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Misty
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As I just asked about history and US in particular I am now looking to do government along side it. I have no idea what to use. There's a lot out there and would love to hear what you all used for Government and why you liked it. Thanks Misty
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Misty
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Ok so I say this in the nicest way..
But why are you all reading and I have yet to get one response? Is there just nothing really geared for the Catholic high schooler in the government area? Or is it that everyone just uses what ever? Or do you all go with the in thing Notgrass that everyone else uses?
Maybe there isn't anything out there and that's fine or maybe we are all wondering the same thing? So is anyone else out there not sure what to use for government? I don't have the option of an online course as we have limited internet.
 I just kno wyou are all peeking and wondering also! 
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JodieLyn
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I'm doing economics/gov't with the Richard Mayberry books (starts with Whatever Happened to Penny Candy). And it also loops into history with the historical documents and biographies and other living books about when our government was set up.
Remember a lot of people here may not be doing high school yet and are peeking in to see what you're saying about it.
You might also change your topic to be more reflective of what you're looking for. It can be hard since we are limited on length but maybe something like "Government: What to use?" would get more people who'd come in to answer rather than just peeking in to see what it's about. I'm not saying you're doing it wrong.. just trying to give you a hint to get a better response. High School can be such a busy time some of our moms of that age just don't get here as much.
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Mackfam
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Misty wrote:
Ok so I say this in the nicest way..
But why are you all reading and I have yet to get one response? |
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Ok - "so I say this in the nicest way" --
Perhaps you could be patient with us.
We aren't a slot machine of answers. We're home educating moms - each of us with children that we homeschool during the day. Many of us read and resolve to come back and drop in an idea when we have more time. (Especially if we have resources and links to offer since that takes more time to add and format.) Some of us read and think, "hey, that's a great question, but I don't have any ideas."
In our lengthy forum history (9 years now!!), I can think of very, very few questions have gone completely unanswered here. You only asked this question yesterday. Give it a little time.
In the meantime...
Have you searched the archives here under government in the high school forum? (We've talked about this topic at length many times before.)
Have you looked at various catalogs to see what's available for this?
Looked for reviews on your own first?
Google searched for "living books homeschool high school government"?
I'm one of the people that saw your question and saved it in my inbox to respond to at a later time. Right now though, I need to go finish up lessons with my 4th grader. Til later...
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Jen Mackintosh
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guitarnan
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Yes, please be patient with us. I have end of month deadlines, every single month, so at this time of any month I post only as time permits, and I know I'm not the only WAHM mom here.
For my son, we used the three Boy Scout citizenship merit badges and Declaration Statesmanship. That worked fine, because the merit badge work filled in areas that DS spent less time on (such as details on the three branches of government).
My daughter is not a Boy Scout, so we're using a different approach, which includes discussions from Magruder's American Government (mainstream textbook that I bought used online), a class on Civics at our Co-op (taught by me - why not teach everyone since I'm doing the prep work?) and some field trips to places where she can see government in action.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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Angie Mc
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~~~waving to you, Misty!
I usually only respond here on Wednesdays. And if I don't respond, it is because I'm doing the class in question in an informal way. In this case, I do government in an informal one-to-one way because I'm a political science geek with a Master degree out of a political science department. I don't tend to come in to say that because it isn't very helpful.
But that's why 
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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Misty
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| Posted: Jan 30 2014 at 3:25pm | IP Logged
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 Please do forgive me. I am by nature an anxious person and you are all 3 right. Patience. I am sorry.
I did change the title so it would reflect better. Thanks for that suggestion. I also have had my son read all the Mayberry books already. I thought was just to be used for Economics?
I did try looking in the search here under high school and I didn't see anything. Unless I was asking it wrong I had just put government in the search engine.
I should have given more information on what I have found. Here is what I have seen/heard: I find most people I know use Notgrass but can't give a good reason why. Seton uses a book called American Government in Christian Perspective which confuses me being all reviews say it's very Protestant in nature. Along with the Federalist. Clarence Carson's Basic American Government is a very good solid government book from reviews and Miracle at Philadelphia by Catherine Drinker Bowen come up in my searching. A Familiar Exposition of the Constitution of the United States by Justice Joseph Storey, which has recently been reprinted I found. David Barton of Wallbuilders has books. These DVD's seemed promising http://www.christianbook.com/understanding-government-3/1594 436002/pd/145522?item_code=WW&netp_id=370576&event=ESRCN&vie w=details
Anyway there's a lot here, but the, BUT part. I am not sure how to look into a book to figure out how it's written. Meaning is it Christian and if so very one sided as mentioned above with the one book all Protestant or is openly christian. Then there is the issue of is it written liberal/conservative/democrat/republican in nature. How do you figure all that out?
Most sites I use don't go up to high school for subjects and as you can see the ones that do I don't know how to find out more about them other than reading reviews on amazon. LOL
I like the Boy Scout way I have 5 boys 1st and although we are not I'm sure I could get a hold of the information for going that route and they would find that an adventure. I will also look at the book you mentioned.
