We all used this for our kids in the mid 2000’s. I saved it from use with the grandkids. Regardless of when it was written, it is interesting and unbiased. There was even a PBS series based on it.
I really think it's a great series, and am not sure why folks out there are making a big fuss about it. I remember seeing a talk by James W. Loewen, author of "Lies My Teacher Told Me", and he had recommended Joy Hakim's books which led me to use it with my students. Thank you for letting me know there was a PBS series based on it. I will definitely see if I can find it!
Yay love any video from you. I use this series alongside the US units of Core Knowledge history geography. I love History of US so much. It’s definitely enough on it’s own. It’s rich and interesting and dives deep. I love her approach. Never boring ❤️
Do you have any updates on this resource? I noticed that you stated opinions are not facts. And that this resource did not have opinions. But I just watched a review and saw in the first book there was very strong bias and opinions about the native Americans. And also stating things that just weren’t true.
Hi! I haven't seen her video yet, but I do supplement our history texts with An Indigenous Peoples' History of the US by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America by Ronald Takaki, tribal websites, as well as visit our local museums, indigenous centers, and historical sites. I also utilize other curricula (History Quest and BFB) for reading lists and activity ideas. That being said, The History of US is not perfect. It has not been updated for over 20 years (and it was initially published in 1993!), and it is written in a humorous tone (which doesn't seem appropriate in our society today) as a nonfiction reader to appeal to middle grades. Note: as a former middle school history teacher, I have found humor engaging for "dry" topics. The beauty of homeschooling is that there are many options today compared to 7+ years ago, and we get to choose what works best for our family. And after years of homeschooling and teaching, I've realized that no perfect curriculum or resource exists. So, I piecemeal our studies to get a broader perspective, teach my kids critical thinking skills, and practice discernment. I hope that helps. Thanks for commenting!
@@cozy_notes thank you so much for responding. I am a homeschooling mom that went to school to teach high school biology. History is the topic that I am most afraid of. Do you have any resources on how to have a conversation about biases or the differences we find in texts in history with small kids.
@@WildRootsLearning Apologies if I overload you with links. I'm actually working on an article that relates to this topic. Here are just a "few": www.edutopia.org/blog/teaching-young-children-social-justice-jinnie-spiegler www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/talking-to-children-about-the-history-of-slavery-in-the-united-states-a-resource-for www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-strategies/talking-young-children-about-bias-and-prejudice familiesembracingdiversity.com/real-us-history-for-kids/ There are young readers editions for the books I listed earlier and for Howard Zinn's History of the United States and Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen. Also, Julie Bogart is coming out with a companion version of her Raising Critical Thinkers geared toward kids. I incorporate higher-order thinking questions, even for my younger kids, into our conversations. Bloom's is a good reference: cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/ And as my kids age, our conversations about history, the different viewpoints (especially how they change over the decades/centuries), and facts omitted or added to textbooks are deeper and more enriching. I feel like it will prepare them for when they write research papers in the future. I hope that helps! With history, it's cyclical. We repeatedly reteach the different eras/epochs (elementary, middle school, high school, college), so it's okay if you don't go too deep when they are little. Take it seriously, but hold it lightly is my motto with education.
We don’t cell Halloween!!! This sounds like a good thing to use for my older kids as we do us geography and history!!! Our curriculum is early American history!!! We are doing it over 2 years I think!!! My older kids hate ur when their devotional uses KJV as it’s old English!!! I don’t blame them!!! We love using books as well as open and go curriculum!!! We are loving history of science books!!!
We all used this for our kids in the mid 2000’s. I saved it from use with the grandkids. Regardless of when it was written, it is interesting and unbiased. There was even a PBS series based on it.
I really think it's a great series, and am not sure why folks out there are making a big fuss about it. I remember seeing a talk by James W. Loewen, author of "Lies My Teacher Told Me", and he had recommended Joy Hakim's books which led me to use it with my students.
Thank you for letting me know there was a PBS series based on it. I will definitely see if I can find it!
Yay love any video from you. I use this series alongside the US units of Core Knowledge history geography. I love History of US so much. It’s definitely enough on it’s own. It’s rich and interesting and dives deep. I love her approach. Never boring ❤️
Glad you like them! 🥰 I agree, History of US is enough on its own. I need to check out Core Knowledge sometime. I love how it’s completely free.
Do you have any updates on this resource? I noticed that you stated opinions are not facts. And that this resource did not have opinions. But I just watched a review and saw in the first book there was very strong bias and opinions about the native Americans. And also stating things that just weren’t true.
Please see. Michelle G history of us why I won’t use this. Video.
Hi! I haven't seen her video yet, but I do supplement our history texts with An Indigenous Peoples' History of the US by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America by Ronald Takaki, tribal websites, as well as visit our local museums, indigenous centers, and historical sites. I also utilize other curricula (History Quest and BFB) for reading lists and activity ideas.
That being said, The History of US is not perfect. It has not been updated for over 20 years (and it was initially published in 1993!), and it is written in a humorous tone (which doesn't seem appropriate in our society today) as a nonfiction reader to appeal to middle grades. Note: as a former middle school history teacher, I have found humor engaging for "dry" topics.
The beauty of homeschooling is that there are many options today compared to 7+ years ago, and we get to choose what works best for our family.
And after years of homeschooling and teaching, I've realized that no perfect curriculum or resource exists. So, I piecemeal our studies to get a broader perspective, teach my kids critical thinking skills, and practice discernment.
I hope that helps. Thanks for commenting!
@@cozy_notes thank you so much for responding. I am a homeschooling mom that went to school to teach high school biology. History is the topic that I am most afraid of. Do you have any resources on how to have a conversation about biases or the differences we find in texts in history with small kids.
@@WildRootsLearning Apologies if I overload you with links. I'm actually working on an article that relates to this topic. Here are just a "few":
www.edutopia.org/blog/teaching-young-children-social-justice-jinnie-spiegler www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/talking-to-children-about-the-history-of-slavery-in-the-united-states-a-resource-for www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-strategies/talking-young-children-about-bias-and-prejudice familiesembracingdiversity.com/real-us-history-for-kids/
There are young readers editions for the books I listed earlier and for Howard Zinn's History of the United States and Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen. Also, Julie Bogart is coming out with a companion version of her Raising Critical Thinkers geared toward kids.
I incorporate higher-order thinking questions, even for my younger kids, into our conversations. Bloom's is a good reference: cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/
And as my kids age, our conversations about history, the different viewpoints (especially how they change over the decades/centuries), and facts omitted or added to textbooks are deeper and more enriching. I feel like it will prepare them for when they write research papers in the future.
I hope that helps! With history, it's cyclical. We repeatedly reteach the different eras/epochs (elementary, middle school, high school, college), so it's okay if you don't go too deep when they are little. Take it seriously, but hold it lightly is my motto with education.
@@cozy_notes thank you!
We don’t cell Halloween!!! This sounds like a good thing to use for my older kids as we do us geography and history!!! Our curriculum is early American history!!! We are doing it over 2 years I think!!! My older kids hate ur when their devotional uses KJV as it’s old English!!! I don’t blame them!!! We love using books as well as open and go curriculum!!! We are loving history of science books!!!
I didn’t understand a lick of Olde English as a kid. It wasn’t until college that I started to understand it.