Story of the World, Vol. 4, Chapter 31

“Western Bullies and American Money” is the title of this chapter. To be more precise, the first story covers the Suez Crisis while the second describes the Marshall Plan.

Gatlinburg
Gatlinburg from the 12th floor of the Park Vista Hotel

Last year, I watched “The Crown” and they have an episode about the Suez Crisis and how the Queen had no idea of what the British Prime Minister plotted. So I felt like I knew something about this story as I read it to the children. 

Many times, I read to them and have no recollection of having learned about some of these events. When I do remember or know the story well, it gives me a boost of confidence.

Homeschooling moms have to know where to get the information. We do not need to know everything in order to teach. Most people who have never homeschooled ask me how I can teach EVERY subject. Well, the answer is, anybody can teach the early grades: sounding out words, 1 + 4 = 5, and handwriting. 

Now that I am in the intermediate grades, it still seems easy: reading middle school novels, summarizing plots and conflict resolutions, simplifying fractions and memorizing the multiplication tables – what is so difficult?

History and science are all about reading, taking notes, looking at a map or a diagram. Again, what is so hard about that?

We will see how it goes in late middle school. But I have a feeling we will adapt and go on successfully. We depend more on the teacher’s manual and there is no shame in that. I welcome scripted curriculum because I like to open books and go in the morning. Who has time to prepare lesson plans or make sense of lesson plans already prepared for you by some curricula?

For our activity, we constructed the Aswan High Dam, calculated the rationing of cloth during World War II, and fried the famous Berliner doughnuts recommended in the Activity Book. Just kidding. About everything. 

We looked up the Suez Canal on an actual map, looked at two pictures comparing dresses from the 40s and 50s, and refrained from frying sugary dough.

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