Suggestions Needed for Jr. High Social Studies Textbooks

[jp3]

Hello all, I am a junior high SS/Religion teacher in one of the Cincinnati Catholic Schools. We are using an updated textbook from Prentice Hall (Pearson). To be blunt, I hate this textbook! It's all over the place on our American historical roots as well as very biased against American ingenuity and foresight. My principal and parish priest are very open to using resources that have not 'revised' the world's history. Can anyone suggest a textbook company that is not revising history? The textbook we use now is called "America, History of our Nation."

[happyhomemaker]

Look up Wallbuilders and David Barton. Great history resources

[SgtHooper]

You have a unique opportunity here to teach students the importance of seeking the truth when in the midst of lies and misinformation. Find the best book you are seeking here, and then show them how information is distorted by opportunist entities to teach the wrong things, pointing out these lies in the book you despise.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Maybe Rush Limbaugh can start writing some accurate history text books.

[PIF]

You are likely correct - I did a search for the US history books I used in grade school in the late 50s, but could not find them ... were by Morrison and Commenger (I think the spelling could be off) was a two volume set.

[ebersole]

I third this book. My older kids had this book in their high school American History courses. My dad, a retired World History/Government/Civics teacher, read through it and thought it to be accurate.

[BfloGuy]

Skip textbooks altogether. They are a peculiarly American invention and unnecessary for good teachers.

Create your own lesson plans, lecture, and use hand-outs or assigned reading to reinforce them.

[Maudeen]

I would contact William J. Federer. . .more than brilliant. http://www.americanminute.com/

The following is an excerpt on his website today:

“Each year on JANUARY 16, we celebrate Religious Freedom Day in commemoration of the passage of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom,”

-wrote President George W. Bush in his 2003 Proclamation.

[Fithal the Wise]

excellent recommendation

https://shop.wallbuilders.com/browse-all

[DIRTYSECRET]

When did H.S. Studies become a major?

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Look on the Core Knowledge website. They have teacher to teacher resources. As a home school mom, I used their sequence, and a website called Original Sources. It used to be free, but now it’s subscription.

Obviously, home schoolers would be a key reference to learn what history resources are available.

[metmom]

Homeschool ping

[Chickensoup]

We never did social studies. We did history, geography, Mapping, State government, Economics, et al

Social studies is a mixup.

Study each subject separately and give them a coherent perspective.

[arthurus]

Saxon Math. There is none better. A student can teach himself without the intervention of a teacher, unlike with Public School and most private school texts. A homeschooling parent who is literate but did not do well in math can use Saxon with the kids and probably teach himself at the same time. The teacher is useful to keep the student engaged.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

The story of Columbus is not a story of prudent Columbus having difficulty convincing flat earth theorists that the world was round.

The “Flat Earth theory” myth refuted:

De mensura Orbis terrae

Instead, it was a case of Columbus succeeding in finding sponsors for his venture despite the fact that the (known) circumference of the earth was twice what Columbus claimed it was.

If you take a globe, and airbrush out the lands that the people of Europe and Asia knew nothing about, you will see that not only was Columbus’s voyage nominally suicidal, but the Great Circle route from Spain to China does not run due west from Spain. Not nearly.

[Reddy]

Notgrass has an EXCELLENT American History program. It combines history, literature and geography to reinforce the content.

Jr. High American History
http://www.notgrass.com/notgrass/america-the-beautiful.html

[arthurus]

Get some solid American History books for use at home. Better, teach the kids at home. Public School is worse than a waste of time. You have to spend as much time and effort countering what the kids do learn in class as they spend in class if you wish them to be educated. Anything significant and academic as our grandparents thought of academics the kids will have to learn outside of public school. My wife has been a public school teacher for 5 years. We home and Christian schooled our kids. A higher percentage of Public School teachers homeschool or private school their kids than members of any other profession.

[metmom]

A student can teach himself without the intervention of a teacher, unlike with Public School and most private school texts. A homeschooling parent who is literate but did not do well in math can use Saxon with the kids and probably teach himself at the same time. The teacher is useful to keep the student engaged.

I learned more homeschooling my kids than I ever learned in the public indoctrination center I attended, and that was the day when schools still taught.

[hsmomx3]

I used ABeka for history.

[kinsman redeemer]

Sonlight

[Tired of Taxes]

Most of the Catholic homeschoolers we know follow Seton Home Study's Curriculum. There are elementary level (through grade 8) and high school level books.

Here's a list of books recommended by Seton Home Study through Grade 8: Elementary School Book List through Grade 8

And here's the Seton catalog: Seton Educational Media

Actually, the textbooks aren't as expensive as I remember. We've been using secondhand textbooks-whatever I could find. But the Seton books are worth looking into.