American Modern Studies

In American/Modern Studies students study American history, geography, and literature as well as world geography and non-Western cultures. The program is designed to give students mastery over very concrete and useful information about the United States and the world, and to build each year on previous year’s works. Students trace and study maps, draw freehand maps, and by the end of the curriculum are able to draw political and physical maps of both hemispheres from memory. Students also read a variety of books from our library to supplement their knowledge of the U.S. and the world.

Grades K-12 Scope and Sequence

  • K-2: On a map and globe identify continents, oceans, equator, poles, tropics, some major countries, and the U.S. states. Memoria Press’ Read-Aloud program for history, geography, science, and holidays.
  • Grade 3: Identify fifty states and eight regions on unlabeled outline map; recite and spell states; memorize abbreviations and capitals.
  • Grade 4: Geography of North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
  • Grade 5: Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas
  • Grade 6: United States History
  • Grade 7: World Geography, cultures, and habitats
  • Grade 10: Medieval History
  • Grade 11: A History of Europe in the Modern World by Palmer, Colton, and Kramer.
  • Grade 12: A Concise History of the American Republic by Morison, Commager, and Leuchtenburg

Enrichment Reading for Grades 3-6

Students read American history novels independently from selections such as:

The Cabin Faced West, Jean Fritz
The Pony Express, Cyde Robert Bulla
Benjamin West and his Cat Grimalkin, Marguerite Henry
Stowaway, Karen Hesse
Of Courage Undaunted, James Daugherty
Indian Captive,  Lois Lenski
Johnny Tremain, Esther Forbes
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, Jean Lee Latham