Why You’ll Want to “Get Digging” into the Ancient World!

You’ll Visit Mysterious Ancient Lands!
Quest for the Ancient World visits exotic places such as Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, Israel, Greece and Rome! Discover the world’s beginnings as you read about the famous cultures, turning-point battles, terrifying rulers, and fascinating cultures of people in ancient civilizations.  You can use one of the sets below, or combine them to use Ancient World with a range of learners from 4th to 12th grade.

The Adventure Quest 4/8 Set for Middle-Grade Students
Middlers will really want to “dig” into this year’s materials, as they will build, create, fight, and dig their way through Ancient History.  Active learning opportunities will keep them involved and asking for more.  Don’t be surprised if your older students want to join the fun!  They’ll encounter treasure hunts and become a mummy, king, soldier, prophet, crusader, or even a gladiator!

The Archaeological Quest Sr. High Set for High Schoolers
Whether you are researching the routes of ancient traders or experimenting with a water clock, the learning is   engrossing!  Students will enjoy discussing parts of the program aloud and working independently as well.  The set includes additional in-depth history and science study books, designed to help students delve into the archaeology of the ancient world.  Your older student will travel around the Mediterranean, through Egypt, and even head off to the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World in this archaeological excursion!

What Will We Study?

Students will study the culture of the ancient world starting at the world’s beginnings, and moving through history to the Roman Empire.

Beginnings

• The World is Formed
• Human History Begins
• The Sumerians
• Early Civilizations

Ancient Egypt

• Egyptian Life and Culture
• Egyptian Beliefs and the Nile
• Egyptian Hieroglyphs
• The Pyramids of Egypt
• The Pharaohs of Egypt
• Unwrapping Egyptian Mummies!

The Hebrews in Israel

• Israel’s Judges
• Israel’s Great Kings
• Israel Divides
• Israel’s Prophets

Mesopotamian Power Struggle

• Assyria Comes to Power
• Ninevah’s Destruction
• Babylon Rules Mesopotamia
• God’s Men in Babylon
• Persia’s Power
• Persia Helps Israel

The Eastern World

• China’s Shang & Zhou Dynasties
• China’s Qin & Han Dynasties
• Ancient India

Ancient Greece

• Rise of Athens & Sparta
• The Battle of Marathon
• The Golden Age of Greece
• Great Men of Greece
• Alexander the Great
• Grecian Power Declines

The Roman Empire

• Rise of the Romans
• Roman Gladiators
• Cleopatra’s Power
• Everyday Life in Rome
• Augustus Caesar
• The Birth of Jesus Christ
• The Life & Death of Jesus Christ

What’s in the Ancient Guide?

Your Ancient guide will lead you across desert sands and Mediterranean waters as you travel throughout the Ancient World.  The guide is designed to be easy to follow, with each week’s assignments laid out on just one page!  The introduction to the guide offers you oodles of teaching helps that may feel like Charlotte Mason just “friended” you — like advice she’d give you on how to grade student work!  It’s all here!

• A 36-week, 4-day schedule is laid out clearly in a grid-style on just one page
• Introductory material helps you mentor and “learn together” with your student
• Supply lists and other helps make planning quick and painless
• Narration ideas in the front of the guide help you prompt your student through the year
• Weekly schedule page reduces your paperwork and is easy to follow, with clear notes
• Resources offer a focus on activities that are “Open & Go!”
• Ratings systems for activities help you find the ones you want!
• Independent study schedules for older students eliminate writing out homework lists
• 100 Timeline Cards and games provide fun drill to retain key events
• Website and DVD suggestions let you meander through ancient places
• Above all, WP offers a practical, “Can-Do-and-Want-To-Do!” approach

What Materials are Included?

This program is designed for a range of students from 4th to 12th Grade.  This theme offers two sets of resources:  one for 4th to 8th grade, and one for Senior High (9th to 12th).  There are resources that are common to both sets, and some that are designed for younger or older students.  Your family can choose to do one set or another, or use a combined set for a range of ages!  Find out more below on the “Materials” tab.

