America the Beautiful
A full-year, faith-based U.S. history program that builds lasting knowledge through maps, timelines, and vivid, student-friendly lessons.
$125
Quantity:
Complete Course
Faith-Based
In a Curriculum Kit
Multiple Grades
2026 Fifth-Grade Curriculum Kit
America the Beautiful Curriculum
American history is about more than battles, presidents, and dates. America the Beautiful helps students explore the people, places, landmarks, literature, and events that have shaped the United States—all through the lens of a Biblical worldview.
Designed as a Christian homeschool American history curriculum, this comprehensive program combines history, geography, literature, and Bible-based reflection into a single year-long course. Beginning around A.D. 1000 and continuing through modern times, students build a broad understanding of America's story while discovering how geography, culture, faith, and historical events intersect.
Although the two hardcover volumes look substantial, the lessons are surprisingly approachable. Written directly to the student, the course works especially well for independent learners. Each week introduces a new unit with five manageable daily lessons that include readings, map work, timeline activities, literature connections, and optional hands-on projects.
History comes alive through vibrant photographs, illustrations, primary-source-style readings, biographies, and cultural snapshots. Students don't simply learn what happened—they begin to understand where it happened, who was involved, and why it mattered. The mapping activities and student-built timeline help connect people, places, and events into a larger historical framework.
The supporting resources add considerable depth. We the People introduces students to letters, poems, journal entries, advertisements, and other period writings that provide a glimpse into everyday life across different eras. Meanwhile, the Maps of America the Beautiful and Timeline of America the Beautiful components help students visualize and organize what they're learning as the year progresses.
One of the program’s greatest strengths is its flexibility. Some families complete every project, literature assignment, and family activity, while others focus primarily on the daily lessons. The optional Student Workbook or the Lesson Review book add practice, activities, comprehension checks, and assessments, but the core texts can also stand alone. Any of these approaches provides a rich foundation in American history while allowing families to tailor the workload to fit their schedule.
For families seeking a Christian U.S. history curriculum for middle-grade students, America the Beautiful offers a thoughtfully organized blend of history, geography, literature, and biblical perspective. It's the kind of course that helps students move beyond memorizing facts and begin seeing the larger story of America unfold.
How to Use America the Beautiful Curriculum
- Set a steady pace by completing one lesson each school day. With 30 units and five lessons per unit, you'll finish the course comfortably within a typical school year.
- Begin each day with the reading from America the Beautiful. Because the lessons are written directly to the student, many middle graders can work independently, while others may enjoy reading and discussing the material with a parent.
- Don't overlook the maps and timeline activities. A few assignments each week gradually build a personalized atlas and historical timeline, helping your student see where events happened and how they connect to the larger story of American history.
- Use the optional activities as they fit your family. Crafts, recipes, creative projects, artwork, and enrichment activities add depth to the lessons, but the core history remains strong even if you choose only a few favorites.
- Take advantage of the literature guide if your schedule allows. The recommended books add valuable context and help students experience history through the eyes of people who lived it. If your child loves reading, this can become one of the most memorable parts of the course. If not, feel free to skip the literature component and focus on the core lessons.
- The answer key makes checking assignments simple, while the optional workbook and lesson review materials provide additional reinforcement for families who want more practice or assessment opportunities.
And if those two thick hardcover volumes feel a little intimidating at first, don't worry. The lessons are short, clearly organized, and designed to be completed one day at a time. Before long, your student will be connecting people, places, and events across centuries—and American history will start to feel less like a collection of facts and more like a story worth knowing.
- America the Beautiful Part 1: America from 1000 to 1877
- America the Beautiful Part 2: America from the Late 1800s to the Present
- We the People
- Maps of America the Beautiful
- Timeline of America the Beautiful
- Answer Key and Literature Guide Please note: This set doesn't include the Student Workbook or Lesson Review. The publisher considers them optional, but you might want to add one or both for the full experience.
