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As my oldest heads into the tween/middle school years she desires to do more work independently. This makes my momma heart happy and a little sad at the same time. However, I know this independence needs to happen, and love nurturing the desire.
Our main homeschool curriculum is Heart of Dakota, and while I love it one thing we are short on is American History. So, while on the quest for independent learning we are focusing on American History. Here are some of my favorite American History resources for middle school.
The ARDA Historical Timeline
The ARDA ( This stands for the Association of Religion Data Archives) is a completely free resource that offers access to an amazing historical timeline that can help your kids learn the history of America.
Students can explore various important events and people throughout American History. The interactive timeline allows students to view different categories based on people or events. Each entry shows pictures, explanatory text, and additional source links allowing students to continue their investigation. New timelines are being added regularly.
Have Fun With History offers a wide variety of educational videos related to important individuals and events in American History. Each video or activity includes a brief description, links to related subjects, as well as suggestions for living-history field trips.
We skipped the guide in Heart of Dakota where the girls would have learned the 50 states. Because of this I purchased this app for both girls. They were not only able to learn all 50 states but the capitals as well. It is easy to use and completely independent.
Once you have learned or read about something you naturally want to “see” it right? Our middle schoolers are the same way! Because of this I love the Life Photo Archive. Middle Schoolers can read about a person in American History then head over to the archive to see pictures from that time period.
The ARDA Religious Dictionary
I have already introduced you to the ARDA above, but I wanted to point out another tool from their teaching tools page that is great for our Middle School students.
Throughout our core curriculum, my kids will be introduced to a variety of religious terms. This is where the ARDA’s Religious dictionary will come in handy! This dictionary contains hundreds of entries and is fully cross-referenced. Students investigating world religions or who want to learn more about their own religion can search a term and be led to numerous dictionary entries allowing them to investigate independently.
For example, a quick search of “Baptist” in the dictionary brings up the definition.
Baptist: Protestants that originated from 17th century English Puritanism. The term “Baptist” came from their insistence that baptism should be reserved for those old enough to comprehend and confess a personal faith in Jesus. Modern Baptist churches teach that only believers should be voluntarily baptized by immersion (Reid et al. 1990: 110).
A click on the definition will bring me to a page where I can learn all about the different types of Baptist denominations. I believe that our country was founded on religious freedoms and I love that the ARDA allows my middle school students to learn about the history of America from a religious standpoint.
You can check out the ARDA’s site, and follow them on Facebook and Twitter
What resources have you found to be beneficial for teaching middle schoolers American History?