What are the ‘history spines’ of Missions to Modern Marvels?
Our daughter made the switch to Heart of Dakota (HOD) in 6th grade. Before using HOD, neither of us cared two hoots about history. Now, we love it! Resurrection to Reformation was the first guide that opened our eyes to how interesting history could be. Then, Revival to Revolution for 7th grade kept the fire burning. Now, we are anticipating the history in Missions to Modern Marvels (MTMM). My daughter and I have been reading HOD posts and lurking on the HOD Message Board. We learned a new lingo – “history spines”. So, my daughter asked me what I could tell her about the “history spines” coming up in MTMM. I decided to ask you! So, with no further delay and with great anticipation, what are the history “spines” for MTMM, and what can you tell me about them?
Sincerely,
“Ms. Please Share the History Spines of MTMM with Us”
Dear “Ms. Please Share the History Spines of MTMM with Us,”
Thank you for sharing your newfound love for history, and I would be glad to share the “spines” for our history portion of our plans for MTMM. I must admit that finding the books to get the right mix and balance for this year of plans was not easy. So, we looked at everything available, and also pondered everything we’d used in the past with our oldest son.
We were searching for a good mix of American history and world history that was told narratively. Likewise, we wanted students to come away with a good feel for what it would be like to live in this time period, but to also have Christian history and heroes interwoven with the more commonly told secular history. We deeply desired for students to see the rise of modern heroes of the faith and modern missions during this time period and to be inspired by stories of those who kept the faith even through persecution and trials.
This particular time period is full of war, depression, racial prejudice, famine, starvation, persecution, natural disasters, broken families, disease, financial crises, and many reminders that we live in a fallen world. To study this time period without focusing on the world’s desperate need for a Savior could leave the students in despair. Yes, the state of the world cries out for its need for a Savior. What better time than the present to show our children how much they need Him!
The History Spines for MTMM
With this in mind, here is the combination we decided upon for the history spines portion of our guide:
All American History Vol. II: The Civil War to the 21st Century (Student Reader only) by Celeste W. Rakes
Story of the World Volume IV: The Modern Age by Susan Wise Bauer
Hero Tales Vol. II by Dave and Neta Jackson
Hero Tales Vol. III by Dave and Neta Jackson
Rescue and Redeem Vol. 5: Chronicles of the Modern Church by Brandon and Mindy Withrow
Great Events in American History by Rebecca Price Janney
Book of Great American Speeches for Young People Edited by Suzanne McIntire
Note: Since we have already covered the Civil War era and the first part of All American History Vol. II, we did not use the beginning chunk of this book. The same is true for Story of the World Vol. IV and Great Events in American History. We have always made a point to use all, or almost all, of every book that we schedule in an HOD guide. However, in this guide we made an exception.
This is because we feel like All American History, Story of the World, and Great Events in American History are wonderful in combination with each other and the other resources mentioned above that will be interspersed with them in Missions to Modern Marvels. Yet, we had other resources we felt were better for the Civil War era, and we used those resources within Revival to Revolution instead of All American History, Story of the World, and Great Events in American History.
Reading About History Spines from Varying Perspectives
We also love to have students read about history from varying authors’ perspectives each year that they use HOD. This variety allows us to choose the “best” combination of ‘spine’ book(s) for each time period and to use each author in his/her area of expertise (when compared to the other books available for the time period.) However, in this particular case, the time period didn’t neatly coincide with the starting points in these books, so we decided to use the best combination of resources even if it meant we couldn’t start at the beginning of each book as we usually do.
Note 2: While the Hero Tales volumes are written in a larger font and give the appearance of being appropriate for a young audience, we find that the stories in Volumes II and III are often filled with persecution and difficult issues that are much better suited for an older, more mature audience. The tales are often inspiring in spite of hardships suffered.
When interwoven within the chronology of the thread of history, these history spines can truly provide needed inspiration. We use many of the stories, but not all, of both volumes of Hero Tales (with the exception of some stories from time periods that we have already covered in previous guides). These volumes are too good to be missed and are great for rereading, time and time again. Plus, any unused stories will fit well in the Biography genre of DITHR, so none will be wasted.
Some of the People You Will Meet in MTMM’s History Spines
To give you an idea about some of the people that the students will be reading about through these history spines, I’ll include the following list: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jim Elliot, Festo Kivengere, Eric Liddell, Watchman Nee, John Perkins, Amanda Smith, Corrie Ten Boom, Cameron Townsend, Mary McLeod Bethune, Brother Andrew, George Washington Carver, Jonathan & Rosalind Goforth, Billy Graham, Betty Greene, Clarence Jones, Gordon McLean, Lottie Moon, Luis Palau, Rochunga Pudaite, Mother Teresa, and Charles Albert Tindley.
Rescue and Redeem also includes stories about Christians who lived out the gospel in many different cultures including those like Niijima Jo, Hudson and Maria Taylor, Dwight Moody, Robert Thomas, John Ross, Samuel Moffett, Pandita Ramabai, Princess Ka’iulani, Marianna Slocum, C.S. Lewis and Janini Luwum. Within the Hero Tales volumes, an introduction followed by 3 stories is typically told for each person. In Rescue and Redeem, one longer story of a key episode from a person’s life is told. All are narrative and unforgettable. It is our prayer and hope that these stories will challenge your students to live out their Christian faith in their everyday lives beginning right where they are planted.
Note 3: We use the Book of Great American Speeches in a primary source document sort of way. Again, not all speeches within the book will be used (as it includes over 100 speeches). However, we do use a good chunk of the book as a spine. The speeches are matched to the day’s history reading, so they are read in their historical context.
Blessings,
Carrie
