Frequently Asked Questions
   Frameworks for America's Past
Return to Originating Page

  

What is Frameworks for America's Past?

   Frameworks for America's Past is a 200 page interactive learning guide / workbook and a matching Internet site for middle school U.S. history students.  It closely tracks the new Virginia USII history Standards of Learning (SOL), covering the period from Reconstruction to the present.
 
   The project was developed by a veteran history teacher eager to make the subject more engaging and personally meaningful for students of all backgrounds.  It favors a strategy that blends direct instruction of core knowledge with wide opportunities for student directed learning and skills development.

   Frameworks for America's Past uses a graphics-rich and interactive page design, and has helped thousands of students across Virginia of all ability levels succeed.  For greatest flexibility, it is published in a convenient three-ring binder format with black-line reproducible pages.


What academic skills does the book emphasize?

   Frameworks for America's Past emphasizes active student engagement in:

  • developing a core vocabulary of essential names, terms, and concepts.
  • developing skills for using Internet technology in historical studies.
  • developing geographic knowledge and map skills.
  • developing skills for analyzing and learning from primary source documents.
  • developing higher level thinking skills and historical perspective.
    •





Where can I see the pages of the study guide?

   You can see all the pages, as they look with the notes, maps, and charts completed, on the Frameworks for America's Past Internet support site.  Look in each section or unit for the link to the pages you want to see.


Does it match the USII Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL)?

   Yes, our new Second Edition incorporates the Virginia SOL revisions for this subject approved in the spring of 2016.  Like our earlier edition, it includes some additional material as well to flesh out certain topics more effectively.  Each unit lists the specific SOL coorelation for the pages in that unit.  You can see those pages by clicking on any of the units from this title's home page, then clicking on "Teacher / Student Key pages."


What about the cost?

   Our goal is to make these resources widely available to schools at the lowest cost possible.  Frameworks for America's Past is now available in a three-ring binder format that includes all 200 pages of the study guide, printed one-sided on heavy paper.  It is sold with a modestly priced site license that allows the pages to be photocopied for students as desired.  The site license fee supports the matching Internet site, keeping its resources available for students, teachers, and parents 24/7.

   By providing an affordable and comprehensive set of history teaching resources, this project is saving many schools thousands of dollars in curriculum development and textbook purchase costs.
 
   Please see the Prices and Ordering section of this title's Information Page for more details.
 

What support is available for teachers and students?

   The Internet support site has a wide variety of resources for teachers and students.  Completed versions of the study guide pages are on the site.  There are also extensive resources that students will enjoy using, including historical photographs and links to interesting online video clips.

   Frameworks for America's Past may be used with or without a traditional textbook.  Most teachers find it so comprehensive that they use a textbook only as an occasional resource.

May we copy the study guide's pages without buying a site license?

    No.  Copying pages without purchasing a site license is the same as shoplifting, plagiarism, bank robbery, or any other form of theft.  The cost of the site license is very modest, and helps keep all of the online resources available for teachers, students, and parents.  Do the right thing, and set an example for your students. 

   Copyright information is here.

How can I get more information?

    Please contact our office in Springfield, Virginia, by phone at:  (703)  644 - 4612, or by email at:  ftm.contact@verizon.net