Exploring Government
Complete High School U.S. Government Curriculum
Are you looking for an American government curriculum for your high school student that is complete and easy to use? Exploring Government is a one-semester course centered in God's Word that equips your student to better understand our country's system of government.
High School Credit
Author Ray Notgrass designed the curriculum for students to use successfully for one semester anytime in high school--9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade, or 12th grade. Daily lessons build an in-depth understanding of how American government works. With the lessons already planned, your student can use the curriculum independently.
If you use the course as written, your student can earn one semester of credit in U.S. government and one semester of credit in English (literature and composition). However, the course is flexible, so you can adjust the assignments as needed to fit your student's schedule and needs.
What's Included
The Exploring Government Curriculum Package includes everything you need for a successful study.
- The textbook, Exploring Government, features 75 engaging lessons with hundreds of colorful photographs and historic illustrations.
- We Hold These Truths is a collection of primary source documents offering perspectives on government from the past and present.
- Weekly project ideas include a writing assignment and two other creative assignments such as building a model, making a video, or conducting research.
We recommend that students read four biographies that enhance their understanding of government. We also offer optional review activities and tests.
Quick Overview
The purpose of Exploring Government is to educate and inspire your student concerning the government of the United States as well as the governments of the individual states and our local communities. We want to help your student be well equipped as a Christian citizen after studying this material.
Exploring Government teaches students how federal, state, and local governments work and explores contemporary issues in government. It places special emphasis on the Biblical basis for government and on the U.S. Constitution. Each of the 15 units is intended to be studied for one week.
The textbook includes instructions that clearly outline What the student is to do each week and each day. The Unit Introduction page gives a brief overview of the unit, the lessons in that unit, and suggestions for a project that is relevant to that unit.
In this podcast episode, author Ray Notgrass talks about his interest in politics and his approach to helping parents teach government to their students:
If you prefer a video overview, watch author Ray Notgrass explain how the components work together as he walks you through a sample unit from the curriculum.
What's In the Curriculum Package
The Exploring Government Curriculum Package includes these two books:
Exploring Government
The primary book is a full-color hardcover with 75 lessons divided into 15 units of five lessons each. It includes all of the assignments for working on the weekly projects, reading the selections in We Hold These Truths, and taking the quizzes and exams.
We Hold These Truths
This full-color hardcover is a collection of historic and modern documents, essays, and speeches in American government designed to supplement the lessons. Each selection is assigned in a particular lesson in the textbook.
Optional Resources
We offer an optional Student Review Pack to help measure your student's understanding of the material. We also offer a literature package with four recommended titles.
Student Review Pack
The Student Review book has review questions for each lesson and literary analysis for each literature title. The Quiz and Exam Book includes a quiz for each unit and three exams that cover five units each. The Answer Key contains all the answers needed for the course.
Literature Package
These two biographies and two autobiographies explore the lives of people who have played significant roles in American government--Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Chuck Colson, and Ronald Reagan.
What the Lessons Are Like
Exploring Government is divided into 15 units with five lessons each. Your student can complete the curriculum in one semester by doing one lesson per day for 75 days.
Your student can read the daily lessons and follow the instructions independently. You as the parent can be involved as much or as little as you desire.
Reading one lesson will take about 20 minutes per day. At the end of each lesson is a list of assignments. Students using the course for both government and English credit may need another 60-90 minutes to complete the additional readings and work on the weekly project. If your student is not completing the English credit, the total time needed per day will be about 45-60 minutes.
Here is what one assignment section looks like:
The optional supplements pages list suggested videos, websites, games, field trip destinations, and other resources that can enirch your student's understanding of the topics covered in the lessons.
We recommend four biographies that complement the lessons in Exploring Government. These books are not essential for understanding the lessons, but each one adds a valuable perspective on topics discussed in the lessons.
Reading the literature is part of earning the English credit. If your student has already read one of the assigned books, or you want to choose a different book for any reason, you can substitute a different book.
- Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough (Units 1-4)
- The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge by Calvin Coolidge (Units 5-6)
- Born Again by Charles Colson (Units 7-11)
- God and Ronald Reagan by Paul Kengor (Units 12-15)
See sample pages from all of the curriculum components with these PDF files.
Student Review / Quiz and Exam Book
Guide for Parents and Answer Key
Motivated Us to Pray More
Wonderful Conversations
A Great Fit
Solid Christian Worldview
Ray Notgrass is a follower of Jesus and a veteran homeschooling father. He met his wife, Charlene, at Middle Tennessee State University in the political science department. After graduating they were married in 1974. Ray went on to earn master's degrees in history and New Testament. Ray and Charlene are lifelong history lovers and began writing homeschool curriculum in 1999. They enjoy classic literature, traveling together, and spending time with their children and grandchildren.
Complete High School U.S. Government Curriculum
Are you looking for an American government curriculum for your high school student that is complete and easy to use? Exploring Government is a one-semester course centered in God's Word that equips your student to better understand our country's system of government.
