Description
Windows to the World: China – Course Description
For this highly interactive Windows to the World: China course series, we travel around the world and through different time periods with world literature — missionary biographies of different regions, sometimes including fiction and/or non-fiction books set in those regions. This semester, the focus is China.
The true superheroes we will be reading about this semester have life stories and life’s work in China, even if they begin or end in another country. You will read stories of ordinary people demonstrating extraordinary courage and faithfulness to God, and making and changing history as they lived their lives.
Some of the missionaries we will study are Hudson Taylor, Eric Liddell, Lottie Moon, and Mildred Cable, among others.
I hope you leave this course with an enormous appreciation for God’s love for every single person on this earth, His earnest desire that they all hear of His truth – and the desire to support missionaries all over the world, who today, are living lives of adventure. Of course, that includes learning about the history and the people who live in these places!
Students write different kinds of short reports to teach the rest of the class about the history and culture, explore the culture and the spiritual climates, and work with a timeline and maps through a semester-long project. Class time often includes games based on the content to help review for quizzes.
The literature comes from all time periods (thus the timeline). We learn a lot about:
- missionaries’ lives,
- the need of the culture for Truth,
- how the culture’s view of God affects what happens in the country and in its people’s lives,
- what is happening historically in the country of study and in other countries around the world,
- and how God is at work through time and place.
Parents may purchase the books or check them out of the library — a list will be made available to those registered for the class.
What This Class Is Not
It is not a typical curriculum-based, chronological move through world history. We step out of that box and move through different time periods – always with a view to the present country or region.
The assignments include a lot of reading, so the student and parent must commit to reading the books (usually very interesting). If a student has reading issues, it is fine if the parent reads them aloud to the student — but there must be a commitment to do the reading.
Other assignments are hands-on and designed to engage the student in the region’s culture, history and spiritual realities. We will include videos, music, foods, and customs. Students will be asked occasionally to prepare a food and serve it to their families.
Teacher Background
This course is taught by a former history-hating student, now a “retired” homeschool mom. It was not until I started homeschooling my own children that I learned that history is about the compelling stories of people who were just like we are! It changed everything for me — I would love to help change that for your students if that is their situation.
Grade Levels
- Middle School to early High School
Prerequisites
- No prerequisites
Curriculum
- Most of the books are YWAM biographies.
- A list is provided after registering for the class.
- Families may purchase the books, check them out from libraries, use a kindle, or borrow the books from someone.
Windows to the World: China Course Outline
- China: Intro, Geography & History Overview, 10-40 Window Intro, First Missionary intro
- Read 5 or 6 missionary biographies, discussing all of the above plus spiritual beliefs
- One small project
- Student weekly small reports teaching others about a facet of history/culture
- Culinary Adventure
- Games about the content of course
Estimated Workload
- 1/2 hour to 1 hour per week plus reading time
Testimonials / Reviews
“I hated history — it was dry, boring, fill-in-the-blank. After studying it this way, it’s my favorite class of all.”
