If you have been looking for a writing curriculum that uses Charlotte Mason’s teaching methods then this review is for you!!! 

WFHReview

Write From History is a history based classical writing program that teaches writing the Charlotte Mason way! This unique writing program teaches grammar, spelling, penmanship and history all at one time! This program uses the four year history cycle and will appeal to both Charlotte Mason and Classical Style homeschoolers! 

All of the books are laid out in a similar fashion which only varies a bit with what level you are using. This is nice because you can use these each year and you and your student will be familiar with the layout and how everything works. 

Each book begins with  the table of contents (which serves as a timeline), introduction, additional teaching information, definitions of Charlotte Mason’s teaching methods, scheduling information and optional schedules. There is a nice appendix in the back of the book with a grammar guide that teaches gentle, color coded grammar and includes additional models for dictation.

Each book is broken down into four chapters. In all four chapters there is a reading selection. It is suggested that no matter the age, that the parent reads this out loud to the child. After the reading selection is a written summation page. Your child will narrate back to you what was just read followed by a written summation of what they just narrated. For younger ones you can write down their responses. This is always fun to do! I love hearing what they heard in their heads! This is then followed by two passages which your child will use as a writing model. There are two sets of models for each story.

With Level One, one model has dotted lines immediately beneath each word. The other model has the lines lower down the page which encourages students to write several words at once from memory as they are doing their copywork.
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With Level Two there are plain lines for copywork on all of the models. There is a third model which is optional. You can use this model to use your copywork as dictation.

These books are simply beautiful! I was very impressed with the strong quality of the binding and the cover. The books are quite thick. They range from 300 – over 400 pages each, yet they are very sturdy and the pages are nice and crisp. The only thing I would like to see added would be perforated pages so you can easily take out the appendix for teacher use. 

I was generously given three of the books to review in two time periods:

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Write From Early Modern History Level 1 

  • (1st-3rd grade)
  • Covers early modern history from 1600 AD – 1850 AD 
  • From Pocahontas to Kit Carson
Chapter 1 contains short stories from living books that give insight into people, places and events during the time period.
Chapter 2 contains selections from Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
Chapter 3 contains poetry from or about the specific time time period.
Chapter 4 contains folk tales .
The suggested schedule in the beginning of the book is as follows:
  • Day 1:  Reading, Oral Narrations, and Written Summations
  • Day 2: Copywork and Grammar
  • Day 3: Copywork (or dictation) and Grammar
  • Day4: Reading, Oral narrations, Copywork, and Grammar
  • Day 5: Copywork (or dictation) and Grammar

Keep in mind that this is just a suggestion! There is an entire page of optional schedules with ways you can incorporate some or all of the ideas into your schooling. I love that this is such a flexible program. The author encourages you to use this in the best way possible for each individual child and to adapt any area as needed. 

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Write From Early Modern History Level 2

  • (3-5th grade, but can be used easily in middle school due to the quality and level of the readings)
  • Early Modern History 1600-1850
  • From Captain John Smith to the California Gold Rush
Chapter 1 contains short stories from living books that give insight into people, places and events during the time period.
Chapter 2 contains excerpts from primary source documents
Chapter 3 contains poetry from or about the specific time time period.
Chapter 4 contains folk tales .
The suggested schedule in the beginning of the book is as follows:
  • Day 1:  Reading, Oral Narrations, and Written Summations
  • Day 2: Copywork and Grammar
  • Day 3: Studied Dictation
  • Day4: Oral narrations and Copywork
  • Day 5: Studied Dictation

Again, this is just a suggestion! There is an entire page of optional schedules with ways you can incorporate some or all of the ideas into your schooling. There are also added notes on how to teach paragraph writing in an easy, natural way.


Write from Modern History Level 2 Cursive Models 

  • (3-5th grade, but can be used easily in middle school due to the quality and level of the readings)
  • Modern History 1800’s – 1985 
  • From Frederick Douglas to African Famine Relief

This book uses the Zaner Bloser Cursive Handwriting Font for the copywork and dictation models.

Chapter 1 contains short stories from living books that give insight into people, places and events during the time period.
Chapter 2 contains excerpts from primary source documents
Chapter 3 contains poetry from or about the specific time time period.
Chapter 4 contains folk tales .
The suggested schedule in the beginning of the book is as follows:
  • Day 1:  Reading, Oral Narrations, and Written Summations
  • Day 2: Copywork and Grammar
  • Day 3: Studied Dictation
  • Day4: Oral narrations and Copywork
  • Day 5: Studied Dictation

Again, this is just a suggestion!

My daughters enjoyed hearing the stories read to them and they loved doing the copywork! This series will complement any history program you choose to use or you can use it along with your own schedule and additional books of your choice. The table of contents in each book serves as a timeline showing the exact person, time period or theme that the reading is about. This is a great way to know when to use certain readings with what you are studying on your own. The quality of the books make them beautiful and sturdy enough for everyday use and traveling school on the go!

This is a great and affordable curriculum!

Write From History Books from Brookdale House are only $22.95 for an ebook or $30.95 for a high quality printed book!