WinterPromise Exclusives for 4/8 Students:

• Quest for the Ancient World Guide – 4/8 Version
• “Make-Your-Own” Ancient Chronicle
• Setting Out on Ancient Adventure Quests

WinterPromise Exclusives for Senior High:

• Quest for the Ancient World Guide – Senior High Version
• “Archaeological Expeditions” Notebook
• Holman Bible Atlas Study Packet
• Ancient Student Work Packet

Theme Essential Books – Resources Common to Both Sets

• Mystery of History, Volume 1
• Encyclopedia of the Ancient World
• Great Ancient China Projects
• Story of the World, Volume 1

Theme Completer Books for 4/8 Set

• Ancient Egypt Projects
• Pharaohs & Foot Soldiers
• Kings and Carpenters
• Explore Ancient Greece
• Explore Ancient Rome
• ISRAELITE LIFE & CULTURE STUDY:  Lamps, Scrolls & Goatskin Bottles

Theme Completer Books for Senior High

• The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone
• Holman Bible Atlas
• Ancient Greek Challenges
• Ancient Roman Challenges
• Tools of the Ancient Greeks
• Tools of the Ancient Romans
• Augustus Caesar’s World

Can I ‘Go Inside’ Key Resources?

The Notebooking Resources

“Make-Your-Own” Ancient Chronicle in the 4/8 Set
Students will enjoy the interactive pages that record the details of the lives of powerful rulers and conquerors, famous ancient monuments, or unusual events in classical times.  Each page is interactive, and allows students to show what they know in a fun way, building their own history book as they complete it.

Kids’ll really like finishing a cartouche, recording Ice Age conditions, fashioning their own megalith, translating hieroglyphs, completing an ancient Egyptian mural, charting Jewish kings, sketching an ancient battle scene, listing key facts about Chinese dynasties, labeling a Greek theater, traveling to a Mediterranean trading city, and many more pages!

“Archaeological Expeditions” in the Sr High Set
For high school students, they’ll get to pursue topics on ancient culture, architecture, engineering, and archaeology.  They’ll try archaeological techniques, and evaluate artifacts and sites as if they were on a dig site themselves!  Students will lose themselves inside these 280 pages of great content, articles, drawings,  accompanied by photos or drawings of ancient landmarks or monuments that reveal the culture of the times.  Students will be fascinated by what they learn about Stonehenge or Carthaginian trade.

This fantastic resource provides tons for students to pursue this year.  They’ll read amazing articles on evolution or the Fertile Crescent.  They’ll do “Field Research” on how long ago things happened in history or evaluate the Egyptian calendar.  They’ll try to “Be the Archaeologist” as they take in Egyptian designs, compare sizes of ancient monuments, or examining a mortuary temple relief.  What about completing “Site Reports” on Roman arches or the buildings of Pompeii?

“At the Dig Site,” they’ll date ancient coins or incorporate a pharaonic design into a scarab.  They’ll even walk the streets of Athens, discovering the agora there!  They’ll go into “Bible Lands,” visiting the City of Jericho or crawling through Hezekiah’s Tunnel; and they’ll learn a lot doing “Bible Background” on Solomon’s Temple, the themes of the prophets, or chiastic structure.  And for geography, students will “Scout the Lay of the Land,” looking over the Nile River or the plains and harbors of ancient Rome.

There’s just no way to say how much your student will learn this year with this fantastic resource at their side!  There’re going to be so deep inside ancient topics, they may even feel a little like they need to brush the dust off themselves once in awhile!

What Signature WP Experiences Await Us?

WinterPromise considers itself a curriculum that embraces the “Experience Approach,” offering Charlotte-Mason style learning opportunities with up-to-date materials that make the most of technology, too.   In each WP program, you’ll encounter a lot of our signature “Experiences.”  Some of them come in key resources like our exclusive “Archaeological Expeditions” book, while others are in the guide or hidden in other resources.

A History Study That “Uncovers” the History and Culture of the Ancient World

The Adventure Quest 4/8 Set for Middle-Grade Students
Middlers will really want to “dig” into this year’s materials, as they will build, create and dig their way through Ancient History.  Active learning opportunities will keep them involved and asking for more.  Don’t be surprised if your older students want to join the fun!  They’ll encounter treasure hunts and become a mummy, king, soldier, prophet, crusader or even a gladiator!

