Explor America Part 2 Book Image (2019)
Amer Voices Image

America: Late 1800s to Present (LEP) 

       (Heritage Studies - Honors History, Literature, & Writing)  
  • Main Curriculum: Exploring America Part 2: Late 1800s to the Present by Ray Notgrass 
  • Recommended Age: 8th - 12th grades.  Student must be capable of challenging honors-level work and thinking (with help from a parent for a less experienced reader/writer if needed) and comfortable with high school level literature selections (check the major selections below).   
  • Pre-requisites: Honors level critical thinking and sufficient reading and writing skills.  If student is new to Liftoff Learning classes, a parent meeting and/or a placement test with writing sample is required to confirm student's reading/writing skills level.  
  • Course Length & Hours per Week:  The full 32-week Heritage Studies course meets twice a week:  one hour online only for English Skills Level 1, 2, 3, or 4, and two hours per week in hybrid fashion for the history/literature/major writing portion - with in-person attendance encouraged but not required.  The history/literature portion must be taken with an associated English Skills class as a Heritage Studies combined course.  
  • Materials Required:  

         - Exploring America Part 2:  Late 1800s to the Present by Ray Notgrass.  The American History Notgrass course consists of parts 1 and 2 and as designed lasts 1 year.  However, this Heritage Studies class uses just part 2 for the entire year because the writing is significantly expanded, and supplementary materials are added, to allow for more depth of study.   

        - American Voices: also by Notgrass and part of the American history set of books. This book covers "original documents, speeches, poems, and stories from American history" and serves as the primary source reader for both parts 1 and 2.  Roughly the second half of the book is covered in this Late 1800s to the Present (LEP) course. 

         - Literature: Students read roughly one novel/novella per month for a total of 9 books.  Some are read more closely for literary analysis discussions, and some are read more quickly for overall plot and impressions. Literature covered from the Notgrass list for part 2 includes Up From Slaveryby Booker T. Washington,  Mama's Bank Account by Kathryn Forbes, and     To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  Additional books read include Call of the Wild by Jack London, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, October Sky (aka Rocket Boys) by Homer Hickam Jr., and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.  For advanced readers, 3 optional books include Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, The Pearl by John Steinbeck, and The Chosen by Chiam Potok.  Any version of these novels with the original wording is acceptable including electronic, used, and/or library versions.  NOTE: the remaining three books identified in the Notgrass Part 2 curriculum are considered part of the optional parent-directed religion credit and are not covered during class. 

         - Supplemental history topics are explored via websites and class activities.

         - English & writing materials are listed in the Skills 1, 2, 3, 4 pages.  A detailed materials list with ISBNs and internet links is provided to registered students. 

  • Course Description:

     

    OVERVIEW OF HERITAGE STUDIES COURSES:  Heritage Studies classes are a series of 4 honors-level combined history/English courses that use the Notgrass high school curriculum as the foundational history/literature/major writing content and Write for College as the foundation reading/writing skills handbook.  Each course includes a 2-hour historical era class that is "mixed and matched" with a 1-hour online English (reading & writing) skills class, and each course includes an OPTIONAL religion component that is guided by the family. The historical eras can be taken in any order; the English skills move sequentially from levels 1 to 4.  This approach allows for meeting significantly different individual English skills levels while still enabling honors-level thinkers to study history and associated literature together. 

    AMERICA: LATE 1800s to the PRESENT SUMMARY: During this Heritage Studies history and literature class, students first briefly review American history through the Civil War and Reconstruction.  Next, the late 1800s are studied including the Gilded Age, business expansion, and political movements. Once students reach the twentieth century, history is explored by decade with an emphasis on associated key events such as World War I, the Roaring Twenties, World War II, the Cold War, civil rights achievements, the Space Race, Watergate, and the War on Terror. Primary source documents, speeches, essays, memoirs, and other works are read and discussed. 

    COURSE APPROACH:  The class tracks the progress of America with historical maps and creates a timeline that relates major Texas and world events with American events.  Class activities and historical event "activators" recreate key American moments and the challenges our leaders faced in making difficult decisions.  The literature is correlated with historical events and shifting cultural views.  During the first semester, students research, create, and share a project relating to the history of an American city of their choice.  The main second-semester project focuses on technological advances in America.   Pending sufficient interest, students participate in two field trips a semester that tie to the topics studied.  Relevant movies are identified for optional family viewing to enhance students' understanding. The year concludes with a team game relating to the further expansion of American cities.

    WRITING: Major writing assignments include literary analysis/critique essays, explanatory and persuasive history essays, creative narratives, and a research paper.  Numerous forms of quickwrite essays are practiced through quizzes and unit tests.  The specific writing purpose and complexity of assignments vary to align with the skills class levels.  

    WORLDVIEW & OPTIONAL RELIGION CREDIT:  The Notgrass books reflect a non-denominational Christian worldview that interweaves Bible study with history.  The Liftoff Learning course is taught from a non-denominational Christian perspective that integrates secular and religious history.  However, major religious and faith-focused Notgrass lessons are optional and left to individual families to discuss.  Those students pursuing the optional religion credit read these Notgrass biblical-based lessons, complete the Bible study written work, memorize Bible passages, discuss with parents, and complete other assignments as families choose. 
  • High School Credit: Including the reading/writing skills portion, 1 honors English and 1 honors history credit are earned with an optional parent-led third credit for religion.
  • Homework Expectations: Roughly 10 - 12 hours per week for both the history and skills combined classes.  Grade is based on a combination of smaller homework tasks, major writing assignments, class activities, simulations/projects, and unit quizzes/tests. 
  • Class Size: Limited to 12 students