Seabirds Trilogy & World War 2 Curriculum

Craving adventure?  Join Piper and her crew as they escape from the Nazi’s, smuggle Jewish children, and escape a Japanese prisoner camp!  The boys have always had an affinity for studying World War 2, and we discovered the Seabirds Trilogy with accompanying World War II Companion Curriculum was a perfect fit for our learning style.

Author Jessica Glasner of Hope House Press has an M.A. in Israel Studies, something the reader will appreciate as she introduces Jewish culture and the plight of the Jews during World War 2.  The Seabirds trilogy begins in the United States (Maine), travels across the world to Palestine, and then culminates in Western Australia.  Readers are exposed to the war from many different perspectives and countries, bringing a well-rounded approach to this era of history.  Due to the intense nature of some scenes, this series is recommended for high school students.

The characters are relatable and fun to get to know.  While the main protagonists are female, and my boys enjoyed their male counterparts' adventures more than the {clean} romantic scenes, this was a series that our whole family enjoyed reading together.  There's a lot of history and faith woven into the narratives, making them great teaching stories that keep the reader engaged and involved in living the historic events.  These stories are also set in locations not traditionally found in WW2 fiction, making them fresh, new, and interesting!

This is a year-long high school curriculum that is divided into three sections (12 weeks each).  The guide offers both five-day and three-day versions of the schedule, providing flexibility for your family to choose the best fit.  Section one focuses on the years leading up to World War 2, including the foundations of anti-Semitism, isolationism, and the beginning of the Nazi party.  The second section covers the early years of the second world war from many different European vantage points.  The final section looks specifically at the war in the Pacific and the US involvement.

There are six pieces to this Charlotte Mason style curriculum.  They are available in both print and digital format.

• Voyage of the Sandpiper
• "Your life will never be exciting if you're afraid to risk becoming cold and wet. You and I, we throw caution to the wind! We swim to the greatest depths! We face the sea!" Summer, 1939. When fifteen-year-old Agatha's mother falls gravely ill, she is shipped off to the coast of Maine to live with her aunt, Edith Philipa Gordan, an eccentric writer who hasn't finished a novel in decades and paints birds obsessively. What begins as a dull summer immediately takes a turn towards adventure with the arrival of Edie's old beau, Horatio Macleay, and his handsome nephew. With WWII looming on the horizon, Agatha and her new group of friends race against time and across continents to complete their mission before it is too late. Along the way, Agatha learns the importance of trusting in the perfect timing of God and discovers the power of hope.
• Flight of the Seahawks
• Newlyweds Piper and Peter return to Maine after Peter is injured on the North African front believing they are in for a quiet winter. When Aunt Edie sends them a mysterious manuscript, their vacation plans are pushed to the wayside. As the Adleman sisters struggle to find a place to call home, Peter and Piper must discover their new calling as the USA determines to remain neutral in the face of the rising Axis powers in Europe.
• Song of the Storm Petrel
• Peter and Piper's quiet life on Honolulu comes to an abrupt close when Aunt Edie and Uncle Horatio arrive for a surprise visit along with the Adleman Sisters. With no foreseeable end to WWII in sight, Piper and her cousins learn to trust God in the unknown and in the process discover what really matters.
• World War II Companion Curriculum - Teachers Guide
• The teacher's guide to the Seabirds Trilogy World War II History Curriculum provides answer keys, grading scales, scripts for Movie Night, and discussion questions so a teacher can successfully guide their student through the curriculum.
• Student Guide
• Learn the who, what, why, and how of the Second World War. Simple Solutions to High-school Level WWII History, College Prep, Critical Thinking Skills, Academic Research and Writing, and Spiritual Growth. A Faith-based approach with a global perspective.
• See a sample of the curriculum guide here.
• Companion Resources
• Broken down week by week to accompany the curriculum guide, these FREE resources present extra readings, historic articles, featured movies, writing prompts, and video clips to enhance the reading experience.

Peek inside the Student Guide!

The student guide contains a weekly reading schedule, articles from famous folks who lived during this time, popular music of the era, and links to online tutorials related to the reading. There is also vocabulary and timeline work. Three appendices contain a glossary of terms and locations for each of the books in the series. Each week comes with a movie suggestion to spark discussions related to that week's material. These range from popular to lesser known films.

Peek inside the Teacher Guide!

 

 Within the teacher guide are quizzes (given every two to three weeks) and an answer key.  This guide also includes discussion questions, journaling exercises, and a grading rubric for each week's writing assignment.  The introductory material included - before any of the actual assignments - is invaluable for setting the scene with your students!

For the high school student who is interested in history, this would make a fantastic elective course.  It also works quite well for a World History credit, albeit a very specific one, and could even be used as a Language Arts credit (instead of history) to round out a fourth year of high school language arts.  The author has done an amazing job of tackling a complicated era in history from multiple viewpoints in such a way as to be engaging without overwhelming.  

If you'd like to learn more about the Seabirds Trilogy and Curriculum, check them out here!