A River of Voices I've been looking at the sample of "A River of Voices" which is the first volume (of three) of the US History curriculum being put out by Blossom & Root. It looks interesting and flexible, like you could get really deep in history or only go over it lightly depending on each child's interest. It also looks like it could be taught family style, including a variety of kids from kindergarten through the end of middle school. It seems really rare (to me) that a history curriculum could really do justice to such a wide age group. I have two kids, one age 11 and going into sixth, and the other, age 9 and going into fourth. We really enjoy our literature and fine arts studies more than history, so this seems like a nice middle way between history programs that take over your schedule and just reading a book and narrating. Plus, I like that it seems to share our family support for multiculturalism. It just came out this spring so I'm probably asking too much to see if anyone has used it yet, but I'm betting someone here has already bought it, downloaded it, and examined it to see if the materials make sense together and if it really could be done in a multi-age setting. Thanks for any feedback!

My daughter is in 8th grade, but I'm looking ahead so that we can plan out her high school for college entry. I have noticed that colleges require World History, US History, Government, and Economics. I'm not sure how to include that on her transcript if she is doing the high school level history through Well Trained Mind.

My son is currently a junior in Classical Conversation Challenge 3 and is struggling to keep up with the workload. The assigned text for US History is A Patriot's History by Schweikart and Allen. It is and excellent and comprehensive book, starting with Columbus and going through the War on Terror. However, it is a TON of reading on top of the research papers and speeches that correspond to this subject (not to mention the heavy workload in every other subject as well). I'm considering using this book as a guide to the subject matter being discussed in class, but instead of having my son read the book, having him watch the Hip Hughes YouTube videos that correspond to the chapter topics and use that information for his research papers and speeches. Is there anyone out there with experience in both resources that might be able to share some pros and cons with this idea? Just trying to figure out a way to make this manageable! Thanks!!

Interested in Funda Funda's (https://www.fundafundaacademy.com/product/us-history/) US History course. I have not found any reviews... anyone used it? Thanks!

The Potter School is offering a US Military History class. It of course appeals to my son. Do you think this could count as the traditional US History class - or must I add something to it and then what to add? The class is using a book called, "For the Common Defense: A Military History of the United States from 1607-2012." Your thoughts would be appreciated! Shelley in MA

What is the usual progression of studies in high school, as far as U.S. History I, II, Modern World History, and Geography? Our state requires all of these, for a total of 15 credits. However, I don't see any requirement at all for U.S. Government/Civics. We definitely want to include this. Would appreciate any recommendations about the order of these courses. I'm thinking of U.S. History I and U.S. Government/Civics simultaneously. Would this be a problem?

I have my daughter signed up for Am. history at our co-op this fall and this is the book they will be using. On the Cathy Duffy website the review stated, "This text makes no pretensions of neutrality; it is clearly anti-Catholic and anti-Communist. It promotes a Protestant viewpoint, criticizing secularism..." "The philosophy of government is inconsistent". I am Christian, raised catholic. And I prefer history that is laid out with as few "slants" as possible, so things can be discussed openly, without any preconceived notions. Anyone have experience with this text/curriculum?

Does anyone know the difference between these two products from The Critical Thinking Skills Company? The Critical Thinking in United States History is made up of 4 books The US History Detective Bk. 1 seems to be new. Thanks, Rachel

What are your thoughts on using Bookshark's 8th grade US history for 10th grade? A secular curriculum is a requirement for my 10th grader so it's been tough trying to find one, and it does say ages 12-16. My younger son used the Hakim books and I really liked them, but I know they are not high school reading level. I say that but I feel like I learned more about US history reading them as an adult than I ever did in high school, so part of me thinks, what does it matter if they're an easy (but enjoyable!) read? But then maybe it *does* matter when colleges look over your transcript and see what textbookss were used. Any input is appreciated! *We'd only use the history portion of Bookshark, not the lit. We're going with OakMeadow for literature.

