Notgrass Uncle Sam and You REVIEW
With last year being an election year, and my youngest daughter's growing interest in the United States government, we decided that Uncle Sam and You would be a great fit for our history/ government course for this school year.
About Uncle Sam and You Curriculum
Uncle Sam and You focuses on the foundation of the American government. The text focuses on all of the areas that come to mind when we think of U. S. government such as three branches of government, but it doesn't stop there. The program also discusses political parties, Washington, D. C. , and Native American tribal government.
Part 1 has 15 units that focus on the American people, the founding of the United States, the three levels of government, political parties, the presidency, Congress, and how America relates to the rest of the world. Part 2 also has 15 units with focus on the military, state and local government, economy, helping agencies, education, and technology.
Each unit follows the same format. The week is divided into four lessons each week with one day dedicated to learning about an American holiday. The lessons usually have at least five activities in the categories of biblical thinking, literature which comes from The Citizen's Handbook or a trade book from the included reading list, vocabulary, creative writing, and the student workbook or activity book.
How we use Uncle Sam and You
I've shared before that history is my struggle subject therefore I am really grateful that we've found a curriculum that is gentle for the mom who shies away from it yet engaging and informational for my daughters who enjoy learning something new.
Initially when we started the program, we would do the lessons as a group, but my oldest enjoys doing the lessons alone. We've readjusted to meet her needs. She does her lessons alone while I read the lessons with my youngest daughter who is currently in the fourth grade. The program is considered to be for 5th through 8th grade, but she does well with it.
The girls working on vocabulary with Notgrass Uncle Sam and You
Before the lesson of the day starts, I plan which activities are to be completed with the reading lesson of the day so both girls will know exactly what is expected. Since we use the student workbook, they complete the lesson page with each lesson. We don't use the curriculum daily, but instead we do lessons three days each week.
Although the girls do their lessons separately, we do have group discussions after both of the girls have completed their lesson, and we do the American holiday lesson together. I appreciate the flexibility of the curriculum, and the way I am able to adjust it to meet the needs of both mydaughters who are in sixth and fourth grade.