Exploring the World Through Story

Finding the right Social Studies program that both educates and engages children can be a daunting task for any parent, especially those homeschooling or looking to supplement their child’s education. During my extensive research into various curricula, I discovered "Exploring the World Through Story," a standout program due to its unique literature-based approach that brings cultural tales to life. Created by Dr. Drew Campbell, this curriculum was developed to harness the power of storytelling to enhance learning, featuring carefully selected tales that span multiple cultures. What truly sets it apart is its ability to transform traditional Social Studies into an engaging narrative experience that captivates young minds. This program is ideal for parents who value depth in cultural education and wish to instill a love for global stories in their children. While the reliance on narrative over more traditional factual memorization may not suit every learning style, the rich content and engaging method make it a quality choice for many. A pro tip for parents: integrate these stories into your regular reading time to enhance retention and enjoyment.

Grades: "Exploring the World Through Story" is designed for students from kindergarten through eighth grade, with materials organized by grade levels in progressively challenging formats.

Cost: The cost varies by level, with individual PDF levels priced around $49 to $79. Bundles, which combine multiple levels, can range from $149 to $219, providing a cost-effective option for comprehensive coverage​.

Online Community: Exploring the World has an active Homeschooling Community and Discussion Group on Facebook which you can find here.

The in-depth review

Social studies curricula are crucial for children to understand societal structures, historical events, and diverse cultures. A well-designed social studies curriculum not only provides knowledge but also develops critical thinking, empathy, and a well-rounded worldview. Parents should look for curricula that engage young learners and foster a deep understanding of the world through various perspectives.

About Exploring the World Through Story

Created by Andrew Campbell, a figure noted for their pedagogical expertise and involvement in educational podcasts, "Exploring the World Through Story" is a curriculum that focuses on world literature. It uses stories from various cultures to create a rich, engaging learning experience. The curriculum emphasizes memory work, comprehension, and writing skills, and is designed based on the research of how people learn and retain information​

Who Exploring the World Through Story is for

This curriculum is ideal for parents who are homeschooling or those looking to supplement their children's education with a deep dive into cultural literacy and foundational stories from around the world.

Why I recommend Exploring the World Through Story for Social Studies

As an educator with over two decades of experience, I find "Exploring the World Through Story" especially compelling for teaching social studies. It employs a literature-based approach to explore cultural narratives that shape our understanding of the world, making it a valuable educational tool.

How Exploring the World Through Story works

The curriculum is structured around key stories from various traditions, enhancing reading comprehension and writing skills through activities and discussion. It is user-friendly, with minimal preparation needed, making it practical for busy parents. The curriculum also includes guides for pronunciation and vocabulary to aid learning​.

What Differentiates Exploring the World Through Story from other Social Studies programs

"Exploring the World Through Story" differentiates itself from other social studies programs primarily through its literature-based curriculum that emphasizes cultural narratives from a diverse array of global traditions. Unlike many social studies programs that may rely more heavily on textbooks, this curriculum uses foundational stories from various cultures to teach historical and social concepts, thereby enhancing students' global awareness and appreciation for diversity. Specifically, the program is crafted by experts in pedagogy like Andrew Campbell, who have a keen focus on how children learn and retain information, incorporating insights from cognitive science into the teaching methods. Each level of the curriculum is tailored to different age groups, ensuring that the complexity of the materials grows with the student's age and comprehension levels. The curriculum is also noted for its practicality for busy parents, with minimal preparatory work required and activities that support comprehension, vocabulary building, and writing skills. These features make it particularly effective for homeschooling settings or as supplementary material in traditional educational environments

What Exploring the World Through Story covers

• Foundational cultural stories: The curriculum includes a variety of stories from different world cultures, focusing on major civilizations and religious traditions, such as Hindu, Egyptian, Jewish, Buddhist, Christian, Islamic, Norse, and Chinese stories​.

• Literary terms and cultural information: Students learn key literary terms and important cultural background information associated with each story, which helps in building a broader understanding of each culture​.

• Reading comprehension: The program emphasizes reading comprehension through guided narrations and discussions, aiming to improve students' abilities to understand and retain what they read​​.

• Writing skills: Students engage in various writing activities, including copywork, dictation, and composition, to develop their writing abilities​.

• Memory work: Memory work is an integral part of the curriculum, with students memorizing literary terms and key cultural facts to reinforce learning and retention.

• Summarizing and discussing: Structured activities are designed to help students summarize stories and articulate their thoughts, enhancing their analytical and communication skills

Updates and Additions

For those looking for the latest content, "Exploring the World Through Story" is continuously evolving, with new levels in development to cover middle school years, ensuring that it remains an up-to-date resource for educational needs​. A new writing level will be released in May 2024.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Exploring the World Through Story

What Parents Like about Exploring the World Through Story

• Engagement and Focus: The curriculum effectively engages children with focused, interesting stories that teach valuable cultural lessons. It's designed based on sound pedagogical research, making it appealing and educational​.

• Cultural Depth: It offers a deep dive into world cultures through carefully selected stories that enhance cultural understanding and appreciation​.

• Comprehensive Skills Development: Besides storytelling, the program also focuses on developing reading comprehension, writing, and summarization skills, using methods like The Writing Revolution to aid learning​.

