History for Elementary and Junior High

VanDamme Academy offers a chronological presentation of history that emphasizes the causes and effects of world events and the actions of major figures. Students learn the role that basic ideas – religious, philosophical, political – have in shaping the cultures and actions of historical figures. The goal is to teach students that history is not a list of disconnected people and dates, but an exciting and integrated story that, when grasped and understood, can illuminate the present.

Ours is a three-year cycle, comprising one year each of Ancient History, European History, and American History. Students benefit most from hearing this story through two cycles. The first cycle, i.e., for younger students, introduces them to the overall course and geography of world history. The second cycle, i.e., for older students, retraces the path of history in much greater detail, and places greater emphasis on the students’ ability to understand and explain the development of the modern world. Students who take both cycles are able not merely to make integrations backward in time (e.g., to compare the American political system with the original democracy of Ancient Athens), but also forward in time (e.g., to compare the “family rule” of Egypt in the 10th century B.C. with the “family empires” of the Angevins in England and France during the 11th and 12th centuries, and the Hapsburgs in the 16th century). The ability to find precedents by looking backwards and to anticipate future consequences by looking forwards, provides students with a deep and comprehensive understanding of the facts and causes of world history.