WYAM Ronald Reagan Review #hsreviews #YWAMPublishing #HeroesofHistory #HeroBiographies #TrueStories #ChristianHeroesThenandNow

We love learning about people and what they have accomplished in their lives. One of our favorite series to use for a unit study are the Heroes of History from YWAM Publishing.  My girls have used several titles from YWAM along with their Unit Study. We were offered one of several titles to review and his time Alaina wanted to learn about Ronald Reagan.



YWAM introduces students to inspiring people of the past and present. They have the Heroes of History and the Christian Heroes: Then and Now series. There are 28 Heroes of History books and 46  Christian Heroes written by Janet & Geoff Benge. They can be purchased as a complete set or individually. A unit study guide may be purchased separately for each title.  
Alaina has been reading about Ronald Reagan and completing the unit study. The book is a 224-page soft-covered book. It starts out talking about President Reagan getting shot and then moves back to when he was 5 years old and reading the newspaper without much formal schooling and moves on through his life about his jobs, becoming an actor, and the president. 

The study guide is opened in a web browser where you can read more about Ronald Reagan, access the unit study, or meet the authors. There are also bonus materials, access to reader reviews and see other titles available. The unit study is in two files and there are guides for small groups, homeschool, and classroom use. The first unit study file is 82 pages and is divided into 8 chapters with an introduction and an appendix. There is a chapter on Key Quotes, Display Corner, Chapter Questions, Student Explorations, Community Links, and Social Studies. The final chapter in the unit study suggests having a culminating event after the study is completed. This course recommends hosting a rally, an oral presentation with music, clothing, and food from the 1980s. The appendix contains all the answers and a great list of books are other resources. The second file contains a printable Ronald Reagan fact sheet, two maps, and a timeline. The class includes or reinforces History, Geography, Essay Writing, Creative Writing, Reading Comprehension, Public Speaking, Drama, and Art. The chapter questions include a vocabulary question, factual question from the text, two questions arising from the text, two questions for reading comprehension, and two opinion questions. 

Alaina has been learning about Ronald Reagan using this study, but my husband and older girls also enjoy reading the books from YWAM just for fun. The books are written an engaging way and are very interesting. Ronald's mother taught him about God but his father liked to get drunk to the point of passing out. The combination of the two made Ronald contemplate how he wanted his life to go. We see the different jobs he held and how he helped his mother and brother out financially and that he paid his tithe while paying back his student loans. One thing we took from the book was Ronald's character and we could see it developing through the book. 
We have used other unit studies from YWAM and this time Alaina used the study guide, but my other girls wanted to read the book as well. Since we were winding down our formal school year and getting ready for a graduation I had Alaina answer the questions out loud. She read the chapter and then I went over the questions with her. We did not plan a culminating event, but she did look up clothing, music, and political things from the 1980s to give her better visuals of the time period. Of course growing up in the 80s I could tell her a lot about that time. 
I think all the books and unit studies from YWAM have been a great addition to our homeschool and Alaina already has a list of some of the other ones she wants to use. She wants to learn about C.S. Lewis next and then Alan Shepard. Crew members were offered several titles to review and you can read those on the Crew blog.

Social Media Facebook Twitter @YWAMpublishing  Pinterest @YWAMpublishing Blog