Updates and Revisions

Thank you for joining Catholic Schoolhouse! Catholic Schoolhouse has been an apostolate, sharing our labors of love since 2009. Since then we have seized every opportunity to make Catholic Schoolhouse the best it can be. Because of this, there are a few different editions (distinguished by their copyright date) floating around. It is our hope to help you sort out the difference with this page!

 
Year 1, Year 2, Year 3 have been renamed Tour I (2017), Tour II (2018), Tour III (2019).  At that time another layer of professional editing took place, with many changes and corrections. Prompts were added for quizzing and other improvements. We do not recommend purchasing books titled “year.”
 
 Thank you to all the editors, parents, and students that have sent in suggestions and corrections! This is a tremendous amount of content and we could never have done it without you!
 
We have created this page to help you determine whether a new edition is the best choice for your family.
 

Tour I

Current edition is 2023

Those of you that have been with CSH for a while know how hard we have worked to bring you a quality, accurate product.

Everything got another look over as we prepared for the upcoming  2023 Tour 1 season, and I am happy to report that edits and corrections were minimal.

Here is a summary to help your families decide whether to buy new or reuse their old books.

T1 Tour Guide

2023 updates

  • W2 Geography prompt updated to say: Geography Terms-Globe Terminology
  • W3 Geography prompt updated to say: Land and Water Forms
  • W5 Mt. McKinley change to Denali to reflect current National Park Service naming.
  • W7 Eli Whitney image updated to match History Card

T1 History Cards

2023 updates

  • Card 30 Picture caption typo corrected
  • Card 66  Picture caption corrected, Carnegie bio info reworded for clarity
  • Card 87 Reworded for clarity
  • Cared 91 Reworded for clarity
  • Card 100 Dred Scott spelling corrected

T1 Science

2023 updates

  • Formatting to improve look of the book
  • Added appendix footers for easy cross referencing.
  • Supply list adjustments for clarity and ease of ordering. Corrected a few errors
  • W12 edited teacher prep
  • W20 edited supply list
  • W22 edited teacher prep.

T1 Art

2023 updates

  • General edits and formatting
  • Project instructions updated for clarity and additional assistance
  • Bolded emphasis on Element of Art being discussed
  • Supply list adjustments for clarity and consistency. Some items added or updated.
  • W11 Project instructions improved.
  • W24 Instructions updated to align with T2 and T3.

2017 to 2020 edition updates:

T1 Tour Guide

2020 updates:

  • Some saint/art/musician images updated for consistency with Truth, Goodness, Beauty award.
  • Edits to repair punctuation and typos.
  • Katharine Drexel spelling in two places.
  • Improvements to more accurately match song lyrics.

T1 History Cards

2020 updates:

  • Card 55 Emancipation Proclamation – clarified that not ALL slaves were freed by the proclamation
  • Card 71 Statue of Liberty. – The Statue of Liberty is on Bedlow’s Island, now called Liberty Island, not Ellis Island.

T1 Science

2020 updates

  • General edits and formatting to make instructions more clear for several activities.
  • Supply lists reviewed for consistency and accuracy.
  • W3 – New ocean creatures printable created.
  • W3 – Removed Ocean in a Jar activity due to time constraints and relevance (it really is a density demonstration)
  • W5 – Reduced size and spacing of butterfly life-cycle printable
  • W7 – Adjusted condensation demo to use plastic wrap instead of glass plate for better visibility.
  • Q2 – New weather icon printable with more icons on the page.
  • W14 – Brain Hat – Adjustments made to include omitted information, make project flow more quickly. New printables, including larger brain hat.
  • W19 – Clarification to help tutor understand polarity and flow of electricity better.

T1 Art

2020 updates:

  • General edits and formatting
  • Supply list consistency and clarity improved.
  • Eric Carle information page updated with corrections.
  • Some featured images changed for alignment with Truth, Goodness, Beauty award, and to respect changing permissions.

T1 CDs

2019/2020 updates:

  • Elizabeth Ann Seton introduction error fixed: Elizabeth had 5 young children, three daughters and two sons.

T1 Tour Guide

2020 updates:

  • Adjustments to make the words, especially science, align with the song lyrics.
  • W? spelling of strait corrected
  • Q1 Sabbaoth spelling corrected

 T1 History Cards

2020 updates

  • Card 55 –  Emancipation Proclamation

Abraham Lincoln’s leadership led to the end of slavery in the United State of America. By late 1862, Lincoln saw the desire to eliminate slavery in the United States. Northerners, who had been indifferent to slavery, were now also favoring the end of slavery.

