Description
What if studying American history felt more like watching history unfold?
Angela Ferrell’s live online American history class for high school works through the nation’s story using award-winning feature films, documentaries, and educational shorts, then holds each one up against the record. Students compare a cinematic portrayal to the primary sources, learn to tell entertainment from evidence, and trace how politics, economics, war, religion, sports, and technology shaped American life and were shaped by it in turn.
This is not a movie class. Students keep a year-long timeline notebook of major events, write weekly, sit semester exams on the major themes and eras, and finish with a multimedia Film Analysis Project built in a tool like Canva or Google Slides.
Discussion is the heart of it, and Mrs. Ferrell brings a long career in human services, a classical co-op she founded, and a master’s in education focused on eLearning and curriculum design to the way she runs the room.
Angie Ferrell is a licensed teacher with a master’s in education and curriculum design who teaches history, writing, literature and psychology.
“This course has a very reasonable amount of work, with a good teacher, and you can watch movies for school credit! The most valuable part of the course was the discussions. As an Okay writer, this was also an excellent addition that helped me improve my communication with others through writing.”
— L.R.
A look inside this class
Class details
– Teacher: Angela Ferrell
– Day and time: Mondays, 2:00-3:00 p.m. CST
– Term: full year, 2027-28 school year
– Grades: high school
– Credit: 1 credit, counting as U.S. History
– Prerequisites: none stated
– Materials: access to the assigned films via DVD, library, or streaming; Google Docs for all written work. The film list goes to registered families before classes begin
– Live, small-group class on Zoom
Enroll today and the grading and Cognia-accredited transcript credit are ours to manage.
H. Owen –
“Mrs. Ferrell is a great educator! My son really enjoyed her as a teacher and her class!” – H. Owens (parent
– N.B., May 2024 –
“I learned more about how to think for myself and how to word my thoughts well with the discussion posts. I also learned more about American history [than] I had ever known before, even when I have taken a U.S. history course before.”
L.R. –
“This course has a very reasonable amount of work, with a good teacher, and you can watch movies for school credit! The most valuable part of the course was the discussions. As an Okay writer, this was also an excellent addition that helped me improve my communication with others through writing.” – L.R., May 2024
S.G. –
“A very well crafted class that gives students a good grasp of all eras of US history. Though be warned, don’t expect this to be a film analysis class, the focus is mainly on the history.”
B.A. –
“You should do it. The teacher is fantastic, and the discussions and related movies add a lot to the class.” – B.A., May 2024
Aiden Harley, student –
“Overall, I enjoyed the course. History is not something I’m completely interested in, but this class made learning about history a lot better. The movies give you unique perspectives and a better understanding of the events you learn about. Ms. Ferrell gives you a detailed, in-depth journey through American History. I recommend this course to anyone who enjoys History, or even those who don’t, because anybody can learn something new and valuable in this class.” – Aiden Harley, student
Caylee Rodenbaugh, Student –
“This is an amazing class. I would tell other students who might be considering taking this class would be to make sure you structure your homework for the week and do at least 150 words for history discussions, or whatever the word count is for that week.” – Caylee Rodenbaugh, Student
Caleb Heinemann, student –
“This is a class that will help you learn how to compose thought, make debates, and learn history. Best class I have ever taken and I have taken many.” – Caleb Heinemann, student
Hunter Franklin, student –
“It was a great class. The teacher was kind, knew what she was teaching and was generous to those who needed help.” – Hunter Franklin, student
Kate Sievers, parent –
American History in Film is an engaging class that I believe should be taken by all high schoolers. History has never been my son’s favorite subject, but he loved this class. It sparked thought-provoking conversations and encouraged my son to think critically about what he was learning. History came to life for him in a way that it never had before. Also, Mrs. Ferrell is an exceptional teacher. She sets clear expectations, encourages the students, and always responds in a timely manner to questions.
TNOA Parent –
As a parent, I’ve been very impressed with this course, especially for students who learn best visually. The class is well-organized, and the way history is presented makes it easy for students to follow and understand. Each week, new material is introduced in manageable portions, which helps prevent students from feeling overwhelmed.
I really appreciate the use of videos instead of relying solely on textbooks—they kept my children engaged and made the content more accessible. The weekly discussion assignments were also very valuable. They not only helped strengthen my children’s writing skills but also encouraged them to form opinions and support them with what they learned.
This class has truly been a breath of fresh air for our family and has worked especially well for my visual learners. Mrs. Ferrell is an exceptional teacher who genuinely cares about her students. She listens, communicates well, and is always willing to help when needed.
J. Gomes, student –
American History through Film is a wonderful and amazing class. Especially if you love history. The homework is easy to follow along, and resources are provided in the bulletin board which explain and help with the assignments. Written discussions are so much fun to do, especially reading everyone else’s thoughts on certain topics. The class is very interactive, and Mrs. Ferrell is a marvelous teacher. She keeps in-class hours very interesting and engaging. The World Wars are slightly summarized, especially World War II, since a great amount of history happened during them (they could have their own semesters entirely, especially WW2). But overall, a HIGHLY recommended class.
Gavin Nirrengarten, student –
This is a masterclass in a Christian view of American history, from the Mayflower to the 250th anniversary. Thought-provoking weekly discussions and study guides, occasional movie reviews, presentations, and projects make this course a challenging yet fun tour of American history.
Richard Cassar, parent –
My son loved this class, was challenged academically, but did fantastic. Mrs. Ferrell is a fabulous teacher and person. Covers from the revolution to the current administration, the history of America. The more you participate, the more you are going to learn.
True North Parent –
As a parent, I’ve been very impressed with this course, especially for students who learn best visually. The class is well-organized, and the way history is presented makes it easy for students to follow and understand. Each week, new material is introduced in manageable portions, which helps prevent students from feeling overwhelmed.
I really appreciate the use of videos instead of relying solely on textbooks—they kept my children engaged and made the content more accessible. The weekly discussion assignments were also very valuable. They not only helped strengthen my children’s writing skills but also encouraged them to form opinions and support them with what they learned.
This class has truly been a breath of fresh air for our family and has worked especially well for my visual learners. Mrs. Ferrell is an exceptional teacher who genuinely cares about her students. She listens, communicates well, and is always willing to help when needed.
Gracie Sowers, student –
I really loved this class. It was hard at times. But it made me really think and challenged my learning.