of King Tutankamen and some of his tomb's incredible treasures. Ancient Egyptian Cities - Travel down the Nile and visit ancient temples, palaces and tombs in Memphis, Luxor, Abu Simbel and Alexandria - the last capital of ancient Egypt. Hear the story of Egypt's last ruler, Cleopatra, and how her romances with Roman generals Julius Caesar and Marc Antony spelled final doom for the Egyptian Empire. Number of discs: 1
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Questar
DVD Release Date: February 27, 2001
Run Time: 120 minutes

Artist study for September--Leonardo Di Vinci

During the month of September, we'll be studying Leonardo Di Vinci. Here's some of the resources we'll be using.



Leonardo: A Dream of Flight (vhs)
Actors: Cedric Smith, Tom Melissis, David Felton, Allan King
Directors: Brent Carver
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Digital Sound, Dolby, Full length, Full Screen, NTSC
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number of tapes: 1
Studio: Repnet
VHS Release Date: July 16, 1999
Run Time: 48 minutes


Leonardo Da Vinci (Art for Children) (Paperback)
by Ernest Raboff (Author)

and artist notebooking sheets.

Foreign Language

My son has asked to learn German. I found this cd to see if it sparks his interest.
I'm sure we'll be singing in German in no time!

Study on the Human Body

To enhance our study on bones, we watched the following video:
Skeleton (Eyewitness Lvg World Video)



The book we are using to enhance our science study this week is Look At Your Body: Blood by Steve Parker.

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 31 pages
Publisher: Stargazer Books (August 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1932799753
ISBN-13: 978-1932799750

Our New Geograpy Study

We'll be using this for our new geography study. For different maps, I'll be using free downloadable maps from the internet.
Our latest is the world map, which can be found here.

History Notebook

For our history studies this year, we are creating a history notebook. One of our sources was notebooking pages from The Sumarians by Notebooking Nook.


For our ancient Egypt pages, we are using History Pockets: Ancient Egypt by Evan Moor.

We also included some maps and pages on the Indus Valley from the TOG free study pages.

Our Latest Read Aloud

Tales of Beetle the Bard by JK Rowling, grades 4 and up. I was looking for something a little lighter this week, but still wanted to continue our folk tales theme. What better than "wizarding tales?"

We're also finishing Folk Tales and Fable of Europe by Barbara Hayes (Editor), Molly Lodge (Editor), Robert Ingpen (Illustrator).
Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: Dragons World Ltd (October 22, 1992)
ISBN-10: 1850281696
ISBN-13: 978-1850281696

Our Latest Read Aloud

This will tie in with our history study of ancient cultures.


A World Treasury of Myths, Legends, and Folktales: Stories from Six Continents (Hardcover) by Renata Bini
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 316 pages
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (November 1, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0810945541
ISBN-13: 978-0810945548
Product Dimensions: 12.7 x 9.6 x 0.7 inches

We have finished this book.

Extras for our Ancient Cultures Study

This week we began our ancient cultures notebook. We are beginning with Sumer. We'll be reporting on cuneiform, Sargon, ziggaruts, inventions by the Sumerians and more.
For reference we will be adding this book to our study:


The Usborne Encyclopedia of the Ancient World: Internet Linked (History Encyclopedias) (Paperback)
Reading level: Ages 9-12

Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Usborne Books (January 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0794511414

I have found some more videos to enchance our study:

Visions of Greece
DVD Release Date: July 6, 2004
Run Time: 167 minutes

Ancient Greece: A Journey Back in Time (Lost Treasures of the Ancient World) (1999)
Studio: Kultur Video
DVD Release Date: March 28, 2006
Run Time: 50 minutes



Houses of Mystery - The Pyramids [VHS]
Studio: Goldhil Home Media 2
VHS Release Date: February 23, 1999

Shakespeare Study--Twelfth Night

This week our focus is on Shakeseare's Twelfth Night. We'll be reading the adapted version for children.

