HISTORY CURRICULUM REVIEW |AMERICA’S STORY 1 | MasterBooks | HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM

Life of Tillmans

12 Apr 202322:30

EducationalLearning

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TLDRIn this educational channel video, Morgan from the Life of Tillmans reviews 'America Story One' by Master Books, a Charlotte Mason-style history curriculum for ages 8 to 11. The review covers the textbook, teacher's guide, and additional resources like timeline cards. Morgan shares her homeschooling experience, highlighting the curriculum's engaging storytelling approach, while also discussing areas for improvement, such as the portrayal of Native Americans. She emphasizes the importance of sparking discussions and adapting the curriculum to fit individual educational goals.

Takeaways

📚 The video is a review of the 'America Story One' history curriculum by Master Books, written in a Charlotte Mason style by Angela Odell.
👩‍🏫 The curriculum is recommended for ages 8 to 11, or third through sixth grade, and includes a textbook and a teacher's guide.
📚 The textbook contains 28 chapters and is designed to be a living history experience, engaging students with stories and thought-provoking questions.
📈 The teacher's guide provides weekly lesson schedules, student activity sheets, reviews, and key answers, supporting teachers in implementing the curriculum.
🎨 The curriculum includes opportunities for art, such as sketching and drawing, integrating history with creative activities.
🗺️ Timeline cards are available as an additional purchase, enhancing the learning experience by providing a visual representation of historical events.
👂 An audio version of the curriculum is available, which can be beneficial for auditory learners or for those who prefer listening to reading.
📈 The curriculum is structured around daily lessons, with a mix of reading, narration, and activities spread over multiple days for each chapter.
🤔 The video highlights the importance of discussing historical perspectives and biases, acknowledging that the curriculum may not always reflect current societal views.
🌐 The reviewer emphasizes the value of the curriculum in sparking conversations and encouraging critical thinking about history within the family.
📚 The curriculum is part of a series, with 'America Story Two' and 'America Story Three' potentially being used in subsequent years.

Q & A

What is the name of the history curriculum reviewed in the video?
-The history curriculum reviewed is called 'America Story One' by Master Books.
Who is the author of 'America Story One'?
-The author of 'America Story One' is Angela Odell.
What style is the 'America Story One' curriculum written in?
-The curriculum is written in a Charlotte Mason style.
What are the components included in the 'America Story One' set?
-The set includes a textbook with all the stories, a teacher's guide with worksheets, and timeline cards (which can be an additional purchase).
What additional resources can be used with the 'America Story One' curriculum?
-Additional resources include color timeline cards, which can be purchased online, and an audio version of the curriculum.
What is the age range recommended for the 'America Story One' curriculum?
-The curriculum is recommended for ages 8 to 11, or for third through sixth grade.
How many chapters are there in 'America Story One'?
-There are 28 chapters in 'America Story One'.
What is the purpose of the 'ready to explore' section in each chapter?
-The 'ready to explore' section provides thought-provoking questions for students to answer as they progress through the chapter.
What types of activities are included in the teacher's guide?
-The teacher's guide includes weekly lesson schedules, student activity sheets, reviews, key answers, narration answers, draw and write pages, and timeline projects.
How does the curriculum handle the portrayal of Native Americans?
-The curriculum refers to Native Americans as 'Indians' and sometimes uses terms like 'angry,' 'violent,' 'hostile,' and 'unfriendly' to describe them, which the reviewer suggests is a growth opportunity for the curriculum.
What is the reviewer's perspective on the overall effectiveness of the curriculum?
-The reviewer found the curriculum engaging and effective in bringing history to life, sparking discussions and providing a broad stroke of history details, but also noted areas for improvement and growth opportunities.
What additional insights did the reviewer provide about the curriculum's approach to history?
-The reviewer emphasized that the curriculum provides a living history experience, encourages critical thinking through questions, and offers opportunities for deeper exploration, but also highlighted the need for balance and respect in the portrayal of historical figures and events.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to 'America Story One' History Curriculum

Morgan introduces the 'America Story One' history curriculum by Master Books, designed for ages 8 to 11 and written by Angela Odell in a Charlotte Mason style. The curriculum includes a textbook with 28 chapters, a teacher's guide with worksheets, and optional timeline cards. Morgan emphasizes the importance of adapting the curriculum to fit her family's needs and mentions her background with history, highlighting her desire to instill a love for history in her children, which she feels she missed out on in her own education.

05:02

🔍 Detailed Breakdown of 'America Story One' Components

The video script provides an in-depth look at the components of 'America Story One,' including the textbook with its engaging storytelling approach, thought-provoking questions, and narration breaks. It also covers the teacher's guide, which offers weekly lesson schedules, student activity sheets, reviews, and key answers. Morgan discusses the additional resources like timeline cards and special project ideas, and how they contribute to a comprehensive learning experience.

10:02

🎨 Creative and Interactive Learning with 'America Story One'

Morgan explores the interactive elements of the curriculum, such as sketching, map adventures, and grammar exercises, which aim to deepen the students' understanding of historical events. The script details the structure of the lessons, including daily activities and how they build upon each other over a five-day cycle for each chapter. It also touches on the importance of discussions and additional research to enrich the learning experience.

