There are lots of ways to learn about new curriculum options. You can visit the vendor hall at a homeschool convention. You can search the internet or ask questions in a forum for homeschoolers.
But what about a podcast? Have you ever gotten the lowdown on a new curriculum option from listening to two veteran homeschool moms talk about how they decided to DIY their own faith-based high school curriculum? That's what I did!
I listened to Carol and Jennifer tell about how they met through a homeschool co-op where they each taught for many years, gaining insight into their subject areas and how to present those subject through a Biblical Worldview!
Steadfast provided copies of their resources as well as paid me for my time to review their curriculum. As usual, all options are my own, honest assessment of the benefits of these materials, especially for large family homeschoolers!
A Christ-Centered High School
Homeschool Program
It was of primary importance to Carol and Jennifer, founders of Steadfast Press, that they teach students how to think for themselves, understand what they believe, and defend those beliefs. For this reason, they were determine to design a curriculum with a focus on a Biblical Worldview as well as apologetics.
Here are just some of the worldview and apologetics books students will encounter through their four years with Steadfast:
- The Universe Next Door
- A Path Through Suffering
- Republic
- The Screwtape Letters
- How Should We Then Live?
- Mere Christianity
- Counter Culture
- Genesis in Space and Time
Here is a complete booklist for Steadfast Year One through Steadfast Year Four (look for the sections titled "History & Humanities").
A Four-Year Homeschool History Curriculum
The Steadfast Press History Program follows a traditional four-year cycle to teach World History, Western Civilization, as well as American History and Government. Each year covers one period of history:
- Year One: Creation to Christ
- Year Two: Christendom to Reformation
- Year Three: Exploration to Expansion
- Year Four: Naturalism to Postmodernism
If you click on the links above to any of the four programs, you'll have an opportunity to check out free samples of each Year's History & Humanities and Literature & Composition materials.
Steadfast Press also offers a spiral-bound History at a Glance Blank Timeline that students can fill in with important events and people they discover through their reading and learning.
Literary Analysis Through Great Books
Carol and Jennifer discovered that many students enter college unprepared to read complete books because their high school literature curriculum only assigned portions or selections from books. Other curriculum is based on a literary anthology instead of putting real books into the hands of students.
Each year of Steadfast Literature and Composition is perfectly coordinated with titles from the time period studied in the Western Civilization or American History reading for that year. The Steadfast literature lessons include the full text of many of the Great Books of Western Civilization such as:
- The Iliad
- The Odyssey
- The Aeneid
- Beowulf
- The Death of King Arthur
- Robinson Crusoe
- The Scarlet Letter
- Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
- A Tale of Two Cities
- Hinds Feet on High Places
- Animal Farm
- Fahrenheit 451
- This Present Darkness
Here is a complete booklist for Steadfast Year One through Steadfast Year Four (look for the sections titled "Literature & Composition").
Many of these books are also available on Audible or through other digital recordings so that students can listen on the go and answer questions based on the reading to keep them grounded in the text.
A Completely Integrated High School Curriculum
One of the biggest benefits to the design of the Steadfast Press curriculum is that it covers all subject except Math and Science! A student who completes all four years of the Steadfast program will have nearly 18 credits towards high school graduation! This includes:
- Literature and Composition: 4 credits
- Western Civilization: 3 credits
- Worldview: 2 credits
- Humanities: 1.5 credits
- Bible: 1.5 credits
- Apologetics: 1.25 credits
- American History: 1 credit
- Geography: 1 credit
- Philosophy: 1 credit
- Political Theory: 0.75 credits
- Religion: 0.5 credits
Note: You can see a chart of the subjects and credits for each year of the Steadfast program here.
Free Ancient History Jeopardy Game
If you'd like to get a taste of the depth and detail of study Steadfast Year One offers students, you can download a free Jeopardy Game complete with three levels of questions, plus answers!
Ideal for Homeschool, Co-Op, or Microschool
Steadfast Press designed their four-year program to include all of the details and instruction you'd need to use this program in your own home. They've even organized day-at-a-glance booklets so that students can manage their own schedule and assignments easily.
Steadfast Year One through Steadfast Year Four are also great choices for a co-op or micro school curriculum. In fact, the co-op where Carol and Jennifer have been long-time teachers has used this curriculum for several years!