On January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, in which he declared that slaves in rebel states “are and hence forward shall be free.” This changed the focus of the war from one of state’s rights to one with a higher moral purpose. Other countries who had been supporting the South reconsidered, as they believed slavery was wrong and should be made illegal.

This proclamation used Lincoln’s war powers as president of the United States. Concern that this could be seen as a temporary war measure, Congress later passed the 13th Amendment to the constitution which abolished (made illegal) slavery in the United States.

  •  Card 71 – Statue of Liberty — Americans would build the pedestal on Liberty Island where the statue would stand, near Ellis Island.
  •  Card 73, picture credit, Spanish-American War

Tour II

Currently shipping 2018 edition.

2021 edition updates:

T2 Tour Guide

  •  W1, 13, 19 – images updated to match History Cards

T2 History Cards

  • Card 19 – image attribute corrected
  • Card 35 – Isaiah – rewritten for clarity, corrected capital cities Isaiah printable .pdf
  • Card 82 – image attribute corrected
  • Card 104 – William the Conqueror – King Harold spelling corrected. Printable .pdf
  • Card 110 – Fibonacci – Fibonacci sequence corrected: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, . . . Fibonacci printable .pdf
  • Card 113 – New Image

T2 CDs

No changes, 2018 editions the most current

T2 Art

  • For standardization chalk pastels and soft pastels all now say soft pastels throughout the book. 
  • W2 – Procedure clarity improved.
  • W4 – Clarity added–new ultra cheap products yield poor results. Wax paper should be brand name; dollar store wax paper has little visible wax, thus papers stick. Ultra cheap construction paper is fragile, like tissue. Construction paper tested was 1/2″ thick per 50 sheets. Stack papyrus for transport, but unstack to dry without sticking.
  • W15 – suggestion added to save gold leaf scraps for illumination project, W17.
  • W17 – monograms can be found at catholicschoolhouse.com/resources/ (needs last slash to work)
  • W21 – Teacher prep for young students:
    • For youngest students you will probably want to pre-make the egg mixture, allowing them to add the dye only. Add ¼ cup water per every twelve yolks. Refrigerate.
    • Consider doing a demonstration of one egg so the young students understand where the mixture came from—this is real egg! Distribute eggs into 7 cups for young students.
    • Making the paint is a significant part of this lesson, so give all students the opportunity to participate in some way. For the very youngest you may prefer to let each child make one color, then rotate the colors as they paint their rainbow.
  • Appendix p. 35 – Improved Madonna and Child image.

T2 Science

  • Week 2 – added: Idea!  While waiting for the chads of spinach to float, keep kids engaged by passing around 3 spinach leaves in a zip top bag. 1 bag per circle of 4-6 students works well as they “squish…squish…squish…pass” to the tune of the memory verse. After about 3 rounds you should have some pretty good chlorophyll going and most of the chads will have floated.
  • Week 10 – edited info on bases for clarity
  • Week 11 – chromatography – rewritten lab, including new supplies
  • Week 14 – layers of the sun – templates supplied at catholicschoolhouse.com/resources/ or in the catholicschoolhouse.com store.
  • Week 19 – clarified the need for light polarizing filter sheets.  *A polarizing filter sheet allows a specific polarization of light waves to pass through and blocks other polarizations. They can be linear or circular. We are using linear sheets.


Tour III

Updates made from 2019 to 2022 Tour 3 edition.

Tour III Tour Guide

  • Minor punctuation repairs
  • Added science and geography prompts
  • South Sudan added to country list
  • Updated order for W3 Geography song

Tour III History Cards

  • Card 17 Cortez Defeats the Aztecs – rewritten for clarity

Cortés Battles the Aztec Civilization – 1519

In 1519, as the Spanish explored what is now Mexico, they were led by Hernán Cortés, a bold and wealthy soldier known as a conquistador.

After arriving in the New World, Cortés had his ships burned so his men could not turn back. This ensured that they remained loyal and ready to fight! Cortés quickly realized that the Aztecs and their king, Montezuma, were the wealthiest inhabitants of this land. Their Pagan rituals were shocking to the Catholic explorers.

Throughout 1519, Cortés’s men battled the Aztecs, taking their leader, Montezuma, captive. Their advantage of guns, along with immunity to European diseases, greatly reduced the Aztec population. With the help of rival civilizations, the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, was destroyed in 1521.

Mexico City was built on Tenochtitlan’s ruins. Today, when someone travels to Mexico and gets sick, it is called Montezuma’s revenge.

