Portraits of American Girlhood Review - Eclectic Homeschool Online

For core study guide or as ancillary teaching aid, Portraits of American Girlhood, by New Mexican homeschooling mom Cindy Sotelo is 250+ pages of cover-to-cover educational thrills. How exciting and thorough! I don’t usually include a complete scope and sequence in my reviews, but this one is almost unbelievable; you have to see it to believe it:

Social Studies

Revolutionary War Era and Colonial Williamsburg
History and Cultural Heritage of New Mexico
Pioneers and The Westward Expansion
Civil War Era and Underground Railroad
Suffrage and Progressive Movements
The Great Depression Era, especially 1932-34.
World War Two Era and Home Front America

Science

Medicine, then and now
Animal classification into major kingdoms
Desert habitats
Nature journaling
Tornadoes
Constellations
Scientists and inventors
Nutrition

Biography

George Washington
Betsy Ross
Abraham Lincoln
Thomas Edison
The Wright Brothers
Susan B. Anthony

Geography

13 original colonies
Compare and contrast regions of the U.S.
European countries and routes to America
Memorizing the 50 States (and capitals, if you wish)
Map skills

Math Reinforcements

Geometric shapes and patterns
Symmetry and line of symmetry
Literature-based word problems
Drills: addition, subtraction & multiplication

Character Education

Qualities of a good friend
Staying true to your beliefs
Honesty
Love is action-oriented.
Importance of working together for the common good
Making do with what you have
Reciprocity- every person has strengths as well as needs
Cooperation and pitching in during hard times
Allies vs. enemies

Language Arts

Dictionary Skills

Writing entries and definitions
Illustrating entries
Arranging entries in alphabetical order

Literature

Symbolism
Point of View
Voice
Language structures
Poetry memorization
Inference
Cause and effect
Story elements
Predicting outcomes
Character analysis

Grammar and Usage

Verb tenses
Antonyms/synonyms
Parts of speech
Capitalization, quotation marks & commas

General Writing Skills

Friendly letters
Narratives
Expository writing
Compare and contrast
Persuasive writing
Formal vs. casual tone

Creative Writing

Posters
Poems
Riddles
Headlines
Jump rope rhymes
Menus
Postcards
Game instructions
Song lyrics
Character journal entries
Invitations
Recipes
Travel and nutrition brochures
Store signs
Charts
Posters
Awards
Wish lists
Predictions

Journalism and Newspaper Writing

Using the who, what, where, when, why technique
Pictures with captions
Advice columns
Advertisements
Weather reports
Cartoons
Movie reviews
Crossword puzzles
Biography summaries
Letters to the editor

See what I mean? Portraits of American Girlhood utilizes the Pleasant Company’s American Girl historical fiction books for either a traditional 36-week school schedule or year-round 42-week schedule presenting a Christian/creationist perspective. By the way, Pleasant Company does not endorse this study guide. Its books are necessary to the units, however, and are usually easily found at your local library and major book stores.

Sotelo wrote the guide for grades 2-5, with the help of daughters Lexi and Emily (love the artwork, girls!), but their work can easily be adapted for older students by using the enrichment activities at the back of each chapter. Simply expect more; do more. Her whole approach makes co-ops and history clubs and multi-grade teaching a breeze for Mom and a blast for students.

The spiral-bound, seven-studies-in-one guide comes with a FREE CD ROM that contains over 70 worksheets, maps and handouts for you to print out from your own computer. (Very mom-friendly!) Also included are adaptation ideas for kids with special needs, how to include boys in the study, and tips for reluctant readers and fearful writers (let them draw!). Having used American Girl books in our homeschool before, I can tell you for a fact that the stories are so adventuresome that boys like them too. Additionally, character traits are character traits; frankly, they have no gender. Her planning sheets are also excellent. What a great way to help children organize their thoughts before a writing project!

Visit Cindy’s website for a fun sample lesson at www.unitsunique.com. Then, you’ll really be convinced that this curriculum will work great for your children.