US History Herald: United States U.S. American History - Middle School Part ONE!

Students will improve their understanding of U.S. history and work to strengthen their critical thinking skills through historical analysis. They will discover the major events of U.S. history and how they worked to create the United States today. We will use historical sources to dive into the past and do so in fun, engaging ways!

For the past decade, I have been encouraging students through education and personal development to explore the challenges of the past. Through my own personal education and professional development, I create a safe environment for students to learn about challenging topics of the past. My undergraduate is in history, focusing on United States and European integration, past cultures, and empire. My first master's degree is in education with a focus on English/Language Arts and History. My second master's degree is in history with a focus on world empires and United States/Europe during the premodern era and modern era. I am currently pursuing my PhD in history focusing on immigration and relations with indigenous peoples and cultures. 
I have taught Ancient Civilizations in World History classes as well as classes on the history of Africa, Asia, and Australia, Ancient and Medieval Europe, and Early American history. I have taken and taught classes on world religions and practices starting with the ancient traditions of prehistoric cultures through modern day transitions of religions such as druidism. I have also taught about episodes of religious hysteria such as the Inquisition and the Salem Witch Trials. I also teach classes on the myths and legends that have defined these cultures. This extensive background will be utilized to create a well-rounded and thorough explanation of the topic.

Each week will have required reading from the book this class along with a weekly note page to helps students record information. They will also receive optional activities to help deepen the content they are learning each week.

Students can be graded for this class through attendance, participation, and weekly assignments if parents/guardians choose to do so. 

45 minutes per week in class, and an estimated 1 - 2 hours per week outside of class.

Students will need their own copy of the book "Everything You Need to Ace U.S. History In One Big Fat Notebook 2nd EDITION" by Workman Publishing and Philip Bigler. This is just the primer for the students as each topic will be covered in depth in class through the use of multiple historical and diverse sources.
(Link for reference: https://a.co/d/a2mLQZg)

Students will be provided with weekly handouts/activities. 

A vast collaboration of sources will be utilized to create this content to provide the students with a multi-faceted explanation of events from differing perspectives. Some sources utilized to create the content of the course:

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn 

An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People  by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

The Constitution of the United States and The Declaration of Independence by Delegates of The Constitutional Convention

A Little History of the United States (Little Histories) By James West Davidson

A Documentary History of the United States by Richard D. Heffner and Alexander B. Heffner

A Different Mirror for Young People: A History of Multicultural America (For Young People Series) by Ronald Takaki