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America: An Integrated Curriculum
How to Implement This Program
America is a complete program (except math) for 3rd, 4th, 5th, and/or 6th grade students. Rather than use the word grade in the study, I refer to grade three students as Level 3, grade four as Level 4, etc. There are ten weeks of regular instruction and one week at the end for summary projects and activities.
Each student should have a daily work notebook for assignments. When I began writing the studies, I debated whether students should write in notebooks or use worksheets. I chose to use the notebook method for two main reasons: 1) you can use this curriculum for more than one student, and 2) it is less expensive for us to produce so we can sell it for a lower price. Each day students should write the day of the week and the date in their notebook in the following manner: Monday, September 1, 1999.
Peter Marshall and David Manuel's books differ from traditional textbooks in several ways. They are written in story form, so the reading is more interesting than a textbook. Also, the authors have a specific spiritual theme through the books: They call people to repentance and right living before God. In the Bible section of the studies, students read and memorize Bible verses and passages that relate to Mr. Marshall and Mr. Manuel's message and to ideas found in the fictional books used for reading (see the Book List). Students are encouraged to apply Biblical principles to their lives.
Approximately five weekly spelling words are provided for two levels (3/4 and 5/6). Additional spelling words can be taken from the Dolch sight word list (in the Appendix) and from the student's writing. Suggestions for practicing spelling words and common spelling rules are also found in the Appendix. Students will practice spelling the days of the week and the months of the year daily as they write the day and date in their daily work notebook.
Students practice handwriting during spelling and/or English lessons. For reference, a list of
easy-to-copy cursive letters is printed in the Appendix. Several things to keep in mind as you are teaching handwriting: Keep it simple and remember the purpose of cursive - to connect letters to enable one to write faster. Also, don't rush your student. If he or she is not ready for
cursive, wait a while and begin again. Students should practice good posture when writing by sitting with their feet on the floor and tilting the left side of the paper slightly toward the body. If a student is left-handed, he or she should tilt the paper toward the right side of the body.
Students study grammar, capitalization, and punctuation in the English section of this study. Writing is taught in the Writing section, but writing assignments are also found in all subjects. Students will study, copy, and write poetry and create a poetry booklet. I recommend that, in addition to the writing assignments found in this study, students write one friendly letter or formal letter each week. The format for these types of letters is found in the Appendix.
Students label locations on maps for their Geography study. They will also create a book of presidents and a state book as they work through the "From Every Mountainside" and "Let Freedom Ring" studies.
Two science lessons and related activities are provided at the beginning of each week; you can choose where you want to use this material. Two possible options: 1) Read the lesson one day and do the related activity/activities the next day (in this way you would have science four days each week), 2) Read the lesson and complete the related activity or activities on the same day (this method would result in two days of science).
Lesson plans for Fridays include art/craft projects, music activities, and time line work. There is no problem, however, if you homeschool four days a week instead of five. If you choose to use this method, complete one day of the America curriculum each day you have school and ignore the week designations or include Friday's work in your Monday through Thursday assignments.
Other materials offered in America: a list of goals and objectives, an extended reading list, notes to the teacher, time line figures, suggestions for younger/older students, and a complete answer key (located at the end of each study).
About the Student Workbook for America
Year 1 of America has now been available to homeschooling parents for several
years. One request from some parents is to have a student workbook available. Although I decided to create a workbook for each year, it is an optional item. This workbook is available in three sections, one for each 11-week study; it is available in
3-hole-punch format. See several sample pages at the end of this information.
The workbook is designed to be used instead of the daily work notebook that is mentioned throughout America. Most English exercises, short written assignments, lists, and dictations are examples of work that will be completed in this student workbook.
The workbook also eliminates the need for a teacher to create a daily assignment sheet; all reading and independent work is included in the workbook. When an activity is not included in the workbook, it should be completed with the teacher or in a group. Please note that students who use this workbook will still create an English Rules and Definitions Booklet and a Bible Memory Book. Students will write and copy poetry on separate paper so they can put together a poetry book at the end of the year. The state and president pages that they begin to make in the second 11-week study will also be put on separate sheets so they can form state and president books at the end of the year. Students are instructed to write some writing assignments on separate paper. These assignments can then be punched with a hole punch and added to the workbook.
A suggested schedule for using this workbook follows:
1) Begin the school day with prayer.
2) Have a pre-America time with your student(s). Note that the highlighted parts of the sheets tell you what information/teaching your student needs before working independently.
3) Student works independently. (Levels 3/4 students will probably need help during this time.) Have the America study available in a consistent place so
student(s) can read parts when their workbook instructs them to do this.
4) After your student has read and worked independently, have a post-independent time to ask and answer questions and to complete group activities.
Now that a student workbook is available for each year of America, parents have a choice:
1) Each student may use a spiral notebook as the daily work notebook (inexpensive option),
2) You are able to purchase a workbook for each student for daily work (more expensive option)
Keep in mind, however, that America is an interactive program. Although a portion of the work will be completed independently, the discussions and interactions between the teacher and the student(s) are important parts of the curriculum. My desire is that making America available in another form will enable more parents to choose to teach with an integrated curriculum. The advantages to an integrated program are numerous: Students of varying ages can learn together, less time needs to be spent in school, and information is reinforced in all subjects, so it is learned more thoroughly.
SAMPLE PAGES from the WORKBOOK
for DAYS 1 & 2 of the FIRST WEEK of the "LET FREEDOM RING" Study
Notes to the teacher:
1) The parts that are highlighted in the worksheets are printed in blue on these sample pages.
2) I chose to have samples of the days that correspond with the sample week (Week 1 of "Let Freedom Ring").
