Is there a realistic American history curriculum out there?

[abreakfromlife]

I'm wondering if there is some kind of curriculum or book that has, or at least really tries, to give a balanced American history? Let's see if I can explain what I"m looking for :tongue_smilie: I loved the Margaret Pumphrey book about Pilgrim stories when I was little. I want them to know the 'mythical America'. I think it is an important cultural thing to have, and the early America stories are just fun for kids.

 

But at the same time, I want them to know that it wasn't all fun and games, that they weren't all nice and friendly Pilgrims.

 

But I don't want to go to the other extreme and completely demonize early America. Yes, the colonists did some bad things, but they also did do a lot of good things. Our country is here because of them. I really dislike what seems to be the current trend of just telling the mythical stories in elementary school, and then in high school reading The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible and talking about how bad the Puritans were.

 

I want to teach them about the 'first' Thanksgiving, but also about King Phillips War. I want them to know the great story of Mary Rowlandson's captivity and escape, but also how Anne Hutchinson was treated. The Pilgrims and Indians were human. There is good and bad about both of their stories. I want to try and teach that to the kids if it's possible. There are some great books out there for adults, but is there any kind of curriculum that even comes close to that for kids?

[hsmom]

a lot of what you are wanting to cover is int eh A hsitory of us by Joy Hakim. Also if you love stories there is American History stories...you never read in school...but should have volumes 1 & 2 by mara l. pratt, m.d. http://rainbowresource.com/prodlist.php?sid=1232121242-15365&subject=14&category=4412

[charlotteb]

I know Story of the World doesn't have a stand-alone American history text, but we just covered King Phillip's War in Volume 3. It was pointed out that this was the same tribe of Indians and the same Pilgrim group who were involved.

[Maria/ME]

I asked a similar question a bit ago. And perhaps we have entirely different ideas of what we are looking for in American History. It sounds like you want an even handed look at American History and I want a less patriotic stance in American History, but either way, you may get some help, thoughts and ideas from looking over this thread~meanwhile, I'll sit and :lurk5: on this thread an maybe get some more ideas too!

[PeterPan]

Just as an observation, you may be wanting all that, but your dc might just want some hands-on and to have fun with it. I suggest you look for the most practical program to implement that will be FUN for your dc, then bring in the perspective stuff with some add-on books or tackle it in later years, as your dc get older and can appreciate it. :)

 

I had worked up all kinds of plans to make sure my dd got the proper philosophical approach in our american history studies this year, but when push came to shove, with the new baby and all, I realized something that was easy for me to implement and FUN was more important. I just don't have time or energy to add on all the fun stuff, but I can easily throw in a book if I want. She can get philosophical and have perspective next time through. I'm going WP AC with my dd, but with your mix, WP AS or AA would be a better choice.

[dragons in the flower bed]

Also if you love stories there is American History stories...you never read in school...but should have volumes 1 & 2 by mara l. pratt, m.d.

 

This is available on LibriVox.org, too.

[Karenciavo]

I just ad lib for my 6 yo, for instance we recently covered the Indian Removal Act and we discussed the unfair policy and treatment toward the five tribes affected. Tapestry of Grace does good job of looking at history in an honest and fair light and my older two read the various books suggested in TOG. As a Christian, my philosophy on the matter is if God showed us the warts of his people in his word why would I try to hide the faults of the men and women who founded and grew this nation to where it is today.

[HappyGrace]

with OhE-for the first time through, getting the events down in a fun way is enough. Then you can delve into the balancing act next time around.

 

If you still want to present it like you're saying this time around, you could get a book for *yourself* to read through that presents the events in the manner you described, and then when you encounter things in your readings with them, you can shed some light on it based on what you've gleaned in your own readings. I've been trying this method more myself lately, especially with Bible readings, and it works really well. I'm delving deep in the Word with a good study Bible and commentary so that then when I read with them, I'm prepared to sprinkle in additional info I've learned in my studies. Very effective and keeps the info from being overwhelming or over their heads.

 

I'm not sure what you could read for yourself that presents history in a balanced way though-maybe someone will have a suggestion.

[Carol in Cal.]

One thing I did was look for balance in our extra reading.

