If you’ve ever wished history felt less like a list of dates and more like a fun adventure—you’re not alone. One of the top requests we get from parents is:
“Can we use the World Literature Series as a way to teach history too?”
Short answer: Yes. And not only can you—many families already do.
Let us show you how to use our World Literature Series to build a full middle school world history curriculum, with literature as your anchor and a flexible lesson plan to guide you. Bonus? You’ll get a downloadable schedule that ties it all together.
What Makes This a Middle School World History Curriculum?
Let’s talk about what this is not:
It’s not a dry textbook slog.
It’s not a stack of fill-in-the-blank worksheets your kids will conveniently “forget” to do.
It’s not a set-in-stone plan that makes you feel behind by Week 2.
A great middle school world history curriculum doesn’t have to be boring. And it doesn’t have to come in a giant box with tabs and laminated schedules.
Instead, start with powerful stories that ground your kids’ understanding of history in real, human experiences. Our World Literature Series for Middle School uses globally diverse books to give kids a front-row seat to the past—through the eyes of characters who lived it.
Each book introduces students to a different region or moment in history—from Imperial Russia to 21st-century Africa. And yes, it counts as a full language arts credit. You’ll cover grammar, spelling, writing, and literary elements without ever cracking open a workbook titled Skill Drill: Comma Splices, Volume 2.
So while your child is reading Number the Stars, they’re learning about World War II. While they’re reading I Am Malala, they’re exploring the fight for education.
Boom. Literature + history = less stress for you and a richer learning experience for them.
What the Middle School World History Lesson Plan Looks Like
Our World Literature course is already structured to guide you through a global tour of stories—one book each month. That means you’ve got 9 built-in units just waiting to be matched with history lessons.
We’ve created a companion middle school world history curriculum that’s flexible, not rigid—because homeschool life is never “one-size-fits-all.”
Each month includes:
- Video lessons like Crash Course
- Horrible Histories and other engaging reads
- Realistic expectations (about 60 minutes per lesson)
This format gives you room to explore the rabbit trails your student loves, skip the ones they don’t, and still feel confident you’re hitting major historical benchmarks.
The best part? We did the work of mapping out your year so that the literature and history pair naturally. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel (unless that’s the historical invention you’re covering that week).
World Literature + World History Pairings
This version of your middle school world history curriculum pairs each historical unit with a book from the World Literature Series.
| Month | World Lit Book | Historical Focus |
|---|---|---|
| August | Egg and Spoon | Imperial Russia and pre-revolutionary Europe |
| September | The Boys in the Boat (Young Readers Version) | WWI, The Great Depression, and the rise of Nazi Germany |
| October | Number the Stars | WWII and the Holocaust in Europe |
| November | The Little Prince | France, Spain, and Egypt |
| December | Inside Out and Back Again | Vietnam War and Cold War Southeast Asia |
| January | Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party | Communist China and the Cultural Revolution |
| February | I Am Malala (Young Readers Version) | Modern Middle East and Women’s Rights |
| March | Lion: A Long Way Home (Young Readers Version) | Post-colonial India and modern globalization |
| April | The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Young Readers Version) | Africa |
Download the Year-at-a-Glance World History for Middle School Plan
We know you need something easy to follow, but open-ended enough to make it your own. That’s why we created a printable Middle School World History Lesson Resource List just for homeschool families.
It includes:
- Broad monthly topics you can shape around your students’ interests
- Book and video recommendations
- A flexible format that won’t leave you feeling behind
Why Parents Love This Approach
- It’s flexible. Skip a day. Swap a book. Follow your child’s curiosity.
- It’s engaging. Your student learns through stories, not memorized timelines.
- It’s efficient. Two subjects covered at once? That’s homeschool magic.
So if you’re looking for a middle school world history curriculum that values storytelling, fosters empathy, and gives you room to breathe—this is it.
Grab the World Literature Series. Download the Middle School World History Resource List. And enjoy watching your child make connections between the past and the present through books that matter.
Have teens in high school? Check out this blog post:
