Suggestions for American History....HELP!

[ktwensel]

I am giving myself a major headache over American History for my dd10 and ds8.

 

Any suggestions?

 

DD loves to read, DS not so much. I would like to keep them together. I don't mind planning (some...:lol:).

[DianeW88]

Winterpromise. I love their American History! Starting American Story 1 on Monday with my 9 yo ds.

 

Diane W.

married for 22 years

homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

[boom1128]

Winterpromise. I love their American History! Starting American Story 1 on Monday with my 9 yo ds.

 

Diane W.

married for 22 years

homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

 

 

 

Is this an accurate american history text?? I know with some public school texts, they like to "PC" it. I feel like history wasn't always pretty and I am ok with teaching the pretty and the ugly if that makes any sense.

[Sue G in PA]

have you looked at http://www.guesthollow.com free American History curriculum? Geared for around 3rd grade but can easily be "tweaked" if necessary.

[tiredbuthappy]

Trail Guide to Learning by Geomatters. It is meant to be three years of American history. The first year is Paths of Exploration and covers Columbus, Jamestown, Pilgrims, Lewis and Clark, Daniel Boone and Trails West and is for grades 3-5, but can be tweaked higher (with a suppliment) or lower. We are using it for a young 2nd grader and a 4th grader. Yr two is Paths of Settlement and covers up to the 20th century, I think (grades 4-6). Yr 3 covers Industrial Revolution to Current (grades 5-7). The curriculum includes Copywork/dictation, Reading, Word study, writing, geography, art/drawing, and science.

 

We just started today, but have done a lot of research and looking at reviews. I have never heard a bad review. We like it so far!

 

Good luck. HTH

[ktwensel]

Thank you all for your responses. You have given me alot of good suggestions.

[Marsha]

Use Queens A Living History of Our World and the Journal that goes with it.

[flobee76]

have you looked at http://www.guesthollow.com free American History curriculum? Geared for around 3rd grade but can easily be "tweaked" if necessary.

 

I am using this as a guide, along with Queen Homeschool's "spine", like the PP stated, then supplementing with the Beautiful Feet Guide.

 

I like to pull from diff. sites for other book suggestions.

[In2why]

I second the Guesthollow suggestion. She put a lot of work into it and the reading choices are fantastic. Even when we can't find something at the library there are always other choices that work just as well. She also has the entire year planned out. I decided to tweak it quite a bit, because of where we live and other materials I wanted to use, but not because the program isn't excellent.

[Crimson Wife]

I previewed the Jennifer Armstrong book that is WP's "spine" at my library and thought it had an anti-Christian and especially an anti-Catholic bias. I decided to pass on it for that reason.

[mom31257]

Do you want to do American history in one year, or longer?

 

I am planning history for myself and a couple of other moms. We are doing American history in one year. I email them resources each week, then they pick and choose what they want to do. The main books I'm using are The Complete Book of US History, Scholastic 3D maps, and for those that want to add in a Christian perspective I am including reading from American Pioneers and Patriots or A Beka's Our American Heritage.

 

I could always send you the emails if you like. We have already started the first of August. We began with the Vikings and are finishing Jamestown this week. We are not going to do an in-depth study of Native Americans until we get to the Trail of Tears. This is only because we were trying to get through the American Revolution and signing of the Constitution before a family trip.

 

You could pm me with your email address if you would like me to include you. I thought about doing a separate blog, but honestly, I feel blog challenged. I even tried to start one and couldn't figure out how to do a lot of the links I wanted to include.

 

I think if I had kids like yours, I would use a spine and have some read alouds, then have your child who loves to read do more and the child who doesn't love to read, do some research and notebook pages or something.

[walkermamaof4]

We are doing Beautiful Feet. My kids are loving it. The D'Aulaire choices with the coloring page idea are super. But then, my kiddos like to color. The Your Story Hours recommended have been great too. And we got the American Drive through History dvd's for a fun bonus. Really enjoying it. I have my 10 and 13 y.o. reading Sonlight 3, but it is so dry compared to BF.

I didn't know about Guest Hollow when I bought our year's things. It might be a great option.

[ktwensel]

Oh, Amy, that would be wonderful! I will pm you!

 

Thank you!

[Guest aquiverfull]

Trail Guide to Learning by Geomatters. It is meant to be three years of American history. The first year is Paths of Exploration and covers Columbus, Jamestown, Pilgrims, Lewis and Clark, Daniel Boone and Trails West and is for grades 3-5, but can be tweaked higher (with a suppliment) or lower. We are using it for a young 2nd grader and a 4th grader. Yr two is Paths of Settlement and covers up to the 20th century, I think (grades 4-6). Yr 3 covers Industrial Revolution to Current (grades 5-7). The curriculum includes Copywork/dictation, Reading, Word study, writing, geography, art/drawing, and science.

