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First Choice Educational Publishing is proud to introduce E Pluribus Unum, its state-approved text for Grade 8 Social Studies.  E Pluribus Unum is currently available as a softcover printed book and will soon be available as an online program.

Five Top Reasons to Buy E Pluribus Unum

1. E Pluribus Unum is more closely aligned to California’s new History-Social Science Framework than any other resource!

E Pluribus Unum has been written from the ground up based on California’s new Framework. You can tell just from its title—E Pluribus Unum: The American Pursuit of Liberty, Growth and Equality—that this exciting new resource reflects what the Grade 8 Framework is about.  All major ideas and primary sources identified in the Framework can be found in this exciting new work.

To see examples of how E Pluribus Unum brings the Framework to life, click here.

  • E Pluribus Unum is divided into five major parts, as suggested by the Framework. The introduction echoes the Framework (p. 318): see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 8-9.
  • The Framework (pp. 319-320) suggests that students consider “Why was there an American Revolution?”; see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 44-59; 68-69.
  • The Framework (p. 320) suggests students examine excerpts from Great Awakening sermons; see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 33-35.
  • The Framework (p. 321) suggests students compare drafts of the preamble to the Declaration of Independence; see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 88-89.
  • The Framework (p, 322) suggests students survey the American Revolutionary War, its turning points and leaders; see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 68-89.
  • The Framework (p. 324) suggests students select a member of the Constitutional Convention to study in depth; see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 138.
  • The Framework (p. 325) suggests students wrestle with the issue of how the members of the Constitutional Convention could have allowed slavery; see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 154-157. 
  • The Framework (pp. 327, 331) asks students to consider whether the Louisiana Purchase was constitutional; see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 200-204.
  • The Framework (pp. 328-329) suggests a focus on Hamilton and Jefferson; see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 172-176, 196-208.
  • The Framework (p. 330) suggests a student activity comparing the heads of Hamilton and Jefferson; see E Pluribus Unum, p. 181.
  • The Framework (p. 330) suggests a comparison of Shays' Rebellion and the Whiskey Rebellion,  see Historian’s Apprentice at the top of E Pluribus Unum, pp. 179.
  • The Framework (p. 332) asks students to consider the ordinary lives of farmers, merchants, laborers, traders, African Americans and American Indians; see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 220-224, 228-233 (Chapter 8).
  • The Framework (p. 332) suggests students read excerpts from Washington Irving, James Fenimore Cooper, Olaudah Equiano, and Abigail Adams; see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 86, 228-229, 238-239, 241.
  • The Framework (pp. 331-332, 336-339) asks students to consider the role of education in a republic that requires educated citizens, and suggests comparing the writings of Benjamin Rush and Catherine Beecher; see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 235-237.
  • The Framework (pp. 333-334) asks students to consider the regional development of the Northeast, South and West. See E Pluribus Unum, Chapters 11, 12, and 13, and pp. 370-371.
  • The Framework (pp. 333-334) suggests students study the “Market Revolution”; see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 224-225.
  • The Framework (p. 336) suggests students study Charles Finney; see E Pluribus Unum, p. 306 
  • The Framework (p. 339) suggests students compare the Declaration of Independence with the “Declaration of Sentiments” (1848); see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 90, 309 
  • The Framework (p. 340) suggests students consider the interdependence of Northern industrialization and the expansion of slavery in the South; see E Pluribus Unum, p. 326.
  • The Framework (pp. 341-342) suggests students examine the living conditions of slaves, slave culture and slave resistance; see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 328-333.
  • The Framework (p. 343) suggests students read excerpts from Frederick Douglass, Fanny Kemble, Harriet Beecher Stowe and other abolitionists; see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 327, 336-337.
  • The Framework (pp. 344-349) suggests students examine excerpts from Frederick Douglass’ speech, “What to the slave is the Fourth of July?”; see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 336-337.
  • The Framework (350-351) suggests students analyze Andrew Jackson’s Presidency; see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 274-285 (Chapter 10).
  • The Framework (pp. 351-353) suggests students explore the concept of "Manifest Destiny" and read excerpts (pp. 352-353) from John Quincy Adams, John O’Sullivan and Josiah Strong; see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 347-349.
  • The Framework (p. 355) suggests students explore the lives of women of diverse backgrounds, such as Charley Parkhurst; see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 359-360.
  • The Framework (pp. 356-360) suggests students examine the causes and course of the Civil War, including (p. 360) the role of Mary Edwards Walker; see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 370-395, and p. 390 for Walker.
  • The Framework (p. 361) suggests that students look at James McPherson’s What They Fought For; see E Pluribus Unum, p. 393, for a reference to this resource..
  • The Framework (pp. 364-367) suggests students investigate the factors that led to American economic growth after the Civil War; see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 430-444.
  • The Framework (pp. 364-365) suggests students look at historical maps to understand the growth of cities; see E Pluribus Unum, p. 468
  • The Framework (pp. 369-370) suggests that students examine the Chicago World’s Fair as a focal point for industrialization; see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 444-446.
  • The Framework (p. 369) suggests students read Chief Joseph’s words of surrender in 1877; see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 498-499.
  • The Framework (p. 371) suggests exposing students to literature such as excerpts from Willa Cather and Anzia Yezierska; see E Pluribus Unum, pp. 474 and 524.
2. E Pluribus Unum is student-friendly and visually engaging!

E Pluribus Unum applies current learning theory to every chapter, which has a parallel structure: (1) an advanced organizer with state learning standards, essential questions, a word wall of key terms, and a one-page preview of the chapter; (2) chunked text with colorful illustrations and maps, accompanied by primary source readings and student activities; and (3) a post-reading chapter concept map and test questions.  This is the only adopted book to have an illustrated concept map at the end of every chapter.

3. E Pluribus Unum boldly confronts controversial topics and crucial issues!

In E Pluribus Unum, your students will read about such topics as: (the password to open each excerpt is EPU)

4. E Pluribus Unum promotes classroom literacy.

Word walls at the beginning of each chapter identify essential terms and phrases that students should know. The text includes 100 excerpts from primary sources, accompanied by engaging questions. Many of these are documents mentioned in the new HSS Framework that teachers might have trouble finding on their own.  Many of these documents also include special scaffolding—such as sidebars with the definitions of difficult words, or parentheticals in the document itself with their definitions.  The basic text begins at a lower reading level and gradually raises the reading level in later chapters. The Teacher’s Guide includes proven strategies to help your students acquire new content-area vocabulary.

5. Purchases of class sets of E Pluribus Unum include access to its separate Teacher’s Guide, which can serve as a comprehensive lesson-planning tool.

Contact Us

MarkJarrett, Ph.D.
10 Folin Lane
Lafayette, CA 94549

MarkJarrett@Comcast.net
Tel. 925-906-9742
Fax 925-939-6557