How to use Knowledge Keepers Books with Mystery of History
As we explore world and American history in Mystery of History volumes 3 and 4, I’m adding in our Knowledge Keepers series of American history primary source books.
Lots of people ask how to get more American history with Mystery of History curriculum. It’s easy to do, if you use the table of contents as a guide. As the author of Mystery of History notes in Volume IV, “…an experienced teacher can use Volume IV in two years and add more American history to it to offer students one year of modern history and one year of American history.”
We use lots of the recommended books from the Mystery of History Companion Guide, but this list is specifically about the primary sources from Knowledge Keepers Bookstore. So how does it work? Well, it depends on the lesson! In most cases, one book will accompany one or two lessons. But in some cases, a book like Valiant Navigators will have a chapter to read with a number of lessons throughout the textbook.
Some of the Knowledge Keepers books have a free study guide available, so if you anticipate using those, allow several days to read the book and explore the activities in a guide. You can pause your Mystery of History lesson plans and just explore this one book topic for awhile, or continue reading the book as you work your way through multiple lessons. The beauty of this method is that Mystery of History covers chronological world history, so the events are all connected. Reading about Columbus while also reading about other major world events of the same time is a really good way to get the big picture of history!
Whether you read aloud to all of your children at once (this is my usual method) or assign the books to be read by your children, they can easily fit into any history curriculum.
Below you will find a free PDF reading plan for Mystery of History Volume 3 + Knowledge Keepers books that go with different lessons. This will be followed by Mystery of History Volume 4 + Knowledge Keepers books.
I share all of our Mystery of History lesson plans here.
You can purchase the Knowledge Keepers books (and sets) at Knowledge Keepers Bookstore and Amazon.
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