How to Make Classical Conversations Faces of History Manageable

How to Make Faces of History Manageable (and Actually Enjoyable)

If you’re in Essentials, you’ve probably already heard about the big end-of-year project—Faces of History.

And if you’re anything like me, the first time someone said “five-paragraph paper and in-costume presentation,” your heart rate may have gone up just a little. I know mine did.

It’s the biggest project of the year, but it doesn’t have to completely overwhelm you!

When we walked through Faces of History, I was nervous at first. But with a simple plan in place, it became one of our favorite parts of the entire year. Last year, our topic was King David, which helped because we were very familiar with him, but what really made the difference was breaking it down week by week.

Let me show you exactly how we did it!

First: Adjust the Assignment to Fit Your Child

Before we talk about timelines, let me remind you: You know your child best.

If five paragraphs feel overwhelming, choose 1 or 2 topics instead of 3. If your child needs more time, start earlier. You have to remember that you are the teacher, and you get to simplify where needed. 

That’s the beauty of homeschooling! We can adjust based on our schedules and kids’ needs. With that said, I want to encourage you that you can also push them a little to do hard things, increase their capacity, and encourage them along the way. They will be so proud of themselves when they finish this assignment!

Last year during our FOH prep, I chose to skip the Week 18 creative writing paper because I was not about to stack an additional 5-paragraph writing assignment on top of such a large FOH project. That decision gave us more room to breathe, and I did the same thing this year too. So that's one example of how you can adjust and pivot to make this project manageable for your home.  

The Five-Week Plan That Made It Manageable

Our community presented our papers during Week 23. If your's presents at a different time, simply count backward five weeks from your presentation date.

Here’s the rhythm that worked really well for us.

Weeks 13–17: Research Phase

1. Choose your historical figure.

Before finalizing your figure, I would check your library for books on them first. We pick 3 people then check our library to see who has the most resources available. That's how we narrowed it down this year to Leonardo da Vinci. 

2. Choose three focus topics.

For example:

• Childhood
  

• Achievements
  

• Struggles
  

• Education
  

• Leadership
  
  

You only need three, and each topic will be one paragraph.

3. Gather books and start reading.

Here is a simple system that made everything easier for us.

Keep three different colored sticky notes nearby as you read. For example:

• Pink for childhood
  

• Green for achievements
  

• Blue for struggles
  
  

When you find something important in your book, mark it with the matching color.

Later, when it is time to create your Key Word Outlines (KWO) for each topic, you already know exactly where to look. You won’t have to re-read the entire book or scramble to remember where you saw a certain quote. You already have organized notes waiting for you.

Week 18: Write Topic #1

Follow this same four-day rhythm you used all school year for your weekly papers:

Day 1: Write three Key Word Outlines (KWOs) for Topic #1
Day 2: Fuse those three KWOs into one and write a rough draft paragraph
Day 3: Add dress-ups to your rough draft
Day 4: Edit and finalize the paragraph

That is it.

One full body paragraph completed!

Note: If 3 KWOs in one day is too much, try doing 2 KWOs on Day 1, and on Day 2 write your third and then fuse them all together and write your roughtdraft. So essentially you are doing 2 KWO over 2 days. Just another idea to break it up into bite-sized pieces. And remember—you cannot help them too much, especially first-time Essential students!

Week 19: Write Topic #2

Repeat the exact same process as the first topic.

Week 20: Write Topic #3

Repeat again.

By the end of this week, all three body paragraphs should be written and finalized before Week 21’s class day!

Week 21: Introduction and Conclusion

Use the same four-day structure to write your introduction and your conclusion.

You have already practiced the process three times. This week will feel familiar and dare I say, easier. At the end of Week 21, you will have a complete five-paragraph paper.

Day 1: Write KWO for introduction and conclusion
Day 2: Write rough draft for each paragraph
Day 3: Add dress-ups to your rough draft
Day 4: Edit and finalize the paragraphs

Week 22: Polish and Practice

This week add all the finishing touches.

• Review the entire paper to make sure it flows well
  

• Make final edits
  

• Write your bibliography
  

• Finalize and practice the presentation for class
  
  

Read the paper out loud together. Make sure it sounds natural. Practice standing and speaking clearly.

If possible, practice in costume.

Practice makes a big difference in confidence.

Remember to also practice asking them questions about their historical figure so they are prepared to answer a variety of questions. You can't practice too much!

Week 23: Present and Celebrate

This is the sweetest part.

All that work turns into a child standing in front of their community, confidently speaking as their historical figure.

When my son presented King David, I was so proud to see him excitedly sharing about his historical figure. I was grateful that we had started early and worked steadily instead of scrambling at the last minute. Where it originally felt overwhelming and intimidating, it truly turned into something we were both really proud of.

As you get started, here is a link to a PDF I love to download for the project on CC Connected. I've hyperlinked it here, but just in case the username it's under is jess.silva.e and it's called the "Faces of History Packet All Cycles"

I print this packet and it holds all of our key word outlines, topics, and sources. It also has great tips to help you do the project well. 

A Final Encouragement for CC Moms

Faces of History feels intimidating, but if you can slow it down, break it into weeks, and make space to adjust, it becomes manageable.

If this breakdown helped you, save it so you can come back to it later. Share it with another CC mom who may need a simple plan too!

And if you are looking for practical, Bible-centered encouragement to support your homeschool days, I would love for you to explore our Bible studies. They are created to help families grow in their knowledge and love for God’s Word in simple, consistent ways.

Have fun and good luck!