Level 12
( Grade 12 – Age 16-18 )
Build Your Library’s Level 12 features a deep dive into American History, from the first Americans before exploration to modern day. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted this course to be, and I decided that I wanted to focus on people – the people who lived that history and how events affected them. We’ll be exploring the major events of America’s turbulent history and witnessing how people have changed (or stayed the same) throughout our history.
We’ll be using several different spine texts and well-written non-fiction to tell that story. I looked for the best books on the market to tell America’s story and give a well-rounded telling, like Alan Taylor’s American Colonies, An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States, Flesh & Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy, and We Are Not Yet Equal . Like always, we’ll round it out with an amazing selection of literature and poetry, like The Moor’s Account, The Color Purple, and Unsettling America: An Anthology of Contemporary American Poetry to help us to gain a deeper understanding of the complex history of America. Some of the books are more challenging reading than others. But they will all draw you into the story of America, giving you an insider’s view on history and the people who lived it!
In the first semester, we will study American Government and Politics, using living books like American Politics: A Very Short Introduction, and Just Mercy: a Story of Justice and Redemption, and other fantastic resources to help your student to understand the inner workings of American government. They will read What You Should Know About Politics…But Don’t and learn about political parties and their takes on major issues like the economy, healthcare, and civil liberties, allowing them to draw their own conclusions and decide where they will stand.
The second semester will focus on Economics, with the wonderful Cartoon Introduction to Economics series and other wonderful books and resources. Who says economics has to be boring? You’ll be reading about both microeconomics and macroeconomics, learn about famous economists and their ideas, and come to a stronger understanding about how our economy works.
Our art elective this year is digital photography, using the wonderful DK Digital Photography Complete Course. You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to try your hand at this medium! We’ll also use the beautiful Humans of New York for inspiration and art appreciation.
My lesson plans guide you through the Level 12 school year effortlessly. Your planning is done for you so that you can spend your time on the important things, like teaching your children.
Please Note: By this level, most students are expected to have either taken all of the required science courses they will need, or will be concentrating on advanced studies that directly pertain to their college major.
In BYL Level 12, we have not scheduled in any formal science lessons to allow you to customize your child’s academic schedule. You can choose to include science classes at a local college or any other science programs to fill out your child’s transcripts.
You can see a Sample Week Here:
Download Level 12 Sample Week here
Purchase Level 12 – American History – $59.95
** Our PayPal e-Junkie powered shopping cart will process your order. All our digital programs are in PDF form. They cannot be returned or refunded. Once you place your order, you will receive a download link to your items.
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Glitterbombers HIGH is a brand-new art membership for grades 7 – 12. It offers so much more than just “how to draw” – your child will explore paint, pastels, sculpture, digital art, and so much more! Every single lesson has a video AND a detailed PDF with step by step instructions, so kids can choose the way they learn best. Tweens, teens, and adults have all loved learning with Glitterbombers HIGH!
Teens and tweens love the monthly magazine, and there is a monthly art class that features techniques, concepts, and working artists. Kids are given a monthly challenge to complete that enters them into a prize drawing!
Sign Up for Glitterbombers Here!
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You can see the entire booklist below
(now powered by Amazon and Bookshop.org):
History:
A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America (Spine) – Bookshop.org
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States (Spine) – Bookshop.org
American Colonies – Bookshop.org
A Nation Without Borders – Bookshop.org
American Empire – Bookshop.org
A Documentary History of the United States (Spine) – Bookshop.org
Document Based Assessments for US History (Spine)
1776 – Bookshop.org
The United States Constitution Graphic Adaptation – Bookshop.org
Pocket Constitution of the United States – Bookshop.org
This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War – Bookshop.org
We Are Not Yet Equal: Understanding Our Racial Divide (Spine) – Bookshop.org
Flesh & Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy – Bookshop.org
Votes for Women! American Suffragists and the Battle for the Ballot – Bookshop.org
Hard Times: An Illustrated Oral History of the Great Depression – Bookshop.org
Uprooted: The Japanese Experience During World War II – Bookshop.org
Literature:
Oxford Book of American Short Stories (Spine) – Bookshop.org
The Moor’s Account – Bookshop.org
If I Ever Get Out of Here – Bookshop.org
The Crucible – Bookshop.org
The Witch of Blackbird Pond – Bookshop.org
The Hunger Games – Bookshop.org
Someone Knows My Name – Bookshop.org
The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party – Bookshop.org
The Gods of Gotham – Bookshop.org
All Different Kinds of Free – Bookshop.org
Little Women – Bookshop.org
The Golem and the Jinni – Bookshop.org
The Color Purple – Bookshop.org
When the Emperor Was Divine – Bookshop.org
The Rock and the River – Bookshop.org
A Very Large Expanse of Sea – Bookshop.org
The Hate U Give – Bookshop.org
Poetry:
Native American Songs and Poems – Bookshop.org
101 Great American Poems – Bookshop.org
Unsettling America: An Anthology of Contemporary Multicultural Poetry – Bookshop.org
Government:
American Politics: A Very Short Introduction – Bookshop.org
The U.S. Congress: A Very Short Introduction – Bookshop.org
The Supreme Court: A Very Short Introduction – Bookshop.org
Becoming a Citizen Activist – Bookshop.org
What You Should Know about Politics…but Don’t – Bookshop.org
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption – Bookshop.org
Economics:
The Cartoon Introduction to Economics Vol. 1: Microeconomics – Bookshop.org
The Cartoon Introduction to Economics Vol. 2: Macroeconomics – Bookshop.org
Cambridge IGCSE Economics Workbook
Talking to my Daughter About the Economy – Bookshop.org
What Would the Great Economists Do – Bookshop.org
Art Elective: Photography
DK Digital Photography: Complete Course – Bookshop.org
Humans of New York – Bookshop.org
Ansel Adams: 400 Photographs – Bookshop.org
As a reminder, if you are going to purchase books we would greatly appreciate the use of our provided Amazon or Bookshop.org Links! Thanks!
Disclosure: This list contains affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
New to Build Your Library or looking for some more information about our curriculum and lesson plans? Please see our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Current Full Grade Level Products Available for Purchase:
Level 0 – Level 1 – Level 2 – Level 3 – Level 4 – Level 5 – Level 6 – Level 7 – Level 8 – Level 9 – Level 10 – Level 11 – Level 12
