Discover Our American Story
Comprehensive Print Set
Save $50! #AS1 - A $445 Print Value for $395
Includes one copy of all of the books above in print.
Guide & Exclusives Set
Save $10! $AS1-PGE - A $115 Print Value for $105
Includes the American Story 1 Guide, A New Land, and the "Make-Your-Own" American 1 Book.
Get ready for an adventure as you learn about life in America from its Native American culture, to its discovery by Europeans and exciting growth as a nation. Activities are an important part of the studies that capture the interest of younger students. In fact, everything in this program is designed to be perfect for the younger members of your family. They’ll love the visually stimulating books and high-interest themes.
You and your student will follow in the footsteps of the Lewis and Clark expedition, decode Benedict Arnold’s traitorous message, and meet exciting Americans who fought for freedom, built a canal, or rode for the Pony Express. And the adventure doesn’t stop there. As you read out loud you’ll meet an orphan who changes her life by pretending to be a boy, spend a year with a boy in the wilderness alone, discover how a log cabin is constructed, and even hop a ship to the California gold fields.
Hands-on activities and learning opportunities are laced throughout the program. Your instructor’s guide has oodles of ideas, but in addition, many of your books have instructions on everything from building a keel boat to learning how to measure distance by dead reckoning. There’s all sorts of activity resources for your journey!
If you’d like all your students to study American history, this program is designed so your younger students can complete this program while older family members work through American Crossing. You can purchase each set separately, or the combined All-American Set.
Spend Hours Together Experiencing Our American Story
You’ll Enjoy Lingering in Picture-Rich History Books
Look out across the Atlantic Ocean, get a first glimpse of the New World, scan Revolutionary battlefields, and study the new-fangled Erie canal -- all in the picture-filled pages of your history books. Especially designed to appeal to younger learners, the American Story series shows you what history is all about with paintings, illustrations, drawings, maps & photographs.
Your Family Will Enjoy the History Notebooking
This year’s “Make-Your-Own” American History Book provides weekly opportunities to notebook all the most important events in early American history. An assortment of pages allows students to illustrate pages, respond to questions, create artwork, solve puzzles or complete other paper activities throughout the year. You’ll try out Norse math, pick an original Thanksgiving menu, make a colonial business sign, draw a colonial postal route, decode a message about Benedict Arnold, and more!
They’ll Learn & Remember 100 Key Events and Their Importance!
We’ve assembled 100 dates from this year’s timeline dates and created a reinforcement Timeline Card set that you can copy and use for games and drill. On one side is the “EVENT” and on the reverse is the “DATE” and “HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE” of the event, to maximize learning and retention!
You’ll Make Memories with a Wealth of Easy-to-Complete Activities
You’ll enjoy so many activity resources to give your family even more choices each week. One of these resources is an “Interactive 3-D Maps” book, which will help your student visualize the geography of important events like Paul Revere’s ride, the Erie Canal or trails to the West.
Add Fun with the Early American Trades & Crafts Kit - #AMI-KIT
Add this kit to your package to experience sixteen different projects that will give you a taste of early American trades or handcrafts. Projects include a handcrafted Native American tepee, a Stick Dice game, a Wool Felt Hooked Rug square, a wooden Conestoga wagon, and a dozen more. Kit projects are scheduled in the American Story 1 guide.
Highlights of Your American 1 Guidebook
AS1-101 - $80 - Free with Package PurchaseClick here to see a sample of the program guide.
Simple and Ready-to-Go!
You’ll find this program guide is laid out so simply – just open and begin! Each of your 36 school weeks is laid out to reduce your paperwork! Each week also includes activity ideas, geography and timeline work, important advice on how to teach concepts, web search ideas, and much more!
Supply List for Activities
By parent request, we’ve put together a supply list in your guidebook so you can plan your activities ahead of time, and gather any supplies (other than routine items) you need.
Student Independent Work Schedules
Each week, your student will have a schedule all their own to complete the work they need to do independently.
Rating System for Activities
Activities have a rating on their supplies & skill level.
“Make-Your-Own” American History Book | AS1-151 | $15
Notebooking pages that are interactive and interesting help students demonstrate what they have learned. Students will complete each page and insert in the “Timelines in History.” Click here to see a sample.
Early American History Books
The American Story: 100 True Tales of American History | AS1-201 | $35
A beautiful volume with stories about heroes and hijinks in America. Wonderfully illustrated and over 350 pages in length, this volume will be used in your American Story 2 study as well.
The Discovery of the Americas | AS1-203 | $8
Exploration & Conquest | AS1-204 | $8
The New Americans | AS1-205 | $8
This trilogy tells the story of America from the early explorers who discovered the continent, to those who conquered the native peoples and colonized its shores.
If You Lived in Colonial Times | AS1-206 | $7
Would you rather be a cooper or a cobbler? Find out as you travel to colonial times and discover all about colonial work and play.
Liberty! Story of the American Revolution AS1- 209 $11
A fantastic look at the Revolution that explains the issues and battles in an easy-to-understand format. Lots of sidebars accentuate this beautifully illustrated book.
Benjamin Franklin AS1-208 $4
Meet the beloved inventor of the Franklin stove!
If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution AS1-210 $6
Follow the battles and hard times experienced by both patriots and loyalists during the war.
The Revolutionary John Adams AS1-211 $ 8
Go inside the life of America’s second president.
How the U.S. Government Works AS1-212 $7
Listen to the story of how our government came to be!
