I was paid a wee bit to write this review, but just like with all things from The WOLFe Pack, what you will find here is an honest opinion from a seasoned homeschool mom with a Master’s Degree in Education and a decade of experience in the classroom…who also happens to be a mom with way too little sleep, too many dishes to do and only 9 months left on her homeschool clock.
Please read our Disclosure Policy for details.
It is a common choice for homeschooling parents to send their kids to a brick-and-mortar option when they reach the High School years. Sometimes the choice is made because the student wants to participate in sports, music or some other type of group program. Sometimes it’s due to a real concern for lack of socialization and preparing for the “real world.” But, oftentimes, it’s because parents feel inadequate to teach High School level courses.
As a result, there seems to be a lot of watered-down curriculum options with the sole intent of making it easier on parents and giving the student an easy way to “just get it done” to earn the credit and move on. If you are not one of those parents, this thorough government/economics option from Sonlight might be a good fit for you.
Read on for a full review.
WHO/WHAT IS SONLIGHT?
From their website: “Sonlight’s homeschool curriculum ‘secret’ comes down to this: we believe most children respond more positively to great literature than they do to textbooks. Books – quality books – can distill the wisdom of an entire life into the span of a few pages. They can feed us with spiritual insight beyond imagination. Whether written by Christians or non-Christians, great books help us to develop critical thinking skills. They cause us to question the validity of our own values and beliefs in light of the author’s perspective. These benefits of great literature have inspired us to build our Christian homeschool curriculum on quality books that present content in a highly engaging fashion. Once a good book grabs your child’s attention, you’ll find that the educational process becomes relatively painless – because your child will actually want to read!”
from The WOLFe Pack: Sonlight is a fully-planned but flexible literature-based curriculum that includes all of the materials you need for a successful homeschool. When people talk about “homeschooling in a box,” this is the kind of curriculum they might be referencing. Sonlight arrives in big boxes that bring instant joy to families who like to get everything at one time from the same company complete with lesson plans to explain how to make it all work.
WHAT IS SONLIGHT’S AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMICS?
From their website, Sonlight’s American Government is “designed for your student’s independent study and looks at how our government works and why it works as it does.” And the Economics portion is designed to give your students ” an in-depth, balanced tour of the world of Economics.”
From The WOLFe Pack, Sonlight’s American Government and Economics is the perfect course to give your mature, independent high schooler if you want to offer a well-rounded look at our country’s government and a deep consideration of economics. It’s especially perfect for those who dropped the ball on teaching these courses earlier and have no time to design or teach a class themselves. 🙂
IS SONLIGHT’S AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMICS WORTH HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT?
YES! American Government is worth .5 credit and Economics is worth .5 credit so they make a perfect combo to complete in one full school year. If you also add on the literature component, your student would earn a full credit of literature as well. Additionally, the Economics Instructor’s Guide includes an optional AP schedule for those hoping to take the Advanced Placement test on the subject.
HOW IS SONLIGHT’S AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMICS FORMATTED AND WHAT DOES IT INCLUDE?
Like most, if not all, courses from Sonlight, Sonlight’s American Government and Economics is based on a variety of literature and organized with a pretty hefty set of lesson plans (Instructor Guides.)
The American Government Instructor’s Guide (Student Guide) consists of 147 double-sided pages divided into 18 weeks with directions, questions, vocabulary words and more for each day. In the back, it also includes maps, a list of life skills, a scope & sequence, new user information and a certificate of completion. Sonlight suggests that a student will need to spend an hour each day five days per week on this course to get through it in 18 weeks. The materials included/covered in this course include:
- History 420 Student Guide
- History 420 Parent Guide
- Carson’s Basic American Government
- The U.S. Supreme Court – A Very Short Introduction by Linda Greenhouse
- Are You Liberal? Conservative? or Confused? by Richard Maybury
- Selecting a President by Eleanor Clift
- The Complete Idiot’s Guide to U.S. Government and Politics by Franco Scardino
- Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin
- Congress for Dummies by David Silverberg
- There are also several titles that a student would as part of the American Literature 430 Course.
The Economics Instructor’s Guide consists of 77 double-sided pages divided into 18 weeks with a set of directions for each day. The directions tell the student what to read from which book and which video to watch from Thinkwell. It also includes a list of questions for the student to answer; some as a point of reflection and others to check comprehension. Sonlight suggests that a student will need to spend an hour each day five days per week on this course to get through it in 18 weeks. The materials included/covered in this course include:
- The Invisible Heart: An Economic Romance by Russell Roberts
- Money, Possessions and Eternity by Randy Alcorn
- Personal Journal
- Access to Thinkwell’s Economics Internet Course
- Economics Instructor’s Guide
WHY DOES YOUR HIGH SCHOOLER NEED ANY AMERICAN GOVERNMENT COURSE?
In most states, a High School level American Government course is required for graduation.
And, if that’s not reason enough, I would also add that I truly believe it is our parental responsibility to educate our teens on their civil responsibilities. And, in order to do that, they need to have a good grasp of our country’s government structure.
And if the above two are not enough reasons to have your teens take on an American Government class, I beg you to turn on the news for five minutes. Pick your favorite news channel and watch it for five minutes. Now, flip it to the “other” news channel and watch it for five minutes. There is something seriously amiss with what is being thrown at us on a daily basis about our government…what it is supposed to be, how it should function, what’s wrong with it, what needs to change, who needs to be in charge, who is abusing their power, who is trying to rewrite the constitution, etc. Dare I say that the next generation (our teens!) needs to have a much better understanding of our country’s government than we ever did. If there was ever a time for your teen to spend a few months learning about American Government, that time is now.
WHO SHOULD CONSIDER BUYING SONLIGHT’S AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMICS?
In my opinion, Sonlight’s American Government and Economics would work well for students who learn well through reading and especially those who do well when reading a variety of texts on one subject while being challenged to make connections, decipher differences and form their own opinions.
WHO SHOULD NOT CONSIDER BUYING SONLIGHT’S GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMICS?
In my opinion, the following families/students would not be a good fit for this curriculum:
- Families who want only a secular point of view (While these courses seem dedicated to offer a “balanced point of view,” it does come from a Christian company and includes Bible work.)
- Students who do not like to read (There is a lot AND a big variety of literature involved.)
- Students who do not do well working independently (If a student does not stay organized and keep track of the various components, it would be a struggle to get through the course.)
- Families who are looking for an inexpensive option (The cost is well worth the materials, but it’s pretty pricey.)
- Families who travel a lot, take their work on the road or live in a teeny space (There are a ton of books included.)
WHY CHOOSE SONLIGHT’S AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMICS OVER A DIFFERENT AMERICAN GOVERNMENT/ECONOMICS CURRICULUM?
Check out this short video clip where I explain why I chose this over a less expensive dual enrollment option!
WHERE CAN YOU GET SONLIGHT’S AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMICS?
You can purchase this amazing course right from Sonlight’s website: Sonlight’s American Government and Economics.
