* This is a Charter-Approved Curriculum.

We recommend that each student have their own California Notebook, California Map, and California Timeline.

The BFB Way

Our literature-based California state history study draws your child into the story of the Golden State, unlike the traditional textbook-driven approach. They'll see California's history through the eyes of a young Native girl trapped alone on an island, a young boy raised by the Choinumne, a determined Franciscan missionary, the beloved doll of a young member of the Donner party, and many others.

Using living books, map work, historic recipes, and more, students will journey through the complete arc of California history, from the Ice Age to Steve Jobs! Along the way, students will build vocabulary, geographic literacy, moral imagination, and the kind of historical thinking that helps them make sense of the world and their place in it.

Learning Outcomes

When 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students finish this California history homeschool curriculum, they will have a rich, lasting understanding of the state's past and present. Having journeyed through California's geography and culture, from its first Indigenous inhabitants to the Gold Rush and into the modern day, students will become rooted in the Golden State. Through living books, Socratic discussion, map work, illustration, and more, students develop historical and geographical knowledge—and the habits of a lifelong learner.

Skills Developed

• A strong sense of historical context and chronology through narrative, Socratic discussion, and timeline work
• Geography and cartography skills through ongoing work with the California Map, part of the set of included Student Materials
• Vocabulary development, written reflection, and creative expression through the California Notebook, part of the set of included Student Materials
• Literary analysis of rich literature, including the ability to identify and discuss point of view, characterization, metaphor, and more
• Critical thinking and moral reasoning through open-ended discussion and writing prompts
• Research and independent inquiry through Explore sections and Rabbit Trail library recommendations
• Hands-on learning through crafts, activities, field trips, historic recipes, and real-world connections to California history and geography

Topics Covered

• The Ice Age: The Pleistocene Epoch, Columbian mammoths, saber-toothed cats, Jefferson's ground sloths, Western camels, California condors
• The California Indians: Channel Islands, marine wildlife, Choinumne, Ohlone, Chumash, Kumeyaay, Tachi Yokuts, Tongva
• Discovery and Exploration: Christopher Columbus, Vasco Núñez de Balboa, Ferdinand Magellan, Hernán Cortés, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, Sir Francis Drake, Sebastián Vizcaíno
• The Mission Era: Spanish missions, Junípero Serra, Gaspar de Portolá, El Camino Real
• Pathfinders and Pioneers: Pío Pico, Mexican American War/Battle of San Pasqual, Jedediah Strong Smith, Kit Carson, Bear Flag Revolt, statehood, the Donner Party, John and Jessie Frémont, westward expansion, the Civil War
• The Gold Rush and the Transcontinental Railroad: The Gold Rush, John Muir, Biddy Mason, Chinese immigration, Transcontinental Railroad, the Pony Express
• The Twentieth Century to Contemporary: Kate Sessions, Julia Morgan, Dust Bowl, Great Depression, migrant farming, Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, World War II, Japanese internment, Walt Disney, Steve Jobs
• Natural History: California condors, gray whales, sea otters, giant sequoias, coastal redwoods, bristlecone pines, Garibaldi fish, California quail
• Historic & Cultural Recipes: Chiles rellenos, pozole, pollo guisado, hangtown fry, moo shu chicken

Curriculum Overview

California History includes a Teacher Guide with 70 open-and-go lessons that are approximately 60 minutes each, designed to be completed in one year at two lessons per week.

Students will dive into living books, discussions and illustrations in their notebook, California geography on the map, and historical events on the timeline.

Rabbit Trail reading lists offer optional library picks for families who want to dig deeper into California's history, geography, and culture.

Lesson Structure

Lessons are structured around five elements that give each school day a natural rhythm:

• Read: Students read from a carefully curated selection of living books chosen to bring California's story to life.
• Discuss: Open-ended prompts develop historical thinking, moral reasoning, and compassion.
• Record: Students capture learning through vocabulary work, map labeling, narration, and illustration in the California Narration Notebook.
• Explore: Independent research prompts, field trip ideas, and rabbit trail reading for families who want to go deeper.
• Play: Hands-on activities including historic recipes, crafts, and real-world connections to California history and culture.

Student Materials

One set of student materials is included:

• California Notebook: A California History notebook where students write, sketch, and summarize lessons in their own words. Narration is one of the most effective tools in Charlotte Mason style and literature-based education, turning passive reading into active comprehension, lesson by lesson, all year long. Includes pre-printed vocabulary, nature illustrations to color, reflection prompts, and more. By year's end it becomes a student portfolio piece, documenting your student's journey through California history.
• California Timeline: A hands-on California history timeline for grades 4-6. Students cut, color, and assemble 29 illustrated events spanning 500 years of California history onto three foldable cardstock strips, from Native American tribes to John Muir and the Transcontinental Railroad. By year's end it becomes a student portfolio piece, documenting every milestone your student has studied.
• California Map: A student map of California printed on heavy-duty cardstock, sized 8.5" x 22" and designed for labeling cities, rivers, landmarks, and more throughout the year. Folds in half (8.5" x 11") for easy storage. By year's end it becomes a student portfolio piece, showing everywhere your student has explored.

Who It's For

California History is designed for homeschool students in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade and is an ideal fit for:

• Charlotte Mason homeschoolers looking for a living books-based state history curriculum
• Homeschool families drawn to narrative history, geography, natural history, and literature-based learning
• Multi-grade families—easily adapted for family-style learning across grade levels. Read more about how to teach multiple grade levels in the Scope & Sequence

No prior history curriculum required; this study is open-and-go from day one.

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