Course Description
This live, graded, online U. S. history class for high school credit traces the social, economic, political, cultural, and intellectual development of American society from its roots through recent times. Students will be mastering historical content and learning to question, think, and argue like historians. I incorporate a lot of question-asking and student input into the courses in meaningful ways. Students will engage in a variety of learning methods.
Students will master much historical content. They will also have plenty of opportunities to think critically about what they are learning as well. Our time together is built around questions that I pepper throughout our live sessions. For example:
- When we discuss early English immigration to the colonies, I ask them, “What reasons would people have to leave their homes and travel to an entirely new place?”
- When we’re talking about the economy of the Southern colonies, I ask students, “What would cause only a few Southern individuals to gain a lot of wealth, leaving the majority of Southerners as poor?”
- When we’re talking about the Civil Rights Movement, I ask them, “Why do you think the Civil Rights Movement coalesced in the 1950s, rather than before or after?”
Student contributions get woven in meaningful ways into the class material. My aim is to make the course as interactive and thought-provoking as possible. But I’m also interested in all of us having a good time together while we learn history. From the feedback I’ve received over the years from parents and students, I am confident that I’ve been able to create a class environment where we have a lot of fun while exploring the past and improving critical thinking skills.
Course Structure
The course is built on a pattern of eight Units, each containing four weeks: Week A, B, C, and D. Certain assignment types fall dependably on particular weeks so that students and parents can rely on a regular, repeated schedule of work throughout the year.
Live class sessions are designed to engage students at different levels. Homework assignments are designed to meet the needs of the average student. However, for families who wish a more challenging, honors-level course, additional homework and testing expectations can be added. Parents simply have to contact me to opt their students into the honors-level track. For the typical student, weekly workloads should average about 4 or 5 hours.
For families who are interested in a more detailed example of how our live sessions tend to operate, please click on this link to watch a 20 minute compilation of four short excerpts from a Modern European History class on World War I.
Honors Level
Students at the honors level in US History do significant projects twice each semester. These projects involve analyzing primary documents and historical arguments about different American history subjects. We use an extensive website called Digital Resources maintained by Virginia Tech, which is designed to help students learn the necessary skills of understanding, interpreting, and making arguments about historical sources. In addition, students at the honors level also read about 4 extra lessons each month. They need to take notes on those lessons. The notes should be detailed enough to act as a study aid if a test were given. They also need to generate at least one good historical research question based on the information in each lessons. There will not be additional quizzes or exams for honors level, unless a parent opts into a midterm and final for the student to take. If a student signs up for honors level at the beginning of the year through Aim Academy, but at some point later in the year needs to drop to the regular level, that can be done with no grade penalty.
Who should enroll?
This course is primarily for students in grades 9-12, although parents of advanced 8th graders can contact me about the possibility of their son/daughter joining.
Technology Requirements
- High speed, broadband Internet
- Sound card and microphone (for live sessions)
- Streaming video capabilities to watch recorded lectures
Evaluation and Feedback
The course is designed to improve critical thinking and historical reasoning skills particularly during our live class sessions. Regular homework assignments promote mastery of content.
Communication
Hoyoun L. –
Being the science nerd that I am, it is quite rare for me to find history teachers who make the subject intriguing and engaging. This said, I was extremely delighted by how Mrs. Hawkins makes this homeschool course very engaging despite the class meeting for only an hour each week. The weekly assignments allowed me to approach history in ways I find interesting, and Mrs. Hawkins’ five-stars-out-of-five lectures made history so much more enjoyable than ever before. I definitely recommend this course to students looking for a US History course!
Jamisen R. –
This class has been my favorite history class to date!! Mrs. Hawkins is by far the best lecturer I’ve encountered. She is engaging and makes sure every students’ comments are valued and questions are answered. She presents information in an easy-to-understand way, yet she asks questions to make us think. Her questions always help me to use critical thinking skills while I’m learning facts about history. When she gives us primary sources, she’ll often have us read opposing arguments so we can come to our own conclusions. She always answers emails/questions thoroughly and in a timely fashion. She also gives great feedback on assignments so I know what I need to work on or what I did right. Highly recommend!!
Mya J. –
This course was designed very nicely and gave the student the ability to fully understand and analyze what was going on in the world during that time. The assignments provoked deep reflection and thought which was very beneficial for my learning. In addition, the questions that were posed to the students during live sessions was a favorite part of the course for me as a learner. It not only opened the opportunity to share my perspective or thought(s), but also see and open my mind to the viewpoints of my peers.
Sophia C. –
Mrs. Hawkins is an engaging, thoughtful, and more than qualified teacher. You can tell she is passionate about history and teaching by the way she gets excited about topics and how she interacts with her students. She shows genuine care for every student, ensuring that nobody has unanswered questions and that everyone has a chance to share their thoughts. That is my favorite part of this class; her classroom is a safe place for students to share their opinions and ideas. Mrs. Hawkins asks intriguing questions and cultivates discussions that really make you think about history and how it affects us today. If you want a history class that isn’t just about memorizing dates and names but actually understanding the ideas, human beings, and events that have shaped our country (while having some fun!), this class is a most excellent choice and I cannot recommend it enough.
