American History Sets from Memoria Press ~~ A New TOS Review!!

I was glad that I was able to receive a set of The Story of the 13 Colonies & The Great Republic Set along with 200 Questions About American History Set from Memoria Press to review for our upcoming foray into all things American History. If you've read my blog long or know me, you'll know that the classical style of homeschooling is one I am very familiar with and come back to time and time again. So when I was asked to review this two volume set by H. A. Guerber which would be perfect for my soon to be 8th grader to study American History alongside her high school aged sister. And I knew my son would jump in with the studies as well. Perfect fit indeed!

So as I mentioned above I received 2 sets designed for grades 5 thru 8 to review and I want to detail what the sets include:
First we have the text called The Story of the 13 Colonies & The Great Republic and edited by Memoria Press which is 211 pages long. This second edition gives a short introduction to the parent/teacher for how to use the book and is then followed by 85 chapters covering the greatest time in our American History.

I like that it is set up as a historical reader and not a dry history book. This allows for interaction between you and your student(s) while you read which stirs up more thirst for the information. Each of the 85 chapters is very short, just 1-2 pages in length, leaving plenty of time to 'chew the cud' so to speak.  Also this book has been edited to combine the original 2 volume series of the same name to also include many other pivotal events that have happened since the first publication.  The book is a paperback with a thick satin cover. Inside you will find drawings, photos, and maps heavily included throughout the book.

Also included in the set is the student guide of 32 lessons - each lesson is similarly laid out with four sections -- facts to know, vocabulary and comprehension questions with plenty of space to write out the answers, and an enrichment section that has 1 to 5 questions. In the appendix, you will find maps, a colony chart, and several founding doucments that helped form our country's spine.

set up of a typical lesson page 1

typical lesson page 2

13 colonies timeline

maps

founding documents

There is also a teacher's guide which includes all the answers for the vocabulary and comprehension questions for each chapter along with facts for the chapter. It also includes a timeline, other founding documents, and tests with the answer keys.

Teacher key

More founding documents

The next part of the set I received as review was the 200 Questions About American History Set which also has 3 parts the teacher key, a student book, and then the flashcards. The flash cards are my favorite part because you can use them in a variety of 'card games' to help with learning and memorizing the 200 facts. These are facts that Memoria Press believes everyone should know about American History and come from the second edition of The Story of the 13 Colonies & The Great Republic.

This supplement was created to help the student succeed in the strenuous American History course as your middle schooler gets ready for the harder high school material.

The student book numbers out 150 questions with blanks to fill in the answers, 30 questions about the timeline of American History, 20 notable quote questions, all 45 presidents (which includes our current president), and 3 memorable American poems - Star-Spangled Banner, Old Ironsides, and O Captain! My Captain!

Drill questions

Timeline  questions

Presidents

The teacher key is set up in the same manner as the student book, but it also includes 6 tests and a final exam. All the answers for the drill questions and the tests are written in the spaces in the key. The student book references both the Guerber text and Story of the World Vol 4 (referenced as SOTW) and has a suggested schedule and a small blurb on how to use the book.

Tests in 200 Questions set

The flashcards are created to drill students about dates, events, quotes, the order of the president along with other drill questions. The cards are thick and sturdy and will handle many hours of flipping and perusing. They are also numbered so you can always put them back in their original order.

Each card is about 3.5" x 2.5", nice and sturdy

I believe this is a solid program to help give any student a firm foundation in our American History. Memoria Press has done a wonderful job putting all the events and facts of our history in a concise set of The Story of the 13 Colonies & The Great Republic Set and 200 Questions About American History Set. You can also find other Memoria Press products that were reviewed by our Crew including The War of the Jews set and Simply Classical Writing Book One: Step-by-Step Sentences (Bible Story Edition) among others -- be sure to check them out by clicking the link below. And you can find Memoria Press on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.