BJU US History... how does this work?

[steppingstonemomma]

I have a 10th and 9th grader who really just need a git 'er done type history. In looking at the samples at the website it looks pretty interesting to read vs the Notgrass sample which looked dry. Would you all agree?

 

Also, I've never used BJU. Is this going to be difficult to use if we aren't in a classroom? I really just need something low-key and easy to get done, nothing extra, but easy for me to grade and implement...

 

So for you who have used BJU high school level history books, what does a weekly plan look like?

[TXMary2]

Having used both over the years, it is my opinion that BJU is dry, standard textbook fare. Notgrass is at least a conversational writing style which my son enjoyed much better than regular textbooks. The addition of literature to the Notgrass helped.

[Pam L in Mid Tenn]

BJU is a standard textbook. I disagree that it is dry. Well... all textbooks are dry, compared with living books, but BJU texts are less dry than others. IMHO.

 

My 9th grader is using the Geography book now. Right now he is only reading the text and giving me a quick oral narration of the section. For some chapters he has done the section review questions in a notebook and the tests "open book" as a workbook assignment. Sometimes he has done the chapter review and for other chapters he has made a quizlet set with the terms/names at the top of the section review.

 

I think BJU is easy to tweak to fit your own needs. You can certainly do everything , as in a classroom, if you want. OR You could only read the book as a spine and create your own assignments. OR you can pick and choose assignments per chapter.

[Cheryl B in VA]

MFW uses BJU for American History. My son liked the textbook. He answered the section and chapter questions, completed the student activity pages and took the tests. It is a thorough course. You can have the student check their work and you check the tests.

 

Blessings,

Cheryl

[74Heaven]

We did U.S. History with the BJU DVDs taught by Mrs. Vick. She is *highly* regarded by folks who have used BJU and the different classes she teaches. She was excellent and the course was by far, our favorite BJU class. There are several vignettes w/in the videos to better illustrate U.S. History. OTOH, I did find the BJU textbook a bit dry and the tests included important info and needless statistics and dates.

 

I know this doesn't address the OP's original question very well, but BJUP's U.S. History was a "git-er-done" selection for us and it worked out extremely well. As a matter of fact, I am hoping my youngers will also get to use this course as it was one of those courses that really was a winner at our house. The DVDs are 30min each and there is 30+ minutes of homework if you follow BJU's suggested sked.

 

Lisaj, mom to 2 grads, 3 to go....

[Juliegmom]

FWIW, my daughter also preferred the conversational style of Notgrass. I don't have experience with either BJU or Notgrass, but reviewed the samples with my dd to make world history curric plans for next year.

[mschickie]

We used BJU for American History when sd was in 11th grade. She really enjoyed the way that it was written. She found it very engaging. Previously she had used a ps textbook and then Abeka which she found very dull.

[Catwoman]

We haven't used any BJU high school level history, but we used the elementary grades (Heritage Studies) and my ds enjoyed the textbooks. He didn't find them to be dry at all.