Online Homeschool American History for High School
Are you looking for a homeschool American History course for high schoolers?
Are you looking for something more engaging than a textbook?
How about a self-paced option that is easy to use?
If you answered yes to any of these questions then you should definitely read on to find out more about The Nomadic Professor.
Disclosure: I received The Nomadic Professor for free and was compensated for my time in writing this review. All my opinions are my own, honest thoughts and I was not required to post a positive review. Your experience may vary. Please see my full Disclosure Policy for more details.}
The Nomadic Professor (William Jackson) offers online homeschool American history courses for high schoolers. Where you will follow The Nomadic Professor around the world to history’s actual settings!
Beyond the American History courses, The Nomadic Professor also offers a Media Literacy Course.
In the Nomadic Professor’s Media Literacy Course students learn to evaluate the various sources competing for their attention. They will follow today’s headlines and partisan news coverage, find a range of sources that will constitute a healthy news diet, learn to understand and get behind the surface language and images, and gain perspective on the political landscape of information, arming themselves with lifelong skills for discernment and judgement.
Online Homeschool American History for High School
The Nomadic Professor offers two different ways to work your way through the American History courses.
- Read – Over 400 pages of text broken up by the Nomadic Professor videos.
- Listen – Recorded in a studio for a quality listening experience. This is also broken up with the videos in audio format and are clearly different sounding because they are not recorded in a studio.
There are also multiple printable resources provided:
- Guided Notes – A pdf notebook for the entire course.
- Recommended Daily Schedule – This takes the course and not only gives you 3 different levels to choose from (Basic, Standard, and Advanced) but also breaks each option down into printable checklists by unit and day. You can also purchase a course lesson plan from Homeschool Planet!
- Double Sided Flashcards – these are the flashcards in printable form. You can also access the Nomadic Professor’s flashcards on Quizlet.
The American History Courses with The Nomadic Professor
4 Sections of American History
Each of these American History courses is .5 credit of United States history for high school. With the Basic course of study each course lasts around 12 weeks at 30-60 minutes per day.
American History 1 – To Begin the World Over Again: a survey of American history from the pre-Columbian era to the ratification of the Constitution. (through 1790)
American History 2 – The Noise of Democracy: begins as George Washington takes office and ends with Reconstruction. (through 1877)
American History 3 – Monsters to Destroy: up through World War II
American History 4 – A Great Consolidation: (available in the winter of 2023), will bring the narrative through the Cold War and almost to the present day. (Includes 9-11)
Unit Previews
Every unit begins with a Unit Preview, these are numbered 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, etc. In these previews you will find:
- a map that will show you where the Nomadic Professor will be in that unit (where his videos were recorded for that unit)
- a timeline
- Structure Terms – a list of historical terms you will master in that unit
- In Sum – a list of summaries for each session in that unit
Guided Notes
The Nomadic Professor provides Guided Notes for every section of the course. These help the student take efficient notes of the material being presented. They can be printed, but they are also provided as a fillable pdf so they can type right within the Guided Notes document.
At the end of each session there is a place to upload your Guided Notes for grading. There are grading rubrics for Guided Notes that help student know exactly what they are being graded on.
Document Lessons
These are always the last session in each unit. These are a chance to work with original source material pertaining to the topic of that unit. There is a guided notes section for each one. Students can fill in the pdf and submit automatically (or print and hand fill out).
End of Session Quizzes
At the end of each session there is a quiz. Each quiz an be taken twice, with the best score being kept. They are automatically scored and recorded in the gradebook. But the thing I love most about these quizzes is that students get automatic feedback. Not only does it more answers correct or incorrect, it gives and explanation for the incorrect answers so students can see the correct information again. This can help them solidify the information in their minds.
Why Use The Nomadic Professor for High School American History?
1. A more neutral world view and political ideology
The Nomadic Professor’s history courses do not argue for or against a particular worldview or political ideology. And while The Nomadic Professor states there is bias in the course, that is for good reason. He believes bias and point of view are inevitable.
“So whose “side” is the Nomadic Professor on? Everyone’s and no one’s. Partisanship is not really compatible with doing good history.”
Point of View includes everything about a person, such as their age, gender, nationality, language, family, culture, religion, history, interests, prior experience, occupation, criminal record, health, height, weight, education, and so on. All of these things make up the background within which their opinions and judgments are formed. Therefore a person cannot escape their POV, in fact, their Point of View is the only thing that gives them a frame of reference within which they can judge new information.
I LOVE that he acknowledges that POV and bias do in fact exist, and that while you can avoid ideology and dogma, you cannot avoid a source having a specific point of view or bias based on their lives and the information they hold. Within his courses he strives to help students think critically and assess these things throughout their learning process.
2. Offers learning options
The courses are offered online which means they travel easily. (Always a bonus) But not only is their just written word, there are also audio recordings, and videos. These options allow for a larger audience of learners to find success with The Nomadic Professor courses.
AND you can even choose from multiple difficulty levels, choosing to cover the basics, or to delve in deeper if the student is capable or has that desire.
3. Earn College Credit
The American History courses ae designed to prepare students to ace CLEP exams, which can earn them college credit.
Earning CLEP credits alongside high school credits is a huge time and money saver for homeschoolers! This was something we did with 2 of our 3 kids. It meant they were able to graduate from college in less time because they already had some basic courses completed via CLEP exams.
4. No Paper Required
I mention this one because I know many folks who don’t have a printer or are on the road and prefer things to be all online. While you have the option to print the Guided Notes, printing them is not required. They are all fillable pdfs so students can fill them in right online without having to print anything! That means they can Watch, Read, Listen, and Write all of their coursework within the online format!
Coupon Code Nomadic20 gets you 20% off any recurring subscription! Code expires 7/31/23
Giveaway
Be sure to enter this GIVEAWAY!
Winner #1 gets a year subscription to all courses [value $360]
Winner #2 their choice of a single course: American History 1, 2 or 3, or Media Literacy [value $249]
