Just what exactly is social studies, you may ask? Well, it includes the study of all kinds of people and places, some far away and some next door. In this book we talk about families, like your family in your house, and also lots of people close by, which we call a town or city, and finally about even more people in cities or outside of cities, all living in big places called countries.
My Story and the World Around Me is a course for lower elementary students. It includes basic introductions to history, politics, sociology, economics, and geography, and provides a fuller understanding of God’s world and the cultures of the countries.
This is a daily adventure-based curriculum series that encourages families to explore the world together through four, nine-week quests and to understand it better from God’s perspective. It is designed with elements that make weekly learning fun and interactive, including:
Activity time
Word find time
Review time
My story journal
Learn all about the world while you discover more about your own. And make sure you pull out your Quest Collector Cards at the beginning of each quest. Your world map on the other side shows where you are in each lesson!
Table of Contents
Using This Teacher Guide
Charting Your Course
Schedule
Introduction
Quest 1
1. My World Starts with the Family
2. Here Is My Community
3. Welcome to My City
4. My State Is Wonderful
5. My Country Is So Big
6. Where Did Everyone Come From?
7. A Whole Wide World
8. Crossing the Sea Back Home
9. My Country Is Full of Wonder
Quest 2
10. My Train through America
11. A Trolley through Mexico and Central America
12. A Helicopter to South America
13. My Taxi in South America
14. Brrr, It’s Cold Outside!
15. Sailing to Africa on a Cruise Ship
16. Time to Ride a Horse
17. A Mountain Bike Across Africa
18. Our Seaplane Back Home
Quest 3
19. Riding Hills on Our Cable Car
20. Skiing across Canada
21. Bobsled over Canada’s Territories
22. An Amphibious Vehicle to Russia
23. On a Junk to China
24. Riding the Metro through India
25. A Sailboat to the Islands
26. On a Surfboard around Australia
27. Back Home on a Kayak
Quest 4
28. On a Dinghy around the United States
29. Going to Greenland and Iceland
30. Over to Europe on a Blimp
31. Riding the Funicular Railway in Europe
32. Europe on a Gondola
33. The Subway under Europe
34. Across Europe by Rocket
35. Taking the Glider Back
36. A Skateboard Home
Appendix
State Info: Nicknames, state flowers, and state birds
Some Holiday Times Around the World
Glossary for Social Studies
Glossary for Geography A to Z
Quest Collector Quizzes
Quest Collector Answers
Word Find Time Answer Key
Related Products
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Customer Reviews
5
Beautiful book with fun activities.
Review bySarah
The book is wonderfully illustrated and my kids love the pictures when discussing. They add simple activities, like word search, that adds a little extra to it.
4
Fits Our Needs
Review byJenna
I bought this to use as a family style subject for my 4 kids ranging in age from 4-9. I wanted something short and easy that didn’t require a lot of effort on my part. The lessons are very short so we often do 2-3 lessons per day. I like that it isn’t a ton of busy work like some of the other Master Books programs I have purchased. My kids seem to like it okay so far. I would probably use it again in the future.
5
Loving it
Review byWemi
My son is loving learning about the world from this text! He loves the crosswords and the bits of creativity sprinkled throughout the book. He's not generally enthused about arts but he is able to engage in the pages in this book.
5
They like it! They really like it!
Review byTeresa
I got this for my first and second graders. So far, they have really enjoyed it. The girls are excited every time I pull it out for school. Thank you, Master Books, for a great curriculum that focuses on God and makes school fun!
5
So far...
Review byAriasil
I bought this as a "family subject" my oldest son is 9, he enjoys history and pretty much anything I put his way but decided on this so we could include my 5yo daughter. My daughter, well she is not much interested but surprisingly so far (and from what I peeked ahead) this might be something my son and I can really enjoy. I'm planning to dig dipper in things or places that spark our curiosity and I think this will provide plenty of ideas and diversity perfect for doing that. Looks fun! We are mostly reading through it and skipping the busy work.
5
Wonderful
Review byCherry
I bought the PDF download because I was impressed by the sample that I saw. I love how it starts with the basic unit of society, which is the family, and progresses to introduce other circles of the society. Kids are being exposed to other cultures too.
I bought this book even though I am from the Philippines because I like the approach used in the book. I know, I can just tweak those that do not apply in our own culture and still make it work.
5
Such a great intro to mapping and where we fit in the bigger picture!
Review bySimone
I wasn't sure how to start social studies with my boys. I looked at My Story and after reading some reviews and looking through the sample decided I will buy it and give it a try! I just love how it paints the bigger picture but also brings us back to everyday family situations. My kids definitely have a better understanding of where we fit in the world around us. Would recommend this for any family!
Thanks MB for another wonderful lesson plan pointing us back to God!
5
Fantastic
Review byTabitha
My Story 1 and the WORLD around ME is a delightful curriculum that makes learning fun for the student. As the author takes them on several quests to find out more about our communities, cultures, geography and more! This curriculum can be used with multiple ages and grade levels in the elementary years. With simple easy to follow lesson plans, this curriculum is perfect for, well…. any of us!
5
Great Social Studies Curriculum
Review byKaren
This is a fantastic social studies course for lower elementary students. Its set up for your to go on “quests” starting with home and community, then state and country, then branching to other countries around the world. It explores the people, homes, landmarks, geography, animals, foods and languages around the world.
It has beautiful and engagining photos. Many of which include children of the region that is being studied. Throughout the course, there are highlighted vocabulary words that you can make into flashcards. There are a variety of other activities such as word searches, coloring, storytelling and a “My Story” journal as well as the Charlotte Mason type of activities like copywork and narration. I love that at the beginning of each quest, the country being visited is mapped out on a world map labeled by day. I love maps so it's always nice to see. And always with Master Books, its from a biblical worldview.
5
Grows their World
Review byJennifer
What a beautiful and simple program that starts in a Child's home and grows to the world at large. I am doing it with my 3 and 5 yr old. My 3 year old listens and answers verbal questions and my 5 year is able to do the activities. The are both eager and excited to do each lesson.