3) For this sample, I did not reprint the graph that students fill in on Day 2, but the graph is included in the worksheets.
SCIENCE -- WEEK 1
Read Lesson 1 (pp. 1-2 in "Let Freedom Ring" -- abbreviated LFR).
ACTIVITY 1: Name some objects in space__________________
_________________________________________________
WEEK 1 -- DAY 1
HISTORY: Day and Date__________________________
Read the introduction, titled "The Divine Watchmater," on pages 7-11 of Sounding Forth the Trumpet.
READING:
Read the first paragraph in the READING section (pg. 4 in LFR).
Levels 3 and 4: Read Chapter 1 in What Are You Figuring Now?.
ACTIVITY: Make a list of the things that Benjamin counted:_____
__________________________________________________
Then find several things to count in your house. What two things couldn't he
count? _____________________ Why?_________
__________________________________________________ What is something you can't count?________________________
Also read the information, answer the questions, and complete the activities found between the three stars in the middle of pg. 4 of LFR and the three stars at the top of pg. 5 in LFR.
Levels 5 and 6: Examine the front cover of Amos Fortune, Free Man. What do you see? Read the back cover and the introduction on the first page of the book.
Read the information, answer the questions, and complete the activities found between the three stars in the middle of pg. 4 of LFR and the three stars at the top of pg. 5 in LFR.
Read Chapter 1 in Amos Fortune, Free Man. The title of the chapter is "Africa 1725."
BIBLE:
1. Read the first paragraph in the BIBLE section (pg. 7 in LFR). Then read the following:
The verses you read about in Sounding Forth the Trumpet are from Psalm 33. Read the entire chapter.
2. Read the paragraphs in the BIBLE section (pg. 7 in LFR).
Read the following verse, write it in your Bible Memory Book, and memorize it: I John 3:1.
SPELLING:
Levels 3 and 4: battle, count, can't, doesn't, they're
Levels 5 and 6: divine, watchmaker, classic, vendue, indispensable
Study the first word today. Cover up the word and write it in the blank:
Levels 3/4: They're discouraged because they can't count and the man doesn't want to fight in the __________.
Levels 5/6: The _______________ watchmaker is indispensable.
WEEK 1 -- DAY 2
READING: Day and Date__________________________
Levels 3 and 4: Answer the QUESTIONS for Chapter 1 (see pg. 6 in LFR).
Read note #1 and note #2 in the More About Benjamin Banneker section (page 6 in What Are You Figuring Now? ).
Levels 5 and 6: Read Chapter 2 ("The Middle Passage") in Amos Fortune Free Man.
VOCABULARY 1: What is a synonym for the word manacles (pg. 16)? Look up in a dictionary the word truculent (pg. 32) and compose an original sentence that contains this word.
__________________________________________________
VOCABULARY 2: The words in the Word List (below) are found in the next few chapters of Amos Fortune Free Man. Connect the words and make a crossword puzzle; use the space found below. Write clues and see if someone can solve your puzzle (give a word list if necessary). Note: Use graph paper for the puzzle that you give to someone.
Word List:
stalwart (pg. 54) stolid (37) vendue (50) indispensable (56)
impassive (59) quitclaim (67) spavined (76) chattel (54)
ENGLISH:
ACTIVITY 2: Review the basic rules for creating contractions that you wrote in your English Rules and Definitions Booklet.
ACTIVITY 3: Match the contraction with the corresponding words by writing the correct letter in each blank:
1. _____ she'll a. will not
2. _____ they're b. I will
3. _____ I'll c. can not
4. _____ he's d. there is
5. _____ we'd e. he is
6. _____ who's f. they are
7. _____ can't g. she will
8. _____ doesn't h. who is
9. _____ won't i. does not
10._____ there's j. we would
QUESTION: Which contractions are exceptions to a rule? Circle the exceptions.
HISTORY:
Read the BACKGROUND INFORMATION (pg. 7 of LFR). Then read the following paragraphs and complete the ACTIVITY:
This year you learned that the first slaves were brought to America in 1619. By 1750 there were 200,000 slaves in the colonies; most of them lived in the South. There may have been as many as 40,000 or more free blacks by 1770. These people were free because of various reasons. Some free black people were descendants of indentured servants, others were runaway slaves, and still others were black immigrants from the West Indies.
As the colonies moved toward war with England, most blacks sided with England because they felt that a British victory would give them their earliest opportunity for freedom. Five thousand black men, however, did fight with American Patriots.
The census taken in 1790 after the Revolutionary War reveals that there were 59,000 free blacks in the United States; 27,000 of these people lived in the North. In the early 1800s, 700,000 slaves lived in the South. That may seem like a large number, but it is small compared to the number of slaves in the South in 1860 (right before the Civil War began): 4,000,000. It is interesting to also know the number of free blacks in 1860: 490,000.
ACTIVITY: Since it is hard to compare the figures in the previous two paragraphs just by reading them, use the information in bold print to help you create graphs.
The horizontal lines on the graph printed below are million marks. The small dashes between the million marks represent a half million (500,000).
Shade in the rectangles (or parts of them) to show the correct number. For example, in 1750 there were 200,000 slaves in the colonies. In the 1750 column of the slave graph, shade in a little less than half of the area from the bottom line to the small dash.
The graph is available in the Sample Week.
BIBLE:
Read information printed at the bottom of pg. 8 in LFR.
Read Psalm 19:1-4a and have a discussion with your teacher.
SPELLING:
Study the second spelling word today. After you've studied it, write it in the blank:
Levels 3/4: They're discouraged because they can't _______ and the man doesn't want to fight in the battle.
Levels 5/6: The divine ________________ is indispensable.
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