Looking for an at-home AP U.S. History-ish program

[Melissa B]

I am having a hard time finding an advanced, high school U.S. history program I like. I would like it to be at an AP level (does not need to be officially AP.) I am going to have my dds take the two CLEP exams in US History. I don't want to simply buy the CLEP workbook and call it a day. I want to give them a solid base in US history with the exams as a wrap-up. If they pass them great, if they don't, they don't. I do not want any sort of online or distance learning program and we will not be taking the AP exam. I could pull the books and videos together myself if I had too, but I would really like something with writing assignments and example essays included. Tests would be nice too, as would some map work/creative assignments. Any suggestions?

[regentrude]

Have you looked at the online courses at Hippocampus?

http://www.hippocampus.org/History%20%26%20Government;jsessionid=6B15BD8A51068D46B52153EBA8526D98

[Kareni]

My teen took an out of the home AP US History class which used Bailey's American Pageant. (Here's a link to the 15th edition; my daughter used the 12th.) She enjoyed the book (the class read the entire 1000 page plus book!); she thought it had personality. For a summer reading assignment prior to the start of class, they read Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America by Steven M. Gillon. The latter book was written to accompany a History Channel series of that title.

 

Before the AP test, she found these flash cards of use for review; she also took the SAT subject test and scored well. I inagine there are analogous study aids for the CLEP test. A fun add on was the Cartoon History of the United States by Larry Gonick.

 

Regards,

Kareni