Enjoy Educationally-Rich Ancient Activities:

•    Create an Ancient Stele or Cuneiform Tablet
•    Make a Stonehenge Astronomical Calendar
•    Sculpt an Egyptian Cat Statue or Obelisk
•    Decorate the Red Chapel for Pharaoh Hatshepsut
•    Design Your Own Cartouche with Hieroglyphics
•    Wrap Up a Life-Size Mummy
•    Cook Up a Jewish Dinner
•    Draw a Royal Advisor Trade Map
•    Make an Assyrian War Machine Model
•    Reconstruct Babylon’s Striding Lions Wall Relief
•    Take a Virtual Tour of Noah’s Ark
•    See Qin Shi Huangdi’s Terracotta Warriors for Yourself!
•    Walk Through China’s Forbidden City
•    Found Your Own Greek City-State
•    Make an Ancient Greek Water Clock
•    Lay Out a Roman Frontier City
•    Reproduce a Coin of Herod

The Archaeological Quest Senior High Set for High School Students
Senior high students will embark on a quest to dig into the archaeology of the ancient world.  They’ll investigate archaeological places and mysteries from ancient times in “Expeditions” that get them doing, not just studying! The Notebook includes pages on dig sites, ancient monuments, civilizations and empires of ancient times, rulers at the heads of  powerful states, and discoveries that impact what is known about ancient history.

Examples of Archaeological Expeditions:

• Date Coins from an Archaeological Site
• Examine the Stele of Vultures
• Investigate New Ideas About Stonehenge
• Join a Trade Caravan
• Decorate Egyptian Monuments
• Study the Egyptian Lifespan
• Inspect an Egyptian Mural
• Discover a Shipwreck
• Observe a Phoenician Dig Site Yourself
• Master the Key Archaeological Skill of Seriation
• Visit the Persian City of Persepolis
• Examine the Seal of Darius I
• Explore Qin Shi Huangdi’s Tomb
• . . . and so many more!

How Do I Use Ebook Versions?

While many of our families do enjoy books, most of our ebooks would better be considered resources, rather than the types of books that families typically desire to enjoy as “books.” With all this in mind, not only might our ebooks sets be right for your family, you might just discover that they really offer you a better way to do school!  And remember – most of our programs include bonus ebook resources you can’t get any other way!  Take a look at the ways you could utilize our ebook resources:

• Consumable materials can be printed out looseleaf, and you are able to print as many copies as you want!
• Some resources are designed to function as easily flippable “Tablet Books” that look great on a tablet screen, and are in beautiful full color. They are easy to cuddle around, just like books. NOTE! These books function on any device, not just a tablet!
• Some resources just offer more functionality, as they jump you to websites and more!
• Ebook resources are most often in full color, and look unbelievable on your device!
• Almost all resources allow you to customize your experience, whether filling in assignments or printing just the right number.

Take a look at the “Ancient” resources below. Discover how they function as ebooks, and the advantages to making them a part of your library, and then decide!

The Ancient 4/8 Guide or Ancient Sr. High Guide in Ebook Format
This guide brings you a wealth of functionality not present in a print guide.  Take a look:

• Recommended websites link directly to the web on devices that have web access
• Separate “Independent Study Schedules” files allow you to actually add some student assignments in the grid format!
• Guide pages are viewable in full color
• You can customize your experience: select and print any pages you’d like from the guide and view others
• Easily print extra “Independent Study Schedules” for additional students

The Notebooks – “Make-Your-Own” Chronicle or Ancient Expeditions
These resources are easy to print looseleaf, and can be printed as many times as you like for multiple students, offering you a great savings.  By having access to this file, you can customize and print only those pages you’ll use, which is especially handy if you have younger students, or student who would rather focus on other aspects of the program.  Either way, your students are using it the same way in print or ebook.  This is a resource that is in color in ebook, but it can be printed in black and white if you preferred.

Setting Out on Adventure Quests – from the 4/8 Set
Middle grade students will love this program focused on Ancient Adventures.  Your family will find yourselves in the middle of ancient palaces, arenas, and battlefields.  They’ll take turns being a mummy, soldier, king, gladiator and much more!  Along the way, they’ll conduct treasure hunts and so much more!

Holman Bible Atlas Study Packet and the Ancient Student Work Packet – from the Sr. High Set
These are both created to be printed looseleaf and are black and white resources.  They are easy to print and use part or all of the packets.  Either one could also be viewed and used in conjunction with a notebook or journal.

