Students will be able to recount events from United States History.
Students will be able to express how the past has affected our lives for good.
Students will be able to express mistakes that people of the past have made, and how we can learn from them to create a better world.

Over the course of this class, this class will cover several sensitive topics including: the genocide of Indigenous Nations including the Aztec, Inca, Maya, and North American tribes from the Northeast Woodland, Southeast, Southwest, Plateau, California, and Northwest Coast regions by European explorers, the immoral Atlantic Slave Trade and conditions that enslaved people experienced, violent events that led to the American Revolution, and the battles of the American Revolution. 

I am a certified Social Studies teacher in both Utah and North Carolina. In my training and 5+ years experience teaching I have found that the best way to approach these sensitive topics is to address them explicitly and have an open conversation with my students. We discuss the mindset of historical societies, the moral implications of their actions, how it affects us to today, and why it can be difficult to talk about these subjects at times. 

I make it clear to my students that they are always welcome to meet with me individually if they are bothered by any of these discussions. I also ask them, and the parents to contact me if they are concerned with my class content or delivery. These topics can be difficult to navigate and I am always trying to improve!

Homework Offered
Assessments Offered
Assessments will be informal in the form of activities or games.
Grades Offered

Lessons are taught on Nearpod, an interactive learning platform that allows students to engage with the content through games, art, discussions, short answer questions and more. I believe students retain information best when they are active participants in the learning process, so I incorporate student participation as much as possible. Nearpod is free for students and does NOT require you to create an account. I provide more information on Nearpod once students enroll.

My approach to US History is based on my belief that students should be taught history from multiple perspectives. Course information and reading assignments primarily come from three history textbooks: 1) ‘A Young People’s History of the United States’ by Howard Zinn which takes a more critical look at the United States leaders and decisions and 2) 'An Outline of US History' by the United States Department of State, which takes a more supportive look at the Unites States leaders and decisions. And 'Everything You Need to Ace American History In One Big Fat Notebook' by Philip Bigler, a teenage friendly US History textbook. 

Other sources include:
‘Give Me Liberty! An American History’ Volume 1 by Eric Foner
‘Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History’ Volume 1 by Eric Foner