15:03

🌐 Utilizing Timelines and Audio for Enhanced Learning

The script discusses the use of timelines as a visual aid for understanding historical sequences and mentions the availability of a color version for purchase. It also highlights the option of an audio version of the curriculum, which Morgan regrets not utilizing due to the reading demands on her and her daughters. The audio version is presented as a valuable tool for辅助 learning and engagement.

20:04

🤔 Addressing Sensitive Content and Opportunities for Growth

Morgan addresses the sensitive content found in the curriculum, particularly the portrayal of Native Americans, and the need for growth and improvement in the curriculum's representation. She discusses the importance of respectful terminology and balanced perspectives, using these moments as opportunities for discussion and further research with her children. This approach fosters critical thinking and a deeper understanding of history's complexities.

🌟 Reflecting on the Overall Experience with 'America Story One'

In the final paragraph, Morgan reflects on the overall experience with the curriculum, highlighting the enjoyable reading and the age-appropriate content that allowed her children to engage with the material independently. She acknowledges the areas for improvement while appreciating the curriculum's ability to spark conversations and provide a broad overview of history. Morgan also hints at upcoming curriculum choices for the next academic year, inviting viewers to follow for updates.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Charlotte Mason style

The Charlotte Mason style is an educational approach that emphasizes living books, narration, and a rich, integrated curriculum. In the video, the 'America Story One' curriculum is described as being written in this style, which aims to bring history to life and engage students in a more interactive and immersive learning experience. The script mentions that this style helps to make history feel like a story, enhancing the learning process.

💡Master Books

Master Books is a publisher known for producing educational materials, often with a Christian perspective. In the script, 'America Story One' is a history curriculum published by Master Books, indicating that the content may be tailored to align with certain religious or moral values, which is a key aspect for some homeschooling families.

💡History curriculum

A history curriculum is a planned sequence of educational activities and materials designed to teach students about past events and societies. In the video, the host reviews the 'America Story One' curriculum, discussing its components, teaching approach, and suitability for different grade levels, which is central to the video's theme of homeschooling and educational resources.

💡Timeline cards

Timeline cards are a teaching tool used to help students visualize the sequence of historical events. The script mentions that timeline cards are an additional purchase for the 'America Story One' curriculum, suggesting they are a supplementary resource to enhance students' understanding of the chronological order of historical events.

💡Teacher's guide

A teacher's guide is a resource that provides instructions and support for educators using a particular curriculum. In the context of the video, the teacher's guide for 'America Story One' includes worksheets and activities for students, which is essential for structuring the learning process and ensuring that educational objectives are met.

💡Narration break

A narration break is a pause in the reading where students are asked to recount what they have read in their own words. The script describes how the 'America Story One' curriculum includes narration breaks, which is a technique to check understanding and reinforce learning by having students retell historical events or stories.

💡Thought-provoking questions

Thought-provoking questions are designed to stimulate critical thinking and deeper engagement with the material. The video mentions that the curriculum includes such questions, like 'How do you think people first arrived in the Americas?', which are used to encourage students to reflect and analyze historical scenarios.

💡Historical fiction

Historical fiction is a genre of literature that blends historical events with imaginative storytelling. The script notes that one of the host's daughters is enjoying historical fiction, indicating that the curriculum has sparked an interest in history that extends beyond the classroom, showing the broader impact of educational materials.

💡Special projects

Special projects are additional activities or assignments that go beyond the standard curriculum to provide a deeper or more creative exploration of a topic. The video script mentions that the curriculum includes ideas for special projects, which can help to make history more engaging and personalized for students.

💡Growth opportunities

Growth opportunities refer to areas where there is room for improvement or development. In the context of the video, the host identifies 'growth opportunities' within the curriculum, such as the terminology used to refer to Native Americans, suggesting that there is potential for the curriculum to evolve and become more culturally sensitive.

💡Audio version

An audio version of a text is a recording of the content, which can be used for listening rather than reading. The script mentions that an audio version of the 'America Story One' curriculum is available, which could be beneficial for students with different learning preferences or for those who need a break from reading.

Highlights

Review of 'America Story One' history curriculum by Master Books, written by Angela Odell in a Charlotte Mason style.

Suitable for ages 8 to 11, or third through sixth grade.

Includes 28 chapters and a teacher's guide with worksheets.

Optional timeline cards available for purchase.

Curriculum designed to bring history to life with engaging stories.

Author's personal history background and perspective on teaching history.

Importance of adapting the curriculum to fit family interests and needs.

Detailed flip-through of the textbook, showcasing its structure and content.

Discussion of the teacher's guide, including weekly lesson schedules and answer keys.

Inclusion of special project ideas to enhance the learning experience.

Availability of an audio version of the curriculum for an additional cost.

Use of color timeline cards for visual learning.

Growth opportunities identified in the curriculum regarding the portrayal of Native Americans.

Encouragement for families to have discussions and do additional research on sensitive historical topics.

Appreciation for the curriculum's age-appropriate reading and storytelling approach.

Personalization of the curriculum to suit the Tillman household's needs.

Anticipation for the next year's curriculum picks and a call to subscribe for updates.

Transcripts

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Related Tags

History Curriculum Master Books Charlotte Mason Angela Odell Homeschooling Educational Review Native Americans Timeline Cards Charlotte Mason Style American History