What Items are Related to Ancient?

Below you’ll find information on products related to Quest for the Ancient World, including the consumables in the program, language arts programs you might want to consider, and what else to add to complete the learning.

Start by Deciding if You Need Extra of These Consumables in Print:

• “Make-Your-Own” Chronicle or Ancient Expeditions
• Holman Bible Atlas Study Packet or Ancient Student Work Packet – for Sr. High Students

Next, Consider if You Want to Purchase a Coordinating Language Arts Program:
Coordinating language arts programs offer scheduled readers that coordinate with this theme and typically offer creative writing or narration suggestions that coordinate with this theme as well.  This theme coordinates with:

• LA 4 – “Solving the Mysteries of Grammar”
• LA 5 – “Digging into Paragraphs”
• LA 6 – “Exploring Word Pictures”
• LA 7 – “Mastering the Writing Process”
• LA 8 – “Developing Your Storywriting”
• LA HS 1 – “Intriguing Written Expression”
• LA HS 2 – “Creating Captivating Fiction”

Add a “Timelines in History” Book for Each Student if You Haven’t Purchased One Add Timeline Figures for This Study – See Notebooking Section for Sea & Sky Figures
Make Sure You Have a Good Historical Atlas for Mapping
Add a Science Program
Add a Math Program

And, If You Want Adventure Reading to Coordinate with Ancient . . .
WinterPromise has always included family reading with their themed programs, but as we’ve watched prices on these books go up, we feel it is better to offer parents the option to choose whether or not to purchase these books as part of their program. This way parents have the choice to collect new or used books, borrow them, or take advantage of the advent of personal reading devices and use ebooks on their devices. To give parents more choices, we are no longer including reading books in our themed programs, but listed below is detail about the adventure reading books scheduled for you in your guide.  You can still purchase this set from WP as a special order item online.

• Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt
• Hittite Warrior
• The Golden Goblet
• God King
• Adara
• Victory on the Walls
• The Iliad
• The Odyssey
• Bronze Bow
• Gladiator

When you’ve learned enough about Ancient resources, continue on to our store to order your set, following the steps one by one!

Ancient FAQ’s

Why is there both an Ancient 4/8 and Ancient Sr High?
Quest for the Ancient World is a multi-level program designed to either (a) allow you to keep multiple family members in different age groups studying the same topic, or (b) allow you to rotate through ancient history twice, both in the middle grades and in high school. If you have one student to school, simply choose the correct grade level, and this program works like any other program. But   additionally, if you have students of several age groups — middle grades together with junior or senior high — you can keep your family together with this program. A family using both sets will share their history books and adventure reading, so you can complete these together as a family. Website and DVD suggestions sometimes overlap, and notebooking, mapping and timeline building also share some common material.  Then, students in separate programs will break off to complete work from their respective resources and activities sets. Much of this work will be independent study. It’s a great way to keep your family creating memories together!

What is the focus of the Ancient 4/8 Program for Middle Grade Students?
It’s an Adventure Quest!
Middlers will really want to “dig” into this year’s materials, as they will   build, create, fight, and dig their way through Ancient History. Active learning opportunities will keep them involved and asking for more. Don’t be surprised if your older students want to join in with some of the fun! Middle grade students will delve into hieroglyphics, produce their own “mummy,” design a Jewish home, listen to Greek heroes and learn gladiator fighting techniques!

What is the focus of the Senior High Program for High School Students?
It is an Archaeology Quest!
Whether you are researching the routes of ancient traders or experimenting with a water clock, the learning is engrossing and riddled with investigations older students will actually want to pursue! They’ll investigate the facts, come up with creative designs, or develop projects that are of interest to them personally.  During the year they’ll discover tools used by the Ancient Greeks and Romans, such as war machines and architectural designs.  They’ll uncover the incredible design of the universe and how it all began. Then they’ll journey through the geography and culture of the ancient world that surrounded the Israelites and discover how world history developed around this ancient culture. Older students will enjoy discussing parts of the program aloud and working independently as well. A special emphasis on ancient world geography is included in the Jr/Sr program and guide. Go to the “Quest for the Ancient World Sr. High” page under “Themed Programs.”

