Our Star-Spangled Story is a one-year world geography curriculum for students ages 5-10. We recommend it for 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, or 4th grade. You can use it with multiple children in that age range at the same time.
Watch this video walkthrough with authors Charlene Notgrass and Mary Evelyn McCurdy to understand how all the components fit together.
Our Star-Spangled Story has 90 lessons for use during one school year (30 units of 3 lessons each). Part 1 covers life in America from before Europeans came to the late 1800s. Part 2 covers U.S. history from the late 1800s to modern times. Students can read the richly illustrated lessons on their own, or you can read the lessons aloud.
After you read each lesson, you will see a box with activity ideas. The number of activities for each lesson varies. The activities include:
- Reading a selection from Star-Spangled Rhythms and Rhymes and listening to a song or learning a dance
- Finding an entry in A Star-Spangled Timeline to see how different events fit together chronologically.
- Completing a worksheet in My Star-Spangled Student Workbook.
- Reading from one of the literature selections.
- Finding locations mentioned in the lessons on the “All Around the USA Map” at the back of the book.
- Three review questions highlight key facts and concepts from the lesson and help your student think critically about what he or she learned. We recommend using these as oral discussion questions. You may also occasionally want your student to answer the questions in writing.
- Enjoying Hands-On History Ideas that provide inspiration for pretending, playing, and building.
- Working together on a craft, recipe, or other family project.
You can choose the assignments you want your child to complete. For example, you might expect a 4th grader to do all of the suggested assignments while a 1st grader might only complete a few. The choice is yours.
We recommend the following eight literature titles to read along with the lessons. Each book is assigned at a particular point in the course and takes place during a different time period.
- The Turtle of Oman by Naomi Shihab Nye (Middle East)
- Akimbo of Africa by Alexander McCall Smith (Africa)
- A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond (Europe)
- Race for the Record by Dave and Neta Jackson (Asia)
- The Muddleheaded Wombat by Ruth Park (Australia)
- Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat (North America)
- Juana and Lucas by Juana Medina (South America)
The weekly family activity is related to a country or a topic you have been studying. These projects include crafts, recipes, and other hands-on activities.
If you already have the curriculum, our Quick Start Guide will launch you to success in using the literature, suggested supplements, and bonus downloads.