All American History
Reviews
All I have to say is that I LOVE this new curriculum that I had the chance to review ... really good and just what I've been looking for to use with my kids in high school (read my entire review as it is geared for grades 5-8 but adaptable up or down!).No matter the method of instruction that you are using in your homeschool - traditional textbook, Charlotte Mason method, unit study or the Classical approach - there is something for everyone in All American History, published by Bright Ideas Press. This first volume covers the following time periods in four units: European Exploration, Colonization, Revolution, and Establishment and Expansion. This curriculum, geared towards grades 5-8 but adaptable for younger and older students, covers a full year of material in 32 weekly lessons and four review tests.
Both parent and student will get the most out of the study by purchasing
all three essential books: The Student Reader (textbook), Teacher's
Guide with Answer Key and the Student Activity Book. The Student Reader
is over 400 pages and each lesson is laid out in the same way for
continuity of study. The lesson begins by discussing the Atmosphere in
which an event took place. The next section discusses the Event itself
and is then followed by a summary of items that show the Impact that the
event left on America and/or the rest of the world. Numerous black and
white illustrations, maps and pictures accentuate the material in each
lesson.
Although a child could read through the textbook and learn the
information presented, the Student Activity Book adds A LOT to the study
and I would consider it a "must-have" due to all of the wonderful
activities that are inside it. These include maps to fill out, prompts
for locating key information in the text, review questions, hands-on
activities and suggestions for further study. Everything needed to
complete the lessons is included in the Activity Book. Reproducible
forms and images are also in the back of the book.
The Teacher's Guide is a gem! It is divided into four sections. Section
1 begins by explaining to the parent or teacher how to get the most out
of the curriculum, giving suggestions for homeschoolers, co-ops, and
private schools. It also discusses how to adapt the curriculum for
younger and older students so that the entire family can use this ONE
curriculum! This not only saves prep time for mom, but money too! After
this introductory information, there are Resource sections for each
Unit. These Resource sections are incredible! They list activity ideas,
timeline dates, mapwork suggestions, ideas for review games and book
lists by grade level. Other important resources included in Section 1
are: answers to the Further Study questions in each lesson, lists of
Adaptions for Younger Students, Family Activity ideas, and checklists
for completing each lesson. Section 2 includes the complete Answer Key
for the Activity Book. Section 3 contains optional forms for further
study and Section 4 contains the images to be used with the forms. Also
included is a bibliography list for each unit; these books could be used
for further reading, too.
I have been looking for a good American History textbook curriculum for
my children; All American History isn't good - IT'S GREAT! What I love
most is the mapwork included in each lesson because that means there is
no longer a need to teach geography separate from history. The Teacher's
Guide is so comprehensive and full of such wonderful suggestions for
further study that I am planning on using this curriculum in high school
using the suggestions in the Teacher's Guide. A second volume is planned
to cover the rest of American History after 1840. Many people think that
textbooks can be dry and boring, but I found All American History
interesting reading due to the "Atmosphere - Event - Impact" layout of
each lesson; it just tied everything all together for me. To borrow a
phrase from a popular television commercial, "Try it, you'll like it!"
-- Reviewed by
Kris Price, Assistant to the Publishers of TOS
This is a distinctly different United States History course that should work very well in homeschool settings. Developed through use in co-op classes, it easily adapts for use with individual children at home or for regular classroom use. This review is of Volume 1 covering the period of exploration through about 1840. A second volume will eventually cover the second half of U.S. History, making both volumes a two-year course.
There are three components to the course: the Student Reader,
Student Activity Book, and Teacher’s Guide. The core book is
the hardcover, 442-page Student Reader. Similar to a textbook, it
presents historical information accompanied by black-and-white
illustrations. A brief summary of key points concludes each chapter. The
text of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are
included in an appendix.
Questions and assignments are all found in the consumable Student
Activity Book. Here you find activity pages, map forms, review
questions, “For Further Study” assignments, and “Images for Required
Forms.” The last item is a collection of illustrations (primarily of
people) and flags to be used on activity pages. The illustrations in the
Student Activity Book are intended to be beneficial to both
visual learners as well as kinaesthetic learners, providing cut and
paste activities to keep their hands engaged.
The “required forms” are one or more worksheets per chapter for students
to complete that summarize key information from each chapter. The
Student Activity Book forms are intended to be filled in as the
student is either reading the text or listening to the text being read.
This is training in note-taking skills and it encourages them to be
active readers/listeners.
Activity Book pages are perforated and three-hole-punched so they can be
easily removed and put into a binder. At the end of the Activity Book
are Optional Forms for Further Study. These 12 forms require students to
do more in-depth research on topics such as a Native American tribe, a
Revolutionary War battle, or Colonial culture. Some forms might be used
more than once.
……………….. Part of the reason this course is so suitable for homeschooling
is that while it is targeted at grades 5 through 8, it easily expands
for use with even younger and older students. Younger students listen to
highlights and key ideas from the chapter presented by the parent. They
read real books related to the time period--annotated lists of
age-appropriate books for each chapter are in the Teacher’s Guide.
And younger students participate in creating timelines, map work, and
other hands-on learning activities.
It’s even easier with high school students. While you would choose from
among the optional activities for students in elementary grades, older
students would complete most of the optional activities, especially the
For Further Study questions and the Optional Forms. They would also be
assigned more substantial reading from the recommended list. ……………………
Reviewed by Cathy Duffy, 100 Top Picks
For the entire review,
click here.