American Government, a one-semester course, is intended to be complemented with A Beka's World Geography, another one-semester course. American history is a prerequisite although this course provides quite a bit of review. You might have your teens study government later than ninth grade so they are able to first take an in-depth U.S. history course.
This text presents a conservative, free enterprise, Christian, patriotic perspective, contrasting our government with other governmental systems. Any differences of opinion we might hold should provide extra discussion material. The text also advocates participation in government by Christians.
Section review questions appear frequently throughout each chapter. These primarily focus on vocabulary and factual recall. At the end of each chapter are essay, short-answer, and thought/discussion questions that stretch student thinking. These questions should be sufficient for evaluating a student's grasp of the content, but a Student Test/Review Booklet and accompanying answer key are also available.
The teacher's guide has a complete copy of the student textbook. It also includes answers for the section reviews and chapter reviews, lesson plans, instructions for a project, and other teaching resources.
A 32-page study outline titled State and Local Government serves as a companion workbook. Students must use external resources such as the internet, encyclopedia, state constitution, and local government officials to find information. They complete the workpages by filling in blanks and writing short essays. While not essential, the research activities here are an excellent reinforcement for textbook lessons.
Note that the student text is available in both print and digital editions.
