Core D+E

Journey through all of American History!

• Experience the story of our nation from before Columbus to the present day.
• Enjoy fascinating books as you follow the lesson plan each day.
• Embrace the innovative spirit that has characterized American history.
• Meet early explorers, American Indians, founding heroes, famous inventors and ordinary citizens with extraordinary stories.

The best of two Cores

Want the highlights of American history in one Core? I chose the very best of Cores D and E and created this condensed program. Take a thrilling ride through all of U.S. history--from before Columbus to modern times! This Core is best for 10-, 11- and 12-year-olds and advanced 9-year-olds.

Link your learning

Core D+E links together your History, Geography, Language Arts, Read-Alouds and Readers. Get to know George Washington in a history book, then see him again through the eyes of two young people in Johnny Tremain and Phoebe the Spy. As your children read books that touch the same subject from different directions, they will recognize astonishing connections between the people, places and events in history.

Why this condensed Core?

I created Core D+E to serve customers who want to study American History for one year instead of two at this level. Perhaps you're new to Sonlight and want to move quickly to the higher Cores. Perhaps you're Canadian and would prefer to study American History with Sonlight for a year, Canadian History on your own for a year, and then come back to Sonlight for the Eastern Hemisphere Core F program. Though the full Cores D and E provide even richer learning experiences, this Core gives a fantastic overview of what you need to know.

Even if you're not from the U.S., you learn valuable context for understanding today's world. See firsthand how the first modern democratic republic began. Discover how Americans fostered personal freedom and the spirit of innovation that so many countries emulate today.

A tour of the program

Bring life to the history of this unique nation. Walk alongside families whose lives intersect with major historical events. Meet characters who grapple with the difficulties around them and overcome in the end.

When I first picked up the primary text for Core D+E, I read it all in one sitting. The Landmark History of the American People is a true gem! While the book covers the key events you want to teach, it focuses more on the social history of America. The result is a work that gives children a fresh view of life in the U.S. And if The Landmark History leaves a gap in fully explaining a crucial event, we more than make up for it with the other components of this program.

Biographies, historical fiction and absorbing Readers add depth to your chronological study. Key players in American History feel like old friends. You meet people you should know in order to be culturally literate--fascinating characters like Christopher Columbus, Benjamin Franklin, Harriet Tubman and Hellen Keller.

Core D+E covers as much history as Cores D and E combined, but I've cut it all down to a comfortable one-year size. You hit all the high points and dive deeper into some particularly interesting times along the way.

My Vision for Core D+E The overarching goal for this Core is for children to understand the context and progression of American History. I want children to grasp why people came to a new land and how they persevered and settled the continent. I want them to get excited about the American spirit of creativity and entrepreneurship that has stayed alive through the years.

Children will see that entire civilizations lived here before the Europeans arrived. That our Founding Fathers struggled mightily to create a new sense of equality and write a living Constitution. That normal families of pilgrims, pioneers and immigrants persevered and overcame great obstacles.

Find out how Americans' unique perspective--our egalitarianism, our desire for change and our "can-do" spirit--contributed to inventions such as ready-to-wear clothing, department stores and skyscrapers. Discover why time zones and "fast food" came into existence. Examine how mass immigration, women's suffrage and the Great Depression impacted the social, political, and economic climate of the country. Discuss how racism has influenced life for individuals and the entire nation throughout the years.

Celebrate the positive aspects of our history: the establishment of a government by a free people apart from a king, the move toward unprecedented equality, the compassion that has historically flowed out of the American Church, two Great Awakenings that led thousands back to God ... I could go on. Americans have been far from perfect; but there's certainly a lot of good in our history to teach our children.

With Core D+E, you receive:

Instructor's Guide

Just open up your Core D+E Instructor's Guide each day and see what's in store. The daily schedule, discussion questions, notes and helps turn your great books into a cohesive curriculum. Your lesson plans are already done for the entire year! You spend almost no time preparing and almost all your time in face-to-face interaction with your children. Request the first three weeks of this guide for free at sonlight.com/3-week-samples.

Hands-on Activities

A handy CD-ROM provides tons of hands-on activity suggestions that coordinate with what you'll learn each week in Core D+E. Choose from weekly suggestions that reinforce concepts and add serious fun and variety during school time!

History & Geography

Travel through centuries of fascinating life with story-based history books and enriching extras. You get to:

• Sail with Christopher Columbus on his first journey of discovery to the Americas.
• Learn soul-stirring songs that inspired the formation of the USA.
• Experience the Great Depression alongside an 11-year-old girl. Will her letter to President Roosevelt's wife save her family's dignity?

Bible

Start your children on the journey of personal Bible study this year. The practical study guide Starting Strong helps them discover profound truths about God in Scripture.

Read together each day from the Gospels, the book of Romans, the letter to the Galatians, 1st and 2nd Chronicles, the minor prophets and much more. Your children will hide the Word in their hearts each week to the tunes of a delightful Sing the Word CD. And they'll learn to pray for Native American tribes of North, South and Central America with the insightful American Indian Prayer Guide.

Read-Alouds

Spend wonderful hours reading together this year. Some of my favorites here include:

• Little Britches, my husband's favorite Read- Aloud!
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond, a powerful story about family and courage in Puritan America. (There isn't any witch or witchcraft in this story.)
• Caddie Woodlawn, a book about a spunky 11-year-old girl on the Western frontier.

Readers

Your children's Readers tie directly into the History content of the Core. These masterfully written, adventure-filled stories help cement the transition from "learning to read" to "reading to learn."

Language Arts

Core D+E's complete Language Arts program coordinates with your Readers and Read-Alouds to help your children develop essential writing skills. Weekly dictation exercises give children opportunities to recognize and imitate good writing, while a variety of creative and unique writing assignments encourage them to explore various writing styles. Children learn advanced writing techniques such as varying sentence length, using active voice, creating authentic dialog and more.

You get the tools you need to guide your children successfully, including student activity sheets, teaching helps, parent instructions, full answers, definitions and more.

Hooked on reading

Watch your kids get hooked on reading with this Core. It's hard not to devour such thrilling books! May you all enjoy the fascinating story of a nation growing up.