American Machine [5th grade, 1 of 3]

The American Machine is the first of three Tennessee History for Kids workbooks for grade 5.

Click here to order and here for its teacher’s guide.

Under the new standards, fifth grade contains one semester of “straight up” U.S. history. During that semester, teachers will teach fifth-grade level U.S. history from around 1870 through the Civil Rights Movement.

The American Machine is set up to help teachers cover that semester of U.S. history. It contains the wonderful grade-appropriate writing that you have come to associate with Tennessee History for Kids, along with some of the most remarkable photographs ever taken in American history.

“American Machine is 100% aligned with the new fifth grade standards and chock-full of images that enhance and tell their own story,” says Brian Wilcox, a teacher in Rutherford County. “It’s also more kid-friendly than your average textbook.  I highly recommend it!”

The workbook contains chapters on subjects ranging from:

* The Gilded Age

* The Homestead Act and the Transcontinental Railroad

* Inventors

* The New South

* Immigration and Ellis Island

* The Spanish American War

* The Progressive Movement

* World War I

* The Roaring Twenties

* The Great Depression

* World War II

* Interstates and Suburbs

* The Civil Rights Movement

Primary sources are contained throughout the text, where they are marked with red ink.

“I love using these workbooks with my fifth graders!” says Pamela Arnold, a fifth grade teacher in Metro Nashville Public Schools. “Tennessee History for Kids has provided a standards-based resource at an affordable price that my students can understand and enjoy.”

Each chapter ends with a quiz, and the booklet has a glossary.

“These booklets are a great resource that support our standards well,” says Debbie Frisby, a fifth grade teacher in Rutherford County. “I use the fifth grade booklets in small group for close reads and to encourage ideas for further research.”

Click here to order and here for its teacher’s guide.