If you used a Notgrass History product in middle school, what components did your student(s) actually complete?

[pitterpatter]

We have used Notgrass From Adam to Us for the past two years for history (and we still aren't finished with it). We spread it out to fit the four-year cycle and to share schedule space with science. I ended up buying Bright Ideas Press All American History 1 this year primarily so DD can practice note taking as she reads. I've read that several people think AAH is dry and boring, though. DD thought Notgrass was pretty boring but she did it anyway. If AAH ends up being just awful, I'm considering America the Beautiful as a hurry-and-switch backup. We really need something open-and-go for history. With From Adam to Us she ended up only completing the textbook with audio, the student workbook (which is a little too easy, IMO), the timeline book, the map work (which I love), the tests from both the student workbook and the lesson review, and a couple of the literature selections. We had no time for any of the other components.

I'm trying to decide whether America the Beautiful would be viable backup plan for us, which brings me back around to my original question. If you used Notgrass in middle school, what components did your student(s) complete? And, did you feel it was enough?

PS - I'll also take comments telling me how wonderful AAH is. Hah! 😉

[kristin0713]

It's funny that you posted this.  I am going to have my upcoming 8th grade DD do From Adam to Us next year, but I'm *only* having her do the map book, timeline, and lesson review along with the readings.  I will do some of the literature as read alouds but I'm not going to assign those to her.  I'm having her skip the creative world book, all the writing assignments (she will have enough writing with her English classes), and the special projects.  

[pitterpatter]

Oh, I forgot about the Creative World book. DD did that too. She actually found some of it interesting. Some was over her head too. Having done the student workbook for two years, I don't think requiring her to complete the lesson review book would fly. Then again, I could just buy the lesson review book and tell her the student workbook is not an option, which would be true if I don't buy it. 😁

37 minutes ago, kristin0713 said:

It's funny that you posted this.  I am going to have my upcoming 8th grade DD do From Adam to Us next year, but I'm *only* having her do the map book, timeline, and lesson review along with the readings.  I will do some of the literature as read alouds but I'm not going to assign those to her.  I'm having her skip the creative world book, all the writing assignments (she will have enough writing with her English classes), and the special projects.  

 

[Momto6inIN]

We did America the Beautiful and it was so so so boring. They read the text and the primary sources and we did the literature as read alouds, but the maps and the timeline and the worksheets and the projects/writing assignments were just busywork so we dropped doing those very quickly. I've steered clear of Notgrass since then.

Have you considered History of US? It's very engaging and if you just assign a few chapters/week and talk about it, it's plenty for middle school history, and that's pretty open and go. We used the concise editions and my sons (ages 19 and 17 currently) still remember stuff they read in those books!

[kbutton]

For ATB, my son did the questions (but not the puzzle book), the map, the timeline, and the primary source book. He read some of the literature, but not all of it. I don't think we did any projects if that book had them. He did this independently, but he is my box-checker kid.

From Adam to Us is the most intensive book, and Uncle Sam, probably the least.