Art History Curriculum REVIEW

The days disappear so fast.  It is so hard to believe that my 8th grader will be starting high school this fall.  I'm not sure I'm ready for this!  As I was contemplating curriculum I had the opportunity to review The Master and His Apprentices: Art History from a Christian Perspective from The Master and His Apprentices.  I received digital copies in PDF file format for both the Textbook and the Teacher Guide.  The files were simple to download and with the print/photocopy rights, I was able to print out the Teacher Guide on my color printer.  You can also print the Textbook, but it is VERY large (380 pages) and I chose to download the PDF file to my son's Kindle Fire.  He can use it as a digital textbook and it works just great!

This is a full curriculum and qualifies for a full high school elective credit under art history.  The Teacher Guide contains all the workbook pages, paper assignments, and tests needed to complete the course.  Of course, there is also an included answer key at the back of the Teacher Guide.  There are a total of 4 written papers and 4 exams.  The curriculum covers 36 weeks (19 chapters in the Textbook) that amount to over 120 hours (spending about 3-4 hours per week on assignments) of work. I REALLY like that it also comes with a sample syllabus and a link to a file so you can customize the syllabus as you like.  If you need to shorten the 36 weeks there are suggestions in the teacher guide on how you can do that.

Hardcover textbook sample

It is recommended that you view the digital textbook from a computer because of the size of the pages, but it has not been too bad or awkward on my son's Kindle Fire 8.  If you will be printing your digital files there are included instructions on how to do this on either auto duplex or single-sided printers.  If you will be printing for more than one student/child you can easily purchase the $2 license for each additional copy.  You can't beat this price!!

Sample workbook page from Teacher Guide

If you have any worries about what an art history curriculum might contain, just know that this is not only written from a Christian perspective but there is absolutely NO nudity or objectionable material in this curriculum.  This curriculum is easily adaptable to conform to not only homeschool but also co-op and private school needs.  The periods covered include:

• Ancient Cultures (Ancient Near East, Egyptian, and Aegean)
• Classical Antiquity (Early Greek, Etruscan, and Roman)
• Middle Ages (Early Christian & Byzantine, Medieval & Islamic, Romanesque, and Gothic)
• Renaissance (Proto, Earl Italian, High Italian, and Northern)
• Baroque and Beyond (Baroque, Rococo to Today, and Global Highlights)

Chapter 1 introduces art and Chapter 2 covers the beginning, Creation (I love this!). There are over 600 images in the textbook.  I imagine the hardcover book is fantastic to view.  The images on our computer screen are incredible.  Also, note that the digital textbook is formatted just like the physical copy so they can be followed page by page.  The text does not flow like a typical pdf or kindle page but has two columns per page like the physical textbook.  Being able to cover Art History from a Christian Perspective is such a blessing.  This is such a doable elective and a good introduction for my struggling learner who just does NOT like to read or do any schoolwork for that matter!

PDF file downloaded to Kindle Fire 8

Our schedule for this curriculum follows the syllabus pretty closely.  Our goal is to cover a chapter a week (sometimes a challenge in the summer).  Instead of relying on him to do the reading I am using the textbook as a read aloud right now.  I will be giving him a lot of grace in his 9th-grade year because I know he struggles so much.  We will get through this and he will realize that he is more than capable of independent study.  I break the chapters up into daily readings (easier for him to process).  We take time to discuss the daily readings and then he works on the chapter questions throughout the week.

Teacher Guide printed out on a color printer and bound

If you are looking for electives and would like to cover art history than this is the curriculum for you.  We are learning a lot and despite his objections, he is enjoying the learning too. He is a budding artist and loves to draw so this is not so far out there for him.  We give The Master and His Apprentices: Art History from a Christian Perspective a thumbs up.

You can connect with The Master and His Apprentices on FACEBOOK and PINTEREST.

Please also be sure to check the others reviews out to see what everyone else is saying about this wonderful Christian Art History curriculum.