High School Credit
Author Ray Notgrass designed the curriculum for students to use successfully for one semester anytime in high school--9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade, or 12th grade. Daily lessons build an in-depth understanding of how American government works. With the lessons already planned, your student can use the curriculum independently.
If you use the course as written, your student can earn one semester of credit in U.S. government and one semester of credit in English (literature and composition). However, the course is flexible, so you can adjust the assignments as needed to fit your student's schedule and needs.
What's Included
The Exploring Government Curriculum Package includes everything you need for a successful study.
- The textbook, Exploring Government, features 75 engaging lessons with hundreds of colorful photographs and historic illustrations.
- We Hold These Truths is a collection of primary source documents offering perspectives on government from the past and present.
- Weekly project ideas include a writing assignment and two other creative assignments such as building a model, making a video, or conducting research.
We recommend that students read four biographies that enhance their understanding of government. We also offer optional review activities and tests.
Quick Overview
The purpose of Exploring Government is to educate and inspire your student concerning the government of the United States as well as the governments of the individual states and our local communities. We want to help your student be well equipped as a Christian citizen after studying this material.
Exploring Government teaches students how federal, state, and local governments work and explores contemporary issues in government. It places special emphasis on the Biblical basis for government and on the U.S. Constitution. Each of the 15 units is intended to be studied for one week.
The textbook includes instructions that clearly outline What the student is to do each week and each day. The Unit Introduction page gives a brief overview of the unit, the lessons in that unit, and suggestions for a project that is relevant to that unit.
In this podcast episode, author Ray Notgrass talks about his interest in politics and his approach to helping parents teach government to their students:
If you prefer a video overview, watch author Ray Notgrass explain how the components work together as he walks you through a sample unit from the curriculum.
What's In the Curriculum Package
The Exploring Government Curriculum Package includes these two books:
Exploring Government
The primary book is a full-color hardcover with 75 lessons divided into 15 units of five lessons each. It includes all of the assignments for working on the weekly projects, reading the selections in We Hold These Truths, and taking the quizzes and exams.
We Hold These Truths
This full-color hardcover is a collection of historic and modern documents, essays, and speeches in American government designed to supplement the lessons. Each selection is assigned in a particular lesson in the textbook.
Optional Resources
We offer an optional Student Review Pack to help measure your student's understanding of the material. We also offer a literature package with four recommended titles.
Student Review Pack
The Student Review book has review questions for each lesson and literary analysis for each literature title. The Quiz and Exam Book includes a quiz for each unit and three exams that cover five units each. The Answer Key contains all the answers needed for the course.
Literature Package
These two biographies and two autobiographies explore the lives of people who have played significant roles in American government--Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Chuck Colson, and Ronald Reagan.
What the Lessons Are Like
Exploring Government is divided into 15 units with five lessons each. Your student can complete the curriculum in one semester by doing one lesson per day for 75 days.
Your student can read the daily lessons and follow the instructions independently. You as the parent can be involved as much or as little as you desire.
Reading one lesson will take about 20 minutes per day. At the end of each lesson is a list of assignments. Students using the course for both government and English credit may need another 60-90 minutes to complete the additional readings and work on the weekly project. If your student is not completing the English credit, the total time needed per day will be about 45-60 minutes.
Here is what one assignment section looks like:
The optional supplements pages list suggested videos, websites, games, field trip destinations, and other resources that can enirch your student's understanding of the topics covered in the lessons.
We recommend four biographies that complement the lessons in Exploring Government. These books are not essential for understanding the lessons, but each one adds a valuable perspective on topics discussed in the lessons.
Reading the literature is part of earning the English credit. If your student has already read one of the assigned books, or you want to choose a different book for any reason, you can substitute a different book.
- Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough (Units 1-4)
- The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge by Calvin Coolidge (Units 5-6)
- Born Again by Charles Colson (Units 7-11)
- God and Ronald Reagan by Paul Kengor (Units 12-15)
See sample pages from all of the curriculum components with these PDF files.
Student Review / Quiz and Exam Book
Guide for Parents and Answer Key
Motivated Us to Pray More
Wonderful Conversations
A Great Fit
Solid Christian Worldview
Ray Notgrass is a follower of Jesus and a veteran homeschooling father. He met his wife, Charlene, at Middle Tennessee State University in the political science department. After graduating they were married in 1974. Ray went on to earn master's degrees in history and New Testament. Ray and Charlene are lifelong history lovers and began writing homeschool curriculum in 1999. They enjoy classic literature, traveling together, and spending time with their children and grandchildren.
Exploring Government Purchase Options
Are you ready to experience all that Exploring Government has to offer? Order today with confidence. If you are not satisfied for any reason, we offer a full money-back guarantee.
Use the product links below to order online or call 1-800-211-8793. If you have any questions about choosing the right options for your child, please call, text, or email us.