You have no idea how many history curricula I’ve pored over. When you love history like I do, American history in particular, you’re naturally more finnicky the curriculum you use to teach it.
And I’ll be honest – 90% of what I have found in my 10 years of homeschooling has left me thoroughly unimpressed. Most of it is dry, boring words on a page with a few photographs thrown in. Maybe. Read and answer the questions. Do a project that may or may not relate well to the topic.
Boring. Like, incredibly, intensely boring.
But when I saw Dave Raymond’s American History, I was willing to give it a try. We had used Visual Latin, also from Compass Classroom, and loved it. CC had free lessons of the American history available online, so I watched them, liked them, and made the plunge.
It’s one of the best purchases I’ve made in all my years of homeschooling. Seriously. I only wish I could have learned history this way when I was in school.
Our love of the American History also led us to try Dave Raymond’s Modernity, (modern era history and thought,) and we were equally impressed. In fact, my oldest daughter insists this was her favorite subject in all of high school.
Dave Raymond loves history, which comes through in his video lectures. They are brief, (approximately 15 minutes each,) but chock full of fascinating information blended with artwork and photo images to keep things interesting. The American History I have used with two high schoolers thus far and the Modernity with one, and I enjoy the videos so much myself I have always tried to stop what I’m doing to watch with my kids.
There is a downloadable Teacher’s Guide and Exams, as well as project instructions and a year-long portfolio. There’s a student reader as well, full of original source materials to coincide with the videos. If you know how I appreciate primary source documentation in the study of history, then you’ll understand why I consider this so valuable!
I’ve also been impressed with the solid Christian worldview of Dave Raymond’s materials. While so many people prefer to think education can be religiously neutral in its perspective, information will always be presented with bias. Always. Worldview matters, and it is important for parents to consider the viewpoint from which their kids learn, and this may be more crucial in the study of history than almost anywhere else. I have loved that Dave Raymond’s history series in every way confirms the biblical perspective and values I hold.
And, yes, I said series! In addition to the American History and Modernity courses now available at Compass Classroom, on August 15 a new course, Antiquity, will be available in digital format. I am so excited for its release!
All of these products, along with virtually everything else at Compass Classroom, is on sale now through August 7. With discounts up to 50% off, this isn’t a sale you want to miss. In addition to Dave Raymond’s history series, in our homeschool we have also used Visual Latin 1 and 2, Economics for Everybody, and WordUp. These, too, are video curricula of superb quality, and we have been incredibly happy with them all.
Also check out Grammar for Writers. I’m afraid I’ve always taken more of a “does it sound right” approach to proper grammar usage in my writing, which has worked well for me personally, but is more of a struggle for a couple of my children. This course simplifies things to make the mechanics of good grammar clearer and much more understandable. I’ve been impressed with it so far.
I mean it when I say it: Compass Classroom is my favorite homeschooling curricula company. My kids’ favorite, too! And Dave Raymond’s history courses are the best I’ve seen. They are now required high school courses in our homeschool, and I can’t tell you how glad I am to have discovered a history curriculum equal to my own love of history!
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