Compass Classroom American History {Review}

A while back I was contacted by Compass Classroom and asked to do a review for them. I was so excited because I love curriculum and I love giving my children a chance to experience the different materials that are out there. When they mentioned their American History curriculum I was elated to give it a try after reading in their description that it counts for on high school history credit!

Score!!

If you are anything like me you are scouring the web pages and picking every veteran's brain on what to use and count for high school credits. High school officially hits our house in the fall and I'm seriously in denial! However, finding this gem of a History course has taken one item off my plate! We couldn't be more excited about that!

Haven't heard of Compass Classroom or their American History course? No, problem. I'll fill it all in for you.

Compass Classroom has a great About Us page I recommend reading. What drew me in after reading about their "About Us" page was when they shared this gem...

Watching them homeschool made us realize a few things:

1. Moms need as much support as they can homeschooling. If one video course gives you a little more time to focus on other things, then that makes us happy.
2. Some subjects are generally more difficult to teach than others. We try to make video series that cover those gaps.
3. There are some great teachers out there who just do an incredible job explaining certain subjects. We look for them and get them on video.
4. Videos should be educational and entertaining.  A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.
5. A lesson on video is not the same as a lecture.  We approach each new series with a blank page and try to match form and content in the most pedagogically-effective way.

I don't know about you but my heart sang... "Yes! All of that!!" I couldn't wait to check them out. We have looked at and have loved all of their Free Resources and have loooooooved their WordUp! course (I just reviewed it as well here).

Their American History course has not disappointed at all! You should definitely check out their promo video.



Compass Classroom's American History is taught by veteran History teacher Dave Raymond, and I've got to say we've loved him! He is engaging and the way he presents has made history stick for us! His passion comes through the screen and gets you as passionate as he is. History has always been a tough subject for us to get engaged with over the years. But Dave has brought it back to life for us.

From their website you can see exactly what you will be receiving with this course, and you can choose to use this course either through DVD's, downloading the course, or streaming. We have the streaming option and LOVE it!

Current cost of this course is $60! It's a total steal and beyond worth every penny!

American History is a one-year class that consists of:

• 26 lessons (5 videos per lesson, 10-15 minutes each)
• 4 projects
• Student Reader, 372p (PDF, EPUB, & MOBI)
• Teacher’s Guide with Scope & Sequence (PDF)
• Weekly Exams
• Year-long Portfolio. 

I can't wait to see all 4 of the projects completed! A Colonial Map Project, A Costumed Speech Project, A Thesis Paper, An Hour Project. From their descriptions they are going to be amazing and easy to grade with the rubric they lay out for you in your Teacher's Guide.

I love their Teacher Guide layout!

They give you everything you need to effectively grade and use their curriculum and the Student Guide is just as simple to follow. My daughter loved that in her student guide told her exactly what to read and what her assignment was. Great accountability for independent work! EVERYTHING you need is laid out for you! How great is that!? Reading, questions, exams, projects... you name it and they've made sure you understand or have it laid out for you. It's so refreshing!

Teacher Guide screen shots:

Student Guide... For a great hands on view of the student reader be sure to check the samples tab and you can click through 10 pages of it as well. I'm positive you will love it! 

This is definitely a high school course. The work is meaty and oh so good!! The video lessons are short but lay such great ground work for the reading and understanding of all of the information poured over. The reading assignments, in some spots, appear to be hearty and lengthy and some adaption may be required, but I thinking with coupled with the detailed writing required the balance is good. The exams will get them thinking too!

For example check out what Lesson one's exam requires...

Lesson 1
Lecture 1.4—Essay/Exam #1
Read the following quotes. Write an essay of 150-250 words explaining the value of history and/or the humanities by using the wisdom of one or more quotes. (Note: This essay is Exam #1.)
The student essays are based upon one or more quotations found in Lecture 1.4. All of these quotations pertain to history and/or the humanities.
The task students have to complete is a 150-250 word essay on the wisdom of their chosen quotation(s) in regard to the study of the humanities. This is meant to be general so a wide array of answers is acceptable. Look for whether or not a student wrestles with the ideas put forth by the author of their chosen quote(s).
The essay is worth 25 points. Quality of content should make up 15 points available and completion of proper length and basic form should make up the remaining 10 points available.

Yes, please! Thank you for a program to lay out exactly what you are looking for in reference to the question answered and how to grade it.

Still unsure how to calculate for high school credits with this course? Don't fret! They have done all the calculating for you under their FAQ page on American History's product page.

We love that this course is premised on a biblical Christian worldview. Dave uses great illustrations and maps as he speaks, and we love how he presented within context and not just isolating a single event. It really brought history full circle for us!

We have only just begun to scratch the surface of all this course has to offer us and we can not wait to soak up the rest of what Dave has to teach. We feel like we are diving into History in a way we never have before! The portfolio will be one I can see us going back and looking at long after she graduates!

I can not recommend checking out this course for your high schooler enough!!

I received a copy of this product in exchange for this review. The thoughts and opinions here are my own.