All American History {Review}

All American History from Bright Ideas Press

I received this product for free and was compensated for my time. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not required to post a positive review. This post also contains affiliate links. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we will receive a small commission. See our Disclosure Policy for more information.

This year my daughter Kaylee entered ninth grade and we began the important step of counting high school credits. I spent much of the summer considering various courses for her, trying to balance state requirements with her interests and learning style.

Since we love Mystery of History from Bright Ideas Press, it was only natural that I would turn to BIP for an American history curriculum as well. I’m thankful to have found an excellent course that is a good fit for us: All American History.

About All American History

All American History is a complete U. S. history course, available in two volumes for grades 5-12. Each volume contains an entire year’s worth of curriculum and can be supplemented and tweaked as much or as little as desired.

  • Volume One begins with the Period of Exploration and covers U. S. history through 1840.
  • Volume Two begins with the prelude to the Civil War and continues through the early years of the 21st century.
All American History

Main components of the All American History program:
  • The Student Reader is an engaging text that reads like a good book rather than a dry textbook, bringing history to life for the student.
  • The Student Activity Guide is an interactive book that includes maps, forms, and review questions to reinforce learning.
  • The Teacher’s Guide contains a wealth of helpful information, such as suggestions for hands-on activities, research ideas, and a fantastic supplementary book list. The Teacher’s Guide also contains the answer key for the questions and activities in the Student Activity Book.

See samples: Student Reader, Student Activity Guide, Teacher’s Guide

Optional items:
  • Test Packets for high school students
  • All American History Jr. to tailor the curriculum for younger students

See samples: Test Packets, All American History Jr.

All American History Jr.

Using All American History in Your Homeschool

Each volume of All American History contains 32 lessons, one lesson for each week plus a little extra time to spend on whatever topic you choose. Each chapter includes a look at the atmosphere in America at the time, the events that occurred, and how these events affected America’s future.

Each week students read one chapter from the student reader, completing all maps and worksheets as they read. After finishing the lesson, they complete the review questions for that chapter before moving on. Plenty of hands-on ideas are included for each lesson in the Teacher’s Guide, allowing the teacher to supplement the textbook learning with activities of his/her choice.

All American History from Bright Ideas Press

Watch next week for a complete description of how we are using All American History!

What I Love About All American History

1. Christian perspective of American history

I believe that it is vitally important to study history from a Christian perspective. This is especially true when studying the history of America, a nation founded on Christian principles. While it is entirely possible to use a secular text and discuss the opposing viewpoints with a student, it is so much easier when the text is focused on a Biblical view of history.

2. Easy to use

All American History is truly a complete history curriculum. The workbook provides all the necessary worksheets and review questions for the text, eliminating the need to search for appropriate reinforcement materials.

Because Kaylee does a tremendous amount of reading, both assigned and on her own, I rely heavily on the supplementary book list included in the Teacher’s Manual. The list is divided into approximate grade levels, making it a cinch to find the very best books for any age.

3. Perfect for my “hands-off” learner

Although there are plenty of hands-on projects included in the Teacher’s Guide, Kaylee is a strong “hands-off” learner. I love that AAH can be adapted to suit her particular learning style.

Instead of completing projects, Kaylee reads extensively, maintains an American history timeline, and completes various writing assignments. These methods bring history alive for her and help her to truly understand what she is studying.

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2 Comments

  1. I went back and forth between this curriculum and My Father’s World. I ended up buying MFW, but I think I may end up buying this as well. First day on MFW and my son does not like it. Looking forward to reading you share your experience with AAH!! 🙂

    1. Judy Hoch says:

      I am very impressed with AAH, Joy. I love that it is so adaptable–and the book list is fantastic! I’ll have another update next week, and then at least one each month after that. 🙂