1/2-Credit Alaska History Course

Everything you need to know about Alaska history for high school credit in one semester!

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After nine months of intense labor, Aunt Phil has birthed a 67.5-hour graded course for those students who want to work online. And just like the print books in the Aunt Phil’s Trunk Alaska history and curriculum series, this online course is not only educational but also entertaining.

This course was designed to be completed in one semester by working through 5 lessons per week. However, parents have the flexibility to dictate the pace that their child completes the course. Each lesson takes approximately one hour to complete. Students will have lifetime access to the course.

We have worked with parents, students and educators to make sure this six-unit course meets the Alaska history requirements listed in the Alaska statute. It includes geography, Alaska cultures, the Russian era, Alaska as a possession of the United States, Alaska as a territory and Alaska becoming a state up to present.

“I recently had the opportunity to examine the Aunt Phil’s Trunk 1/2-credit Alaska history course. I believe it not only meets Alaska state requirements, it exceeds them!”

– Dawn Cogan, Site Administrator, IDEA Fairbanks office

In addition, each daily lesson is filled with links to more information, videos and documentaries for further understanding of the topic in the lesson. Links to primary sources also are listed.

This course features word puzzles, timeline and map activities, and journaling opportunities, too.

A short quiz follows each lesson. These quizzes are graded online, so parents and educators do not need to grade papers. There also is a mid-term exam and a final exam.

Once students successfully complete the course, they can download a Certificate of Completion that will prove they satisfied their 1/2-credit Alaska history requirement for graduation.

The 67.5-hour course – based on one hour a day for five days a week for 14-1/2 weeks – is available now for $195. Register today!



Your Instructor


Laurel Downing Bill
Laurel Downing Bill

My Dad’s older sister, Phyllis Downing Carlson, was one of Alaska's most respected historians. She willed me a strange inheritance after she died in 1993: her entire life’s work of research into the extraordinary history of my great state. The trunk contained her notes, research and rare Alaska history books that she had collected during her 84 years in the Last Frontier.

I felt a deep responsibility to do something with this gift. So I returned to college (in my 50s) and graduated with a degree in journalism and a minor in history from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 2003.

Then I sorted through Aunt Phil’s notes, organized her work into periods of time and began researching on my own to fill in some holes for pieces of history that I thought important. Once the research was complete, I wrote short stories about the events, people and places that helped make Alaska what it is today and searched for hundreds of historical photographs to complement the storytelling.

The result of my labors became the five-book Aunt Phil’s Trunk Alaska history series, which earned the 2016 gold medal for Best Nonfiction Series from Literary Classics International. Each book features a different period of time in Alaska’s colorful past. I also developed a full curriculum with student workbooks and teacher guides for classroom and homeschool use, which won a silver medal in the Education Category from Literary Classics International in 2018. (A college book took gold.)

After nine months of intense labor, Aunt Phil has birthed a 67.5-hour graded course for those students who want to work online. And just like the print books in the Aunt Phil’s Trunk Alaska history and curriculum series, this online course is not only educational but also entertaining.


Course Curriculum


  Midterm Exam
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Final Exam
Available in days
days after you enroll

Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish. Most students will complete this course in one semester by completing 5 lessons per week. Each lesson takes approximately one hour to complete.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.
Will I need to purchase additional books or materials to complete this course?
A blank notebook or journal is the only item that you will need. You will receive access to all of the reading material and worksheet downloads when you register for the course.
What if I want to learn more about Alaska history from Aunt Phil?
You are in luck! There are five books in Aunt Phil’s Trunk award-winning Alaska history series. Each book features a different time period, is filled with short stories and has more than 350 photographs to bring history alive. Just go to http://www.auntphilstrunk.com to order!

Get started now!