The Story of the World 1 Expanded Edition Student + Teacher Set
New and updated hands-on companions to help bring The Story of the World to life. The Student Workbook is packed with maps, activity pages, and new coloring pages. The Instructor Guide features easier planning, parenting scripts, and updated and expanded reading recommendation lists.
$17.95
Quantity:
Consumable
In a Curriculum Kit
Multiple Grades
Nonreligious
2026 First-Grade Curriculum Kit
The Story of the World 1 Expanded Edition Student + Teacher Set
The Story of the World 1 Expanded Edition Student + Teacher Set transforms The Story of the World Volume 1: Ancient Times into a complete, full-year history course for grades 1–4 (and easily adaptable for older students). Covering 5000 BC through 400 AD, this set includes the Student Workbook and Instructor Guide that accompany Susan Wise Bauer's 25th Anniversary Expanded Edition text. (The main text is sold separately.)
Important: This Expanded Edition is only compatible with the 25th Anniversary Expanded Edition of The Story of the World Volume 1. It does not work with earlier editions of the text, activity book, or audiobooks.
The reorganized Instructor Guide turns each chapter into a ready-to-teach lesson. Instead of piecing lessons together yourself, you'll have scripted narration prompts, review questions, mapping activities, sample answers, and organized lesson plans that guide you through the entire year. More than 30 new activities, low-prep options, cross-curricular connections, updated book recommendations, memory work, and field trip ideas give you plenty of flexibility without adding hours of planning.
The Student Workbook puts those lessons into your child's hands with activity pages, map work, puzzles, game boards, craft templates, coloring pages, memory work, and other hands-on assignments that reinforce each chapter. Perforated pages tear out cleanly, making daily lessons easier to manage.
The 25th Anniversary Expanded Edition also broadens the original program with two new chapters on East Asian history, expanded coverage of the Roman Republic, the Han Dynasty, the Silk Road, and Herod the Great, ten additional historical biographies, and dozens of new illustrations and maps. The chapter sequence has been reorganized to create an even smoother chronological journey through the ancient world.
More important than the updates, though, is how the curriculum teaches history. Rather than memorizing isolated facts, your child follows one continuous story from the earliest civilizations through the fall of Rome. Along the way, narration, map work, crafts, and activities help history become something he experiences instead of simply reads.
For parents, that's where this set shines. The Instructor Guide provides the structure, prompts, and answers that keep lessons moving, while the Student Workbook gives your child meaningful ways to interact with the material. Together, they turn an engaging history text into an organized, low-prep history curriculum that's easy to teach and easy to enjoy.
How to Use The Story of the World 1 Expanded Edition Student + Teacher Set
- Begin each lesson by reading the corresponding chapter from The Story of the World Volume 1: Ancient Times (sold separately). Then open the Instructor Guide and follow the lesson as written. The narration prompts, review questions, and map activities are already organized, so there's very little planning required.
- Choose one or two hands-on activities from the Instructor Guide for each chapter. Whether your child is completing a craft, working on a map, or tackling a review game, these activities help reinforce what he's learning without turning history into busywork.
- Use the Student Workbook throughout the week as your child completes maps, coloring pages, puzzles, memory work, and other activities tied directly to the lesson. Tear out the perforated pages as needed to keep assignments organized.
- Move through the 42 chapters at a steady pace, completing about one chapter each week for a full school year. Adjust the schedule to fit your family, spending extra time on civilizations or historical figures that spark your child's curiosity.
- Keep the Instructor Guide nearby as you teach. The built-in answers, discussion prompts, and lesson plans make it easy to lead meaningful conversations while spending less time preparing and more time exploring history together.
Features include:
- Student pages for all Instructor Guide activities, including puzzles, board games, activity pages, creative exercises, and more
- New memory work lessons
- Coloring pages
- Perforated pages for ease of use
This Instructor Guide and accompanying Student Workbook turn The Story of the World, Volume 1: Ancient Times, 25th Anniversary Expanded Edition into a full-year history curriculum that brings the wonders of the ancient world to life for elementary students.
