Advanced Placement United States History (H5300)
Mr. Kraig Gustafson
kraig.gustafson@watertown.k12.ma.us
Course Description:
The Advanced Placement Program in United States History is designed to prepare students for college by presenting curriculum and academic challenges that are equivalent to those of an introductory college course. AP US History provides students with the structured writing, analytical skills, and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the key issues and movements in United States history. Students will learn to assess historical materials for their relevance to a given interpretive problem as well as for their reliability. They will weigh both evidence and researched interpretations as presented in historical scholarship to develop strong thesis-based essays. Only those students who are highly motivated and have demonstrated very strong reading and writing skills will be considered. Students who take this course must accept the challenge of very demanding work all year and are required to take the AP exam in May as the appropriate conclusion to their efforts.
Course Objectives:
Building on the concepts and materials learned in our 9th grade Honors U.S. History I course, approximately two-thirds of the A.P. U.S. History curriculum will focus on completing the chronological examination of U.S. history from the post-Reconstruction era to modern times.
During the second part of the course, students will explore a number of important and overriding themes that span the breadth of United States history. The College Board has identified thematic learning objectives and historical thinking skills that this portion of the course will use as its organizing structure in order to fine-tune and supplement the US history work done in the previous year.
Each unit will have a series of essential questions and key content objectives that will frame the students’ studies and serve as a guide for the materials selected for the course. These topics will comprise a significant percentage of the discussions and writing assignments assigned during the course.
Throughout the course, we will concentrate on review and taking practice exam components in order to acclimate students to the skills needed for the A.P. exam in May.
Throughout the year, extensive use of primary documents, outside readings, and audio/visual materials will supplement the selected core textbook by Henretta. There will be a number of projects and student-directed activities throughout the course.).
Scope and Sequence:
Core text: Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! 6th Edition for AP (2020).
Q1: Introduction to the AP, Westward Expansion, Industrialization, Immigration, Progressivism.
Q2: Imperialism, WWI, 1920’s and Depression, WWII, Cold War.
Q3: Post-War Middle Class, Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam and Counterculture, Conservative Resurgence, Global Economics, Post-9/11 World
Q4: Review of US History 1500-1890, preparation for the AP Exam, Memorial Day Assembly, Final AP research project.
Course Requirements/Guidelines:
Participation in the AP class is expected and should be regular and of high-quality. I do grade participation with a very small point value to encourage you to be engaged, offer information, or question me or a classmate.
Expect a small quiz every day on the reading from the night before. You may use your notes but not others’ notes or the internet.
Late work: I know it's going to happen. I'm OK with that occasional event. If you want to avoid the uncomfortable cold call in class, a quick conversation at the beginning of class or a quick email is enough for me to keep you out of the conversation for the day. BUT, be aware that any HW that we do is designed to either preview or review important concepts and that getting the work done ASAP is very important. Follow all school rules regarding make-up work which is no later than FOUR days.
Missed a class? If you were away/will be away from class and need to know what you missed/will miss that day, please refer to the plans on this website or chat with a classmate before you ask me anything. I'm happy to clarify anything that you have questions about but please make an effort first to use the resources at your disposal.
Assessment
All assignments (homework, tests, projects, notebooks and quizzes) have a point value. The number of points available on an assignment depends on the number of questions, the difficulty, and/or the length of the assignment.
I determine your grade by dividing the total points you earned by the total points possible during that marking period. Therefore, it is just as important to do well on your homework assignments as it is to do well on a test.
Grades will be posted on PowerSchool but you will also receive detailed feedback either in written form for written work or in Google Classroom for work completed there. For essays, I will be following the AP’s LEQ and DBQ rubrics.
Extra credit is usually not available but there may be community events or other worthwhile efforts that may come to your/my attention that might be used to earn a bit of credit if the experience is enriching and sharable to the class. Please see me with ideas or questions.
You are required to take the AP exam in May. You should get credit for the work that you have done and get feedback about your college-readiness history skills as measured by an objective third party.
Materials Required
Core text: Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! 6th Edition for AP (2020).
Summer reading book (provided, varies)
Virtual or paper notebook