French History: 1300 Years of the French Monarchy

CLASS DESCRIPTION
If you have a student who has an interest in France this is the class for them! All slides are narrated, so it’s great for young readers and students who prefer to learn with audio. For students who plan on traveling to France (especially Paris) this will be an amazing opportunity for them to truly understand the history behind what they are seeing!

This 14 week course, focusing on the French monarchs, will begin with the very beginnings of France herself in the mid-400s, when King Clovis 1 became the first king, and end with the untimely death of Louis XVI at the hands of his own people. We will go through each of the dynasties and the monarchs that left their mark on this great nation—sometimes good; sometimes, well...

We will learn about Gauls, Romans, and Vikings...People they know—like Charlemagne, Joan of Arc, and Marie Antoinette—and lots of people they’ve never heard of (but should!)….Sons betraying fathers, mothers betraying sons, friends betraying friends….Battles, LOTS of battles! Between kings, kings and popes, nobles, and the regular citizens; the Crusades and the French Religious Wars; how karma bit Charles IV in the behind and prevented there ever being a queen to rule over France; good King Henry IV (how I love him so!); lots of dealings with England, Spain, Italy, and Austria; and there’s even a beautiful love story! Oh, and um, spoiler alert—there are a few beheadings! 😉 So much drama, intrigue, and excitement—and the best part is that it all really happened! And all before 1800!!

Whew! I get excited just thinking about all of it! There has always been something about France that has intrigued me since I was in high school and did a report on the revolution. It is a passion of mine—especially all things Marie Antoinette. I have a quite nice collection of old biographies and prints—including an original French newspaper from 1789!

I originally created this course in the fall of 2015 for a private group in Los Angeles. Immediately after the course, I went to France—alone—for the first time to witness first-hand many of the places I had “visited” in class with my fellow students back in school. What an AMAZING experience! At the time, online classes were mot on my radar. So while I have a ton of pictures, I did not take any educational videos. So, I went back in December 2016 to add in the “virtual field trip” component of this class! I’ll bring the students with me as I visit many of the historic places we’ll be talking about in the lesson plan. It really does add an extra dimension to the entire experience! For me to actually be in the place I’m talking about, explaining the significance of it—it’s the next best thing to them being there themselves.

*DISCLAIMER:
 This is history, not math. There is not a right and wrong, black or white answer to everything! So much in history can be subjective and argued over endlessly. I’m presenting the facts the best I can from various sources I’ve researched. I don’t consider any history book to be 100% accurate. It is impossible. Same with this course. I compiled my research and put together the most authentic story I could, considering I was not personally privy to the goings on during this time period!

CLASS FORMAT
No live classes—view lessons on YOUR schedule. In general, expect 1.5-2.5 hours to work through the lesson plan each week, and an additional 2-5 hours working on assignments (it really depends what assignment your child chooses to do and how they manage their time). For classes with two levels, the material is the same for both—the depth of the assignments differs. Younger students should usually be placed in Level 1. Older students, or younger students who want more of a challenge, should be placed in Level 2.

Each lesson consists of a fully narrated PowerPoint presentation with images and videos to enhance the topics. Students will have access to our learning management system, Canvas, for viewing their lesson, printing worksheets, taking quizzes, viewing/submitting assignments, participating in discussions, and viewing grades/feedback. Read more details about class format.