Core 100

Uncover the rich treasures of American history

• Live the thrilling story of America, from civilizations before Columbus to modern society.
• Examine events, people and debates that have molded the United States.
• Cheer selfless acts of patriots who stood for freedom and justice ... and evaluate--with open eyes--America's missteps.
• Watch your children read, write, discuss and grow as students.

Independence in learning

Can you believe how much your children have grown since kindergarten? Remember when they would crawl into your lap for you to read to them? And now look at them!

One of the unique privileges of homeschooling is being there for each step of your children's development. You help them gain the wide range of skills they'll need in life, like selfmotivation and the ability to follow a schedule and complete assignments without constant supervision.

Core 100 capitalizes on those skills to transition kids to more independent learning. You may remain as involved as you like, but if your students are ready, they can follow the Instructor's Guide and direct their own daily studies. This gives you more time to focus on younger children or to read the great literature in Core 100!

This Core is best for children ages 13 to 16 and advanced 12-year-olds.

Go deeper into your roots

You've studied American History before; now it's time to go deeper. Get a back stage pass to see the players of our history as real people.

Move chronologically to discover fascinating empires before Columbus. See why Benedict Arnold became a traitor. Meet the founding fathers who dared to create a Constitution that has become the model for countries around the world. Walk with courageous Sacagawea as she navigates the adventure of a lifetime. Survive WWII with a Japanese-American family in a California internment camp. See the daily struggles of normal African Americans who courageously changed history through the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Core 100 takes you deeper into the complex fabric of American society. Meet Americans who lived such different lives: former slaves who established a new town in Canada, teenagers who fought in the Civil War, miners who searched for gold in the Idaho Territory, Chinese immigrants who tunneled through mountains, Irish immigrants who survived the Great Depression and more.

Core 100 goes way beyond historical highlights and uncovers the fascinating ups and downs of our nation's story.

Newly improved

We just made Core 100 even better. My daughter Amy (a homeschool mother of four with a degree in Literature) has helped develop many of the upper-level Cores. This year she reviewed every inch of the Core 100 History and Literature books and the Instructor's Guide.

With Amy's help, we swapped out several books for more compelling works. We brought in thought-provoking titles to focus on points in history that may have lacked proper emphasis before. You'll love captivating new books in a photo journal style and the easy-to read history about early Native Americans, the Civil War, WWI, WWII and the Civil Rights Movement.

Amy also revised the analysis and comprehension questions and the History and Literature Study Guides to ensure they are of high school-level difficulty.

Instructor's Guide improvements

Core 100 was included in our re-formatting of every upper-level Instructor's Guide this year. With the more user-friendly style, you now get separate complete Parent and Student Guides. These guides mirror each other exactly, except the Parent's Guide includes answers to the student questions and extra notes about the books.

This format allows you to engage with your students as much as you'd like without reading all their books. It's also much easier to find what you're looking for in the guide. See p. 156 to learn more about these helpful updates.

Tour of Core 100

History

I built Core 100 on the foundation of Joy Hakim's award-winning A History of US series. Her volumes are some of the most fascinating histories I've ever read. Filled with photos, illustrations and political cartoons from across the decades, Hakim draws you in to the story of our nation.

Some homeschoolers use these books with younger students. The books' language is certainly easy enough to understand. But we use them at the junior and senior high levels because of the author's attention to details (like the devastation of the Civil War, Prohibition and the civil unrest of the 1960s) that are simply not as important for elementary students to think about. We also move more quickly through each volume than younger students could.

We balance Hakim's more liberal perspective with extensive notes in the Instructor's Guide. These notes offer counter-arguments to some of Hakim's perspectives. With The Story of US and the IG combined, you have an extraordinary tool to help your children think critically about and truly understand American history.

In addition to The Story of US, many other Core 100 books bring life to American History. Some highlights include:

• True tales of American patriots who established a government of free people apart from a king.
• Real-life glimpses into the wars that shaped American history.
• The gripping true story of a country preacher who took the gospel to New York City's fiercest gang leaders in the 1960s.
• And more.

Wonderful as Hakim's and the other History books are, and thorough as the Instructor's Guide is, Core 100 would not merit the name Sonlight if it didn't include a large selection of literature that provides color and depth to your learning.

American Literature

See history from real-life perspectives through Core 100's American literature. From thrilling classics everyone should know--such as The Call of the Wild, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer--to gripping biographies and a favorite book from my childhood (They Loved to Laugh), you'll find many worthwhile treasures that grow your children's writing abilities, vocabulary, cultural literacy and love of learning.

Language Arts

The Language Arts in Core 100 corresponds closely with the literature your students study. This complete writing program develops the critical thinking, literary analysis and creative writing skills your children need to effectively prepare for college and engage our culture.

Biblical Studies

Teach your children to live out their faith. The Core 100 Bible program includes Scripture reading and practical lessons in how to study, interpret and apply the Scriptures in everyday life. Help your students build their theological framework, explore the evidence for our faith and develop discipline in prayer. I put this program together to help you raise children who love God and know what and why they believe.

Instructor's Guide

Your newly improved Core 100 Instructor's

Guide weaves all your materials into one cohesive program. Your Parent Guide and Student Guide give you the tools you need for a well-organized, fascinating and enjoyable study. Request the first three weeks of this guide for free.

Learn your roots

Your children are growing up so fast--be thankful you get to be there each step of the way. Enjoy this special time with your blossoming scholars as you watch them discover their roots through Core 100.