Again sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude
I am always appreciative of all answers.
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Misty
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Thanks Angie, maybe I could just borrow you for awhile!
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JodieLyn
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Misty you can check out meritbadge.org for the boy scout info.. you can also buy the merit badge books, not sure if Amazon has them but scoutstuff.org is an online scout store.
the Maybury books are consider Economics and Nature of Government. So I consider them both.. we get other sources on the form of the Government. Oh.. I forgot one.. Project Vote Smart has an educational section with tons of info.. and it's great for adults too.. finding information on those in office and running for office and such.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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JodieLyn
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Oh when you do a search be sure to see what the length of time you're searching is appropriate. Scroll down until you can see "Scope" the default is 3 months, I'd use the "all posts" for searches like this if you don't know how far back you want to go.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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MaryM
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I know you said that you couldn't do online options due to problems with internet connection so I am adding this as a general recommendation for others reading the thread needing ideas, too.
Homeschool Connections offers several online government classes that are archived:
Government, Democracy, and Citizenship
American Elections:Democracy in Action
Advanced AmericanGovernment
Introduction to Law Fundamentals of the American Legal System
Constitutional Law:Supreme Court Jurisprudence
The First Amendment: Five Freedoms
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Jan 30 2014 at 4:17pm | IP Logged
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Misty wrote:
| Please do forgive me. I am by nature an anxious person and you are all 3 right. Patience. I am sorry. |
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No problem, Misty! And, it is challenging at times to communicate via a forum, or anywhere online. The written word doesn't always do a good job at expressing how we feel about something. You're getting there though! Use those emoticons on the sidebar there - they can sometimes be a help if you can't find a word to let people know you're feeling anxious, or eager, or light. And your follow up post here is really helpful!
I have a few minutes before I need to go start lasagna - so I'm back to drop in ideas...
Misty wrote:
| I did change the title so it would reflect better. Thanks for that suggestion. I also have had my son read all the Mayberry books already. I thought was just to be used for Economics? |
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Glad you changed the title, Misty - that's a help! And I'm glad Jodie recommended the Bluestocking Press books. We use them, too. I used the entire series in 11th grade. The entire series makes a very comprehensive government/economics series. If your son has read the series, he's completed a government/economics course.
Misty wrote:
| I did try looking in the search here under high school and I didn't see anything. Unless I was asking it wrong I had just put government in the search engine. |
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You have to make sure you adjust the SCOPE of the search to get as many results as possible. I did a quick search on "government" from all our posts here and got these.
Misty wrote:
| I should have given more information on what I have found. Here is what I have seen/heard: I find most people I know use Notgrass but can't give a good reason why. Seton uses a book called American Government in Christian Perspective which confuses me being all reviews say it's very Protestant in nature. Along with the Federalist. Clarence Carson's Basic American Government is a very good solid government book from reviews and Miracle at Philadelphia by Catherine Drinker Bowen come up in my searching. A Familiar Exposition of the Constitution of the United States by Justice Joseph Storey, which has recently been reprinted I found. David Barton of Wallbuilders has books. These DVD's seemed promising http://www.christianbook.com/understanding-government-3/1594 436002/pd/145522?item_code=WW&netp_id=370576&event=ESRCN&vie w=details |
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That's a good start.
First question:
** Are you looking for a course/textbook?
** Are you looking for living books to build a course?
I can't help you with a curriculum/text, though I've heard the most good about Declaration Statesmanship, and that's probably where I'd start my search if I were headed in that direction. But I can definitely offer you more living books to flesh out some "living-books-government-course"
Misty wrote:
| Anyway there's a lot here, but the, BUT part. I am not sure how to look into a book to figure out how it's written. Meaning is it Christian and if so very one sided as mentioned above with the one book all Protestant or is openly christian. Then there is the issue of is it written liberal/conservative/democrat/republican in nature. How do you figure all that out? |
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Consider the source.
If you're looking at a set of Thomas Sowell essays as part of your course, then research Thomas Sowell a bit. In less than 10 minutes you'll find that Mr. Sowell is writing from a conservative, libertarian viewpoint and advocates a free market society.
In terms of Christian/Protestant/Catholic -- to be honest, I haven't found that *this* particular topic is as necessary to be as cautious in this area as I would if I were looking for an elementary science book. Here are the reasons:
** High schoolers should know their faith at this point. That doesn't mean throw them to the wolves. It does mean that some books that may not necessarily share our faith in entirety provide meaningful discussion points and high school students have the faith understanding and maturity to bring to the table. I've found that to be the case in this genre.
** I would not consider a Protestant source to be a deal-breaker for a Government-course book. We share much in common with our Protestant brothers and sisters, and I've found this is one area where we can really build on and enjoy some common ground. Not everywhere obviously, but in a lot. Now, I do love a good Catholic viewpoint! At this time, the best place for that is to have your high schooler reading current events from some good Catholic blog and news sites and then sharing/discussing. Provides great perspective and balance.
That's just my take and my perspective though!!