Bundle includes:
- America the Beautiful Part 1: America from 1000 to 1877
- America the Beautiful Part 2: America from the Late 1800s to the Present
- We the People
- Maps of America the Beautiful
- Timeline of America the Beautiful
- Answer Key and Literature Guide
- Student Workbook
PUBLISHER'S INFORMATION
Publisher: Notgrass
Author: Notgrass History
Age Recommendation: 10-14
Grade Recommendation: 5th-8th
Faith-Based: Yes
Lessons: 20 Units, 5 lessons each unit
Copyright: Jan. 1, 2021
America the Beautiful Part 1: America from 1000 to 1877
Author: Charlene Notgrass
Consumable: No
Lessons: 75
ISBN: 9781609991418
Format: Hardcover
America the Beautiful Part 2: America from the Late 1800s to the Present
Author: Charlene Notgrass
Consumable: No
Lessons: 75
ISBN: 9781609991425
Format: Hardcover
We the People: Words from the Makers of American History
Author: Notgrass History
Consumable: No
Pages: 280
ISBN: 9781609991463
Format: Hardcover
America the Beautiful Student Workbook (2nd Edition)
Author: Charlene Notgrass
Consumable: Yes
ISBN: 9781609991432
Format: Softcover
America the Beautiful Lesson Review (2nd Edition)
Author: Charlene Notgrass
Consumable: Yes
ISBN: 9781609991401
Format: Softcover
Maps of America the Beautiful (2nd Edition)
Author: Notgrass History
Consumable: Yes
Number of Maps: 30
ISBN: 9781609991449
Format: Softcover
Timeline of America the Beautiful (2nd Edition)
Authors: Ray & Charlene Notgrass
Consumable: Yes
ISBN: 9781609991456
Format: Softcover
America the Beautiful Answer Key and Literature Guide (2nd Edition)
Consumable: No
ISBN: 9781609991388
Format: Softcover
- The Old Schoolhouse Review Blue Ribbon Award
review by A Better Way to Thrive
”America the Beautiful leaves me a bit torn. I love getting history books from the library and doing our own projects. But my daughter just loves how this program is laid out, and I have been really impressed with all they are learning. It’s something I could wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who doesn’t want to take a DIY approach to homeschool history.”
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review by Adventures in Homeschooling
”As a military family, we put a lot of focus on our nations history, discussing our call to serve and the foundations of our country. Understanding our history is important to our family and, therefore, something we think is extremely important in our homeschool.”
Read the Review
review by Farm Fresh Adventures
”My thoughts are that this program is everything I hoped it would be and more. Not only is the textbook written in a narrative form making it easy to read, it is so full of photographs and visual things to go with the words. Little Britches pours over the photos in each lesson, he enjoys them so much.”
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review by the Flanders Family
”Overall, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by America the Beautiful. I find it much more interesting than the dry history texts I had as a kid, and my children stay engaged when I read it aloud, asking lots of questions and poring over photos.”
Read the ReviewFind answers to the most frequently asked questions about this product below:
We consider the literature component of the Notgrass history courses to be optional. You can have your student complete the Notgrass literature, with related assignments, instead of the Mosdos course if you like. We don't recommend trying to do both unless your student is highly motivated. Alternatively, if your student is an avid reader, he might enjoy simply reading any or all of the suggested books to supplement the history.
Notgrass curriculum is designed to work with students of a variety of ages and learning styles. The elementary-level curriculum (Our Star-Spangled Story) is designed for grades 1 to 4. The middle school curriculum (America the Beautiful, From Adam to Us, Uncle Sam and You) is designed for grades 5 to 8. Of course, for students in 4th or 5th grade, it gets a little fuzzy, and they could often successfully use either option.
Homeschooling is a family affair, and we encourage opportunities for children of all ages to learn together. Students in early elementary can certainly listen to a parent (or older sibling) read the lessons out loud. Some of the primary source readings might go over their heads, but that's okay. The review material might be challenging, too, but they can skip that. The family activities related to holidays are fun for everyone to do together. And the recommended literature is great for family read-aloud time.
If you use one of the middle school courses with a younger student, they may not get as much out of it as an older student. You could save that curriculum and use it again in 3-4 years when the younger kids are ready to think about the content at a deeper level while the older student is doing high school level material.
