Using Joy Hakim's, The Story of Us, The First Americans

For Optimus' 5th grade year, we will be using Joy Hakim's series of American history books. The 11 volume series covers Prehistory through the early 2000's. This post is really a planning page for how I will help my son to cover the material. This will be mostly independent work for him. 

Book 1: The First Americans, Prehistory - 1600

(with History Pockets: Native Americans (HPNA), History Pockets: Explorers of North America (HPE), Scholastic's Interactive 3D Maps: American History and Dover's Exploration of North America Coloring Book)




Activities and Further Reading
Ch. 1 - Present with American History notebook. Explain that after every chapter he is to write a summary in the notebook. The notebook will also hold any extra activities.
Ch. 2 -  Present with Timeline notebook. The timeline will be filled in after every reading with 2 events important to him. At the end of each volume there is a timeline which he will be using at the final project to fill in any events he did not add while reading.
Ch. 3 - Create the "First People Arrive in America" map (3D). 
Ch. 4 - no additional work.
Ch. 5 -  "The Inuit of the Arctic" (HPNA)
Ch. 6 -  "The Case of the Missing Anasazi" (from Reading A-Z).
Ch. 7 - "The Tlingit of the Northwest" (HPNA)
Ch. 8 -  "The Maidu of California" (HPNA) and present with Early Indian Tribes map. 
Ch. 9 -  "The Sioux of the Plains" (HPNA)
Ch. 10 - "The Mound Builders" packet
Ch. 11 - "The Iroquois of the Northwest" (HPNA)
Ch. 12 - "Native American Homes" Montessori for Everyone
Ch. 13 - "Vikings Discover America" map (3D)
Ch. 14 - "Inventors: Johannes Gutenberg" World's 100 Greatest
Ch. 15 - "Morning Girl" (from library). Great list of books here.
Ch. 16 - "Pedro's Journal" (from library) and Columbus Lands in America map (3D)
Ch. 17 - Was Christopher Columbus a Success or Failure writing activity and Christopher Columbus (HPE)
Ch. 18 - John Cabot Explores Canada's East Coast, 1497 (Dover) and John Cabot (HPE)

Ch. 19 - Ferdinand Magellan 
Ch. 20 - "Forgotten Voyager: The Story of Amerigo Vespucci" (from library)
Ch. 21 - Ponce de Leon Explores Florida, 1513 (Dover)
Ch. 22 - Cortes and Coronado Explore America (3D) and Cortes and Montezuma, 1519 (Dover) and Hernando Cortes (HPE)
Ch. 23 - "Inca Town" (from library)
Ch. 24 - none 
Ch. 25 - "We Asked for Nothing: the Remarkable Journey of Cabeza de Vaca" (from library) and Cabeza de Vaca travels through the southwest, 1528-36 (Dover)
Ch. 26 - Francisco Coronado
Ch. 27 - "First People" (from library) and Henry Hudson (HPE)
Ch. 28 - "The Spanish Missions of Arizona" (from library)
Ch. 29 - none
Ch. 30 - "The Religious Spirit of the Navaho" (from library). Discuss religious oppression.

Ch. 31 - same
Ch. 32 - The French Explore North America (Dover) and Jacques Cartier (HPE)
Ch. 33 - The Seminole of the Southeast (HPNA)
Ch. 34 - none
Ch. 35 - none
Ch. 36 - "A New World: England's First View of America" (from library)
Ch. 37 - Settlements at Roanoke and Jamestown map (3D)
Ch. 38 - Drake lands in California, 1578 (Dover) and Sir Francis Drake (HPE)
Ch. 39 - Final summaries and logging of events on timeline.

on to Book Two: Making Thirteen Colonies

Happy Homeschooling
-Michele

Since September we have been busy with so many things! Saturday was our last week for flag football before a small break. The kids have been working hard, but there have been so many interruptions. I have found it difficult to stay on task and complete the rotations like I had planned at the beginning of the year.

I have using this break (before things get nuts again) to reformat our homeschool and plan for 5th and 3rd grade. I can't believe it.

I will be incorporating a good deal of the curriculum that BASIS charter schools use for their 5th graders for Optimus. Tink's schedule is pretty easy as she will just be continuing on to the next levels of her current books.

I plan on switching over to a "loop" schedule. We are testing it now and are liking it so far. I will post that next.

Happy Homeschooling!
Michele