 

For instance, I realized that DD really didn't have any sense of how early Europeans could have looked at NA's as threatening, about 1 1/2 years ago. Just about everything that she had ever heard or read about NA's was quite positive, to the point where it was unrealistic. I think that there is a place for some of that, but that it should be accurate; and like you, I wanted her to have a sense of how past generations viewed the situation, even if that turns out to be not quite realistic either.

 

So I read her "The Matchlock Gun" and several books by Speare. (She had never liked the Little House books enough for us to slog through all of them, so that was out.) Now I feel that she understands the early settler POV, whether her sympathies are with them or not; and that she understands that most people's sympathies were steered toward the early settler POV until about 1965 by everything that they read and heard in school.

 

I think that All American History is reasonably balanced in this regard, but it's not the most engaging curriculum and has vocabulary that is challenging for someone under about 6-7th grade. You really have to read it yourself and paraphrase it for younger kids. It's not as grab and go as SOTW is.

[KristineinKS]

A History of US by Joyce Hakim is wonderful...A Young People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn and Rebecca Stefoff is also good but much more brief (there are only 2 volumes in the series). For presenting Native American history (as it corresponds to US History), Rethinking Columbus is excellent. I've also really liked the Sterling Biographies for reading about notable Americans...they don't paint an overly rosy portrait of anyone and are quite truthful and balanced.

[Donna T.]

Whether or not you want a whole curriculum in a box kind of thing, you may want to check out WinterPromise. We used another curriculum (not WP) for a one year overview of American History when my oldest son was a second grader. I was continually going to the WP catalog to find their book suggestions (to use with the other curriculum) and they were always our favorite. During that time, I briefly corresponded with a rep. from WP and I found out, to my delight, that they shared the same goals and concerns that I had as I sought a balanced American history curriculum. Also, it's not listed in their catalog, but Hakim's series is included as optional readings in their American Story programs. I'm planning on using Sonlight next year for American History and I trust that they will give us a balanced approach, but since I actually corresponded with a real live person from WP and they expressed a genuine desire to offer a realistic presentation of American history, I thought I'd share that with you.

[SnowWhite]

I was also thinking of WinterPromise. ESPECIALLY if you use the readers for the LA program, you get a pretty balanced view.

[siloam]

Sally,

 

I would recommend either TruthQuest or WP AS 1 for the ages you have. TruthQuest will be more comprehensive, but has no set schedule. You work at your own pace. WP AS 1 won't cover everything, but it is a good overview and appropriate for the ages you have. It doesn't sugar coat things either.

 

Down the road Sonlight and Tapestry of Grace both tackle difficult issues and look at them from more than one point of view.

 

Heather

[dhudson]

You could look at MFW's Adventures curriculum. We are using MFW's Exp to 1850 and it's pretty balanced between reality and what the kids can handle. I love reading about what is happening in the whole world at that same time as well.

[Mommy22alyns]

Bumping and subbing... :lurk5:

[MamaT]

I am currently using Hakim's History of Us for American History this year with my three youngest. While it does have a more liberal slant than I would like, it makes room for discussion. We have all enjoyed using this very much.

[abbeyej]

I'll second (or third, fourth?) the recommendation of Hakim's History of US. It's very balanced -- good and bad, the noble with the ignoble -- and interesting to read. Really marvelous. I've read some of Zinn, and it was a little too extreme the other way for me. We may read it and compare alongside some other histories when my kids are older, but it's not my choice for elementary (or even middle school). Hakim, on the other hand, is wonderful.

[G5052]

They're really best for 3rd and up IMHO, but you could look at their book lists for some gems and perhaps some with older children will look at this thread. I wasn't comfortable with some of the books in My Father's World Years 4 and 5, and prefer having things organized for me.

[Donna A.]

They're really best for 3rd and up IMHO, but you could look at their book lists for some gems and perhaps some with older children will look at this thread. I wasn't comfortable with some of the books in My Father's World Years 4 and 5, and prefer having things organized for me.

 

MFW Years 4 and 5 is intended for older students. Adventures is more age appropriate for the op's children. http://www.mfwbooks.com/adventures_my_fathers_world.htm