The America the Beautiful Curriculum Package
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"America the Beautiful explores both the place called America and its history. It is organized into thirty chronological units with five lessons each. In Unit 1, students learn about America before 1492. In Unit 30, they learn about things happening in the 21st century. To give a comprehensive understanding of America, the types of lessons vary from day to day. A typical unit begins with a lesson on Our American Story. Lessons for the other four days that week relate to the time period and typically cover Daily LIfe, and American Landmark, an American Biography, and a God's Wonder. The America the Beautiful Curriculum Package includes America the Beautiful Part 1: America from 1000 to 1877 (first semester); Part 2: America from the Late 1800s to Present (second semester). Both of these books are printed in full color and filled with historic and modern illustrations and photographs. The package also includes We the People, a collection of primary source documents, as well as the consumable workbooks Maps of America the Beautiful and Timeline of America the Beautiful. It also comes with an Answer Key."--Provided by publisher.
AI Overview
The "America the Beautiful Curriculum Package" by Charlene Notgrass is a comprehensive one-year American history, geography, and literature course designed for students in grades 5-8. Here is a detailed overview of the curriculum package:
Key Themes
- Biblical Worldview: The curriculum is written with a Biblical worldview, integrating Christian perspectives into the study of American history and geography.
- Chronological Approach: The course guides students chronologically through American history, highlighting key events, people, and places.
- Unit Study Approach: Combining the flexibility of a unit study with the simplicity of a textbook-based approach, the curriculum includes various activities and resources to engage students.
- Geography and Literature: The package includes a strong focus on geography through maps and a timeline, as well as literature assignments from original documents and historical texts.
Plot Summary
The curriculum is divided into two volumes, each covering a different period of American history:
- Volume 1 covers America from 1000 to 1877, with 75 lessons that include topics such as life in America before Europeans arrived, the colonial period, the American Revolution, and the Civil War.
- Volume 2 covers America from the late 1800s to the present, with 75 lessons that include topics such as the Industrial Revolution, World Wars, and modern American society.
Each unit is broken down into five lessons, each focusing on different aspects of American history, such as:
- Our American Story: Exploring the narrative of American history.
- God’s Wonders: Examining the role of God in American history.
- An American Landmark: Studying significant landmarks and their historical context.
- An American Biography: Focusing on influential figures in American history.
- Daily Life: Exploring the daily lives of Americans throughout history.
Critical Reception
The curriculum has received positive reviews for its comprehensive and engaging approach to teaching American history and geography. Reviewers praise the variety of learning activities, the inclusion of original documents, and the ease of use for homeschooling families.
Some reviewers note that the curriculum can be rigorous, requiring significant reading and activity completion each week. However, this is seen as a positive aspect by many, as it provides a thorough education in American history and literature.
Additional Resources
The curriculum package includes several additional resources to support student learning:
- Maps of America the Beautiful: A collection of 30 maps designed to accompany the curriculum.
- Timeline of America the Beautiful: An illustrated timeline for students to add events as they learn them.
- We the People: A collection of original journal entries, newspaper articles, advertisements, poems, songs, letters, short stories, speeches, and other historic documents from American history.
- America the Beautiful Answer Key and Literature Guide: Provides answers and guidance for literature assignments.
- Student Workbook and Lesson Review: Optional books that include crosswords, word searches, matching activities, codes, and other handwork activities to help review and reinforce lesson content.
Overall, the "America the Beautiful Curriculum Package" is a well-rounded and engaging educational resource for homeschooling families and traditional classrooms, offering a comprehensive study of American history and geography with a Biblical worldview.