Cycle 4 · One full year for every grade · Modern America + Renaissance & Reformation
A complete year of school for your whole family — set in the modern era and the Reformation world.
Each Living Heritage cycle is one full year of school for Grades 1–12 together, plus a gentle, cycle-independent year of Kindergarten. Cycle 4's history period — modern America and Britain (1900–present) alongside the Renaissance and Reformation — sets the theme, and the literature, Bible, geography, and arts appreciation move with it; skill subjects and some Bible and civics change by grade. Whatever your children's ages, here's what you'll cover and what you'll need.
What a cycle is
One year. Every subject. Every grade.
A Living Heritage cycle isn't merely a history course — it's a complete year of school with all subjects for your whole household, organized around a historical era. History — as well as much of the literature, church history, geography, and arts appreciation — are keyed to Cycle 4's time period — 20th and 21st century America and Britain alongside the Renaissance and Reformation — and science moves with the cycle as well for grades 1-8.
Skill subjects — math, language arts, foreign languages, music — and some Bible and civics change by grade, independent of the cycle — but don't worry; they're still included with your cycle purchase!
Grades 1–12 study the same era together, each group with its own reading list, while Kindergarten runs its own gentle, cycle-independent year alongside.
The history
The 20th and 21st centuries and the Reformation era.
Cycle 4's America/Britain streams cover the 1900s through the present — both world wars, the rise of the modern administrative state, the civil-rights era, and the cultural shifts of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The world stream follows the Renaissance and Reformation — the rise of the arts and sciences and the era that produced Luther, Calvin, and laid the foundation for the Puritan tradition, preparing students to rotate back around to Cycle 1 and the founding of America the following year.
These streams run on different days of the week, fostering connections and relations between America, the intertwined history of Britain, and pre-modern times. Read more about how the Cycles work →
For Group I (grades 1–4), only the American stream is scheduled.
Choosing where to start
Why would I start with Cycle 4?
Start with Cycle 4 if you have just completed study of the 1800s, Westward Expansion, and the Civil War or study of the Middle Ages with another curriculum. If you have multiple children who studied different things, use your best judgment, and when in doubt, choose what works best for your oldest child.
The books
Cycle 4 books, by grade group
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Also in Cycle 3
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American History Spine
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Ancient History Spine
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Ancient History Spine
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British History Spine
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American History Spine
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American History Spine
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British History Spine
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The Faerie Queene, Book 1
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These are the books specific to Cycle 4 book across all three grade groups — not every book is read in every grade, and other books not shown here are grade-specific or used in multiple cycles. (You can see those in the Shop by Grade section.) 3rd/4th grade and 7th/8th grade students have extra independent reads (some pictured here) and are sometimes given a choice between two. A complete linked book list with titles, publishers, and exclusive discount codes comes with the plan you purchase. About 60% of our books are free online (cycles vary), and many may be at your library. Wondering what that adds up to? See our note on yearly book costs →
The Modern World and the Reformation
Get Cycle 4.
Or start with any cycle — each one stands on its own.