Award-Winning US History Tutors

American history is concerned with the foundations and continuing progress of what is now the United States of America. As an academic focus, it studies the time periods that typically stretch from pre-Columbian all the way through to the new millennium. The word history is derived from the Greek word historia, which means to "learn or know by inquiry." The inquiry is very important, as any history is a fluid knowledge that only grows or becomes deeper with further study. To this day, historical evidence is still being uncovered or reexamined that sheds further light on the country's founding or on events that have happened since. Despite the relatively young age of the United States, there is no shortage of fascinating history to examine. Some of the topics that students may expect to see covered in American history include:

American History Topics (non-comprehensive)

• Native American society pre-Colonization
• The Colonial Era
• The Revolutionary War
• The US Constitution
• The Bill of Rights
• Manifest destiny
• The Civil War
• The Progressive Era
• The Great Depression
• The New Deal
• World War II
• Baby boom
• The Civil Rights Era
• The Cold War

What's great about working with an American History tutor is that they can spend time focusing on the content that your student needs. The tutor can spend your student's American History tutoring session broadening your student's knowledge, building on what they have already learned in school to form an even deeper understanding. American History tutors are able to get to know your student's unique learning style and customize lessons so that they align more closely with their needs. Tutors can adapt their delivery as well, making sure to explain challenging concepts in ways that your student can actually understand. If your student learns better through hands-on practice, their American History tutor can find or create engaging materials that allow them to learn in a way that suits them best. What's more, tutors can also lead you to other great supplementary resources that can help them further build out their skills in between lessons.

American history is often broken down into smaller units or segments of time. American History tutoring sessions can spend time going over each of these so that your student has a clearer understanding of how United States history evolved. For instance, the National Center for History in the Schools have a set of standards for grades 5 through 12 that break down American History segments as such:

National Center for History in the Schools American History Grade 5-12 Standards

• Three Worlds Meet (Beginnings to 1620)
• Colonization and Settlement (1585-1763)
• Revolution and the New Nation (1754-1820s)
• Expansion and Reform (1801-1861)
• Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877)
• The Development of the Industrial United States (1870-1900)
• The Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930)
• The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945)
• Postwar United States (1945 to early 1970s)
• Contemporary United States (1968 to the present)

American History Testing

Your American History tutor can help you prepare for various standardized exams that you may take during your educational career. In some ways, standardized exams are similar to classroom quizzes and tests. Primarily, you will need to know the subject matter. You should know the causes of the Revolutionary War, the victories experienced during the Civil Rights Movement, and some of the great speeches given by Americans like Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

More than that, though, your private instructor can help you learn how to take your specific standardized exam. Each one comes with a separate set of rules, times limits, and other attributes. Learning test-taking strategies that can help you while you're in the testing center taking the exam could make a positive difference in your score.

For example, if you're taking a practice test and you don't understand what the questions are asking, you may get more answers wrong. That might happen if you're not carefully reading the questions. Missing a "not" or "except" in a question could lead to you answering the exact opposite of the correct answer. On the other hand, sometimes it could be because standardized tests tend to word questions in a somewhat confusing manner. Learning to decode exactly what the question is asking is something you can work on with your American History instructor.

They can also help you figure out what to do when it seems that two potential answers on a multiple-choice question seem equally correct. In fact, both answers may be right, but by learning to decode the way the question is asked, you can detect which answer is the most correct for that particular question.

By teaching you these things, your tutor can help you feel more confident about the exam. If you're still struggling from some testing anxiety, however, they can introduce some relaxation exercises that you can do unobtrusively during the exam to center and ground yourself before continuing on so you can do your best on each question.

Part of relieving any anxiety you may have is simply learning all you can about the test beforehand since a large amount of nervousness is due to fear of the unknown. Your tutor can take you through everything that will happen on test day, the structure of the test's sections and questions, and the strategies mentioned above.

Some of the American History standardized exams you may take include:

• AP United States History – AP courses give students an opportunity to take college-level courses while still in high school and potentially earn college credit. Subjects covered include Native American societies, the American Revolution, the Civil War, and the progression of U.S. culture, politics, and economics.
• CLEP History of the United States I: Early Colonization to 1877 – CLEP exams allow college students to test out of introductory courses based on their life experience, personal studies, or prior knowledge. Subjects tested are developments in the U.S. political, social, economic, cultural, and intellectual spheres during the time period.
• CLEP History of the United States II: 1865 to the Present – Some specific topics on this CLEP exam are the motivations and character of American expansionism, the changing nature of the occupational structure and work, and trends in the history of women and the family.

Another test that your student may see is the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, U.S. history assessment. This test sets out to measure a student's knowledge of U.S. history, specifically regarding the contextualization of culture, democracy, and technological and economic changes. This test is taken by students every few years. Below is a breakdown of how students have done over the past few sessions that the test was given:

NAEP U.S. History Average Scores

* = accommodations not permitted for these test takers

As the data above shows, results tend to be getting progressively better. If you are aiming for that same kind of trajectory, it might be worth finding a qualified American History tutor to work with your student. When you are searching "American History tutoring near me," the assistance that we can help you find for your student can be instrumental in helping them hone their skills and become more familiar with necessary content knowledge.

Why Choose Tutoring?

When your student signs up for "American History tutoring near me," you can expect their tutor to provide a focused environment that is conducive to learning. With other distractions out of the way, your student can learn more readily. What's great about working with an American History tutor is that your student gets the chance to work at the pace that is right for them. If they are having trouble remembering key facts about the Civil War, for instance, their tutor can linger on the subject until they feel more comfortable with the material. Similarly, if they have a particularly strong understanding of an area, they don't have to spend time going over it again and can move on to more advanced content. With an American history tutor, your student is no longer beholden to the speed of a classroom. They can learn the material that they need when they need it.

Working with an American History tutor can have many other benefits. One such benefit is flexibility. Along with a tutor's flexible approach to teaching, tutors can also be flexible in regards to when sessions occur. It's very likely that your student is already very busy with homework and other extracurricular activities. Finding a tutor who is able to work around their busy schedule is very important. With tutoring, you and the tutor can work together to find a time that is best for your student, allowing them to maximize their study time without having to make sacrifices in other areas of their life. If these sound like perks that your student could benefit from, you might give up the searches for an "American History tutor near me," and give Varsity Tutors a call.

Tying it All Together

American history can be a contentious subject. People dispute facts and question historical accuracy regularly. As the Greek meaning indicates, history is discovered through constant inquiry. It's all about finding and interpreting the evidence in the best way possible. This can have a real impact on society. Many people in the fields of politics, law, and academia tend to have a thorough knowledge of American history and the skills required to validate facts and spot inaccuracies. These skills continue to be important to this day. If you are aiming for your student to have the chance to build these important analysis skills, American History tutoring could be a great option for you.

Don't continue to search for "American History tutors near me." Reach out to Varsity Tutors today by phone or email to speak with a trusted academic advisor who is standing by to answer any questions you may have. We can help you find a qualified tutor to help your student in the pursuit of their academic goals.