I have several students to school, and one or more of them is younger than 4th grade — will this work for me?
This program is designed to work perfectly with multiple students. You will, though, need to plan on some adjustment if you are trying to integrate a younger student. If most of your students fit the recommended target ages for Ancient World (grades 4 and above), it should work fine for you to add a student on who is younger to simplify things for your family. You should be aware that there will be some resources that your younger d recommend that you incorporate him or her into family studies that are of interest to his or her age group, and find extra resources on Egypt, Israel, Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome that are on the easier side, as needed, perhaps from the library. However, if most of your students are younger than the targeted ages, and/or your oldest student is at the younger end of the targeted age range, you may be better suited by starting with one of our younger programs. Another option may be to purchase the Hideaways program, and have your student complete the first quarter of the program, which coordinates with ancient times. This would add some easier resources alongside those that your student enjoys from Quest for the Ancient World.

What if I’m not a Christian — how can I use one of these packages?
You need to know that the main text — Mystery of History Volume 1 — is a Christian resource, and due to its topic on ancient history, includes a lot of biblical history.  Still, there is a lot of other history presented in this volume as well, and, even in the biblical history, the author has a fairly straightforward style that would offer your family good discussion about ancient history.  Another thing to keep in mind is that the Israelites did have encounters with many Mesopotamian cultures of their time; knowing more about them is helpful to understanding the lives of many peoples and civilizations that rose and fell in the time before Christ.  In short, we feel you could make this program work for you, and you always have the opportunity to add another main text to this set to tailor it to your needs.  Note: The Senior High set has more Christian resources, including the “Holman Bible Atlas,” “Unwrapping the Pharaohs,” and the optional “Archaeological Bible.”  There is some Christian material in the “Archaeological Expeditions,” but there are so many different assignments, that you could skip them and still have plenty of material.

I’ve already got a few of the items in the package. Can I still get the package price and leave them out?
We love to offer our package prices to our parents to help them purchase a great program with a great discount. We do, however, have to sell all the items in the package in order to honor the discount. Usually the discount outweighs the value of the resources you might already have. If not, you can choose items individually to build your program, but remember — the purchase of a themed program package ensures you also get reduced shipping, another discount you’ll want to take into account as you look at your total purchase. You may want to consider selling used the items you already own, reselling the new items, giving away the duplicates as gifts, or donating them to a homeschool resource center that serves other homeschool families.

Which of the resources in Ancient World are WinterPromise Exclusives?
These resources are WP Exclusives in Ancient World 4/8:

• Quest for the Ancient World 4/8 Guide
• “Make-Your-Own” Ancient Chronicle
• Lamps, Scrolls & Goatskin Bottles

These resources are WP Exclusives in Ancient World Sr High:

• Quest for the Ancient World Sr High Guide
• Archaeological Expeditions
• Holman Atlas Work Packet
• Ancient Student Work Packet

Which of the resources in Ancient World are used for more than four weeks, other than WP Exclusives?
All of the resources are used for more than four weeks, except Great Ancient China Projects and the Riddle of the Rosetta Stone.

How do I assign high school credit for the Ancient Sr High program?
Some parents are unsure what high school credits are encompassed by our themed programs. They cover all the humanities: history, culture, geography, literature, religion, art, and social sciences.
A student who conscientiously completes Ancient Sr High can be assigned these credits: 

• Ancient World History – 1 credit
• Culture & Societal Change of the Ancient World – 1 credit
• World Geography – 1/4 credit
• Art of the Ancient World – 1/4 credit
• Old Testament History, Culture & Geography – 1 credit
• Biblical Archaeology – 1 credit

For a year, that totals about 4 1/2 credits, or about half their yearly requirement.  If you add another 1 credit for language arts, 1 credit for science, and 1 credit for math, that completes your student’s year, although you may want to add additional credit for an elective of your student’s choice, such as music, drama, journalism, sports, home economics, volunteerism, or trades like wood shop and so on.  Remember, those ¼ and ½ credits add up during the four year high school program.  If a student receives a ¼ credit in geography per year, that would be equivalent to taking 2 half-credit courses during high school.

Do You Have A Scope & Sequence for Ancient Senior High?
We’ve included information about this theme and how to credit your student in our Quest for the Ancient World Scope & Sequence, which you can download and print to use in your student’s transcript.