Uncle Sam and You: Part 1

by Ray Notgrass, Charlene Notgrass, Mary Evelyn McCurdy

Uncle Sam and You is a one-year civics and government course for students in grades 5-8. Daily lessons teach your child about the foundations of American government, the elections process, and how Federal, state, and local governments work.

Genres: History

511 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that these are good books. I love the fact that the unit is only 4 days with an optional 5th. This gives our family some much needed flexibility. I don’t love the assignments, but that can be heavily influenced by the fact that I read them loud to my kids and have conversations with them as I go so the assignments feel like busy work. My only “complaint” is that there are some topics that feel stretched into a 4 day unit. I could read about the topic for one maybe two days, but 4 makes it boring. I think that the only way around that for Notgrass would be to spread two days on smaller topics and use the other two for short biographical essays that correspond with the topic. If the publisher was to redo these books I think that would be ideal! :)

[Sela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series of history and civics books from Notgrass has been our favorite out of the many we've tried in our homeschooling journey.
This particular book is a great introduction to civics for middle schoolers. I appreciate the scope of the book; that it covers more than just the basic foundations of civics. It also covers things like A Day in the Life of the President and various national holidays.
The comprehension questions, quizzes, and literature suggestions are appropriate and help in learning the material.
I think the best recommendation for this book comes from my 12 year old. He looks forward to the daily lessons and can discuss what he's learned with others.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would not recommend this for a 5th or 6th grader as it's very information heavy. However, the information is important so I would recommend it for a student in upper middle school.