---------------------------------
The Bluestocking Press books laid a good foundation for us in a Junior Year course. I asked my senior what she wanted this year in terms of gov't and history, and she asked specifically for current government and politics reading. So, that's what her entire year is centered around. (Fair warning though: her list tackles some mature topics.) It's made for fantastic reading and discussion and some of the best essays she's ever written! I'm happy to list her booklist if you're interested in more living book reading like that.
Unfortunately, I'm out of time to link all of these, but I'll quickly type Sarah's booklist for the year for you (none of these are texts):
** Liberty and Tyrrany - Mark Levin
** The Liberty Amendments: Restoring the American Republic - Mark Levin
** The Marketing of Evil - David Kupelian (mature topics, excellent book)
** The Original Argument: The Federalist's Case For the Constitution, Adapted for the 21st Century - Glenn Beck
** Is Reality Optional, and Other Essays - Thomas Sowell
** The Consequences of Ideas - R.C. Sproul
** Knowing History and Knowing Who We Are - David McUllough
We're also including several of the speeches and source documents from Ambleside's 12th grade History selections.
Let us know how we can narrow down what you're looking for in a government course, Misty! And thanks for being patient with us!
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Jen Mackintosh
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guitarnan
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Misty, I don't know how old your boys are, but meritbadge.org does indeed have all the merit badge requirements, free for anyone to use, Scouts or not.
We went to a couple of school board meetings for some of those merit badge requirements and happened to turn up at a meeting where cheating on tests at a local high school was a major topic. It was an eye-opener for my two children. (Moral: Pick your meetings wisely if you have younger children; school board meetings, traffic court and such are pretty innocuous, most of the time. Superior court, city council meetings, etc. can sometimes present more mature themes, so you would want to look at the meeting agenda or court docket to make sure you were attending a family-friendly public event.)
If you're in a co-op or homeschool group, you could even create your own mock trial...for some silly offense like watering flowers on Tuesdays...so children could get a feel for a real courtroom setup.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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CrunchyMom
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I'm not quite there yet, but for a scholarly, living book, I would recommend Russel Kirk's Roots of American Order.
Kirk was a Catholic convert. The contents with chapter summaries on the Amazon sample offer a good overview of what is covered in the book.
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CrunchyMom
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Since many people teach government and economics together, I thought I would add Kirks work on Economics, Work and Prosperity, Hazlit's Economics in One Lesson, and the encyclicals on economics, which are easily found on the Vatican website.
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Lindsay
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Misty
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Mackfam - if he completed the series by Mayberry would you consider that alone as .5 credit? I would like to use mostly living books. (text if need be) I looked up those books mentioned and WOW now I want to go read! Those look great. I will have to try and request from library and sort through as the one you mentioned does seem like it would need more one on one discussions
My boys will be in 10-11th grade while doing Economics/Government. I love the mock trial idea that would be fun!
Thanks again you are the best!
I feel like you taught me so much and I do wish my kids could do those online classes offered but living in the sticks no high speed or unlimited internet here
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KackyK
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Has anyone looked at A Beka's government books and class? I know there are issues with A Beka with some subjects…but I was just curious. It had never occurred to me to maybe take a look at them for government.
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Mackfam
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Misty wrote:
| Mackfam - if he completed the series by Mayberry would you consider that alone as .5 credit? |
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That's exactly what I did.
How is your planning going, Misty?
KackyK wrote:
| Has anyone looked at A Beka's government books and class? I know there are issues with A Beka with some subjects…but I was just curious. It had never occurred to me to maybe take a look at them for government. |
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I'm not familiar with that text, Kacky - sorry. Maybe someone else here has experience with it.
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Jen Mackintosh
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Misty
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My planning - well it felt good to know I have a .5 credit down already for economics/government.!
I talked with my sons (being there are 5 in a row down in line next) asking textbook or living and they were all for reading through US history/Government. 
I, other than the one book, loved the books you mentioned and they follow our values here at home. I think adding in:
Basic American Government by Carson
Miracle at Philadelphia by Drinker
The Roots of American Order by Kirk
The Federalist
... is a good start. I just don't know if it will cover the 'basics' of government like all the ins and outs? Although I don't know what it would look like away? 
I just want my kids to understand the top down of government. Who is where and who decides things. How things happen and who makes them happen. Where the split into different sides, democrat and republican happened. What do each of those look like.
Any more suggestions or comments greatly appreciated.
Misty
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MarilynW
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Just to want to mention Hillsdale College's free online Constitution Class - my boys will be doing it- Constitution 101
My daughter did Declaration Statesmanship which was good - but I did not like it as much as I thought I would.
Another great resource is Mike Farris's set of Constitution dvds - just excellent - Constitutional Literacy
I have learned so much from the above resources. We have also used The Marketing of Evil that Jen posted.
The Acton Institute's Birth of Freedom is excellent.
We have a big focus on the Constitution in our house - esp. as it is so relevant in our country right now.
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4Real Forums : High School Years and Beyond
Topic: Government: What to use?
