Frequently Asked Questions About
Fasttrack to America's Past

  

Q:  What is Fasttrack to America's Past?

coverA:  Fasttrack to America's Past is a 250 page learning guide / workbook that makes American history classes more productive and meaningful for students and teachers alike.
   This unique resource helps all students build the solid framework of knowledge and skills needed to explore U.S. history.  Its eight units are organized chronologically, covering from 1400 to the present.  Each unit includes maps, timelines, statistical charts, and topic summary pages for students to complete and work with.  Each unit also includes reading selections from primary sources that open the door to thoughtful discussion of important themes in America's story.   It can be used alongside a textbook, or as a stand-alone.

    Fasttrack to America's Past is part of the Fasttrack American History Project.  The overall goals of the project are:
  • to make useful resources available at low cost to help teachers of secondary level U.S. history.
  • to help students develop a strong base of essential facts, concepts, and skills needed to analyze and evaluate important historical questions.
  • to help students develop an informed perspective on American history that will enable them to make better  judgments about issues and questions they will face as American citizens.

Q:  At what grade level is it most often used?

A:  Fasttrack to America's Past has proven successful for tens of thousands of students at both middle school and high school level American history.  While aimed primarily at the regular middle and high school student population, it is also used in Honors level classes, in Adult Education, and in summer enrichment programs.

Q:  What academic skills does the book emphasize?

A:  Fasttrack to America's Past emphasizes these goals for students:

  • developing a vocabulary of essential names, terms, and concepts.
  • developing geographic and map making skills.
  • developing skills for analyzing primary source documents.
  • developing graph making and analysis skills.
  • developing higher level thinking skills and historical perspective.
  • developing skills for using technology in historical studies.
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Q:  What does the word "Fasttrack" mean in the title of the book?

A.  Fasttrack is a term from the architecture profession.  It means that construction of a building's foundation and framework are begun before all of the detailed drawings of the interior are completed.  Similarly, students learn a complex subject like history most effectively if they begin with a foundation and clear framework for their studies.
   It is the author's contention that efforts to develop higher level thinking cannot be successful if students lack the base of historical concepts and vocabulary necessary for meaningful thought.  For a great many students, textbooks in their present form have proven less than effective.  The author believes that giving students a more focused and engaging framework, like that provided by Fasttrack to America's Past, helps all students achieve their true potential.


Q:  What about cost?

A:  Fasttrack to America's Past is priced so that schools can easily afford to issue a copy to each student to use and complete.  For a school order of 20 or more copies, it is just $5.95 per copy.  Our matching Internet support site is completely free, and requires no passwords.

Q:  What support is available for teachers and students using the book?

A:  Our free Internet support site has many resources for teachers and students.  Completed versions of the book's maps, timelines, and charts are all easy to access from the home page.  There is also a glossary of names and terms, a full set of multiple-choice practice tests, and a set of links to interesting Internet historical sites. 
   The Teacher Guide & Key section can also be reached from the home page.  This section includes a full set of Teacher Keys and suggestions for using the book effectively in the classroom.
   A set of overhead transparency maps matched to the map pages in Fasttrack to America's Past is available, as is a set of keys to the timelines.  Both are recommended for classroom use if you do not have access to a computer lab or an LCD projector to display the completed maps and timelines from the Internet site.

Q:  Can we buy a copy of Fasttrack to America's Past and photocopy pages for students? 

A:  Fasttrack to America's Past is designed as a consumable, and priced so that schools can afford to provide each student with his or her own copy to complete.  You may not photocopy pages from the book without written permission from the publisher.  Fasttrack to America's Past is copyrighted and registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.  Copying pages from the book without permission is a violation of federal law, as well as a violation of academic ethics.

Q:  May we download and use the completed maps, timelines, charts, and other resources on the Internet support site?

    Many of the resources on the Internet site are available for free download and use by teachers in their own classrooms, as well as by students.  Please see the copyright information on the page with the specific material you would like to use. 

Q:  How can I get more information?

A:  Please call our office in Springfield, Virginia, at:  (703)  644 - 4612.

Teachers and administrators may "cut and paste" from this FAQ page to help write proposals for using Fasttrack to America's Past in their schools.