  • Card 18 – Changed Jesuit founding date to 1534, the year St. Ignatius began the Jesuits, rather than 1540, the year it was approved by the pope
  • Card 19 – Changed Jesuit founding date to 1534, the year St. Ignatius began the Jesuits, rather than 1540, the year it was approved by the pope
  • Card 58 – removed typo redundancy
  • Card 61 – Catherine the Great rewritten for accuracy and clarity

Catherine the Great (1729-1796) Modernizes Russia

Catherine was born in Europe. She married Peter III, who was unpopular. When Peter III was assassinated by his own Imperial Guards, Catherine became Empress of Russia. She ruled from 1772 until her death in 1796 making her the longest female ruler.

Peter III’s grandfather, Peter the Great, inspired Catherine. As a fair and capable leader, she reformed the Russian legal system and westernized the government, agriculture, and industry. She became well-loved as the plight of the poor improved under her rule.

She brought many of her European ways to Russia, including a passion for education and the arts. Her private collection formed the beginning of the Hermitage Museum.

Under Catherine the Great, Russia fought successful wars against the Ottoman Empire, expanding its territory and gaining access to the Black Sea. Russia was now a modern world power.

  • Card 116 – Pakistan rewritten for clarity

Modern Pakistan Boundaries Established – 1971

After the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the modern boundaries of Pakistan were established. With a new constitution, the Republic of Pakistan continues today as an Islamic Republic.

Pakistan initially separated from British India in 1947, when the Muslim population wanted separate lands for Hindus and Muslims. Pakistan at this time had two geographical regions: a western region and an eastern region. The eastern region declared their independence in 1971, forming the new country of Bangladesh.

As the fifth most populous country in the world, Pakistan’s location makes it a central and important figure in the politics of the Middle East and the world.

Located between the Himalayas and the Arabian Sea, one can access the mountain K2 from Pakistan. Some of the finest wool shawls in the world are made in the Kashmir region, on the Indian border.

Tour III CDs

CD content remains the same. CD edition will remain 2019 during 2022 cycle.

Tour III Art

  • Supply list corrections
  • Formatting and layout improved throughout book
  • Added genres to the table of contents, spelling corrections
  • Quarterly introduction improvements, formatting, and resolution throughout book
  • Weeks all – clarified objectives and enhanced background information section to bring to the standards of Tour 1 and Tour 2
  • Weeks all – expanded the art appreciation section
  • W1 – Improved project instructions
  • W5 – Improved project instructions, terminology clarification
  • W6 – changed paper from poster board to cardstock
  • W7 – Added sizes to the supply list, improved project instructions
  • W11 – Added pencils to supply list, improved project instructions
  • W12 – Improved project instructions
  • Q3A intro – corrected titling of artworks
  • W13 – shortened project for time considerations
  • W14 – add painter’s tape to supply list
  • W16 – fixed omissions in supply list
  • W18 – clarified paper cutting details
  • W22 – Expanded explanation of balance and unity
  • W23 – Expanded explanation of organic and inorganic shape
  • W24 – Improved gallery explanation to bring to the standard of Tour 1 and Tour 2, added artwork matchup printable to appendix

Tour III Science  

  • Supply list review to assure no omissions
  • Week all – Objective now contains a revised statement to summarize the content and skills in each lesson. 
  • W1 – background information clarity enhanced
  • W2 – added organism key
  • W11 rewritten for clarity, supply list errors fixed
  • W12 Ocean land Forms – New salt dough map activity replaces the glow stick activity for more relevance to geology
  • W16 Review
  • W17 bonus added
  • Clarity added to W21 procedure
  • Appendix reformatted for easier printing

The following changes were made from the 2016 Year 3 edition to the 2019 Tour 3 edition. For changes in earlier editions, scroll down.

Tour III Tour Guide

Updates from the 2016 edition included editing for punctuation and spelling. Formatting improvements create a more professional feel.

  • Latin and Greek root spellings were adjusted for consistency: populus, mikros and scribo

Tour III History Cards

  • Error corrected on Card #6, Ferdinand and Isabella: They decided to hire the great Italian sailor, Christopher Columbus, to find a safer water route to the East. Click here for a print and paste PDF.  T3 HC Ferdinand and Isabella Card 6 correction 6-19-19
  • Quarterly title card information expanded.
  • Formatting adjustments.

Tour III CDs

CD content remains the same, covers were formatted and updated to say Tour III.

Tour III Art

Art received a thorough edit with improvements to clarity and instructions.

  • Objectives added.
  • Integrated supply list for the entire year.
  • Table of Contents added.

Tour III Science  

Science received a thorough edit with improvements to clarity and instructions.

  • Several projects were changed to better serve our students.
  • Specific changes will not be listed here.
  • Integrated supply list for the entire year.
  • Table of Contents added.

