I have long heard of TruthQuest History, nearly as long as I have been an official homeschooler. I had also heard it had an excellent list of literature but was hard to figure out. I kept skipping over it as an option to use. I wish I would learn to check things out for myself instead of only relying on another’s interpretation of what is hard/easy to implement. What is too loose for one family may be just the flexibility needed by another. I am so glad to have the opportunity to see with my own eyes the pages of these guides.
Did you notice the tagline for TruthQuest? “God initiates…People respond…History happens” That lets you know right there that The Creator is The Author. History is not random events and dates, but a grand story about God and man. I love how Mrs. Miller puts it here (copied from lesson 5 of AHYS1):
Remember, history is not first about what people do, it’s about what they believe to be true.
So while you’re learning about Jamestown, try to dig deeper. What motivated the founders
of Jamestown? Later, when you learn about the first Pilgrim colony, you can compare the
motivations–and long-lasting influence–of both. Fascinating…and insightful…because
we’re not learning America’s story just so we know famous names and dates; we’re trying to
learn what is good and true! And everything good and true is not just about the past, it is
forevermore!
We have recently been blessed with the first guide in the American History for Young Students series. This guide covers the time period from the first explorers (Leif Ericson, Christopher Columbus, Francisco de Coronado and many others) to 1800 and the Federal Period, just introducing pioneers and expansion. There are three guides covering American History for young students, grades 1-5. You have the choice of a printed book for $24.95 or a pdf for $19.95 You can also download samples of each guide and peek at the Table of Contents to see just what each guide covers. Guides for world history and older learners are also available.
I enjoy how Michelle Miller, the author, starts the guide with a conversation to the reader – confirming just how easy it is to read some great literature with our children, guide the understanding and conversations with the notes from the pages of this guide and our children will really learn and enjoy history. I have often thought it could be this easy to take history from boring names and dates to exciting stories that my children want to learn about and will remember. The reader is reminded that this history is different than what you may be used to and that is good, very good!
There is great literature listed: non-fiction, fiction–even some picture books. One of the suggested “spines” we have found as an audio on Librivox (we enjoy listening to This Country of Ours by H.E. Marshall during lunch). But there is more. This is not a text with a lesson and all of the facts to be learned laid out for you. It is a guide with some commentary to guide you. You may not find all of the books listed in the guide–you aren’t intended to use them all. I found some at our library, but not all.
I would try to have something I would read aloud to all of the children, a selection for the independent readers and another with interesting pictures. This is my own personal guideline in selecting which books to use. Some topics we would pick out many more than that. Others, I might do well to only have one option tied to the specific person or event. Some topics, like Explorers, have many subtopics (13) or Figures of the War of Independence (25), or no subtopics at all. This is where you choose how in depth to study a topic. You may spend a day or weeks — you are the teacher, you know what is best for your family. That is the beauty and flexibility.
Finding something to make American history enjoyable to learn with my children is a blessing; even better that I can “do” history with all of my children together. Our day is more streamlined (leaving more time for Mama to work one-on-one in the truly needed areas like math and reading) and the conversations (narrations, playing — whatever it looks like in your family on any given day) happen naturally. My children have had great fun playing “explorer” as each one has taken a special interest in “their own explorer” from our readings. This shows me how much they are learning, remembering and enjoying. What can be better than that?
There is a great Yahoo group for users of (and those interested in learning more about) TruthQuest History. In the short time I have been subscribed, I have seen schedules, book recommendations and much more being shared. There are also many supplemental resources created by A Journey Through Learning with Mrs. Miller so they are perfectly coordinated. These are available on the TruthQuest site or through AJTL.
Many TOS Homeschool Crew families reviewed various guides from TruthQuest. To read their reviews check out the Crew blog.
Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew, I received this item free of charge in order to do this review. I was not required to write a positive review; all opinions expressed are my own.