No-Prep Live History Classes for Grades 3-12

Let us help you give your child a relevant and practical history education with Knowable World’s engaging live classes

Register for Elementary Classes

Register for Jr/Sr High Classes

Dreading another year of homeschool history?

Are you spending hours preparing history lessons only for your kids to complain about doing them and then seem to forget everything you tried to teach?
Are you searching endlessly for textbooks that are factual but not dry and boring?
Do you feel like history should be fascinating and engaging, but you wonder why all the resources you find are falling flat?
Do you feel overwhelmed and under-qualified to teach history to your children?

Knowable World was created by two homeschool parents who know exactly how you feel.

Make history your family's favorite subject this year!

Save yourself the time of trying to figure out what to teach, find reliable sources, and assess your child’s learning.

Homeschooling parents don’t need to be experts in every subject we want our kids to learn!

Bring in a teacher with over twenty years of experience teaching homeschooled students. A teacher who knows how to present history in a way that will make the knowledge stick, benefitting your child beyond their school years and into adulthood.

Knowable World’s live history classes are taught by Scott Powell, a historian and teacher who has made it his mission to help students see how powerful and meaningful historical knowledge can be. He developed the present-centric mode of teaching and studying history, an approach that rejects the traditional view of history as “the study of the past” and instead equips students with a historical awareness of the world we live in.

For parents, these classes take all the prep work, uncertainty, and struggle out of your homeschool history experience, making it a subject your children will look forward to learning more about each week.

What's Included:

Register for the 2024-25 school year and receive:

3 weekly live classes (held via Zoom; see 2024 calendar here and class schedule here)
Classes are engaging with lots of visual content including historical art and photography, artifacts, and primary sources
Students are invited to interact by asking and answering questions throughout the class
Students create timelines and diagrams of facts to help them build a solid, memorable framework
In-depth written tests at the end of each unit with answer key provided (see a sample test here)

2024-25 Syllabus: Asia, Africa, and the World We Live In

Unit list (see full syllabus here):

China

● China as a “cardinal culture” in the world we live in

● Anchor Facts of Chinese History

● Key Progressions and Topics

○ The Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties

○ Confucius

○ The Middle Kingdom culture

○ Globalization and the subordination of China by Western civilization

○ Maoism

○ Post-Maoism and the “Made in China” phenomenon

Japan

● Japan as a major culture in the world we live in

● Anchor Facts of Japanese History

● Key Progressions and Topics

○ Shintoism and the Yamato Clan

○ Emperors, Shoguns, and Samurai

○ European Pressure and the Sakoku (Isolation) Policy

○ Globalization and the subordination of Japan by Western civilization

○ Reactionary Imperialism

○ Post-Imperial Japan and its role in the world

India

● India as a major culture in the world we live in

● Anchor Facts of Indian History

● Key Progressions and Topics

○ Hinduism and Pre-History

○ Alexander the Great

○ The Mauryan Empire and the roots of nationhood

○ Globalization and the subordination of India to Western civilization

○ The British Raj

○ Post-Colonial India, Hindu Nationalism, and India’s place in the world

The Islamic Middle East

● Islamic culture as a “cardinal culture” in the world we live in

● Anchor Facts of Islamic History

● Key Progressions and Topics

○ Muhammad and the Rise of Imperial Islam

○ The Crusades

○ The Ottoman Empire and Europe

○ The subordination of Islamic Culture by Western civilization

○ Nationalism and Islamism

○ The “War on Terror” and the challenges of cosmopolitanism for Islam

Sub-Saharan Africa

● Sub-Saharan Africa as a major cultural block in the world we live in

● Anchor Facts of African History

● Key Progressions and Topics

○ Ancient and Medieval Tribes and Kingdoms

○ The Islamic and European Impingements

○ The European Age of Discovery and the Atlantic Slave Trade

○ European Imperialism

○ Decolonization

○ The Struggle for Democracy in Africa

Optional Add-On: Special Topics

“Special Topics” is an optional additional segment for students in grades 6 and up. Classes will take place on Thursdays and Fridays. Topics covered include:

- Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia
- Korea
- Iran
- Israel
- South Africa

Better 2024-25 class thumbnails JRSR Live

Better 2024-25 class thumbnails Elem Live

Looking for pre-recorded classes?

Work at your own pace for just $60/month for the whole family.

View recorded classes

This year's history lessons: Covered!

