Best Selling Books by Susan Wise Bauer

A lively and engaging narrative history showing the common threads in the cultures that gave birth to our own. This is the first volume in a bold series that tells the stories of all peoples, connecting historical events from Europe to the Middle East to the far coast of China, while still giving weight to the characteristics of each country. Susan Wise Bauer provides both sweeping scope and vivid attention to the individual lives that give flesh to abstract assertions about human history. Dozens of maps provide a clear geography of great events, while timelines give the reader an ongoing sense of the passage of years and cultural interconnection. This old-fashioned narrative history employs the methods of “history from beneath”—literature, epic traditions, private letters and accounts—to connect kings and leaders with the lives of those they ruled. The result is an engrossing tapestry of human behavior from which we may draw conclusions about the direction of world events and the causes behind them.

"This alternative plan for teaching writing combines the best elements of old-fashioned writing instruction with innovative new educational methods and explains why so many writing programs fail" -- p. [4] of cover.

A masterful narrative of the Middle Ages, when religion became a weapon for kings all over the world. In her earlier work, The History of the Ancient World, Susan Wise Bauer wrote of the rise of kingship based on might. But in the years between the fourth and twelfth centuries, rulers had to find new justification for their power, and they turned to divine truth or grace to justify political and military action. Right began to replace might as the engine of empire. Not just Christianity and Islam but also the religions of the Persians, the Germans, and the Mayas were pressed into the service of the state. Even Buddhism and Confucianism became tools for nation building. This phenomenon—stretching from the Americas all the way to Japan—changed religion, but it also changed the state. The History of the Medieval World is a true world history, linking the great conflicts of Europe to the titanic struggles for power in India and Asia. In its pages, El Cid and Guanggaeto, Julian the Apostate and the Brilliant Emperor, Charles the Hammer and Krum the Bulgarian stand side by side. From the schism between Rome and Constantinople to the rise of the Song Dynasty, from the mission of Muhammad to the crowning of Charlemagne, from the sacred wars of India to the establishment of the Knights Templar, this erudite book tells the fascinating, often violent story of kings, generals, and the peoples they ruled.

This book will instruct you, step by step, on how to give your child an academically rigorous, comprehensive education from preschool through high school. Two veteran home educators outline the classical pattern of education''he trivium''hich organizes learning around the maturing capacity of the child''s mind: the elementary school "grammar stage," the middle school "logic stage," and the high school "rhetoric stage." Using the trivium as your model, you''ll be able to instruct your child in all levels of reading, writing, history, geography, mathematics, science, foreign languages, rhetoric, logic, art, and music, regardless of your own aptitude in those subjects. Newly revised and updated, The Well-Trained Mind includes detailed book lists with complete ordering information; up-to-date listings of resources, publications, and Internet links; and useful contacts.

An engaging, accessible guide to educating yourself in the classical tradition. Have you lost the art of reading for pleasure? Are there books you know you should read but haven''t because they seem too daunting? In The Well-Educated Mind, Susan Wise Bauer provides a welcome and encouraging antidote to the distractions of our age, electronic and otherwise. In her previous book, The Well-Trained Mind, the author provided a road map of classical education for parents wishing to home-school their children, and that book is now the premier resource for home-schoolers. In this new book, Bauer takes the same elements and techniques and adapts them to the use of adult readers who want both enjoyment and self-improvement from the time they spend reading. The Well-Educated Mind offers brief, entertaining histories of five literary genres—fiction, autobiography, history, drama, and poetry—accompanied by detailed instructions on how to read each type. The annotated lists at the end of each chapter—ranging from Cervantes to A. S. Byatt, Herodotus to Laurel Thatcher Ulrich—preview recommended reading and encourage readers to make vital connections between ancient traditions and contemporary writing. The Well-Educated Mind reassures those readers who worry that they read too slowly or with below-average comprehension. If you can understand a daily newspaper, there''s no reason you can''t read and enjoy Shakespeare''s Sonnets or Jane Eyre. But no one should attempt to read the "Great Books" without a guide and a plan. Susan Wise Bauer will show you how to allocate time to your reading on a regular basis; how to master a difficult argument; how to make personal and literary judgments about what you read; how to appreciate the resonant links among texts within a genre—what does Anna Karenina owe to Madame Bovary?—and also between genres. Followed carefully, the advice in The Well-Educated Mind will restore and expand the pleasure of the written word.

A chronicle of the years between 1100 and 1453 describes the Crusades, the Inquisition, the emergence of the Ottomans, the rise of the Mongols, and the invention of new currencies, weapons, and schools of thought.

“If you read only one book on educating children, this should be the book.… With a warm, informative voice, Bauer gives you the knowledge that will help you flex the educational model to meet the needs of your child.” —San Francisco Book Review Our K–12 school system isn’t a good fit for all—or even most—students. It prioritizes a single way of understanding the world over all others, pushes children into a rigid set of grades with little regard for individual maturity, and slaps “disability” labels on differences in learning style. Caught in this system, far too many young learners end up discouraged. This informed, compassionate, and practical guidebook will show you how to take control of your child’s K–12 experience and negotiate the school system in a way that nurtures your child’s mind, emotions, and spirit. Understand why we have twelve grades, and why we match them to ages. Evaluate your child’s maturity, and determine how to use that knowledge to your advantage. Find out what subject areas we study in school, why they exist—and how to tinker with them. Discover what learning disabilities and intellectual giftedness are, how they can overlap, how to recognize them, and how those labels can help (or hinder) you. Work effectively with your child’s teachers, tutors, and coaches. Learn to teach important subjects yourself. Challenge accepted ideas about homework and standardized testing. Help your child develop a vision for the future. Reclaim your families’ priorities (including time for eating together, playing, imagining, traveling, and, yes, sleeping!). Plan for college—or apprenticeships. Consider out-of-the-box alternatives.

Presents a history of the ancient world, from 6000 B.C. to 400 A.D.

An engaging, accessible guide to educating yourself in the classical tradition. Have you lost the art of reading for pleasure? Are there books you know you should read but haven''t because they seem too daunting? In The Well-Educated Mind, Susan Wise Bauer provides a welcome and encouraging antidote to the distractions of our age, electronic and otherwise. In her previous book, The Well-Trained Mind, the author provided a road map of classical education for parents wishing to home-school their children, and that book is now the premier resource for home-schoolers. In this new book, Bauer takes the same elements and techniques and adapts them to the use of adult readers who want both enjoyment and self-improvement from the time they spend reading. The Well-Educated Mind offers brief, entertaining histories of five literary genres—fiction, autobiography, history, drama, and poetry—accompanied by detailed instructions on how to read each type. The annotated lists at the end of each chapter—ranging from Cervantes to A. S. Byatt, Herodotus to Laurel Thatcher Ulrich—preview recommended reading and encourage readers to make vital connections between ancient traditions and contemporary writing. The Well-Educated Mind reassures those readers who worry that they read too slowly or with below-average comprehension. If you can understand a daily newspaper, there''s no reason you can''t read and enjoy Shakespeare''s Sonnets or Jane Eyre. But no one should attempt to read the "Great Books" without a guide and a plan. Susan Wise Bauer will show you how to allocate time to your reading on a regular basis; how to master a difficult argument; how to make personal and literary judgments about what you read; how to appreciate the resonant links among texts within a genre—what does Anna Karenina owe to Madame Bovary?—and also between genres. Followed carefully, the advice in The Well-Educated Mind will restore and expand the pleasure of the written word.

A riveting road map to the development of modern scientific thought. In the tradition of her perennial bestseller The Well-Educated Mind, Susan Wise Bauer delivers an accessible, entertaining, and illuminating springboard into the scientific education you never had. Far too often, public discussion of science is carried out by journalists, voters, and politicians who have received their science secondhand. The Story of Western Science shows us the joy and importance of reading groundbreaking science writing for ourselves and guides us back to the masterpieces that have changed the way we think about our world, our cosmos, and ourselves. Able to be referenced individually, or read together as the narrative of Western scientific development, the book''s twenty-eight succinct chapters lead readers from the first science texts by Hippocrates, Plato, and Aristotle through twentieth-century classics in biology, physics, and cosmology. The Story of Western Science illuminates everything from mankind''s earliest inquiries to the butterfly effect, from the birth of the scientific method to the rise of earth science and the flowering of modern biology. Each chapter recommends one or more classic books and provides entertaining accounts of crucial contributions to science, vivid sketches of the scientist-writers, and clear explanations of the mechanics underlying each concept. The Story of Western Science reveals science to be a dramatic undertaking practiced by some of history''s most memorable characters. It reminds us that scientific inquiry is a human pursuit—an essential, often deeply personal, sometimes flawed, frequently brilliant way of understanding the world. The Story of Western Science is an "entertaining and unique synthesis" (Times Higher Education), a "fluidly written" narrative that "celebrates the inexorable force of human curiosity" (Wall Street Journal), and a "bright, informative resource for readers seeking to understand science through the eyes of the men and women who shaped its history" (Kirkus). Previously published as The Story of Science.

This fourth book in the four-volume narrative history series for elementary students will transform your study of history. The Story of the World has won awards from numerous homeschooling magazines and readers'' polls—over 150,000 copies of the series in print! Where was the Crystal Palace? Who was the Sick Man of Europe? And how did cow fat start a revolution? Now more than ever, other countries and customs affect our everyday lives—and our children need to learn about the people who live all around the world. Susan Wise Bauer has provided a captivating guide to the history of modern nations all around the world. Written in an engaging, straightforward manner, the final volume of the popular Story of the World series weaves world history into a storybook format, covering major historical events in the years 1850-2000. From the Middle East and China to Africa and the Americas—find out what happened all around the world in the last century and a half. Designed as a read-aloud project for parents and children to share together, The Story of the World includes the stories of each continent and people group. Each Story of the World volume provides a full year of history study when combined with the Activity Book, Audiobook, and Tests—each available separately to accompany each volume of The Story of the World Text Book. Volume 4 Grade Recommendation: Grades 3-8.

Presents a history of the ancient world, from 6000 B.C. to 400 A.D.

A new series on teaching writing, from the author of The Well-Trained Mind. In Writing with Ease, Susan Wise Bauer lays out an alternative plan for teaching writing, one that combines the best elements of old-fashioned writing instruction with innovative new educational methods. The workbooks provide lessons, student worksheets, and teacher instructions for every day of writing instruction. Each covers one year of study. Used along with Writing with Ease, Level Two (second in a planned four-volume set) complete the elementary-grade writing curriculum.

Presents a history of the ancient world, from 6000 B.C. to 400 A.D.

With over a million copies of the series now in print, The Story of the World has become an enduring favorite of young readers and their parents. Available in hardcover, this four-volume narrative world history tells the story of the entire globe, from the earliest nomadic humans all the way to the Persian Gulf war at the end of the twentieth century. It now includes the Revised Edition of Volume 4. Told in an entertaining, engaging style, The Story of the World uses the stories of women and men, countries and empires, rebels and rulers, peasants and presidents, to walk young readers through a continuous, chronological account of human events. The reading level of each volume increases slightly in difficulty, growing along with the developing ability of the children following the narrative thread. Volume 1 is a read-aloud for grades 1-2, an independent read for stronger readers in grades 2-5; Volume 2 is pitched towards grades 2-6; Volume 3 (revised in 2020), towards grades 3-6; and Volume 4 (revised in 2021), tackling the difficult topics of modern wars, has a reading level of grades 4-8.

Spend an entire year investigating the whole ancient world--from Mesopotamia and Egypt through Greece, Rome, China, India, and the Americas!

Chronological history of the modern age, from 1850 to 2000.

This third book in the four-volume narrative history series for elementary students will transform your study of history. The Story of the World has won awards from numerous homeschooling magazines and readers'' polls—over 150,000 copies of the series in print! Now more than ever, other cultures are affecting our everyday lives—and our children need to learn about the other countries of the world and their history. Susan Wise Bauer has provided a captivating guide to the history of other lands. Written in an engaging, straightforward manner, The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child; Volume 3: Early Modern Times weaves world history into a story book format. Who was the Sun King? Why did the Luddites go around England smashing machines? And how did samurai become sumo wrestlers? The Story of the World covers the sweep of human history from ancient times until the present. Africa, China, Europe, the Americas—find out what happened all around the world in long-ago times. Designed as a read-aloud project for parents and children to share together, The Story of the World includes each continent and major people group. Volume 3: Early Modern Times is the third of a four volume series and covers the major historical events in the years 1600 to 1850, as well as including maps, illustrations, and tales from each culture. Each Story of the World volume provides a full year of history study when combined with the Activity Book, Audiobook, and Tests—each available separately to accompany each volume of The Story of the World Text Book. Volume 3 Grade Recommendation: Grades 3-8.

Presents a history of the ancient world, from 6000 B.C. to 400 A.D.

This second book in the four-volume narrative history series for elementary students will transform your study of history. The Story of the World has won awards from numerous homeschooling magazines and readers'' polls—over 150,000 copies of the series in print! Now more than ever, other cultures are affecting our everyday lives—and our children need to learn about the other countries of the world and their history. Susan Wise Bauer has provided a captivating guide to the history of other lands. Written in an engaging, straightforward manner, this revised edition of The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 2: The Middle Ages weaves world history into a story book format. Who discovered chocolate? What happened to the giant Fovor of the Mighty Blows? Why did the Ottoman Turks drag their war ships across dry land? The Story of the World covers the sweep of human history from ancient times until the present. Africa, China, Europe, the Americas—find out what happened all around the world in long-ago times. Designed as a read-aloud project for parents and children to share together, The Story of the World includes each continent and major people group. Volume 2: The Middle Ages, is the second of a four-volume series and covers the major historical events in the years 400 to 1600 CE, as well as including maps, illustrations, and tales from each culture. Each Story of the World volume provides a full year of history study when combined with the Activity Book, Audiobook, and Tests—each available separately to accompany each volume of The Story of the World Text Book. Volume 2 Grade Recommendation: Grades 1-6.

"Assess older students and keep a record of work with the Test Book and Answer Key. There are 42 tests, one for each chapter of The Story of the World Volume 1: Ancient Times – perfect for evaluating comprehension and retention!"--

"Assess older students and keep a record of work with the Test Book and Answer Key. There are 42 tests, one for each chapter of The Story of the World Volume 2: The Middle Ages Text – perfect for evaluating comprehension and retention!"--

A riveting road map to the development of modern scientific thought. In the tradition of her perennial bestseller The Well-Educated Mind, Susan Wise Bauer delivers an accessible, entertaining, and illuminating springboard into the scientific education you never had. Far too often, public discussion of science is carried out by journalists, voters, and politicians who have received their science secondhand. The Story of Western Science shows us the joy and importance of reading groundbreaking science writing for ourselves and guides us back to the masterpieces that have changed the way we think about our world, our cosmos, and ourselves. Able to be referenced individually, or read together as the narrative of Western scientific development, the book''s twenty-eight succinct chapters lead readers from the first science texts by Hippocrates, Plato, and Aristotle through twentieth-century classics in biology, physics, and cosmology. The Story of Western Science illuminates everything from mankind''s earliest inquiries to the butterfly effect, from the birth of the scientific method to the rise of earth science and the flowering of modern biology. Each chapter recommends one or more classic books and provides entertaining accounts of crucial contributions to science, vivid sketches of the scientist-writers, and clear explanations of the mechanics underlying each concept. The Story of Western Science reveals science to be a dramatic undertaking practiced by some of history''s most memorable characters. It reminds us that scientific inquiry is a human pursuit—an essential, often deeply personal, sometimes flawed, frequently brilliant way of understanding the world. The Story of Western Science is an "entertaining and unique synthesis" (Times Higher Education), a "fluidly written" narrative that "celebrates the inexorable force of human curiosity" (Wall Street Journal), and a "bright, informative resource for readers seeking to understand science through the eyes of the men and women who shaped its history" (Kirkus). Previously published as The Story of Science.

"Assess older students and keep a record of work with the Test Book and Answer Key. There are 42 tests, one for each chapter of The Story of the World Vol. 3 Text - perfect for evaluating comprehension and retention!"--

A history of the ancient world, from 6000 B.C. to 400 A.D.

A student-friendly supplement to Writing with Ease. This companion text to Writing with Ease walks students, step by step, through the difficult transition into original writing. Scripted, fully-developed lessons equip parents and instructors with all the tools of the professional writing teacher. Selections from classic children''s stories are designed to hold the student''s attention and fire her imagination, while accompanying exercise allow the young writer to develop her own composition skills. Designed for older elementary students, The Complete Writer: Writing with Ease Workbook 4 builds on the groundwork laid in earlier volumes. Both challenging and reassuring, Workbook 4 begins the all-important preparation for the middle grade years. Grades 3-5.

History has been taught in a boring way for far too long. A subject as moving and powerful as humanity''s past should be inviting, and when it is told well, it is. Susan Wise Bauer succeeds in telling the captivating story of history with her best-selling history series. Parents and young readers have fallen in love with her narrative history, The Story of the World, and its accompanying Activity Book. Now teachers and home educators can take advantage of a new and valuable learning tool: the Tests and Answer Key package. Included are 42 tests: one for each chapter of The Story of the World. Perfect for evaluating comprehension and retention. The narrative format of The Story of the World helps children remember the famous people, places, and events in history. These tests offer you an easy way to make sure that your child is absorbing the important events from world history. A combination of multiple choice, matching, fill-in-the-blank, and short writing samples allow you to evaluate your child''s retention and comprehension of key events in The Story of the World. The Tests package contains an answer key for all tests. These easy-to-use tests and answer keys, successfully used by hundreds of parents and teachers, provide an objective method for measuring retention of key facts, figures, and events from history. A combination of sequencing, matching, short-answer, and essay-style questions gives students a chance to show what they''ve learned. Used with The Story of the World Text Book and Activity Book (sold separately), the Test and Answer Key gives educators a complete history curriculum for their elementary school students.

Time-tested classical techniques--the imitation and analysis of great writers--combined with original composition exercises in history, science, biography, and literature The Student Workbook encourages independent composition, while the Instructor Text contains easy-to-use supporting information for the teacher, rubrics for grading, sample compositions, and dialogue to use while teaching. Together, the Student Workbook and Instructor Text provide a full year of middle-grade writing instruction, preparing students to enter high-level rhetoric. Skills Taught: One- and two-level outlining Writing chronological narratives, biographical sketches, descriptions, and sequences across the curriculum Constructing basic literary essays on fiction and poetry Researching and documenting source material First volume of four that will prepare students for high-level rhetoric and composition Features of the program: Writing assignments are modeled on examples from great literature and classic nonfiction All source material for assignments is provided—no other books are needed This Student Workbook encourages independence by directing all assignments to the student Instructor Text (sold separately) provides scripted dialogue to use when the student has difficulty, plus detailed guidance on how to evaluate the student’s work Second volume of four that will prepare students for high-level rhetoric and composition

This first book in the four-volume narrative history series for elementary students will transform your study of history. The Story of the World has won awards from numerous homeschooling magazines and readers'' polls—over 150,000 copies of the series in print! What terrible secret was buried in Shi Huangdi''s tomb? Did nomads like lizard stew? What happened to Anansi the Spider in the Village of the Plantains? And how did a six-year-old become the last emperor of Rome? Told in a straightforward, engaging style that has become Susan Wise Bauer''s trademark, The Story of the World series covers the sweep of human history from ancient times until the present. Africa, China, Europe, the Americas—find out what happened all around the world in long-ago times. This first revised volume begins with the earliest nomads and ends with the last Roman emperor. The Story of the World, Volume 1 includes maps, a timeline, more illustrations, and additional parental aids. Available in Hardcover, Paperback, and Audiobook. This read-aloud series is designed for parents to share with elementary-school children. Enjoy it together and introduce your child to the marvelous story of the world''s civilizations. Each Story of the World volume provides a full year of history and geography study when combined with the Activity Book, available separately to accompany each volume of The Story of the World Text Book. For older students (grade 4 and above), add the Test and Answer Key to increase the rigor of the curriculum. Volume 1 Grade Recommendation: Grades 1-4.

These workbooks provide lessons, student worksheets, and teacher instructions for every day of writing instruction. Each covers one year of study. Used along with Writing with Ease, the workbooks complete the elementary-grade writing curriculum. Level Three is the third of a planned four-volume set to accompany Writing with Ease.

A student-friendly supplement to Writing with Ease. This companion text to Writing with Ease walks students, step by step, through the difficult transition into original writing. Scripted, fully-developed lessons equip parents and instructors with all the tools of the professional writing teacher. Selections from classic children''s stories are designed to hold the student''s attention and fire her imagination, while accompanying exercise allow the young writer to develop her own composition skills. Designed for older elementary students, The Complete Writer: Writing with Ease Workbook 4 builds on the groundwork laid in earlier volumes. Both challenging and reassuring, Workbook 4 begins the all-important preparation for the middle grade years. Grades 3-5.

Freshly redesigned and updated, the Revised Key to Purple Workbook gives clear, thoroughly-explained answers to all exercises in the Revised Purple Workbook, one of four non-sequential books in the Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind series, providing detailed, well-designed exercises in the correct use of English grammar. Clear, thoroughly-explained answers to all of the exercises in the Revise Purple Workbook. Together, the Revised Key and the Revised Purple Workbook provide detailed, well-designed exercises in the correct use of English grammar. Examples are based on great works of literature, as well as classic and contemporary works of science and history. The Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind series provides all the grammar skills needed to write and speak with eloquence and confidence. Step-by-step instruction takes students from the most basic concepts through advanced grammatical concepts. Extensive diagramming exercises reinforce the rules and help technical and visual learners to understand and use the English language effectively. Each step of the diagramming process is illustrated and thoroughly explained to the student. Clear explanations are provided for any answers that are difficult or ambiguous. Regular review is built into each year of work The Key to the Revised Purple Workbook accompanies the Revised Purple Workbook, once of four non-sequential workbooks, each containing new exercises that allow students to practice and apply the grammar principles under study. Along with the accompanying Revised Purple Workbook and the Core Instructor Text, the Key completes a full course of grammar study. To complete the program, add The Grammar Guidebook: an indispensable guide to clear, grammatical writing that will last into college--and beyond; as well as The Diagramming Dictionary, which gathers every step of the diagramming process for easy reference, along with illustrations.

Traditional principles. Contemporary methods. Unparalleled results. This groundbreaking new writing series combines time-tested classical techniques—the imitation and analysis of great writers—with original composition exercises in history, science, biography, and literature. Skills Taught: • One- and two-level outlining • Writing chronological narratives, biographical sketches, descriptions, and sequences across the curriculum • Constructing basic literary essays on fiction and poetry • Researching and documenting source material • First volume of four that will prepare students for high-level rhetoric and composition Features of the program: • Writing assignments are modeled on examples from great literature and classic nonfiction • All source material for assignments is provided—no other books are needed • This Student Workbook encourages independence by directing all assignments to the student • Instructor Text (sold separately) provides scripted dialogue to use when the student has difficulty, plus detailed guidance on how to evaluate the student’s work • First volume of four that will prepare students for high-level rhetoric and composition