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 Amanda Hanson has added to their wishlist Aug 26, 2009
Mrs. Amanda Hanson
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Sonoran Science Academy
Hometown:
Tucson
Class Information:
Room Number: 105
Students per Class: 100
Class Description:
I teach 6th grade world history, an honors high school world history and geography, and AP world history. Sixth Grade World History and Geography focuses on significant historical cultures, regions, people, events and achievements from Paleolithic times through the Age of Enlightenment. Students will learn about cultures, religions, and countries perceived to have a great influence on Western Civilization, specifically Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Israel, Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, and Europe during the Medieval, Renaissance, Reformation, and Enlightenment periods, finishing the year with the European Exploration of the Americas. Students will also learn about cultures, religions, and countries of non-western influence specifically, Ancient China, Mongolia, India, the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, Medieval Africa and Japan, and Tsarist Russia. Students will recognize the relationships of events and people and interpret significant patterns, themes, ideas, beliefs, and turning points in world history. Students will analyze locations, regions, and special connections, recognizing the natural and cultural processes that have impacted the way in which people and societies have lived and interacted with each other and their environments. HighSchool World History and Geography focuses on significant historical cultures, regions, people, events and achievements from the Enlightenment through the Modern Period. Students will begin with a review of major highlights from Early Civilizations, Ancient Empires, through the Renaissance, Reformation, and European Exploration of the Americas. Then they will examine the Enlightenment and how its’ ideas led to the American and French Revolutions. They will discuss the Industrial Revolution and other revolutions in Europe and Latin America. They will analyze the nationalist triumphs in Europe from 1800 – 1914, the growth of Western Democracies, and new imperialism. They will examine World War I and its aftermath from a European perspective and will study the Russian Revolution, nationalism and revolutions around the world that occurred after WWI, and the Great Depression, again from a European perspective. Students with then discuss World War II and its aftermath and major world events from 1945 to the present, specifically the Korean War, Vietnam War and other world events in Europe, Asia, North America, and the Middle East. Students will recognize the relationships of events and people and interpret significant patterns, themes, ideas, beliefs, and turning points in world history. Students will analyze locations, regions, and special connections, recognizing the natural and cultural processes that have impacted the way in which people and societies have lived and interacted with each other and their environments. APWorld History is a college level course requiring that students “develop greater understanding of the evolution of global processes and contacts in different types of human societies” (College Board, 2007. Through use of appropriate analytical skills, primary and secondary sources, students will evaluate selective factual knowledge to increase this understanding. This course will examine how societies have changed over time and through contact with different cultures and how they have stayed the same. It will define the causes and consequences of these changes. Students will interpret global events/issues and compare major societies in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. European history does not exceed 30% of the total course. The United States is included based solely on its interactions with other societies during the colonial period, the Revolutionary War, its expansion, and global interactions during the second half of the twentieth century and early twenty-first century.
Position:
History Teacher
Needs:
Classroom computers for research purposes, historical and regional pull-down maps or a smartboard with digital maps, primary source anthologies, Medieval siege weapon desktop kits, and reference books for the library.
My Philosophy:
World history is important because it provides students with an understanding of other people/cultures and world events. It develops students’ cognitive abilities in higher order thinking. My role is to mentor and inspire students to acquire the knowledge, wisdom, and cognitive skills necessary to achieve success not only on classroom and standardized assessments, but also in college or university programs, social or technical career fields, and ultimately in life. We live in an increasingly global society in which we are required to interact with people from vastly different cultural backgrounds, beliefs, and traditions. World history is essential to ensuring that our students will be informed, capable, and contributing citizens of this country and the world.
Personal Information:
About Me:
My name is Amanda Hanson and I am delighted to share my love of history with my students again this year. In this millennial age of global economies it is more important than ever before to develop a world view in our students that will lead them to become educated, responsible citizens. The goal of World History is to introduce students to the social, economic, political, and geographic influences that have influenced people and civilizations around the globe. By studying these diverse cultures we develop a better understanding of other people and ourselves. This is my third year teaching at Sonoran Science Academy. I have a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Arizona and have met the State’s qualifications for a “highly qualified” history teacher. I am currently completing my Master’s degree in Secondary Education. I have lived in Tucson most of my life, though I was born in Iowa and have also lived in Sydney, Australia and Maryland. I am married and have three children. I sing with a choir and ensemble group, love gardening, arts and crafts, and reading more about history.
College and Degrees:
Bachelor of Arts from the University of Arizona with a major in History and minor in Russian Studies. I am completing my Master's in Secondary Education from Grand Canyon University this year with an expected graduation in May 2010.
Activities:
I sing in a choir and ensemble groups, garden when I have time, various arts and crafts projects, and reading.
Favorite Books:
Lord of the Rings Trilogy, the Harry Potter series, Little Women, Tale of Two Cities, Ink Heart Series, various mysteries, and nearly any history book.
Favorite Quotes:
"...the man who really counts in the world is the doer, not the mere critic-the man who actually does the work, even if roughly and imperfectly, not the man who only talks or writes about how it ought to be done." (Theodore Roosevelt, 1891) "Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today." (Abraham Lincoln, 1850?) "The probability that we may fall in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just; it shall not deter me." (Abraham Lincoln, 1839) "It is with pleasure I receive reproof, when reproof is due, because no person can be readier to accuse me, than I am to acknowledge an error, when I am guilty of one; nor more desirous of atoning for a crime, when I am sensible of having committed it." (George Washington, 1757)
Interests:
Russian history, especially tsarist Russia and the end of the Romanovs, Ancient and Medieval history (really any history), geneologies, home decorating and gardening, travel (I will go anywhere if given the opportunity), and mysteries of any kind.
Employment History:
I worked as an accountant and later business manger at the Optical Sciences Center at the University of Arizona for nine years. I then did some consulting work, real estate, and substitute teaching on the side while I was raising my children. Then as they entered high school and middle school I stated teaching full-time.
Why Do I Teach?:
I love studying history and passing on that excitement to my students. History does not have to be boring. I use discussions, debates, simulations, and hands-on activities to inspire students and make the past real to them. Nothing gives me more pleasure than to see the excitement in thier eyes when they "get it," when they understand why the Roman acqueducts, the Egyptian pyramids, and Great Wall of China were so remarkable, how the Greeks were able to defeat a much larger Persian army, what was so great about Leonardo DaVinci, or why Great Britain and France let Germany expand across Europe for so long.
Percent of Students are:
     At-risk: 9 %
     Average: 55 %
     High-achiever: 30 %
     Special Needs: 6 %
Percent of Students are:
     White/Caucasian : 78 %
     Hispanic: 15 %
     African American: 2 %
     Asian: 5 %
Free/Reduced Lunch Program Enrollment:: 15 %
ESL Enrollment:: 3 %
Average number of students in class:: 20 students
Number of students I teach:: 100 students