Get to Know BP Cool Histories

BP Cool Histories are history workbooks filled with fun questions and activities. The job of answering questions on paper helps students in so many ways! First, it takes them back through the chapter they’ve just read—which helps them remember more of it. Second, it tests how well they understand what they’ve read. Third, it forces them to take a closer look at the chapter as they search for the answers they need.

BP offers five levels of Cool Histories for five sets of grade levels. Click the titles below for more info and samples.

Five Levels of BP Cool Histories:

1. Cool History for Littles, Grades K-2 (goes with Remember the Days)

Each Cool History for Littles page has about twelve easy questions for your littlest students to answer. The questions come in the same order as the material in Remember the Days, which makes the answers easier to find. Each page also has a fun activity for your littles to do, plus a short geography lesson called “Globe Fun.” For students this young, most parents and teachers read the questions aloud and take the answers orally.

Click the covers to see Cool History for Littles sample pages:

Year One,
Ancients

Year Two,
Medieval

Year Three,
Early Modern

Year Four,
Modern

2. Cool History for Middles, Grades 3-8 (goes with Remember the Days)

Cool History for Middles is a versatile workbook designed for a wide age range. Its questions come in two kinds, with about eighteen Questions from the Readings and about six Challenge Questions. Most Questions from the Readings ask for short answers, and are for all students in the age range. Parents and teachers who want more can add the Challenge Questions, which require a bit more writing. Each assignment ends with an Optional Bonus Question/Activity that requires a bit of research.

Click the covers to see Cool History for Middles sample pages:

Year One,
Ancients

Year Two,
Medieval

Year Three,
Early Modern

Year Four,
Modern

3. Cool History for Upper Middles, Grades 8-10 (goes with Consider the Years/Companion)

Cool History for Upper Middles bridges the gap between the logic stage of learning and the rhetoric stage. Like Cool History for Middles, it has some easy questions with short answers. But like Cool History for Advanced, it also has some thought-provoking questions with no right or wrong answer. Each assignment ends with an Optional Bonus Question/Activity that requires a bit of research.

Cool History for Upper Middles also includes pre-written tests for parents and teachers who wish to test.

Click the covers to see Cool History for Upper Middles sample pages:

Year One,
Ancients

Year Two,
Medieval

Year Three,
Early Modern

Year Four,
Modern

4. Cool History for Advanced, Grades 10-12 (goes with Consider the Years/Companion)

Cool History for Advanced is for rhetoric-stage learners who are ready for more writing. Its mix of questions includes (1) long fill-in-the-blanks, (2) short answer questions requiring anywhere from a few words to a sentence or two, and (3) short essay questions requiring anywhere from a sentence or two to a paragraph. Each lesson ends with an Optional Research Essay that can double as a weekly writing assignment.

Cool History for Advanced also includes pre-written tests for parents and teachers who wish to test.

Click the covers to see Cool History for Advanced sample pages:

Year One,
Ancients

Year Two,
Medieval

Year Three,
Early Modern

Year Four,
Modern

5. Cool History Classic, Grades K-6 (goes with The Story of the World)

Cool History Classic is a holdover from years past, when BP was only a literature guide to supplement history spines written by others. It poses questions based on The Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer.

Click the covers to see Cool History Classic sample pages:

Year One,
Ancients

Year Two,
Medieval

Year Three,
Early Modern

Year Four,
Modern

FAQ about BP Cool Histories

Why Cool Histories?

Because answering questions is a great way to review the reading. The search for answers takes students back through the text, helping them remember more of it.
Because answering questions forces students to take a closer look at what they’ve read.
Because answering questions helps students recognize what is important to remember, which they might otherwise miss.
Because answering questions can lead to deeper questions and deeper understanding.
Because answering correctly gives students a sense of accomplishment.
Because answering questions helps students prepare to take tests.
Because assignments help teachers hold students accountable.

Which Cool Histories go with which BP history spines?

Cool History for Littles and Middles go with Remember the Days, while Cool History for Upper Middles and Advanced go with Consider the Years / Companion. Cool History Classic goes only with The Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer.

Do I need a separate workbook for each student?

It depends. Because Cool History for Littles is usually done orally, most customers need only one of those. For all the others, it’s easiest if each student has his or her own workbook.