Who Was Thomas Jefferson AS1-213 $5
Lots of illustrations keep interest high in this biography that highlights Jefferson’s patriotic and presidential years.
The Lewis & Clark Expedition AS1-214 $14
A kid-friendly guide through uncharted territory helps kids understand the incredible challenge faced by these two leaders. Activities and fun drawings accent the text.
Samuel F. B. Morse AS1-215 $ 9
Discover how Samuel Morse got the idea for a signal to be sent along a wire with electricity that could carry news of events in faraway places, and how he created the telegraph after years of work!
Amazing, Impossible Erie Canal AS1-216 $ 8
Discover the secrets of how this canal was built, and how it worked for the state of New York!
The Trail of Tears AS1-217 $ 4
The Cherokees are forced to march west in a journey known as the Trail of Tears.
A Pioneer Sampler AS1-218 $15
Follow a fictional family through a year in their pioneer home. You’ll find out how pioneers cooked, broke sod for planting, made maple sugar and much more! Pioneer activities and finely detailed pictures of pioneer life add to this interesting book!
They’re Off! Story of the Pony Express AS1-219 $ 7
Ride hard on the trail with the Pony Express, as they cross the continent to deliver the mail!
Escape North! Story of Harriet Tubman AS1-220 $ 4
A New Land! Early American Stories | #AS1-225 | $19
WP Exclusive! This supplemental text shares the facts about various happenings in early American history.BIBLE STUDY - Used for 2 Years for Both American Story 1 & 2!
The Gospel Story Bible | AS1-403 | $30
This easy-to-read storybook puts Jesus and the plan of salvation on display in each story. Students read the Bible story from this book, and parents use the companion book below.
Long Story Short: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God | AS1-404 | $20
This companion to the above Bible storybook allows parents to have interactive family devotion times in just ten minutes, five days a week. Each day's time is made up of discussion time, active fun, or other great and easy family learning moments.Activity Resources
Colonial America | AS1-251 | $15
Lots of paper projects cover many aspects of colonial life. Create dioramas, a coin code, models, maps and a miniscroll. All activities require almost no supplies.
3-D Interactive Maps: American History | AS1-252 | $16
Maps to make become 3-D tools for helping kids understand 20 events in early American history.
Plains Indians Teepee Village | AS1-253 | $7
More Than Moccasins | AS1-254 | $15
Crafts and lots of information that help students understand the day-to-day life and history of various tribes.
Native American Focus & Activities
If You Lived with the NW Coast Indians AS1-271 $ 7
If You Lived with the Cherokee AS1-272 $ 7
If You Were at the First Thanksgiving AS1-273 $ 7
If You Lived with the Iroquois AS1-276 $ 7
If You Lived with the Sioux AS1-277 $ 7
If You Lived with the Hopi AS1-278 $ 7
Each book takes you inside a different region of Native American life and culture. You’ll discover the differences between tribes in different regions, and get to know their hunting, farming and home-building techniques.
History Pockets: Native Americans AS1-279 $15
Various paper projects to complete that focus on a tribe from each of the major regions in North America. So much fun!What About Adventure Reading?
With the advent of personal reading devices and ebooks for phones, etc., we are no longer including reading books in our basic programs, but listed below are books scheduled for you in your guide. You can purchase the other titles, download them to a device, or borrow them from a library.
NOTE: This set is still available as a special order item.
The Birchbark House
Omakayas and her family live on an island, building a birchbark house every year, but change may be coming.Pedro’s Journal
A boy journals his voyage with Columbus.The Sign of the Beaver
A boy struggles to survive in the wilderness, waiting for the arrival of his family, and meets his Indian neighbors.Ben and Me
The story of Ben Franklin as told by his mouse, Amos.The Secret Soldier
A young woman disguises herself as a man to fight in the War for Independence.The Fighting Ground
A young man joins the War without his father’s permission.Little House on the Prairie
Laura Ingalls and her family leave the Big Woods behind and head for the Kansas territory.Riding Freedom
The true story of Charlotte Parkhurst, who wanted a life that seemed impossible for an orphan -- and a girl.The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed
A New England girl accompanies her father on a whaling ship and encounters suspicious activities among the crew.By the Great Horn Spoon
Praiseworthy the butler and his young master, Jack, run into many obstacles on their way to the California gold fields.
Optional Learning Kit
Early American Trades & Crafts Kit | AM1-KIT | $59
This kit includes materials and a book to complete sixteen early American projects. Projects include a handcrafted Native American tepee, a Stick Dice game, a Wool Felt Hooked Rug square, a wooden Conestoga wagon, and a dozen more. We recommend this kit for purchase with American Story 1, and it is scheduled in your guide for your convenience throughout the year. Common art supplies not included. Adult supervision required..What You’ll Need to Complete the Learning:
ONE OF OUR COORDINATING LA PROGRAMS:
“Syllables to Sentences” LA Program
“Paragraphs to Pages” LA Program
“Stories to Short Chapters” LA Program
“Readers to Real Books” LA Program
3rd Grade “Tracking Down Good Grammar” Program
Your Choice of Timeline Figures & Resources
A Science Program
A Math Program
Get Your Questions about American Story I Answered!
Return to the top of the page, and click on the "FAQ" button
on the graphic. It will take you to a page where you'll find
answers to questions like these:What additional resources are necessary to the program?
What consumables are needed for extra students?
Which language arts programs coordinate with American Story I?
Can I add an older student to an early American history study?
And lots more!