Twelfth Night (Hardcover)retold by Bruce Coville
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Dial; First Printing edition (March 10, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0803723180
ISBN-13: 978-0803723184
Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches

Digging into Digestion

This week we are beginning our study of the digestive system. We'll be adding the digestive system to our skeleton, reviewing muscles and bones, and other fun activities.
Here's some resources we are adding to our study this week.

Standard Deviants: Anatomy, Vol. 1 DVD
This DVD is so funny that you don't realize you are learning!

An Illustrated Adventure in Human Anatomy: Blueprints for Health, 2nd Edition (Paperback)
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 56 pages
Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Second Edition edition (April 1, 2002)
Language: English

Beginning With Beethoven

Our monthly composer studies began in August with Beethoven. We are using pages from the Notebooking pages composer study.


We are also using cds of the composer's music.

Baring those Bones--A Science Study

We are beginning the year by learning about the different parts of the body--bones, muscles, joints. Using Prentice Hall's Human Biology and Health.

We'll be doing projects (which I am making more advanced) from The Scholastic Body Book: Easy Hands on Models that Teach.

We're doing some supplemental reading from Muscles and Bones (You and Your Body Series) by Jane Saunderson, Andrew Farmer, and Robina Green.


We're also using A Brief Atlas of The Human Body for research.

Going Places With Geography

We are beginning our year with a study of "Germany." My son was allowed to pick the country of his choice.
We will be using the Nation Notebook from Abeka Publishing to accomplish this. We will spend approximately 20 minutes per day on this study and hope to complete it in the first six weeks.

Shakespeare Study--The Tempest

We are beginning our Shakespeare study by watching The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare: The Tempest DVD. This play is done in the original Shakespearean language. I simply stop the video and explain what is going on in any parts my son does not understand.




We are also reading this book, The Tempest, from Pocket Classics,(Mass Market Paperback, 1984, which explains the play in a kid-friendly version.

For our literary element, we will be studying "Plot." (We are using the Teacher's Edition of Glencoe Literature--Transparencies Set--Grade 11.)

Gotta Have Grammar

We decided to go with something different for grammar this year. We're going to try Shurley English: Level 7. This book also stresses the importance of keeping a journal and developing different styles of writing.
It includes "jingles" which are supposed to make concepts easier to remember.

What's Happening in History

We decided to begin using Streams of Civilization: Volume 1 for our history curriculum this year.
Author: Mary Stanton
Recommended Grade: 9th Grade I just now realized it is for 9th grade. I think it can easily be adapted to 7th grade.

We are also going to add various books to our curriculum. Here's the first one added to our study.

Ancient World: Internet Linked (World History) (Paperback)
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 96 pages
Publisher: Usborne Books (December 2004)

Videos to Enhance our History Study

History studies are more fun if we throw in some dvds and videos now and then. The visual appeal seems to make the past come alive.

Nova: Secrets of Lost Empires Colosseum [VHS] (1997)

Aegean - Legacy of Atlantis [VHS] ~ Lost Civilizations (VHS Tape - Aug 29, 1995 (no picture available)


Mummies Unwrapped [VHS] - VHS Tape (Jan 31, 2000)


ROME Power & Glory Volume I: The Rise (DVD, 1998, 52 min)


ROME Power & Glory Volume VI: The Fall (DVD, 1998, 52 min

ROME Power & Glory Volume II: Legions of Conquest (DVD, 1998, 52 min

ROME Power & Glory Volume IV: Grasp of Empire (DVD, 1998, 52 min)

ROME Power & Glory Volume III: Seduction of Power (DVD, 1998, 52 min)

ROME Power & Glory Volume V: The Cult of Order (DVD, 1998, 52 min)

Our Van Gogh study

We are using the following books in our Van Gogh study:

Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes (and What the Neighbors Thought)by Kathleen Krull and Kathryn Hewitt

Vincent Van Gogh (Art for Children) by Adeline Peter and Ernest Lloyd Raboff, 1984

We are making an Oil Painting of Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh:


using this kit: