Curriculum Review: Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World History
The Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World History, newly published by Usborne (2001), is less cluttered and easier to narrate than the Usborne Book of World History, recommended in The Well-Trained Mind. Both are appropriate for grades 1-4.
The Internet-Linked Encyclopedia (the ILE, for convenience) is more streamlined and contains less text than the Book of World History (the BWH). For example, the BWH section on “The Assyrian Army” contains four separate narrative sections. The first, “Going Into Battle,” is a three-panel illustration with a paragraph of text accompanying each illustration. The second, “Sacking the captured city,” has another picture and two paragraphs of text. The third, “Inside a siege engine,” describes the parts of a siege engine and provides a diagram. The fourth, “The conquered people,” has two panels, each with a separate paragraph of text, explaining how the Assyrians treated captives. An additional text box gives nine important dates in Assyrian history. Many students find this “jerky” presentation of history difficult to narrate. In the ILE, however, this same information is given in one continuous narrative that is divided by subheadings. The narrative itself offers less information – but that’s appropriate for grades 1-4. The illustrations have been reduced in size, and are more realistic and colorful. (Both illustraions contain a small pile of severed heads, though; some parents have found this inappropriate.)
The overall amount of information in the ILE is less than that found in the BWH. In the ILE, the Assyrians have two two-page spreads; in the BWH, they have three. The larger print and shorter length of the ILE text further reduces the amount of information presented. For example, the BWH discusses the Assyrian method of treating captives under two headings, “Sacking the captured city” and “The conquered people.” The sections together read:The ILE covers this topic with half as much text:Often, the Assyrians completely destroyed the captured city and the farmland around it. They took its treasure as booty and either killed the citizens or took them captive.Some of the captives became slaves, but others were sent to live in new cities. The Assyrians hoped that their experiences would teach them not to rebel again.
Some conquered lands, such as Egypt, were ruled by local princes, but Assyrian officials stayed to make sure they were loyal. Even so, as the empire grew, rebellions were common.
Conquered people had to pay tribute to the Assyrians. Failure to do so was rapidly punished and the Assyrians were notorious for the cruel tortures they inflicted on people.
Because the colors are deeper and the illustrations larger and more detailed, the ILE is more visually attractive than the BWH; it appears less “cluttered.” Although it does sacrifice some content in order to get this cleaner appearance, the basic information needed by elementary grade students is still present. The ILE has a running timeline across the bottom which shows the general period of history under discussion; the BWH has no timeline. The ILE also has “important date” boxes, but gives fewer specific dates (6 for the entire Assyrian period, as compared to nine in the BWH).Conquered people had to pay heavy taxes to the Assyrian king, and anyone who refused to pay was brutally punished. Cities that rebelled were attacked.Often, a captured city was destroyed and its people were taken prisoner or killed. Many were tortured to death. TheAssyrians hoped this would teach other cities not to rebel, but instead it made them even more unpopular.
The biggest difference between the two books has to do with the treatment of prehistory. The BWH begins with a two page spread called “Digging up History,” which explains how archaeologists learn about the past. It then progresses directly to “The First Settlers,” nomads who settled down and began farming. Although some parents may quarrel with the date given (10,000 BC), the progression of nomad-to-farmer is one that is generally compatible with Biblical history. By contrast, the ILE begins with “4,550 million years ago, the earth is formed.” There is no explanation of archaeology. Instead, the first quarter of the book (101 pages) is titled “The prehistoric world” and deals with “prehistory” beginning 250 million years ago and ending in 10,000 BC. The final two pages of this first section, “From Hunting to Farming,” covers the same material as the first two pages as “The First Settlers” in BWH. (100 pages devoted to prehistoric times is far too much, in my opinion – some other parts of history are rather skimpily covered in comparison.)
Parents who wish to avoid this section in the ILE can do so by buying, separately, three of the four volumes which are bound together into this single world history book – the Usborne World History: Ancient World, the Usborne World History: Medieval World, and the Usborne World History: The Last 500 Years. Skip the first volume in the series, the Usborne World History: Prehistoric Times.
The twentieth-century section of the ILE is simpler and briefer than the Usborne Book of the Twentieth Century, which we recommend for the fourth year of grammar-stage study (the BWH ends with the nineteenth century). However, the Book of the Twentieth Century is a little too complex for most fourth-graders; it could profitably be used to supplement the simpler survey in the ILE.
If you want to follow the four-year progression of history recommended in The Well-Trained Mind, use these page numbers:Ancient times 6000 BC-AD 400 ILE 100-193
Medieval/Early Renaissance 400-1600 ILE 194-305
Late Renaissance/Early Modern 1600-1850 ILE 306-347
Modern times 1850-present ILE 348-393
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