American History Articles

SAT Daily Word

By Kenneth B. | 5/6/2013 4:53 PM CST |

A great way to prepare for the SAT and life in general is by reviewing vocabulary daily. Consider purchasing a daily word calendar, or simply check College Board's Word of the Day at http://sat.collegeboard.org/practice/sat-question-of-the-day. If a student begins studying a a new word every day beginning with their freshman year of high school, they could learn up to one thousand words before they take the SAT! Increased vocabulary will not only increase SAT scores, but give students a much improved ability to construct essays and papers in college.

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Critical Thinking Skills: What Are They and How do I Get Them?

By Shannon B. | 4/10/2013 12:58 PM CST |

Everyone knows that demonstrating the ability to think critically on tests and assignments and in writing is the way to your teacher’s or professor’s heart. But how do you do that when you don’t even know what critical thinking is? Although “critical thinking” is a much debated term, I would simply call it your ability to analyze a given issue or problem. Okay, great, you say ... so what the heck does that mean?

Well ... it depends. There’s all sorts of different types of analysis. A math problem, for example, requires a different type of analysis from say the analysis of a world history...

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AP Exams Are Just Around the Corner: Are You Prepared?

By Shannon B. | 4/8/2013 1:24 PM CST |

The 2013 AP Exams will be administered over two weeks in May: May 6 through 10 and May 13 through 17. Click on the following link for more precise dates:

http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/ap/about/dates

For those taking the AP European History, AP US History, AP World History and AP English Language and Composition, the dreaded DBQ section is upon you! Are you ready?

Rather than demonstrating extensive knowledge, a confident time management strategy is key to succeeding on this particular part of the test. Because there is so much to do in so little time, students without one...

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Hello tutoring world!

By Allison P. | 2/19/2013 6:32 AM CST |

Hello! Here I am constructing my first tutoring blog! I am eager and excited to tutor you and get your from good to great!

When tutoring, I work with my students to find out how they learn best and what other skills could be introduced to further help them. My experience as a 6th grade teacher has certainly helped me discover many new ways to reach every type of learner! Hope to talk to you soon about your tutoring needs!

Allison

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Accepting the Challenge

By Shelby S. | 2/17/2013 4:37 PM CST |

Congratulations on making it this far! The first step to becoming a better student is realizing the need for help. Some students believe that because they ask for help that they are dumb or not as good as everyone else. In fact, the complete opposite is true! Admitting that you need help with a subject is the smartest thing you could do, and it will set you on a better academic path. I myself went to tutoring in high school, and I finished high school with a 4.0! Sometimes a little one on one time with somebody that can put the lesson into terms you can understand can really make a difference...

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My guidelines

By Joseph S. | 2/13/2013 1:22 PM CST |

Give positive feedback, use encouraging vocabulary

Find success, and reinforce effort, in even minor accomplishment

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A tutor provides expertise, experience, and encouragement.
They do not provide "answers," but rather assist in problem solving, in getting answers.
The challenge is to focus on assignments within the context they are assigned.

Tutors should not be expected to diagnose learning disabilities.
Diagnosis should take place outside of the tutoring process by a professional academic counselor...

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Making history interesting

By Adam K. | 2/4/2013 1:16 AM CST |

At my regular tutoring job, my new AP US and world history students will sometimes tell me, in detail, just how much they loathe the subject of history. When I ask them why they feel that way, the answer is almost always the same - they've got a dull history teacher at school.

This makes me sad. Ever since I could read, I've loved history, and now, twenty years and change later, it's still my favorite subject to read and write about. The old cliche "truth is stranger than fiction" really is true - history is full of amazing characters and unbelievable tales that even the most imaginative...

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Yesterday was a Great Day

By Gilant P. | 1/4/2013 8:32 AM CST |

What a way to start off the New Year! First I met with a student for US History and Living Environment. She is taking the Regents exams in three weeks. When I first met with her, Cee had a fear of taking exams, and was very nervous. She struggled with understanding both subjects; the Historical Events and dates, as well as the vocabulary words for Biology. Her next struggles were understanding and answering the document based questions for US History and the short responses for LE. Now she answers them much more confidently and accurately, and has even improved in writing her document...

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It's Christmas!

By Diana G. | 12/3/2012 8:08 AM CST |

It's ChristmasTime!

Can you believe another year will soon be over? As we reflect on this years events and look forward to a bright new year, keep your childs' education in mind. There are so many opportunities we all need to take advantage of.

There are so many educational games, cards, books, and even dvd's that would make great stocking stuffers, events to broaden your childs' mind and time spent just talking. And of course, your weekly tutoring sessions!

During this free time between the holidays, I will be available and ready to work around your busy Christmas and New Years schedules...

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Helping Students “Get” History

By Jeff S. | 11/6/2012 7:47 PM CST |

Many of my students have told me that Social Studies or History is their worst subject. When I ask why, they say they “just don’t get it”. I usually find out that they have a hard time connecting the dots. For example, they learn about the American Revolution but don’t understand how it connects to King George III and the Declaration of Independence. This article gives parents, tutors, and teachers some hints and tips for helping students connect the people, places, and events of history to improve their comprehension.

1. Use historical thinking skills.The National Center for History in the...

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