Pathway to Liberty ~ A Review

Over the past weeks my daughter has been working through Pathway to Liberty History Curriculum, World History, Level 3 from Pathway Liberty Homeschool Curriculum. Pathway to Liberty offers a complete curriculum which contains four years of coursework. The curriculum is uniquely designed so that the teacher is able to teach multiple grade levels at the same time. Each level come with Teacher guides and Student Workbooks. Weekly lesson plans, assignments, and step-by-step instructions will guide your student along the way. Your child will be taught from a Biblical Worldview. The curriculum covers K-12th grade. Each year covers 26 weeks of coursework.

What drew me to this curriculum is that it is literature based. I am not a fan of textbook based history curriculum. For the 19 years that I have been homeschooling I have always been drawn to literature based learning. Pathway to Liberty is definitely a curriculum that will immerse your child into history. Throughout their years of schooling they will cycle through the four years of history, each time developing a deeper understand of history whether it be studying the ancient Egyptians or Hitler and the Holocaust. They will enjoy great books such as Benjamin Franklin by Ingri & Edgar Parin d'Aulaire in Level One, to The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank in Levels Two and Three, to amazing stories of missionaries in books such as, Eric Liddell, Something Greater Than Gold by Janet & Geoff Benge in Levels Three and Four, to The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck in Levels Three and Four. These are just a few of the amazing books that your children will read. You cannot get stuff like this in a history textbook.

Here is a great video that briefly describes how Pathway to Liberty works. 

Here is a great breakdown of the 4 levels in the Pathway to Liberty Curriculum:

Level 1 (K5-3rd Grade)

• Level 1 is designed for the early elementary years. Students learn history through age-appropriate core books and literature studies. Principles are taught in a concrete, simplified manner. The character of individuals is emphasized. Copy work and simple writing exercises can be adjusted to student's writing ability. 

Level 2 (4th-6th Grade)

• Level 2 is designed for upper elementary who are able to read and write fluently. Principles are expanded and application is encouraged. Students write 1-2 paragraphs a weekly and begin to learn research skills. Some of the reading assignments coordinate with Level 3, however the reasoning, writing and literature are age-appropriate. 

Level 3 (7th-9th)

• Level 3 is designed for middle school students. It requires more in-depth reasoning and logic and the application of principles. Students write 2-5 paragraphs weekly and apply research skills too reports. 

Level 4 (10-12 Grade)

• With Level 4, student's gain rhetorical mastery of their lessons. Their worldview is solidified and they are able to articulate their lessons. It is for advanced level High school students. Most textbooks are college level reading. Credits include History-1, Bible-1/2-1, History and Literature reading are on an adult level. Writing assignments are designed to prepare students for a collegiate or professional environment. 

There are four years in the history cycle:

• Year 1: Universal History
• Year 2: The Middle Ages
• Year 3: US History
• Year 4: World History

My 7th grade daughter worked through the beginning weeks of Level 3 of World History. Being an avid reader and very used to the literature based style of learning she easily incorporated Pathway to Liberty into her current academic studies. We already had many of the books required for many of the levels which was wonderful! World History begins with the foundations of "What is History?" and covers the basic foundations before moving on.

The course covers (each of these have multiple subtopics):

1. Foundations
2. Welcome 20th Century
3. The World at War
4. Around the World
5. Presidents

The core books used in the Level 3 World History are:

• Bible
• Noah Webster 1828 Dictionary
• The Chain of Liberty
• The Chain of Liberty Study Guide
• The Age of Extremes
• War, Peace, & All That Jazz
• All the People

The books highly recommended for further reading are:

• The War of the Worlds
• The Grapes of Wrath
• Diary of Anne Frank
• Eric Liddell: Something Greater Than Gold
• The Hiding Place
• Jerusalem or Death
• Eyes on the Prize

Each week has a Weekly Overview. All four levels have the same scripture verses, principle, and leading idea for the week. The week is broken down into four lessons. All levels are listed on the Weekly Overview page. A typical week would look like this.

For Week 6 the student in Level 3 reads Chapters 8-11 and 14-15 in War, Peace, & All That Jazz in Lessons 1-3 along with answering study guide questions. Lesson 4 the student watches a YouTube video entitled The Century, Boom to Bust 1920-1929 along with a study guide. The student also has a weekly writing assignment and is given 4 options to choose from to write on. In the History Expanding section (enrichment) students are asked to read two more chapter in War, Peace, & All That Jazz and begin reading Eric Liddell: Something Greater Than Gold. The Vocabulary words for the week are morality, normalcy, metamorphosis, and hedonist.

The Chain of Liberty by Jayme Maccullough is a wonderful complement to the curriculum. The book has 13 chapters and like the title states asks the question, Do men have a right to think for themselves? In Chapter 9 we see how the Reformation brought about huge change by great men such as Martin Luther, John Wycliffe, and John Calvin. In Chapter 10 we see how the first colonists came to America to have freedom of religion and liberty. Chapter 5 talks about how "Genesis is the first and, in my opinion, the most significant document of liberty." 

Pathway to Liberty is easy to follow and both teacher and student friendly. Check out the website for more information on all that this curriculum has to offer. Scope and sequences are available to give you an overview of what is covered in each year. I would highly recommend this curriculum to others.

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