I am thinking about taking next year to focus primarily on early US history (Colonies to the Gold Rush) with my middle school kids. What world history events and people do I HAVE to make sure to cover so that they are prepared when we go back to world history the following year (US Civil War to the present)? Thank you! :001_smile:

If you or your children have used review books for US History such as Kaplans, Barrons, Insider's Guide, Princeton Review, or others, which are your favorites and why? I am partly looking for this as a way to practice study skills, if that makes any difference, and I am hoping for something that gives more than just practice tests, but practice tests would also be useful. I don't even know if ds will ever take one or both of these tests, but we have been working with history with Living Books, Documentaries, source documents and so on, and do not know if it is having retention or not, so for the moment the reason we are looking for such study materials is more to do with it being a part of learning what a child might be expected to know if a more conventional approach were used, and where there may be holes that need patching. I am following some of the ideas in Make It Stick, that say that testing can be a tremendous help with learning material. So far we have not used testing much at all in our homeschool. I'm looking for ways to implement the Make It Stick ideas, and ds chose US History to work with on it. I am thinking toward both SAT2 and AP type review because I think a combo of more difficult and not quite as difficult levels as well as some essay type questions in addition to multiple choice would be helpful based on Make It Stick principles. Not sure if I've made any sense, but feed back would be appreciated! Thanks!

I discovered this website on Benjamin Franklin: http://www.benfranklin300.org/timeline/ You move through his life and at each stage their are a lot of interactive activities. Sometimes you just watch a small video or listen to something about his life. Sometimes there is an activity - or a game. I managed to end up in jail after doing one where I had to keep choosing what to do next. The info presented is not just about Benjamin Franklin but about his world and what life was like then.

I'm new to the Logic stage so I just had a question for those of you who are using WWS. Do you do the Notebooking/Outlining/Timeline/Source Eval with your core subjects? Or just as directed by WWS for writing? (Caveat-I've only glanced at WWS so far and it 'seems' like that is how it is set up. My question may be moot if I'm wrong about that...) Our core this year is US History. Long story short, I got the My Father's World Adventures in US History before we knew we'd be adding a 7th grader to the family. The materials are actually intended for 2-3rd graders who are the oldest students in the home. I decided to go ahead as planned and just beef up my requirements for him. I want to keep his academics on the lower demand side since we have a lot of adjusting to do anyway. Thanks for all suggestions and insight.

My 9th grader is currently reading History of the Ancient World along with his Notgrass. I am LOVING HOAW. It is packed with information presented in a very engaging and interesting way. Notgrass is just the opposite. :glare: However we're reading it for it's conservative bias. I am looking towards the rest of highschool and am wanting an American History text that is similar to HOAW...interesting, engaging and packed with information. I'm not betting on SWB having her series finished by the time we get there and I think it might be beneficial to have at least one year that exclusively focuses on US history. I don't know. I was planning on following MFW for high school but I really am not thrilled. I haven't looked at Bob Jones American history. I am enjoying their Physical Science text but generally history texts are awful and I've steered clear. But maybe someone could give some positive reviews on it or suggest some engaging alternative books. Is Joy Hakim challenging enough for high school? I've heard good things about her books for the most part. Thanks so much!!

