The Best World History Books For High Schoolers

Buying Guide

Most states, including New Jersey, Florida and California, require students to complete a world history course in order to graduate from high school. All homeschooling parents have the freedom to select the curriculum of their choosing, as do some public and private school teachers. It’s a good idea to examine a few different world history courses in order to determine which one best fits the learning environment for which it’s intended.

Look for a world history book for high schoolers that follows a natural progression. The Prentice Hall “World History” book does just that. It presents the material in an organized fashion and uses color-coding to identify important terms, ideas, people and places. At the end of each chapter are a few focus questions that help reinforce the information presented by having students stop and think about what they’ve just read.

Consider a world history book for high schoolers that encourages further learning. For example, Jackson Spielvogel’s “Glencoe World History” book provides students with a link that offers online practice quizzes, web-based activities that further expand on the material discussed, interactive tutoring to assist with problem areas and literature suggestions that help students better understand the time period being discussed.

Another option is to go with a world history book for high schoolers that is designed to turn students into critical thinkers. Kirchner & McMichael’s “Inquiry-Based Lessons in World History, Volume 1” uses easy step-by-step lessons that require students to create a hypothesis. That hypothesis must be backed up by information the student gathered from the text.

Many of the world history books for high schoolers are so large that it is difficult to fully cover all of the material contained in them in the span of a school year. Some options solve this problem by condensing the most important developments throughout history into 127 pages. The benefits of using this type of curriculum is that parents and teachers will have more time to assign research papers, special activities and oral presentations.

• Consider purchasing a world history review book. They are designed to be comprehensive, while also providing students with study strategies. Most even include practice exams, so you can identify any topics that may need further review.
• A set of quality highlighters are an excellent study tool when working through a world history book. Look for a set that has a thin build, as it’s easier to control and allows for both underlining and highlighting important text.
• Notecards are another important study tool when taking a world history course. They can be used to list terms, significant dates and events and influential world leaders.
• Install a world map in your home, public or private school classroom. Students should be referring back to the world map as different regions are discussed within the textbook.
• If price is a factor when purchasing world history books for high schoolers, you’ll find that Kirchner & McMichael’s “Inquiry-Based World History, Volume 1” is the most affordable. You’ll pay quite a bit more for the Prentice Hall “World History Book” and Jackson Spielvogel’s “Glencoe World History Book,” as they are geared more toward traditional learning.
• Some of the world history books for high schoolers are cheaper if you purchase the paperback version instead of the hardback. Also, books marked as used can come at a big discount.
• Consider reselling the world history book at the end of the year to earn a little bit of your money back.