Author Geoffrey Parsons sees the Christian citizen as having a unique role. Since the United States is run in one sense or another by its citizens, whatever a Christian citizen can do to guide his nation toward a more godly society and system of government, he should do. This is both a U.S. government and a civics text—both approached from a decidedly Christian perspective.
How Does This Work?
The Land of Fair Play is an introductory survey of the United States' system of government, and our responsibility to it as citizens. Twenty digestible chapters cover the nature and mechanics of government and what an individual can do to be involved. Six appendices provide a wealth of useful information, including the entire text of the Constitution and information on how to write letters to public officials.
Each chapter ends with questions about the text and questions for further study. Answers to the text questions are to be written by the student, while questions for further study can either be researched or serve as in-class conversation starters. Answers to text questions are included in the supplementary answer key, as are answers to all test questions in the test packet.
There aren't really any teacher materials for this course. If you want to supplement the text you'll have to find texts or activities on your own. This shouldn't be a problem as there is plenty of information in the book. And since it is a companion volume to The Story of the Constitution, you should have enough material to keep your kids busy for one year.
Our Honest Opinion:
This is an interesting approach to the study of U.S. government. Many texts tell students they ought to be responsible citizens, but this one actually gives practical advice for doing so. This book shouldn't take the place of a good high school government text, but it could serve as a solid introduction. It's probably a good idea to use this in conjunction with The Story of the Constitution, though students may be overwhelmed if you try to do both in one year; if you decide to teach them subsequently, we recommend they read The Story of the Constitution first.
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