This is what I have so far, comments welcome. I am really weak in the 1980's to now in books and films that capture the decades and would love ideas. Summer Reading prior to course: Oxford History of the US, Grand Expectations, 1945-1974, James Patterson 829 pgs Oxford History of the US, Restless Giant, James Patterson 496 pgs World War I Read: World War I, Richard Maybury 252 pgs The Guns of August, Barbara Tuchman 544pgs Watch: The Sinking of the Lusitania The First World War, The Complete Series 10 episodes World War I in Color (6 episodes) All Quiet on the Western Front A Night to Remember Sergeant York Gallipoli Lawrence of Arabia Post WWI Read: Letters from Rifka 176 pgs Animal Farm 128 pgs History of the Russian Revolution, Leon Trotsky 1040 pgs or Ten Days that Shook the World, John Reed 368 pgs Watch: Russian Revolution in Color 94 minutes Italian Fascism in Color 100 minutes Reds 194 minutes 1920's - 1930's Read: Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls 208 pgs The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald 180 pgs Watch: Inherit the Wind Chariots of Fire The Grapes of Wrath Of Mice and Men The Hindenberg The War of the Worlds Scandal Public Enemies The Education of Little Tree The Johnstown Flood American Experience: Hurricane of "38" Sounder World War II Read: World War II, Richard Maybury 349 pgs The Second World War, Winston Churchill 384 pgs The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom 221 pgs Watch: Churchill, The Gathering Storm Hitler: The Rise of Evil World at War 26 hours World War II in HD 10 episodes Battle of the Atlantic Defiance Das Boot Sink the Bismark Schindler's List Tora! Tora! Tora! Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State (?) 6 episodes The Thin Red Line Stalingrad Enemy at the Gates Casablanca Bataan! The Longest Day (compare and contrast with Saving Private Ryan) Battle of the Bulge Truman: American Experience Hiroshima: BBC History of WWII 89 minutes Judgement at Nuremberg 1940's Read: Kon Tiki 272 pgs and watch on YouTube 58 minutes On the Road, Jack Kerouac 304 pgs Watch: A Paralyzing Fear The Legend of Pancho Barnes Modern Marvels: Mount Rushmore Six Days in June CNN: Cold War The Atomic Cafe/The Day After Trinity and Beyond China: A Century of Revolution Berlin Airlift: American Experience Korean War MASH Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War Korea, The Forgotten War Korean War in Color Grand Torino 1950's and 1960's Read: Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger 288 pgs Watch: Thirteen Days Apollo 13 Go Tell the Spartans We Were Soldiers Rebel without a Cause Good Morning Vietnam Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman Malcolm X La Bamba Easy Rider The Killing Fields The Outsiders Rachel Carson's Silent Spring Hair American Graffiti Guess Who's Coming to Dinner Forest Gump First Blood 1970's Read: The Ruins of California , Martha Sherrill 384 pgs When the White House was Ours, Porter Shreve 280 pgs Jaws, Peter Benchley (?) Watch: Roe Vs. Wade American Gangster Dazed and Confused Raid on Entebbe American Experience: A Class Apart Let Freedom Sing Cry Freedom Munich Kennedy RFK All the Presidents Men 444 Days to Freedom American Experience: Jimmy Carter Saturday Night Fever (pg version) The Bronx is Burning (?) Nadia 1980's Read: When Character was King, Peggy Noonan 352 pgs The Official Preppy Handbook 224 pgs In Those Years In those years, people will say, we lost track of the meaning of we,of you we found ourselves reduced to I and the whole thing became silly, ironic, terrible: we were trying to live a personal life and yes, that was the only life we could bear witness to But the great dark birds of history screamed and plunged into our personal weather They were headed somewhere else but their beaks and pinions drove along the shore, through the rags of fog where we stood, saying I. ~ Adrienne Rich ~ Published in 1991, but surely speaks to the 1980s generation Watch: Pretty in Pink American Experience: Reagan Miracle The Wall: A World Divided Tankman, Frontline Pirates of Silicon Valley Live from Baghdad Bravo Two Zero Desert Triumph Inside Shock and Awe 21 Days to Baghdad Charlie Wilson's War 1990's Read: Microserfs, Douglas Copeland (?) Watch: The Special Relationship: Blair/Clinton Ghosts of Rwanda Hotel Rwanda Oklahoma City Bombing Bang Bang You're Dead (Columbine) Blood Diamond 2000's Read: Empire Falls, Richard Russo Watch: The Social Network Restrepo Engineering Disasters: New Orleans 7 Days in September 9/11 Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West