Lindy Thompson (verified owner) –
My son has enjoyed this class and says Mrs. Hawkins is a teacher who really knows her material and makes it interesting and engaging for the student. He (and I) have appreciated the variety of ways he has been able to interact with the information — excellent written material, multiple primary sources, and outstanding documentaries. He highly recommends this class.
John B. –
Nicely done, Mrs. Hawkins! Thank you again for working with our family to have our daughter in the US History course right for her. It was always good to hear your voice, the upbeat tone, how you engaged the students, the lighthearted moments, and how you responded to each student. (After our daughter returned to homeschooling in Feb’17 I could hear you when the earbuds were off!) The study of history comes alive through a great storyteller like you. With much gratitude.
Greg (verified owner) –
My daughter has absolutely loved Mrs. Hawkins’ US History class. She has learned so much and loves telling me everything the class talked about in the lively weekly lectures. She has been challenged by the assignments and feels Mrs. Hawkins gave her great feedback. My daughter already loved history, but Mrs. Hawkins has helped her develop a much deeper appreciation for the subject.
Arvinder O. (verified owner) –
Wow! I cannot thank Mrs Hawkins enough. Her US History class has been inspirational and very thought provoking. The Socratic discussions led by Mrs Hawkins invited thoughtful participation. The assignments were carefully designed and helped deepen understanding of important topics and concepts. My son (a history buff) enjoyed every minute of this class. I only wish Mrs Hawkins would offer summer workshops on topics like Current Events, History of Europe, Intro Econ etc so that kids can keep learning all through the year. I cannot recommend this class enough. Mrs Hawkins is a treasure.
Gorilla Web –
Hi Professor Hawkins,
I wanted to take a moment and let you know that the experience I have had in this class is surprisingly refreshing. I absolutely love your style of how learning should be. I get so frustrated listening to all the cookie-cutter monotonous audio lecture files that could have easily been recreated with a computer generated voice. There’s no passion or conviction in those lectures, and in the end I forget them as soon as I hear them. When I listen to your custom lecture audio files, I can hear how much you love it. It makes me want to know what you are talking about. For a moment, I almost thought I was actually in a classroom with you in front of me. You are only the second Professor that I have been fortunate enough to come across in the past 2 years that honestly love what your class is about, and has taken the time to create a learning experience that will most likely enrich your students, not just for the class, but for a lifetime. So, for what I have experienced so far, I thank you. I really do. And I hope I am fortunate enough to have you as a Professor in my future online classes. Best regards, Cliffton C (former college-level student)
Gorilla Web –
I had Mrs. Hawkins for an online AP US History class. I hoped to learn a lot about the history of America, and Mrs. Hawkins did not disappoint. I felt completely confident when I went to take the AP exam, thanks to her instruction. The class was a lot of work, more than I ever thought that I could do. I gained new confidence with each assignment I completed and, by the end, the assignments that were so daunting in the beginning became effortless. While I could tell that others taking the AP test around me were frightened by the essay section, I actually looked forward to it. Mrs. Hawkins assignments, and excellent feedback, allowed me to be unperturbed by a task that most students equated with torture. Mrs. Hawkins didn’t just prepare her students for the AP test; she also refined student’s skills in areas other than history. I could feel that my writing improved over the duration of the course, and I could complete assignments from other classes much more easily and successfully. Mrs. Hawkins is very knowledgeable about history, and can effectively teach the material to students in a way that builds their skills, knowledge, and confidence. In my opinion, that is what makes a great teacher. I highly recommend both Mrs. Hawkins and her AP US History course.
– Spencer J.(former AP student)
Gorilla Web –
Mrs. Hawkins is a wonderful teacher with an infectious enthusiasm for the subject. I did not enjoy history prior to taking this class and I look forward to taking American History with her. The supplemental information she provides for the world history class is interesting, funny and not tedious to plow through. She varies the structure of the class so that it is not just lecture only. Although the class presents a lot of material, Mrs. Hawkins covers the content thoroughly. She makes herself readily available if I or my mom have any questions. I am always aware of how I am performing in this class as my grades are available on the assignment portion of the system. I would highly recommend her classes.
-Angel B. ( Aim Academy student)
Gorilla Web –
If you are looking for an educational yet fun class, this is the place to be! Mrs. Hawkins interacts with her students making class both productive and entertaining. It is evident that Mrs. Hawkins has mastered the art of presenting history in an intelligent, exciting manner, making her an extremely effective teacher. There is not a better history teacher on the market 🙂
—Daniel K. (Aim Academy student)