7 Free American History
Homeschoolers have a lot of choices when it comes to american history for middle school. They can build their own history course by using a variety of resources or they can use a curriculum that has already been laid out for them. There are also a number of online options as well.
If you want to explore a curriculum that is structured but doesn’t require daily laborious lesson plans then a general history spine may be the right choice for your family this year. This type of curriculum is a broad overview of the major events in American History and can be tweaked to fit exactly what your kids need, i.e. rabbit trails. It’s a great way for young kids to associate what could be abstract with real people and events.
The Big History Project is a free online resource that helps students learn about the world around them. It offers an overview of major events in the United States and beyond from Three Worlds Meet to Contemporary America. It covers the westward expansion, American Indians, wars, political cartoons and more. It’s a fun way to bring american history for homeschoolers to life for your children.
A comprehensive American History resource for grades 6-8 is Joy Hakim’s A History of US series. It includes a teacher’s guide, student book and workbook, primary source guides, weekly assignments and tests. It’s a great way to learn the timeline of American history from the first settlers landing on the shores of America through the Civil War and the emergence of a democratic government.
7 Free American History For Middle School Homeschool Curriculum Ideas
Another comprehensive option is Notgrass’s history curriculum. Their Sonlight program takes kids through a full history cycle three times between kindergarten and high school. They study both world and American History with the help of a wide variety of resources including living books, video lessons, audio recordings and hands-on activities.
For older students you might want to consider a curriculum that uses a historical narrative to teach about American History. Susan Wise Bauer’s The Story of the World series covers ancient times (Level 1), medieval and Renaissance times (Level 2), modern times (Level 3) and early modern times (Level 4). This approach allows students to make connections between different time periods and see how events fit together in the timeline of history.
Beautiful Feet Books also has a variety of options for studying history. Their Living History Curriculum uses historical reference books and excellent children’s literature to form the backbone of their curriculum. Students can read these books together as a family, listen to the audio recordings or read them independently.
For a Charlotte Mason-style homeschooling approach you might want to check out Guest Hollow’s American History Year 1. This curriculum provides a list of books, a schedule and supplemental materials for your study of American History. It can be taught as a full-year program or you can use it for one semester. You can also access a facilitator who can answer questions, join Zoom discussions of lesson content and help with projects and portfolios.