Year 3 (Tour III) Tour Guide

2013-2016-updates

  • Week 9 Geography: Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Dominica, Grenada, and Trinidad.
  • Week 9: The adverb song had been oversimplified. It now includes the phrase “other adverbs.”
  • Week 13 Science. Song has been changed for accuracy and clarity. Gravity is an acceleration, not a rate as the original song said. New song words: Gravity is the force which causes all objects to accelerate toward earth at 9.8 meters per second squared.
  • Classical Roots Week 15: Typo – Lithos (year) should be lithos (stone). Yes, lithos and petros both mean stone. lithos is Latin, petros is Greek.
  • Week 18 Classical Roots: populus (people). Populus was mispelled as populous.
  • Quarter 4B – updated to Saint Teresa of Calcutta 🙂 Yay!

Year 3 (Tour III) History Cards

Card 8 – Vasco da Gama – Corrected text (some editions state that Calicut later became known as Calcutta, which is not true. Calcutta is a different city in Northeast India.

Rounding the cape was difficult. Remember, Dias had wanted to call it the Cape of Storms for a reason. After several tries, Vasco da Gama succeeded and sailed on, landing in Calicut, a town on the West coast of India famous for its spices and cloth. It is possible that our word calico (a woven cotton cloth) comes from this famous city.

Card 17 – Clarified confusion with dates 1519 and 1521. 1519 is the most important date to memorize, as that is when the majority of the events occurred.

Cortés Defeats the Aztecs.

Cortés Battles the Aztec Civilization- 1519

In 1519, as the Spanish explored what is now Mexico, they were led by Hernán Cortés, a bold and wealthy soldier known as a conquistador.

After arriving in the New World, Cortés had his ships burned so his men could not turn back. This ensured that they remained loyal and ready to fight! Cortés quickly realized that the Aztecs and their king, Montezuma, were the wealthiest inhabitants of this land. Their Pagan rituals were shocking to the Catholic explorers.

Throughout 1519, Cortés’ men battled the Aztecs, taking their leader Montezuma captive. Their advantage of guns, along with immunity to European diseases, greatly reduced the Aztec population. With the help of rival civilizations, the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, was destroyed in 1521.

Mexico City was built on Tenochtitlan’s ruins. Today, when someone travels to Mexico and gets sick, it is called Montezuma’s revenge.

Card 90 Eiffel Tower – clarification – While the jamming referenced was strategically important to WWI, the reference to the flag and Hitler are from WWII. The middle paragraph will be re-written:

In 1914 (WWI), powerful jamming transmitters were installed on the tower. During WWII, German soldiers climbed the 1710 stairs to place a swastika on the tower; every time it was replaced in the night with a French flag. This resulted in the saying, “Hitler conquered Paris, but he never conquered the Eiffel Tower.”

Year 3 (Tour III) CDs

The new 2016 edition of the cd’s has the following changes:

Quarter 1

  • 10 Commandments song shortened to take out the repetition. Same song, just shortened to remove duplication. Some of you will miss the repetition, but many, many said by the end of the semester they just couldn’t take it any more! Shortened 10 Commandments song
  • Week 1 Science: New Song – Monera was mispronounced on the 2013 cd. Correct pronunciation is moh NAIR an, rather than MON er a.

Quarter 2

  • Week 9: The adverb song (language arts/grammar week 9) had been oversimplified. It was rewritten to include the phrase “other adverbs.” Link to new adverb song
  • Week 9 Geography: Several requests from members resulted in a new song for W9. a) The Bahamas are not technically part of the Caribbean.  b) the song could be better if put in geographical order.  c) There is no island called “Caribbean” so that was just kind of hanging out there. 2016 edition will have a brand new improved song with the countries in geographical order for easier memory: Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Dominica, Grenada, and Trinidad.  Link to new Caribbean Islands song 

Quarter 3

  • Week 13 Science. Song has been changed for accuracy and clarity. Gravity is an acceleration, not a rate as the original song said. New song words: Gravity is the force which causes all objects to accelerate toward earth at 9.8 meters per second squared.
  • Classical Roots Week 15: Typo – Lithos (year) should be lithos (stone). Yes, lithos and petros both mean stone. lithos is Latin, petros is Greek.

Quarter 4

  • Week 20 history: While not a mistake, wording was changed for consistency. The Panama Canal was completed in 1913, opened in 1914. All products are being updated to “opened 1914.”

 

These three years, with 24 weeks, and 10 subjects contain an enormous amount of material! We are ever grateful for the many, many eyes, ears, and minds that have reviewed, pre-read, and offered their suggestions!! Please continue to make this, your Catholic Schoolhouse apostolate, better and better.

Praise be to God!