• User-Friendly: The curriculum requires minimal preparation, making it easy for parents to use. The lessons are structured in a way that is manageable and not overwhelming, even allowing for daily lessons without excessive demands.

• Quality Materials: The stories and materials are well-chosen and beautifully illustrated, enhancing the learning experience and making the lessons enjoyable for children​

What parents dislike

• Potential for Overlap: For families already using comprehensive language arts curriculums, there might be some overlap in content, which could be seen as redundant.

• Literature-Based Approach Limitations: While the literature-based approach is innovative, it might not suit every learning style. Some parents or students may prefer more traditional or structured learning methods that focus directly on factual content rather than narrative-based learning.

• Cost Considerations: Although the curriculum offers great value, the initial cost for the books and materials might be a consideration for some families. It requires purchasing several books, which could add up​.

Tips from Parents on how to get the most out of Exploring the World Through Story

Maximize the curriculum by integrating the lessons with daily reading and discussion times. Use the summaries and character guides provided to help children engage with and reflect on the stories. This active engagement helps deepen understanding and retention.

Why Trust Me

With a diverse teaching background across different countries and educational systems, my review is grounded in a broad understanding of educational needs and the effectiveness of various teaching methods. My experience in fostering intercultural dialogue and understanding further aligns with the curriculum’s objectives of promoting cultural literacy.

How I Vetted

This review is based on thorough research, including analysis of numerous user reviews and consultations with educators who have firsthand experience with the curriculum. This ensures a balanced and informed evaluation.

What I Looked For and How Exploring the World Through Story Stacks Up

• Comprehensive: The curriculum covers a broad range of cultures and traditions, incorporating stories from various world civilizations and major religious traditions. This provides a broad base of knowledge that spans numerous societies and historical contexts​.

• Secular: While primarily literature-based and focused on cultural stories, the curriculum does include stories from religious traditions. It presents these stories in a way that focuses on their cultural and historical significance rather than religious instruction, which maintains a secular approach to learning about different beliefs​.

• Accurate: The curriculum is designed with attention to the authenticity of cultural stories, using respected sources and well-researched materials to ensure the accuracy of the information presented.

• Decolonized: There's no specific mention in the reviews or descriptions of the curriculum actively employing a decolonized perspective. However, its emphasis on stories from various cultures could contribute to a more balanced view of world history that is not solely Eurocentric.

• Inclusive: By incorporating stories from a diverse set of cultures and traditions, the curriculum promotes inclusivity. It helps students understand and appreciate the breadth and variety of human experiences and cultural backgrounds​​.

• Anti-racist: While the curriculum includes diverse cultural perspectives, there is no explicit indication that it is specifically designed with an anti-racist framework in mind. It's focus on cultural appreciation does support broader understanding and respect among different ethnic and racial groups.

• Mastery-based: The curriculum supports mastery-based learning through structured activities like memory work, summarization, and comprehension checks. This approach allows students to build on their knowledge progressively and ensures they understand each component before moving on to the next.

• Aligned with school standards for Social Studies: The curriculum's focus on cultural stories, historical contexts, and literary terms likely supports many of the common core standards in social studies by developing critical thinking, reading comprehension, and cultural awareness. However, it may not cover all specific standards depending on the jurisdiction​.

• Fun and engaging for kids: Reviews and descriptions of the curriculum highlight its engaging nature, particularly through the use of interesting stories and minimal preparation requirements, making lessons enjoyable and accessible for children. The beautiful illustrations and story choices help maintain a high level of engagement​.

The Bottom Line

Who is Exploring the World Through Story an ideal fit for?

"Exploring the World Through Story" is perfect for families seeking a curriculum that enriches children’s understanding of world cultures through storytelling. It suits various learning styles and can be adapted for different educational needs.

Who is Exploring the World Through Story not a fit for?

Families looking for a heavily structured or textbook-heavy approach might find this curriculum less aligned with their needs, as it focuses heavily on narrative learning and literature.

Alternatives and supplements to Exploring the World Through Story

• For a comprehensive world Social Studies curriculum: Curiosity Chronicles offers an engaging narrative approach, covering world history through interactive storytelling between characters discussing historical events, ideal for homeschool and classroom discussions.

• For a YouTube channel: Crash Course World Social Studies provides concise, well-produced video lessons that cover a wide range of topics in World History, making complex subjects accessible and interesting for a broad audience.

• For a free Social Studies curriculum: Digital Inquiry Group, formerly known as Stanford Social Studies Education Group, offers high-quality, research-based instructional materials for free, focusing on inquiry-based learning practices to foster deep understanding.

• For a book series: The Revisioning History for Young People Series adapts significant historical narratives into formats that are more inclusive and accessible for young readers, focusing on untold stories and diverse perspectives to enrich the traditional curriculum.

Value for the Money

Given the comprehensive content and the flexible, engaging teaching approach, this curriculum offers good value, especially with the bundle options that reduce the overall cost per level.

Ways to Get Exploring the World Through Story

"Exploring the World Through Story" is available directly from Stone Soup Press via their website. Purchases can be made in PDF format, allowing for immediate use​.

Affilate Disclaimer

This review is unbiased and independent; however, purchases made through links provided might result in a commission, which supports our educational content.

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