Exploring America
Exploring America is a full-on, God-centered powerhouse that blends U.S. History and Bible in one beautifully structured, conviction-driven course—perfect for independent teens or the whole family to follow together.
$145
Quantity:
Complete Course
Faith-Based
In a Curriculum Kit
Multiple Grades
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2026 Eleventh-Grade Curriculum Kit
Exploring America
Exploring America is Notgrass History's year-long Christian high school curriculum that combines American history, literature, Bible, and composition into a single integrated course. Designed to be completed mostly independently, it can earn your teen up to three high school credits: one in American History, one in English, and one in Bible.
Designed for grades 9–12, the course follows American history from early European exploration through modern times while examining historical events from a biblical worldview. Along the way, your teen studies the people, ideas, documents, and beliefs that shaped the United States.
The curriculum is built around 150 daily lessons spread across three hardcover volumes. History readings, Bible study, writing instruction, and literature assignments work together instead of competing for time. Teens who complete the full English program read twelve classic literature selections while developing composition, analysis, and research skills.
The included American Voices reader adds depth through speeches, letters, essays, hymns, and other primary-source documents. Reading the words of those who lived through history helps your teen move beyond memorizing dates to understanding the convictions, struggles, and ideas that shaped a nation.
One of the curriculum's greatest strengths is its integrated approach. Rather than studying history, literature, composition, and Bible separately, your teen sees how each subject informs the others, creating a richer understanding of both American history and Scripture.
Families can adjust the workload to fit their goals. Completing the literature program, writing assignments, and a research paper allows your teen to earn all three credits. Others choose to focus primarily on American History and the Bible for a two-credit course.
The optional Student Review Pack adds review questions, quizzes, exams, literary analysis, and grading support for families who want additional assessment tools.
Whether your teen completes two credits or three, Exploring America provides a thoughtful, academically solid study of American history through the lens of Scripture while strengthening reading, writing, and biblical understanding.
How to Use Exploring America
- Plan on completing one unit each week. With five lessons per unit and 150 lessons total, you'll finish the course in a standard school year while maintaining a steady, manageable pace.
- Each day, your teen will work through history readings, primary-source documents, Bible study assignments, and, if you're completing the full program, literature and writing work. The integrated approach means the subjects reinforce one another rather than feeling like separate classes competing for time.
- One of the first decisions you'll make is how many credits your student will pursue. Complete the full course—including literature, composition, and the assigned books—and your teen can earn three high school credits in American History, English, and Bible. Prefer a lighter workload? Focus on the history and Bible components and earn two solid credits while still completing the heart of the program.
- The twelve literature titles add depth and perspective to the historical periods being studied. Students who enjoy reading will likely appreciate seeing history through stories, memoirs, and classic literature. Families with a different academic plan can skip the literature component without feeling like they're losing the core course.
- Consider adding the optional Student Review Pack if you'd like quizzes, exams, literary analysis, review questions, and additional grading support. Many parents appreciate having those tools available, especially when managing multiple high school courses.
- At the end of each unit, spend some time with the Bible study component. These lessons help students evaluate historical events, ideas, and cultural movements through the lens of Scripture and often lead to some of the course's most meaningful discussions.
By the end of the year, your teen won't just have earned credits. He'll have read original documents, explored Scripture, encountered influential literature, and followed the story of America through the voices of the people who lived it. That's the kind of learning that stays with students long after the final grade has been recorded.
In the 2026 kits this course earns high school credit under more than one heading:
1 credit of Bible
Bible · 11th grade · Classic kits
1 credit of American History
History & Social Studies · 11th grade · Classic kits
1 credit of English
Language Arts · 11th grade · Classic kits
Earned with additional reading materials beyond what the kit contains.