 

We just started today, but have done a lot of research and looking at reviews. I have never heard a bad review. We like it so far!

 

Good luck. HTH

 

:iagree: I was going to suggest Trail Guide as well. We started Monday and it is the highlight of our day. We really LOVE it! :)

[Annabel Lee]

Another vote for Guesthollow!

 

Guesthollow is more fun, chronologically accurate, and does not feel "disjointed". Anything scheduled within a topic/time period has something to do with that topic or time period. It's free online, too, but it's worth more to me than some of the multi-hundred dollar programs. It schedules in music - songs from American History - and art - relevant projects. It has great artist study, president study, and state study between the 2 years. Those extras are optional, of course. There are lapbook suggestions if you like those, some are free printable versions. It schedules some History Pockets and some Time Travelers materials, although for the History Pockets I'm finding it to not be necessary since I have WP's (AS1) main meat of the lesson (right now that's Betsy Maestro books) and the DK/Smithsonian Children's Encyc. of Am. Hist. There are tons of other printables - worksheets, puzzles, experiments (sometimes tying in a bit of science!), recipes, etc. to fill that void. As I get into American History 2, for which I don't have WP AS2, I'll use the suggested Time Travelers or History Pockets as those have some "main lesson" text in them.

 

I created an outline schedule to follow the 3-day grammar stage history schedule in WTM so that all the WTM-stuff is priority (narration questions, narration, narration page, maps/globe work, etc.) and we do things in the same order as we would if we were doing WTM hist. or SOTW; just on different content. That's my own little quirk. I also take any relevant (to the same time period or to American History) literature suggestions, great people to cover, and additional history reading suggestions from WTM and use those for Literature/Assigned Reading; Biographies; and Book Basket. I've rearranged the schedules for GH AH 1 & 2 and WP AS1 to fit into 50 weeks. We won't be able to linger on some topics long enough to have feasts and costumes for everything but the kids will learn the history and that's the basic point.

 

To add church/missionary history: I schedule in The Light and the Glory and will be scheduling the other 2 in that series that follow. I also have Trial & Triumph for missionary history - either we'll read from that book or I'll use it to know what books from other series (Christians Then and Now series, etc.) to use. I want to get In God We Trust: Stories of Faith in American History and the History Lives Chonicles by Withrow to sub in for Trial & Triumph, just because those books look like they tell some of the same stories in a more interesting way. I haven't looked at them yet.

 

Of course, it's awesome as-is, which is how I would suggest using it. I'm making it more complicated than it has to be and lately have felt the need to simplify. I really like having the more enjoyable activities and options for my sons from Guesthollow.

[ktwensel]

For those of you that suggested Guest Hollow, do you think it is advanced enough for a 5th grader? If you are tweaking it for older kids, what suggestions could you give?

 

Thanks again!

[Annabel Lee]

Yes, the guesthollow.com site says it was originally written for the target age of eight to nine (3rd grade) but can easily be used & adapted for other grades/ages. The easiest grades to adapt for and use it in are 2nd-6th grades. It does have some add-ons (mostly higher-level books) for even older grades for the 2nd half (Amerian History Year 2), up through 8th grade. The Story of the USA workbooks scheduled (which are optional - you pick & choose from it like a buffet) throughout are listed by the publisher to be 4th grade & up reading/comprehension. It uses some of the same books TOG uses as well.

[lisak]

For those of you that suggested Guest Hollow, do you think it is advanced enough for a 5th grader? If you are tweaking it for older kids, what suggestions could you give?

 

Thanks again!

 

I am planning to use it with my 5th grade daughter. I have just been looking at it today seeing what selections my library has or through interlibrary loan. I think the program looks great as written. My daughter is hands-on and she picked using the history pockets as opposed to lapbooking, which she likes to do. I purchased the books that would be used over several weeks and the ones that are just a week or so, I plan to get at the library. The schedule looks like there is more there than we can possibly do, so I will probably be cutting things out and adding books that interest her, such as the American Girl books.

 

Having reviewed so many curriculums that can be purchased -- Sonlight, HOD, WP, and I can't remember what else, this one seems great. I would certainly give it a try before purchasing something that you would probably have to tweak anyway.

 

Best Wishes to You!