I realize that title is hard to understand...our situation is a bit unusual. I'm wondering if anyone has done a broad sweep of all US History for part I (just 1/2 credit), and then a focus on most important events for part II at a deeper level with more mature resources? (but not so indepth that it could be AP - we will only need and have time for a 1/2 credit in the future) We're doing Am Hx I with Am Gov this year but also need to cover enough US history (for Am Hx II) to review the most important events/aspects (American Revolution, US Industrial revolution, Imperialism, 'the American model' from a European perspective, US involvement in the World Wars, and the Cold War) again in 11th to prepare for the Swiss exams which will cover those very same subjects. They'll be asking real consolidation of learning type of questions so we'll really need to redo those topics... Just wondering if anyone has made a path with this approach?? And I've been searching old US Hx threads and have found an amazing amount of info and am very grateful to all who have posted their resources and approaches in those. :-) Thanks, Joan

My US history order came up missing. I would like to order The Americans, but unable to get their textbook since I do not have a teaching certificate merely a Bachelor of Science is all :glare:, so... Here is my dilemma-I like the Prentice Hall, with it's online features although enjoy the Christian viewpoints in the BJU. It looks to be a good text for the gist of the Vikings on (or is it Columbus, or was it the Native Americans or perhaps it was really aliens, :D My thoughts are to really study the books on what the US history books do not disclose to us, the Constitution and the big push to disintegrate that main document. Our founding fathers are probably turning over in their graves or looking on us as a bunch of fools without revolt.................... My purpose is this: What have you used and what have you used for resources before I spend a lot of money in the next few hours. PLEASE HELP! :banghead: Char

Has anyone done the AP or high school courses through the Monterey Institute? They have a general US History I that covers 2 semesters and the AP History I that covers two semesters. When or what age would a child do the best with this type of course. Thanks, Char PS I remember years ago, when I was in HS that that course was one of the hardest there is, due to the memorization and the wide scale of topics/time.

He has read David McCullough's John Adams and Truman. What are other favorites or books that are absolutely wonderful that should be read. Thanks for your input.

We're continuing our school year through the summer with a long unit on the Civil War. I thought that I would try to capture some of the interesting resources we find along the way. If anyone else has great ideas, please share.

I'm looking for a high school level American History Program that includes worksheets, mapping, and/or notebooking. Something to do that I don't have to put together. We like to add literature and historical fiction, too. Do you know of a curriculum with these components? Does All-American History fit the bill for High school?

I am facing a strong desire to change my son's history program in the middle of the year. We are currently using Exploring America by Notgrass and have completed Volume 1. None of us is satisfied with it. The downfall is that he would not have a discussion group for this subject like he does for the Notgrass book. I am looking at a book that I received free from a local private school. It is A History of the United States by Boorstin. We love his writing and remember it well from his Landmark history book. The book has the chapters divided into sections w/a few questions at the end of each section, then end of chapter questions and end of unit questions. I would start him in Chapter 14, which is just a little before the end of Vol. 1 of the Notgrass program. I think the combination of the reading, questions and a few TC lectures might work out to finish up his high school history credit. I think that for quizzes & I can pull the concepts from the questions in the chapter and make my own. I don't have the teacher book & don't want to buy it. Does this plan make sense?

Anyone with experience with the I Love America! curriculum? Looking for a prek/k curriculum for US history. Any review on this curriculum or any other you have used appreciated - thanks!!

We've been studying early American history the last year and a half, and I've become so disillusioned about everything I was taught in school. Columbus, Jamestown, Pocahontas, the first Thanksgiving, Lewis & Clark. And now, NOW-not you too, Paul Revere? :scared: I WAS planning to read a simple book or two about Paul Revere, do a narration and call it a week. However, I have been reading how the majority of the Paul Revere's "story as we know it", never happened. Thanks Longfellow! Yes, I know, he was still a good man, worthy of studying, and admiring. Yes, I know, this will be a good lesson to the kids about primary sources, patriotism,:hat: and so on. Still..... I'm getting REALLY tired of the amount of work needed to plan a simple weeks' unit. :banghead: Can't someone write an American History curriculum for elementary/middle students using primary sources? Or a few good children's books based on primary sources? Pretty please? Does something like this already exist? :rant:

My DD 14 isn't getting much out of A History of US. She remembers and enjoyed SOTW so much. She asked if there is a high school history like SOTW? Thanks, Joyce