Designed to be easy-to-use for parent and student, each of the 30 weekly units in Exploring America has an introduction that features a summary of the material covered, a list of lessons, books required for that unit, and suggested writing assignments. Each of the 150 daily lessons (five lessons per week) includes the history text and the reading assignments for that day (and those in progress). A focused student can direct his own study, and the parent can offer as much interaction as needed. Depending on how fast your child reads and how much time he spends on the weekly project, he may need an average of 2-3 hours for each daily lesson.
Completing the full course provides your child with a year's high school credit in American History, English (literature and composition), and Bible. The History credit involves reading the lessons and the original documents and speeches (and answering the questions in the optional Quiz & Exam Pack if desired). The English credit involves completing the weekly writing assignments and one research paper; and reading the assigned literature, poems, and short stories in American Voices. The Bible credit involves reading the Bible lessons, completing the Bible assignments at the end of many lessons, and reading the hymns and other religious literature assigned.
In addition to the assigned readings from American Voices, the curriculum also assigns the following twelve works of literature. Specific page numbers are not assigned, so you do not have to use particular editions. (These items DO NOT come with the curriculum package, but will have to be purchased separately.)
Units 2-3: The Scarlet Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne)
Units 6-7: Narrative of the Life of David Crockett (David Crockett)
Unit 8: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (Frederick Douglass)
Units 9-11: Uncle Tom's Cabin (Harriet Beecher Stowe)
Units 12-13: Co. Aytch (Sam Watkins)
Unit 15: Humorous Stories and Sketches (Mark Twain)
Units 16-17: In His Steps (Charles Sheldon)
Unit 18: Up From Slavery (Booker T. Washington)
Unit 19: Mama's Bank Account (Kathryn Forbes)
Units 20-21: Miracle in the Hills (Mary T. Martin Sloop and LeGette Blythe)
Units 22-23: To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
Unit 27: The Giver (Lois Lowry)
The current edition of Exploring America was released in 2014. It covers essentially the same material as the 2007 second edition with some changes to Unit 30 to cover events up to the date of publication. It has a new page layout with full-color photographs and illustrations and a hardcover binding. The literature list has been modified, dropping Little Women and Christy and adding Miracle in the Hills. The new Student Review Pack also includes literary analysis.