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State Chronicles Series
These hardcover state books read like a newspaper (an education in itself for students these days) with headlines and dates, photos and compelling text. Topics are chosen that relate to our modern society whether it is about business, engineering, scientific discoveries, tragedies, politics, sports, racial issues and more. In the back, an 8-page, 2-sided, full-color timeline can be removed and studied. The text seems geared toward about a 5th grade reading level. For the state of Illinois, the timeline covers 1818 to 2018. While the letter from the governor of Illinois was already out of date, the book was a good read! The Educator’s Guide is a good resource for homeschooling families as there are activities that work with a variety of ages. While designed with public schools in mind (secular, includes ELA/evolutionary science/social science standards, content approved by the Board of Ed.), the activities are engaging. Some of these activities include creative art projects, discussion, further research, comparing a contemporary news article, summarizing, and even creating an invention of your own! These supplements would be a great add-on to make your social studies year more personal and fun. ~Sara