Perfect for families, co-ops, and classrooms, the 25th Anniversary Expanded Edition includes:
- Teacher script for narration exercises, review exercises, and map activities
- Sample answers for narration prompts, review questions, and student page activities
- Field trip ideas
- 300+ interactive activities
- Easy instructions to adapt activities for group use
- Memory work suggestions
- Updated reading lists for history and literature
- Low-prep and no-prep activities for busy days
- Adaptable schedules
This Instructor Guide is designed for use with The Story of the World, Volume 1: Ancient Times, 25th Anniversary Expanded Edition and the corresponding Student Workbook—both sold separately. It is not compatible with the classic (2001/2006) editions.
Publisher's Information
Author: Susan Wise Bauer
Number of Pages: 272
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Well-Trained Mind Press
Edition/Copyright: 2006
Made In: USA
ISBN: 781933339054
Consumable: Yes
Reproducible: 123 reproducible student pages
For families: You may make as many photocopies of the maps and other Student Pages as you need for use WITHIN YOUR OWN FAMILY ONLY. Schools and co-ops MAY NOT PHOTOCOPY any portion of the Activity Book.
Faith-Based: No
Awards and Endorsements:The Old Schoolhouse Excellence in Education Winner
Find answers to the most frequently asked questions about this product below:
New Features in The Story of the World: Volume 1 – 25th Anniversary Expanded Edition (Main Text):
The same engaging storytelling and readability that children loveTwo new chapters on East Asian historyAdditional material in the existing chapters on key historical events, including:The rise of the Roman RepublicThe beginning of the Han dynastyThe Silk RoadThe rule of Herod the Great and the siege of Masada
Ten new biographies of fascinating historical figures (Spartacus, Zhang Heng, and more)Twenty new illustrations and mapsUpdated pronunciation guideNew chapter order for better chronological flowClearer formatting, distinguishing ancient texts, myths, and stories from historical narrative
And for customers who want to turn The Story of the World into a full History & Geography curriculum:
Instructor Guide (formerly the front half of the Activity Book):
Now fully organized into lessons for easier planningParent scripts for narration, review, and mapping exercisesSample answers for narration prompts and review questionsUpdated and expanded reading recommendation lists, combining the best of the classics with the best of what's been published in the past 25 years40+ brand-new activitiesSpecially designed group activitiesCross-curricular challenges connecting history to science, math, writing, and moreSuggested memory work and field trip ideasLow-prep, no-prep, and movement activities
Student Workbook (formerly the back half of the Activity Book):
Dedicated student pagesPuzzles, game boards, craft templates, and other interactive activity pagesSuggested memory work activitiesMap exercises to teach the geography of our worldNew coloring pages
What This Means for You:
We believe the 25th Anniversary Expanded Edition will be a bestseller, just as the classic edition has been. You'll want to plan ahead for stocking it in early 2026.
Please Note:
The new edition is not compatible with the older (2001/2006) editions, or with their activity books or MP3 audiobooks.
Families can successfully begin with whatever time period most interests them. Some families prefer starting with ancient times and unraveling the story sequentially until modern times. Yet because the full scope of history is taught repeatedly up through high school, it is okay to skip volumes, knowing that the same events will be covered later.
One difference between the two series is their target age. The Story of the World is primarily for elementary students, with Volume I recommended for 1st through 4th grade and Volume IV for 4th through 8th grade. The Mystery of History's reading level begins at about 4th or 5th grade in Volume I and progresses to 10th or 11th grade in Volume IV, although it is easily adaptable for multiple ages.
Another key difference is the religious perspective. The Story of the World aims to narrate from a neutral perspective. It covers major religious characters and historical events but does not endorse a particular religious view. The Mystery of History is written from a clearly Christian perspective and integrates biblical and church history into the text.
A minor difference between the two series is the student work involved. The Story of the World revolves around the narrative, so all activities, while engaging, are optional. The Mystery of History is also narrative-based but expects more student work. Nonetheless, it is highly adaptable to each student's age and family preferences.
Throughout history, religion has played a major role in shaping the world for significant reasons:
- Religion has shaped the development of civilizations. Many of the world's major civilizations, such as ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, were founded on religious beliefs. Religion has also played a role in law, government, and education development.
- Religion has been a source of conflict and violence. Wars have been fought over religious differences, and religious persecution has been common throughout history.
- Religion has influenced art, music, and literature. Religious themes have been a source of inspiration for artists, musicians, and writers for centuries.
In short, religion is mentioned in world history because it has greatly shaped human societies and cultures throughout history. Religion has been a complex and multifaceted force in human history, and its influence continues to be felt today.
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