Timberdoodle: Uncle Sam and You Review

Being an election year, I want my kids to have a better understanding of our government.  As you may have noticed on our Homeschool 2016-20-17 plans, we intend on using Uncle Sam and You curriculum for social studies with our older children.

Our friends at Timberdoodle have sent us this Notgrass curriculum set and we looked forward to writing this  Uncle Sam and You review.

About This Product:

This Notgrass Company kit includes:

• Uncle Sam and You Part 1, 75 lessons.
• Uncle Sam and You Part 2, 75 lessons.
• The Citizen’s Handbook
• Uncle Sam and You Answer Key

Between all of the books, you have a full year of learning about civics and government.  This program is geared for children in 5th-8th grade, but can be used with guidance for younger students.  Lessons focus on America’s founding documents, branches of government, patriotic symbols, voting, the election process, Washington, D.C., the presidency, how Congress works, American holidays, and aspects of federal, state, and local government.

Each text includes 15 units, and 4 lessons per unit.  Perfect for 4 day a week learning.  Each full-color lesson includes a short chapter to read that explains the topic to the student; chapters feature both modern and historical photographs and illustrations. Lessons conclude with a variety of subject-based activity ideas that relate to Biblical studies, literature, creative writing, art, vocabulary, reading assignments, and notes for the sold-separately (and optional) student workbook/lesson review. A weekly family activity that involves crafts, meals, and other multi-age activities is also provided.

My Thoughts:

At first, I was overwhelmed and didn’t quite know where to start!  Where was the teacher’s manual to show me what to do?  I opened Uncle Sam and You Part 1 and the instructions are right there for teachers and/or students.  I really appreciate not having to keep up with an extra manual and having the simple instructions right with the text.  This way, children can work independently, or you could work together as a family.  We are choosing to work through it together.

I like that it suggests additional reading materials and lets you know exactly when you will need them throughout the lessons if you so choose to add them in.  It’s enough material without being too overwhelming and can usually be completed within about 30-45 minutes.

This is our first experience with a Notgrass curriculum and we are very pleased.  We will be checking out more of their items through Timberdoodle in years to come.

For More Information:

The Notgrass Uncle Sam and You curriculum set is another outstanding component of Timberdoodle’s 2016 Sixth-Grade Curriculum Kit!  You can also get the optional Lesson Review or Student Workbook .