An American civics course for young children? Yes, please! This new series of 7 “open-and-go” workbooks covers a broad range of topics, providing kids with a solid foundation of American citizenship. Author John Degree seeks to instill an understanding and appreciation of civics in students, as well as a patriotic love for our country. Books are as user-friendly as you can get! Each workbook includes lessons with detailed “Ideas for Instruction” and easy steps for use with lower, middle, and upper elementary students (whether at home or in a class/co-op setting). Workbooks progress in difficulty a bit as you move up through them.
Engaging lessons teach America’s heritage, the story of its founding, the Constitution, the basics of how American government functions, and more! Lessons typically feature a two-page spread, with a page of text to be read aloud followed by comprehension questions (children unable to write answer orally), detailed coloring pages with a lesson summary at the bottom, key words for learning to paraphrase, timeline cards (Book 6), and an oral presentation for 3rd-5th graders. Multiple-choice quizzes spread throughout the book help to gauge a student’s understanding, while the answer key for questions and quizzes is found at the back. Animated videos, which will provide reinforcement of lessons, are still in production at www.classicalhistorian.com.
Two scope and sequence options are provided in each workbook: one for teaching grade-level students in a class setting sing one lesson per week and two books per year, and one for using all 7 books in a 9-month school year, doing 2-3 lessons per week. Since the books are consumable, you will want one for each student in your family. There are so many ways you could use these workbooks, so find what works best for you. The content is fantastic, no matter how you do it!
Note: Book 7, filled with patriotic songs, is recommended for use alongside each of the workbooks for every age level, so that students are singing them throughout the year.
