Syllabus

Scholar’s Advanced World­­ History: SYLLABUS

10 Credits, Grade Level: 10

Mr. Olavarri

molavarri@natomasunified.org

Room:                                     D105

Classroom Hours:      M-F until 3:30pm

Prerequisite: None

Requirement: Meets HS graduation requirement, UC/CSU “A” requirement

In World History you will develop a greater understanding of the evolution of global cultures and reasoning including interactions over time. The course highlights the nature of changes in international frameworks and their causes and consequences as well as comparisons among other societies. The course will give a broad overview of World Religions and Ancient/Medieval influences over the modern world. The course will then emphasize modern history from 1500 to the present.

This course will follow the IB MYP format in order to prepare students for the IB Diploma Program which would start in your Junior year. In order to meet the requirements for IB, we will go in greater depth on fewer aspects of world history. Additionally, you are going to be required to get increasingly more skilled in doing your own research and making historical connections and analyses. 

Course Outline:

CALIFORNIA STANDARDS

• Historical Research, Evidence, and Point of View

  • 4. Students construct and test hypotheses; collect, evaluate, and employ information from multiple primary and secondary sources; and apply it in oral and written presentations.

• Historical Interpretation

  • 1. Students show the connections, causal and otherwise, between particular historical events and larger social, economic, and political trends and developments.

  • 3. Students interpret past events and issues within the context in which an event unfolded rather than solely in terms of present-day norms and values. .

UNITS:

(approx. 4 weeks / unit and 4 units per semester)

• Relative Morality & Religions

• Prehistory

• Development or exploitation?

• Industrial Revolution (Sem 1 Final)

• World Wars

• Cold War

• Fundamentalism and

• Health and Development (Final)

Group Work

You do not always get to choose the groups in which you work in this class – just as at work, you don't get to choose your coworkers. Your job is to make sure that your group succeeds and completes the assignment. If the assignment looks like it is not going to get done, your job is to make sure that I know you are working hard (in advance). If I know in advance that your group is not working perfectly, then I am much more flexible with the completion grade or I can assign an alternate assignment. It is possible for you to get an A even if your group does not complete the assignment.  This is never possible if you tell me the night before a project is due.

Behavior Expectations

• Respect the right of others to learn

• Attend class regularly and promptly & bring materials to class daily

• Actively participate during class

• Follow teacher’s directions & conduct yourself appropriately

• No gum, candy, drinks (without lids), food, etc. allowed in class

• No electronic devices out unless directed by teacher for learning activities

• No hats or bandanas in class

Behavior Interventions

For most behaviors that are off task, but which do not threaten student safety, the following process will be followed per period:

• • ·      1st incident: verbal warning to the student (may be public or more private)

  • ·      2nd incident: student stays 1 minute after class for a quick discussion

  • ·      3rd incident: student must come see me for 10 minutes after school

  • ·      4th incident: suspended from class – contact with parent made by end of day

For electronic devices:

• • ·      1st incident: warning

  • ·      2nd incident: confiscation (refusal of confiscation will result in a referral to the office)

    • o   Device will be turned in to the office each and every time 

Bathroom Policy

Students will not be allowed to leave the classroom the first 10 minutes or the last 10 minutes of the period. Students are then allowed to go to the bathroom one at a time.  If student needs additional access, please contact teacher.

Late Work

Students will have 4 days to turn in assignment after the assignment is due. 10 percent will be deducted from the assignment each day it is late. If the student has an excused absence on the day the assignment is due they are to turn in the assignment when they return (amount of time allowed is proportional to the amount of time missed).  Projects are due on the due date.

Grades

• Participation 20%

• Project 20%

• Homework (binders & notes) 20%

• Unit Tests 20%

• Final 20%

Participation requires you to do what is asked on a daily basis and not disrupt the learning of others. One grade will be put in Powerschool per week. If you aren't prepared, you lose the credit for that day. If you keep others from learning, you lose credit for that day.

Projects are items for which you will received a rubric. Each assignment is of equal weight (except final projects which goes into the “Final” category).

Homework is assigned to provide additional information for tests or projects. Binders are due on every test day. You are required to turn in all of the notes, assignments and homework for the entire unit on that day. This requires you to keep all of the materials for the entire unit, use them to study, and then turn them in on the day of the test. The daily journals will be on Schoology.

Tests include quizzes and occur at the end of each unit.  Tests will include writing, short answer, opinions and some multiple choice.

The Final will be both a final project and a cumulative test.   Each counts as approximately 10% of the final grade in the course.

Additional Grade Option: Any student that scores higher on the final project of the semester than their current grade will receive the higher project grade.  This project will be graded using the IB rubrics.  Past experience has shown that only about 15% will actually score higher on the project than their grade in the class.

Plagiarism

All projects and papers will be turned in using an online program called “Turn-it-in.”  Students should use this program in advance to ensure they receive a score that is below 14% (“Similarity” index).  If any student scores above this number, I will be looking at their assignment closely.  If I find plagiarism, you will receive a zero and you will be reported to the IB coordinator. 

(Printable Copy of Syllabus Below)