- August 15, 2026
Steph H.
America the Beautiful is just that: a beautiful curriculum. If my daughter leaves this book out, other siblings will end up paging through it. The text is full of facts without being overwhelming. The photos and artwork add so much to the text. Being able to go to the website and find the videos or music to add another dimension to learning history has been a great bonus (and something that I don't have to spend hours searching for just the right one!). I love that the supplementary "We the People" brings in primary documents that are so important to our nation's history. All in all, so happy with this curriculum!
- March 26, 2024
Beautiful
Vanessa H.
Engaging text. Beautiful artwork. A variety of music. So much fun and engagement in learning about the history of our country. This study has been a delight.
- March 19, 2024
A kind and honest look at US history
Elizabeth D.
Its hard to teach our own history without letting our personal bias get in the way. I really appreciate how the author of this series attempts to give a fair shake to the values and worldview which the people who founded her held, without glamorizing or over-spiritualizing them. For example: the author is a Christian, but she treats the beliefs and cultures of Native nations with deep respect, without putting them on a pedestal, demonizing them, or turning them into characatures.
- November 26, 2023
History taught in a FUN way
A. P.
It's been an interesting curriculum for not only my kids, but me. The pictures are beautiful and it's an easy read. We do it as a read aloud and my kids are retaining so much information. I'm slowing it down so we can talk about things and do deeper dives on some things. The accompanying optional literature selections have been great reads for my kids and myself. I would definitely recommend.
- September 14, 2023
Makes this historian mama happy!
Elizabeth D.
I have very strong opinions about history curriculum, I am more passionate about how this is taught than anything else. I find this book to be very well-written and thorough, giving more effort to recognize often overlooked people and periods than many other curriculums, while not trying to write as though it [our history] was morally or religiously void.
- August 14, 2023
Great for family-style learning!
Ryan T.
I am using America the Beautiful with 6 of my kids for history this year. They range in age from 2-13. I researched family-style history curriculums for months, and this is the one we chose. I am so happy we decided on this one. The illustrations are so beautiful and the text describes history with such richness. The text can be simplified for little learners, but it is also thorough enough for older kids. I’m having my littles play with manipulatives during lessons, and my older ones have the workbooks.
- October 11, 2022
Love!
Nova
This history package is amazing! It's so extensive. We absolutely love it.
- January 28, 2021
America the Beautiful
Melinda H.
I purchased the entire America the Beautiful package (two textbooks, workbook, timeline, We the People book, map, and answer key). I LOVE this history curriculum. My 10 year old & I complete the reading together, as I often like to read & learn the material as well. There are numerous activities to choose from upon completion of a lesson, including workbook, timeline, map, Thinking Biblically, corresponding reading from We the People, or a family activity. I appreciate how all of the materials work together to meet the needs of all types of learners! Also, see my review of the workbook. The workbook is one of my favorite parts of this package.
- September 13, 2020
America the Beautiful
Melanie
We're using parts of this on the side of another history curricula, specifically because I love all the sections covering sites around the United States and people from history. It's like a travelogue. I admit to skipping a lot of the historical content, since we've already covered it elsewhere. The parts we do cover have been interesting, with beautiful photographs, which makes the book more engaging. I have not chosen to do this book as my main curriculum because we're Catholic, and the books from this company that I checked out at a convention were definitely not Catholic-friendly (This comes in most obviously during the European history section, but still, it's their viewpoint, and is much more vehemently presented than, say, the way Sonlight or Biblioplan handle things. I've been especially impressed by Biblioplan's fair presentation of both sides of historical events.) Otherwise, I think these books are interesting, easy to follow and enjoy, and have a nice variety of topics, between the historical, biographies, and American places to see. Really a fascinating approach to a history text!
- February 12, 2020
ATB Curriculum Package
Kelly T.
Both of my children have really enjoyed this set. The lessons are short but are packed with a lot of information. With the additional materials including maps, timelines, workbooks, and activities, they get an in-depth learning experience that we all enjoy.