- Exploring America Part 1: Columbus Through the Late 1800s
- Exploring America Part 2: Late 1800s to the Present
- American Voices: Original Documents, Speeches, Poems, Stories, and Hymns from American History
- Exploring America Student Review Book
- Exploring America Quiz and Exam Book
- Exploring America Guide for Parents and Answer Key
- Exploring America Part 1: Columbus Through the Late 1800s
- Exploring America Part 2: Late 1800s to the Present
- American Voices: Original Documents, Speeches, Poems, Stories, and Hymns from American History
- Exploring America Student Review Book
- Exploring America Quiz and Exam Book
- Exploring America Guide for Parents and Answer Key
Publisher: Notgrass
Author: Ray Notgrass
Age Recommendation: 14+
Grade Recommendation: 9th+
Faith-Based: Yes
Copyright: 2026
Edition: 5th
Made in: USA
Exploring America Part 1
- Consumable: No
- ISBN: 9781609991920
- Format: Hardcover
- Consumable: No
- ISBN: 9781609991937
- Format: Hardcover
- Consumable: No
- ISBN: 9781609991944
- Format: Hardcover
- Consumable: No
- ISBN: 9781609991982
- Format: Hardcover
- Consumable: Yes
- ISBN: 9781609991951
- Format: Paperback
- Consumable: Yes
- ISBN: 9781609991968
- Format: Paperback
- Consumable: Yes
- ISBN: 9781609991975
- Format: Paperback
Download PDF Samples Pages from Exploring America Part 2
Download PDF Samples Pages from American Voices
Download PDF Samples Pages from Exploring America Student Review
Download PDF Samples Pages from Exploring America Quiz and Exam Book
Download PDF Samples Pages from Exploring America Guide for Parents and Answer Key
Find answers to the most frequently asked questions about this product below:
Notgrass curriculum generally quotes from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) translation. The publishers feel it provides a good balance between giving a sense of the original languages and using modern English. For the activities and assignments in Notgrass curriculum, you are welcome to use the translation of your choice, whether that is the KJV, ESV, NIV, or something else.
- July 21, 2025
Just what we needed
Melanie D.
I really like the Notgrass history curriculum better than anything else we have tried. I have used America the Beautiful for two kids. This is my first time using the high school version. It helped my teen learn historical facts and events, but also challenged him to think about them from a biblical perspective. Sometimes he was asked to apply lessons from history to his own life or to modern day events, and write about it. There was also a project and a memory verse each week. He could choose from three different projects each week. Some were papers, but some involved drawing, building, or taking a field trip. I loved the variety and my son enjoyed it, too. We are doing the Notgrass World History next year.
- September 6, 2024
Looking forward to it
Dan A.
We haven’t jumped in yet but have used not grass in the past and have greatly enjoyed it. Excited to get started!
- June 11, 2022
Very thorough
Rachel
This is a great curriculum that is very in depth and engaging as well! Highly recommend!
- February 12, 2022
LOVE this Curriculum
Michelle J.
I love all the extra activities and reading that go along with this curriculum. The American Voices book has been a great addition to the core curriculum.
- October 28, 2021
Detailed Information
Rachel
These books are so great and my daughter is learning so much about our country. We love it!!
- February 27, 2020
Wow!
Emmy D.
At first glance, I was slightly overwhelmed by all three books, but then as soon as I cracked the first book, I was blown away by the amount of information and beautiful history. So awesome that this is a 3 credit class and my daughter has the ability to do complete English a year early.
- December 2, 2019
American History
Jonna
We love the options that this curriculum has allowed us. My history loving son, really enjoyed the way that this was laid out and how the information was presented.
- October 4, 2018
Exploring America Student Review Pack
Amanda H.
This is a great curriculum. Each chapter has five sections with assignments after each section in Literature, Bible, and a project that includes a writing assignment. There are also student review assignments available after each section. I was able to use this curriculum as a Bible credit, an English credit, and a History credit. I did not use the student review book but there was plenty of work to do without that. There is also a research paper that is scheduled into 20 days that I believe was very helpful in learning how to properly write a research paper.It is an extensive curriculum so we only finished a little over 2/3 of it.The American voices book that comes with the curriculum is amazing. I like to read that myself. It has famous poems, articles, hymns, constitutional stuff, and so much more. At the end of many of the lessons there is an assignment to read something from the American Voices book.
