American History

Message From Ms. Purnell

Students and Parents,

Welcome to American history. We will be covering the history of our nation from the colonial period through present day. This class will give you knowledge of how we became the country that you know today. We will discuss the cultures, economics, peoples, and traditions that make us who we are, as Americans. American history will be a fun adventure, and I am so glad you all are along for the ride. I look forward to working with each of you throughout the coming school year.

--Ms. Purnell

Communication

Communication between teachers, students, and parents is key to class success. I encourage everyone to drop by, email, or call. I love hearing from both students and parents. All of my contact information can be found on the class home page. Feel free to ask questions about lesson plans, things discussed in class, grades, or just let me know an idea that you think would be fun to use for class. In the event that you are experiencing difficulties, please let me know. Remember, I can’t help fix anything, if I’m not aware there is a problem!

Google Classroom

Brookland High School is a blended learning environment, which means that we will use a combination of traditional instruction and online learning. Google Classroom will be used for items like announcements, lesson plans, class materials, and assignments. There is a Google Classroom app for students, which can be downloaded to their mobile device, for access to their class materials, on-the-go. However, not all features, of Google Classroom will be accessible in the app. Students should plan on using their school-supplied Chromebooks to complete the majority of their coursework.  

Textbook

American history will use the book The American Vision (Appleby, Joyce. The American Vision. New York; Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2010.Print). PDF book chapters will be provided, via Canvas, as needed for each unit. 

Helpful Apps and Websites

Apps

The following apps are free from the Apple App Store.

1. Dictionary.com. Use this app to look up over 2 million words, synonyms,antonyms, and historical terms. You will find this very useful when completing your unit vocabulary for American history!

2. EasyBib: Automatic Bibliography. This app allows you to scan book barcodes or search the app database to easily create a bibliography for your next paper or project. You can switch between APA, MLA, Chicago, and many other citation styles. Make sure you save yourself time, and are correctly formatting information.

3. Flashcards + by Chegg. Use this handy app to create custom flashcards to study for your tests. App allows you to quiz yourself and provides instant feedback on right and wrong answers. Please use this to study!

4. Focus Keeper Free. This is an organizational app that allows you to set reminders to study, helps you break down study session time into work and break periods. Allows you to set goals and chart progress. As a bonus, this app is Apple Watch compatible.

5. Quizlet. The classic app that allows students to create flashcards, create practice tests, and use games to test your memory of class materials.

6. Vocabulary HD Free. At a loss for the right word to use in your assignment? This app can help. It teaches new vocabulary words, offers synonyms, sentence examples and vocab quizzes.

Websites

1. https://www.archives.gov/ The National Archives. This agency documents and preserves historically valuable records such as executive orders, photographs presidential proclamations, speeches and much more.

2. https://www.congress.gov/ The U.S. Congress. Track current legislation, locate and contact members of Congress.

3. https://constitutioncenter.org/ National Constitution Center. Web access to the U.S. Constitution. Offers videos and podcasts, as well as, a Constitutional law perspective on current news and events.

4. https://www.loc.gov/ The Library of Congress. America's library, the largest in the world, provides access to millions of books, magazines, manuscripts, maps, and photographs.

5. http://www.presidency.uscb.edu The American Presidency Project. This website is sponsored by the University of California, Santa Barbara. Here you will find info on the presidents, documents, speeches, and election results.

6. https://www.si.edu/ The Smithsonian Institution. Website for the nation's largest museum. Instant online access to the various museums providing exhibits and objects from our nation's past.

7. http://www.ushistory.org/ Website run by the nonprofit Independence Hall Historical Association (Philadelphia, PA). Provides access to online textbooks and comprehensive information on American history.