Truth Quest History

Truth Quest History
Age of Revolution II
by Michelle Miller
(America/Europe, 1800-1865)
Grades 5-12
Prices- $29.95, PDF for $24.95

TruthQuest History is a deep and rich literature-based history study…but with a difference. You will not learn the story of mankind; you will learn the lovestory of mankind. You will not focus on the rise and fall of human civilizations; you will focus on the arrow-straight line of God's unchanging existence, power, love, truth, and plan for civilization. You will not simply 'meet the culture' or 'get the facts;' you will probe the truths of history so deeply that your students will be equipped to change their world!

A great idea, right? Well let's see how it holds up...

We received Truth Quest History Age of Revolution II (America/Europe 1800-1865): A Chronological Investigation Enlivening Its History, Art, Culture and Ideas to review. This guide covers America's Early Republic through the Civil War. Sprinkled throughout the text are some Think Write Questions to get your child to seek for the Worldview of a particular person or of an era and develop thoughts on things like voting, money and employers and employees.

The text is broken down into Chapters, so to speak and then the chapters often have several sections under that...so, under Land-a-Rama! Lewis & Clark, the Louisiana Purchase, and a Frenchman, you have the sections of:
Louisiana Purchase
Lewis & Clark Expedition
Activities
Sacajawea
Seaman, dog on the Lewis & Clark Expedition
Toussaint- L'Ourverture and the Haitian slave uprising
Zebulon Pike

And...under each section you have a significant amount of books to select from that cover that topic...so, under Seaman the Dog (everyone LOVES Seaman when studying Lewis and Clark!!!) you could read Captain's Dog by Roland Smith for instance...there are more to choose from, but the lists are pretty long and have a copyright and I don't want to infringe upon the hard work of the author. There are about 2,000 books in the booklist to select from.

I will add in here, that while the guide says it is for grades 5-12 (and from the commentary and Think Write Questions, I would agree with that...)many of the books on the booklists go down lower, meaning a large portion of this could be geared to younger children...especially if your family loves read alouds. I really appreciate that in curriculum so that I do not have to be teaching three different things to my different age ranges.

Now, here are my thoughts on this guide...

The booklists are something...let me tell you...there are a GOOD number of books listed for many of the sections. Michelle does have a list which she would consider the "Spine" I found in the sections we did that some books were easier to find than others in our library system...so do not be discouraged by that. If you cannot find a PARTICULAR book, try something similar. I think I am going to get a Kindle or two before next fall and I would love to see if many of the books are available to put onto that. Also, do not think you have to read ALL OF THE BOOKS...think of them as a buffet...choose the ones that interest you or your children...or select as many as you can and then let them select what interests them.

Each chapter begins with an introductory commentary on that topic. This can be from a paragraph or two to many pages. Many of the sections list the name of it, such as Seaman, dog on the Lewis & Clark Expedition, and then the booklist. There is not a bunch of commentary between the chapters. It really is a discovery guide leading you to the places to explore, not telling you what they think is important to remember, always focusing on The Lord and His truth.

I really loved the idea of this guide, but the practicality of it will need some tweaking in my house. I had a hard time with the pacing of it. Each guide is intended to take one year to complete...I could easily spend two months on each chapter...and while NOT BAD, I will need to figure out a timeline for getting the work progressing further in through the book. I did find a section on the website that helped some in my thinking about this...maybe I was trying to do too much.

Another challenge for me was figuring out how to get my child to show me what he had learned. I used this with my eighth grade son and really gave him room to demonstrate what he had learned. He chose to write paragraphs on each section....and maybe that is fine...my public school trained brain was having issues with it. His paragraphs do demonstrate information retained and that is great! While my son is beyond lapbooks in HIS mind, I think that would be an excellent project at the end of the sections.

Speaking of lapbooks, some of the Truth Quest Guides have other resources available, such as a PDF Binder Builder (essentially a lapbook), Notebook and Maps/Timelines...price varies from $13-18,but the three together can be bought for $39.

I think the Truth Quest Guides are an excellent fit for homeschooling families in many areas...those who prefer Charlotte Mason style or those who unschool...those who love read alouds, those who enjoy seeing God's hand in history and those who really enjoy history are some that I think will really enjoy Truth Quest History. View a sample of Truth Quest History Age of Revolution II.

Truth Quest History has World History guides (grades 5-12)from Creation through Age of Revolution III (America/Europe 1865-today)and American History guides(grades 1-5) Exploration through today.

See what my fellow crew mates have to say about Truth Quest History here

Disclaimer: I received this item for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation. All the opinions expressed are my own.