Snapshots of Ancient History

Snapshots of Ancient History is a secular, inclusive, world history curriculum aimed at 1st to 6th grade students
covering history up to 550 CE.

It contains 42 chapters focusing on Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, the Americas, China, Greece, and Rome, plus a few more stops in other parts of the world like West Africa and the Pacific Islands.

Preview Table of Contents
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Sample Week Demo

Snapshots of Ancient History Timeline

Preview some of what you’ll explore in Snapshots of Ancient History.
Brewarrina Fish Trap, Australia 40,000 BCE
Brewarrina Fish Trap, Australia 40,000 BCE
Julius Caesar, Rome 48 BCE
Julius Caesar, Rome 48 BCE
Colosseum, Rome 80 CE
Colosseum, Rome 80 CE
Hopewell Culture, Ohio 100 CE
Hopewell Culture, Ohio 100 CE
Nazca Lines, Peru early CEs
Nazca Lines, Peru early CEs
Maya Classical Era 250 CE +
Maya Classical Era 250 CE +
Sack of Rome 410 CE
Sack of Rome 410 CE
Qin Shi Huang, China 221 BCE
Qin Shi Huang, China 221 BCE
King Ashoka, India 268 BCE
King Ashoka, India 268 BCE
Alexander the Great, Greece 336 BCE
Alexander the Great, Greece 336 BCE
Greek Theater 532 BCE
Greek Theater 532 BCE
Buddha ~500 BCE
Buddha ~500 BCE
Olmec, Mesoamerica 700 BCE
Olmec, Mesoamerica 700 BCE
Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt 1479 BCE
Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt 1479 BCE
Nok Culture, West Africa 1500 BCE
Nok Culture, West Africa 1500 BCE
First oracle bones, China ~1200 BCE
First oracle bones, China ~1200 BCE
Austronesian Migration, Pacific 2500 BCE
Austronesian Migration, Pacific 2500 BCE
Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt 2560 BCE
Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt 2560 BCE
Mohenjodaro, India 2600 BCE
Mohenjodaro, India 2600 BCE
Caral Pyramid, Peru 2627 BCE
Caral Pyramid, Peru 2627 BCE
Invention of Cuneiform, Mesopotamia ~3500 BCE
Invention of Cuneiform, Mesopotamia ~3500 BCE
Caves of Lascaux, France ~19,000 BCE
Caves of Lascaux, France ~19,000 BCE
Paper invented, China 105 CE
Paper invented, China 105 CE
Gupta Empire, India 320 CE
Gupta Empire, India 320 CE

Ancient History Products

There are six individual products for the Ancient History level.
These products can be purchased individually or bundled together.
Snapshots of Ancient History
The core book for Ancient History.
Available in hardcover, softcover, and PDF.
Instructor's Guide
The core book for Ancient History.This guide for educators includes general book recommendations as well as chapter by chapter vocabulary, supplemental reading suggestions, hands-on activities, Minecraft building prompts, and more.
Available in softcover and PDF.
Student's Guide
This guide for students includes vocabulary, comprehension questions, discussion questions, activity pages, coloring pages, review activities, and more.
Available in softcover and PDF.
Audiobook of Snapshots of Ancient History
The an audiobook recording voiced by professional voice actors of Snapshots of Ancient History.
Available as a digital download only.
Ted's Timeline Kit
Materials to create your own timeline of history including a wall and notebook timeline and important date markers.
Available as a digital download only.
Lapbook/Interactive Notebook Package
Lapbook/Interactive Notebook materials for each chapter to create hands-on reinforcement and review.
Available as a digital download only.

Ancient History Bundles

There are three curriculum bundles you can choose for Ancient History. The difference between each bundle is the physical or digital format of the books.

None of these bundles include the Lapbook/Interactive Notebook Package.
It can be added for just $10.
Print Curriculum Package
  • Hardcover of Snapshots of Ancient History
  • Audiobook of Snapshots of Ancient History
  • Softcover of Instructor’s Guide
  • Softcover of Student Guide
  • Ted’s Timeline Kit
Perfect for if you prefer to hold a physical copy of all the books in your hands. Add an extra Student Guide for each additional student.
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Mixed Format Curriculum Package
  • Softcover of Snapshots of Ancient History
  • Audiobook of Snapshots of Ancient History
  • PDF of Instructor’s Guide
  • PDF of Student Guide
  • Ted’s Timeline Kit
Perfect for if you are teaching multiple children and need to print extra Student Guide pages or are only selectively using pieces of the Student Guide.
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Digital Curriculum Package
  • PDF of Snapshots of Ancient History
  • Audiobook of Snapshots of Ancient History
  • PDF of Instructor’s Guide
  • PDF of Student Guide
  • Ted’s Timeline Kit
Perfect for eco-conscious users or if you are traveling while schooling or have limited storage space.
Buy Now

Sample Week Demo

Curious what a week of Curiosity Chronicles Ancient History would look like?

The following visual walkthrough shows you a sample week. This walkthrough follows Sample Schedule H: All the Bells and Whistles from our Sample Schedules page.

This is our most extensive sample schedule. You don’t have to do all these activities to successfully use Curiosity Chronicles.

​Curiosity Chronicles is designed to be flexible and adaptable. You can pick and choose which aspects of the curriculum to use to design a history study that meets your unique learning situation. Check out our Sample Schedules page for ideas on simpler schedules.

Visual Walkthrough of Chapter 11: Yu Fights the River

Day 1: Study the Chapter

Read or listen to Chapter 11: Yu Fights the River. 

Learn about the mythical founder of the first Chinese dynasty, the benefits and challenges of life along the Yellow River, early Chinese craftsmanship, and the invention of Chinese characters.
Day 2: Reinforce Learningr
Read relevant pages from general reference books and complete accompanying student pages.
Review vocabulary and comprehension questions from the chapter. Cover geography as well by completing accompanying map work. Assemble the timeline and more.
Day 3: Dive Deeper
Read 1–2 supplemental books.

Head to the library to grab different supplemental books for each chapter.

​For this chapter, some of the options include a picture book about the origin of Chinese characters, a picture-heavy informational book on Ancient China, and a choose-your-own-adventure novel set in Ancient China.

Day 4: Hands-on Learning
Complete one hands-on activity.

Select a hands-on activity from multiple options. One option for this chapter is a LEGO-building project to build a dam to protect your LEGO village, just like Yu the Great.

Another option is a painting project to explore the history of Chinese characters.

You could also follow the Minecraft building prompt to construct a dam.

Day 5: Summing It Up
Complete lapbook elements and one extra hands-on activity.
This is the first chapter on Ancient China. For this lapbook day, you would color the cover and title for the China lapbook, cut out the first two pages for your Chinese dynasties flip-book, and create a flap-book about Chinese trade goods.
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