[Lovedtodeath]

We are using HOD Bigger. I started out with the WP program American Story 1 and thought that HOD Bigger looked more do-able (and in only one year). If you like Charlotte Mason methods then you might like it. There is an "extension package" for the older child.

[Johanna]

where could one get ideas for chronological "hands on" projects that can go with a chosen American History text (that is NOT history pockets)! I dont like them!

Thanks!

[Lovedtodeath]

where could one get ideas for chronological "hands on" projects that can go with a chosen American History text (that is NOT history pockets)! I dont like them!

Thanks!

Here are some: http://homeschoolinthewoods.com/HTTA/TTS/

 

Great Colonial America Projects You Can Build Yourself! (Build It Yourself series)

 

Great Pioneer Projects You Can Build Yourself...

 

Great Civil War Projects You Can Build Yourself (Build It Yourself series)

 

The Civil War for Kids: A History with 21 Activi...

 

Winterpromise often schedules activity books in their guides instead of writing the activities themselves, so if you look at their curriculum you might find some more.

[Johanna]

here are some: http://homeschoolinthewoods.com/htta/tts/

 

great colonial america projects you can build yourself! (build it yourself series)

 

great pioneer projects you can build yourself...

 

great civil war projects you can build yourself (build it yourself series)

 

the civil war for kids: A history with 21 activi...

 

winterpromise often schedules activity books in their guides instead of writing the activities themselves, so if you look at their curriculum you might find some more.

 

thanks so much!!!!

[Lovedtodeath]

 

thanks so much!!!!

No prob. The same publishers of the last two I listed also have one out for WWII. My library has most of the books. Homeschoolinthewoods has the early 20th century. That is the one that I drool over. :tongue_smilie:

[Annabel Lee]

In answer to Johanna's question, Guesthollow has it's schedules sorted chronologically by topic (with dates, such as 1775 - 1785 for ex.) or by weeks. Inside the weekly schedules (and possible the one sorted by topic) there are links to many, many additional hands-on projects other than History Pockets. It has H.P. scheduled for some topics, but not always. There are always alternatives linked or printables, many times free lapbooks, and there's always a ton of extra stuff as well (recipes, projects that tie in science, etc.).

 

Sorry if it sounds like I'm repeating myself - I think GH is an awesome resource even if you're just using it for go-along hands-on activities!

[DianeW88]

Is this an accurate american history text?? I know with some public school texts, they like to "PC" it. I feel like history wasn't always pretty and I am ok with teaching the pretty and the ugly if that makes any sense.

 

Well, since I am the ultimate "tweaker", I always feel free to add or subtract texts that don't work for me. And, since Winterpromise is more a conglomoration of real books than an actual "text", it's never been a problem. Whenever Winterpromise uses a "spine", it's generally never given more importance than any of their other reading selections, and you can usually choose something else for the spine (provided it covers the same subjects) fairly easily. What I love about WP is how wonderfully well they integrate the historical fiction with the non-fiction reading, the hand-on activities, the coordinating websites, and the "make your own" books.

 

Diane W.

married for 22 years

homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

[Lovedtodeath]

Well, since I am the ultimate "tweaker", I always feel free to add or subtract texts that don't work for me. And, since Winterpromise is more a conglomoration of real books than an actual "text", it's never been a problem. Whenever Winterpromise uses a "spine", it's generally never given more importance than any of their other reading selections, and you can usually choose something else for the spine (provided it covers the same subjects) fairly easily. What I love about WP is how wonderfully well they integrate the historical fiction with the non-fiction reading, the hand-on activities, the coordinating websites, and the "make your own" books.

:iagree:Guesthollow is this same way, as is AE. I have decided that it is too overwhelming for me this school year. I like HOD emphasis on the spine and quality over quantity.:tongue_smilie:

[Johanna]

In answer to Johanna's question, Guesthollow has it's schedules sorted chronologically by topic (with dates, such as 1775 - 1785 for ex.) or by weeks. Inside the weekly schedules (and possible the one sorted by topic) there are links to many, many additional hands-on projects other than History Pockets. It has H.P. scheduled for some topics, but not always. There are always alternatives linked or printables, many times free lapbooks, and there's always a ton of extra stuff as well (recipes, projects that tie in science, etc.).

 

Sorry if it sounds like I'm repeating myself - I think GH is an awesome resource even if you're just using it for go-along hands-on activities!

 

 

thank you!! I didnt realize that....that is very helpful!

[ktwensel]

Thank you all for your help!

[ChrisB]

There is a text called From Sea to Shining Sea: The Story of America...worth looking into.