america in the 1800s homeschool history

Welcome to Our America in the 1800s Homeschool History Curriculum

Would you love to visit the American Frontier or the Wild West? Fourth- through sixth-grade students can with America in the 1800s. This eighteen-week history course provides the opportunity to explore and relive this significant period of American history. From westward expansion to the Civil War and Reconstruction to the transcontinental railroad and Indian wars, students are immersed in readings, writing assignments, and journal entries that take them back to the 1800s.

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America in the 1800s

Length: 18 weeks
Includes: Printable lessons
Grades: 4–6

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Getting Started with Our America in the 1800s Homeschool History Course

America in the 1800s is a homeschool history course designed to help students feel like they are living in the time periods being explored. Through numerous readings and writing assignments such as journal entries and letter writing, students get a unique chance to relive this important period in America’s history from the early days of westward expansion, through the Civil War and Reconstruction, and finally through the days of the transcontinental railroad and Indian Wars.

Overview

  • Length: 18 weeks
  • Includes: Printable lessons
  • Grades: 4–6

Supplies Needed

Corresponding lessons on SchoolhouseTeachers.com, and a journal for writing assignments, notetaking, and research

What to Do

Go to Class Lessons and download the lesson plan and course outline. Follow the instructions each day on the lesson plans and mark them off when completed. Be sure to write any needed homework in your notebook.

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Course Sample for Our America in the 1800s Homeschool History Course

To view a full sample of this course, click here.

 

America in the 1800s
By Karen Robuck

Unit 1—Westward Expansion before the Civil War
The Oregon Trail

Hello, and welcome to America in the 1800s. We will begin with early westward expansion on the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails. We will travel down the Erie Canal. We will visit gold miners in California and freedom fighters at the Alamo. We will also touch on a sad time in our nation’s history—the American Civil War and Reconstruction. Then we will head west again, with the buffalo, the Indian Wars, and the transcontinental railroad. Throughout our study, you will not have tests or quizzes (you may jump for joy at that statement.) You will, however, have writing assignments. No, you will not be writing reports. I want you to imagine you are living in the time period you are studying. Then I will ask you to either write a journal entry or a letter related to the topic. Don’t worry; I’ll give you ideas as we go along.

Note to parents: Unless your state requires such assignments to be graded, don’t worry about letter grades. Use the writing assignments as opportunities to teach editing and revision skills as part of your language arts. I will provide a rubric to aid in evaluating the writing assignments.

SchoolhouseTeachers.com note: Parents should closely monitor children’s use of YouTube and Wikipedia if you navigate away from the videos and articles cited in these lessons. We also recommend viewing the videos on a full screen setting in order to minimize your students’ exposure to potentially offensive ads and inappropriate comments beside or beneath the video.

What will we be reading? Most of your readings are from the World Book resources available here at SchoolhouseTeachers.com. I will also provide booklists for additional reading. Since each family has its own preferences and each library has its own unique collections, I will not be requiring specific titles.

If you would like to review Lewis and Clark’s expedition before we start, go to this link:
http://worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar321480&st=lewis+and+clark#tab=homepage

You could also read:

  • Any biography of Lewis and Clark
  • Any biography of Sacagawea

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Course Outline for Our America in the 1800s Homeschool History Course

America in the 1800s homeschool history course includes three units which cover the westward expansion before, during, and after the Civil war.

Unit One: Westward Expansion Before the Civil War

  • Lesson One: The Oregon Trail – Part I
  • Lesson Two: The Oregon Trail – Part II
  • Lesson Three: The Erie Canal
  • Lesson Four: The Santa Fe Trail
  • Lesson Five: The Alamo
  • Lesson Six: The Mexican-American War
  • Lesson Seven: The California Gold Rush – Part I
  • Lesson Eight: The California Gold Rush – Part II

Unit Two: The Civil War and Its Aftermath

  • Lesson Nine: The Civil War – Part I
  • Lesson Ten: The Civil War – Part II
  • Lesson Eleven: The Civil War – Part III
  • Lesson Twelve: The Civil War – Part IV
  • Lesson Thirteen: Reconstruction – Part I
  • Lesson Fourteen: Reconstruction – Part II
  • Lesson Fifteen: Reconstruction – Part III

Unit Three: Westward Expansion After the Civil War

  • Lesson Sixteen: A Railroad Connects Us
  • Lesson Seventeen: America Moves West
  • Lesson Eighteen: Soldiers and Indians

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More About Our America in the 1800s Homeschool History Course

Welcome to America in the 1800s! This homeschool history course begins during the time of early westward expansion on the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails. Then students travel down the Erie Canal, visit gold miners in California, and meet freedom fighters at the Alamo. They look at a sad time in the nation’s history—the American Civil War and Reconstruction. Then they head west again with the buffalo, the Indian Wars, and the transcontinental railroad. Throughout this homeschool history study, students will not have tests or quizzes. (Permission is granted to jump for joy at that statement.) However, they have writing assignments, but not the long, report kind of assignments. As homeschool students study this portion of American history, the goal is to imagine living in the time periods of the study and then write a journal entry or letter related to the topic. Don’t worry, there will be ideas and suggestions along the way. Let’s step into history together!

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Quick Start

1.  Bookmark the course for easy access during instruction.

2. Click “View Lesson Plan” and organize as desired (on computer desktop or in a printed format). 

3.  Gather necessary resources as listed in the lesson plan.

4.  Click “Go to Class Lessons” and get started.

5.  Enjoy the course!

6.  Utilize Applecore or your own record keeping system throughout the course.

7.  Print a certificate of completion.

Need help? Check out our tutorials or click the live chat box in the corner of your screen.

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