Zero-prep, comprehensive world history lessons with interactive live classes and plenty of illustrative visual content.

Engaging, meaningful learning that taps in to your child’s motivation to learn about the world they live in.

A focused, present-centric presentation of only the most important facts – the facts with the most power to help your student understand the world we live in.

No more cramming for tests and then forgetting everything! This is learning that lasts.

Register for Elementary Classes

Register for Jr/Sr High Classes

Testimonials

See what past parents and students have to say:

“I love having one subject that I can learn along side the kids, without having to be the primary teacher!”

Stephanie,
Michigan

“Scott Powell is not only the history teacher you wish your children had; he’s the teacher you wish you had had so long ago. My son and I were doubly fortunate, because he studied under Scott during the day, while I did so at night (History for Adults). Scott has a firm command of his subject, excellent communications skills, and an infectious enthusiasm for history.”

Marc,
California

“Mr. Powell has a unique perspective and approach to teaching historical mindedness. His material does not in any way mimic the usual fare taught in a history course. His students develop a real curiosity for history and how our past is reflected in our current world. They process historical information intellectually and personally rather than memorizing odious unrelated and irrelevant details. Details are marvelous if they flesh out the picture or feed an insatiable curiosity, but the appetite needs to be in place first. Powell History stimulates that appetite.”

Ellen,
Massachusetts

“We both LOVED this program! You can read the other reviews for the lay out but let me say that this is the BEST, most NEUTRAL, SECULAR (I am Catholic but appreciate the fact that there is NO Liberal or Conservative lean in Powell’s presentation; just history and why it matters!). My son found this history program very engaging, he learned a ton, was able to write long answer complex exams with great success, and is begging to continue next year. I have been homeschooling for 5 years and this is the BEST History Product I have come across!”

Donna,
Canada

“After being homeschooled for seven years, Mr. Powell’s history course was a wonderful way for me to get a taste of the classroom setting. I enjoyed how he kept us constantly engaged and involved during his lectures, which made it easier to remember the material and stay focused. This program is packed with information, but is presented in such a way that it is not too much to handle. I’m looking forward to continuing with his courses throughout my education.”

Lucy,
California (Age 13)

“It is very hard when starting out to find programs that will fit your child and that aim to teach your child the thinking skills they can then apply as they grow and develop intellectually – Mr Powell has always aimed to do that for his students. The girls loved their time with him and credit what they learned in his classes to helping them get where they are today. We still quote Mr Powell’isms in our house today… the enemy of my enemy is my temporary ally! Timeless!”

Charlotte,
USA

“We just completed Mr. Powell’s Upper Elementary course in European History. Mr. Powell presented his subject in riveting, story form, and supported and enhanced his lectures with written notes, maps, tests, and historically significant art… He was absolutely terrific with the kids – he truly has a fabulous way of encouraging and motivating the students to enjoy participating in the live lectures, and thereby making it fun for them to learn. With Mr. Powell’s course, History became my daughter’s favorite subject. We intend to continue with all of Mr. Powell’s history courses that are geared for students.”

Bobby,
California

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Meet the Teacher

Scott Powell is a historian and teacher who has been teaching homeschooled students online for nearly 20 years (as “History at Our House”). He is the author of three books including “The 4-Hour Historian”, “The History of Now”, and the upcoming “The History of Tomorrow”. His present-centric approach was developed from the conviction that history is an essential subject that is vital for anyone who wants to live a fully engaged life and make sense of the world they live in.

Sign up now for just $120/month per student!

That’s only $13 per class!

Skip all of the prep work and research with a complete history education created by historian Scott Powell. Equip your children with the knowledge, historical awareness, and critical thinking skills they need to lead successful and fulfilling lives.

History will be their favorite subject this year with interactive live classes, a “present-centric” approach, and visuals including primary sources, timelines, and more. They will be excited to tell you about the events they learn about in class and how those historical events built the world we live in today!

College professors (and grandparents!) will be blown away by their mastery and deep understanding of history.

The longer children learn about history from dry and boring textbooks, the harder it is for them to see what a fascinating and engaging subject it can be. Help your kids fall in love with history this year with Knowable World’s live classes for grades 3-12.

This is not your average history education! Your children will be receiving private-school-level history education that goes beyond cramming for tests and memorization, but actually builds historical awareness of how the past shaped the world we live in.