Memoria Press: The Story of the Thirteen Colonies (and more!) A Homeschool Review Crew Post

You might have noticed that I have reviewed a number of Memoria Press products over the years. Memoria Press has really become one of my favorite publishers. For one, they produce such quality materials. My review today goes even beyond my expectations. For this review, I got to take a look at The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic Set and 200 Questions About American History set for grades 5-8.

What I Received

I got a number of goodies in the mail. The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic Set includes:

The Story of the Thirteen Colonies and the Great Republic text

The Story of the Thirteen Colonies and the Great Republic Student Guide

The Story of the Thirteen Colonies and the Great Republic Teacher Guide

In addition to those products, I received the 200 Questions About American History Set.

The Story of the Thirteen Colonies and The Great Republic are actually two separate works written in the late 1800s by British historian H.A. Guerber. Memoria Press edited Ms. Guerber’s works to allow us to see better history unfolding through the lens of time. The book begins with life for Native Americans before the entrance of Europeans and ends with the Spanish American War.

The 200 Questions About American History Set (which includes student, teachers guides, plus flash cards) was compiled as a supplement. It contains (obviously) 200 questions that every American should know about history. Be aware that there are a few modifications given on the website to use this product. I think it was originally compiled to use with another history book and they are still working on that one. 

You do need to know that the Student Guides are all consumable and each of your students is going to need their own copy.

How I Used It and What I Thought

We are all about the history here in our house. I even do some writing of my own history curriculum. 

That being said, I don’t like to present our history in a dry or dusty manner. I LOVED the H.A. Guerber book. It is really delightful. More importantly, my son loved it.

My son (who is High School) is dyslexic.  As a result, we have done the majority of our reading aloud or via audio books. I was curious to see if this product would be one he could read on his own. I simply assigned him a section a day. He was really hooked. He has been sharing with us all kinds of tidbits he’s learning along the way.

We have been doing a rather hurried version of the recommended schedule for our “summer school” months. There won’t be any schooling in July, so I thought this product would be a great one to squeeze into our rotation. That being said, it is intended to use as a one-year survey for those middle school kids.

The Guides themselves are classic Memoria Press. Each lesson contains:

Facts to Know

Vocabulary

Comprehension Questions

Enrichment

The Enrichment portion might include map work or a writing assignment. There are also many primary source assignments (which I LOVE), as well.

The Appendix in both the Student and Teachers Guides include maps, lots of primary sources, a time line, etc. The primary sources include a letter from George Washington to his wife, Martha. There are also excerpts from Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, the Constitution (everybody needs to re-read it) and the Emancipation Proclamation. Plus, more!

The Teachers Guide also includes tests and the answers to those tests.  

I don’t know about you, but I need those answers!

We have had a lot of fun with the 200 Questions set. There is a recommended schedule to use with each chapter in The Thirteen Colonies. There are Drill Questions, dates to know, famous quotes to remember and a section that helps the student learn all the Presidents in order.

The 200 Questions About American History Flashcards are sold separately and can be used with any history curriculum.

It’s all good stuff. Be sure you check out the sample pages located on the website. 

One of the great things about Memoria Press is that they make it easier for you, the teacher. The products are well-constructed and thoughtful. It is a Classical Education company so the material isn’t skimpy and watered down. I have found many of their products fit well with my own eclectic/Charlotte Mason/Unit Study sensibilities.

This particular group of products is really terrific. I know your kiddos (and yourself) will enjoy the writing style of Ms. Guerber.  

Memoria Press has another winner in our house!

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