American History for Middle Grades

This is a Middle School American History course designed to engage students through a storytelling approach, utilizing both engaging tertiary texts and primary historical sources. Spanning U.S. history from the 13 colonies to Benjamin Franklin, the curriculum covers a broad range of topics and periods. The course integrates content from American Literature, making it suitable for students taking both subjects concurrently, though either can be taken independently. It is open to rising 6th-8th graders with proficient reading and emerging writing skills, and encourages the cultivation of discussion, writing, and scholarship skills through seminar-style discussions and assessments.

The course emphasizes historical thinking, with students learning to annotate texts, ask questions, and connect information to see causes and effects. It employs a charitable reading approach, treating classic authors as friends while examining them from a Christian perspective. Class sessions are scheduled back-to-back with the paired American Literature course, making it convenient for students taking both. However, the course can also be taken as a standalone history study.