AP U.S. History
AP U.S. History
Syllabus and Course Description
Conval’s Mission
At ConVal High School, we have opportunities to grow and learn, both individually and as an inclusive community. We strive to be respectful and show compassion for others. We work to be creative thinkers and problem solvers who communicate and collaborate in an effort to take responsibility for our learning. As we build resilience in a safe school environment, we also commit to developing skills and tools to become civic-minded citizens.
Course Description: This class is for serious history students and will cover selected topics and events in American History beginning with the discovery of the New World and culminating with an analysis of the events of the 2000s. This class will prepare students for the AP Examination in US History.
In AP U.S. History we learn American history from the pre-Columbian era to the present. This course meets for the entire school year in 90 minute daily class sessions. Students will take a mid-term exam at the end of semester 1, usually some time in late January. During the 4th quarter, a fifteen-page research paper is a central focus in writing skill development. At the beginning of quarter 4, review sessions for the AP exam are offered. The class is taught in accordance with the AP U.S. History Framework, and is designed to prepare students for the AP U.S. History Exam in May.
The course is structured chronologically. However, each chronological unit will address themes and concept questions that recur throughout history.
Learning Objectives/Competencies:
In addition to learning the content from US History, students will practice the following skills:
Crafting Historical Arguments from Historical Evidence
· Historical Argumentation
· Appropriate Use of Relevant Historical Evidence
Chronological Reasoning
· Historical Causation
· Patterns of Continuity and Change
· Periodization
Comparison and Contextualization
Historical Interpretation
Synthesis
Active Reading
Writing
Self-Management
Course Requirements and Assignments:
Tests/Quizzes- Tests and quizzes in the class have different types of questions on it, but those questions will be geared towards helping you on the AP Exam. Some questions will be exact replicas of what you'll see on the AP Exam. A standard test/quiz might have:
Identifications- define the word and state its importance
Multiple Choice
Short Answer/essay
*If you are absent the day of a test or quiz you will make it up the next day you are in class, in TASC or after school that day.
Reading/Projects/Papers- You will do a number of active reading assignments that will help you practice the reading process used on the AP Exam. You will write several papers per quarter and they will be assess using the rubrics used on the AP Exam. There will be a few small projects that will also allow you to practice AP skills as well as speaking, writing, self-management, and problem-solving.
The Importance of Writing and Speaking:
Throughout the course, we will examine a series of historical thinking skills. The essays that coincide with each unit will seek to reinforce these skills. Occasionally, these will be research essays. Sometimes, they will be short writing prompts that you will answer in a “journal” that you keep over the year. You will be required to write different types of essays in order to assure that you practice each of these historical skills. In brief, these are the skills you will address in your essay assignments:
· Making historical arguments
· Using a variety historical evidence appropriately
· Historical cause and effect
· Continuity and change over history
· Periodization
· Comparison and contextualization
· Historical Interpretation
· Synthesis of historical ideas/themes
Grading Procedure:
My grading system is based on a point system. The more important the assessment, the higher the point value the assessment will be given. You will understand this more as we go through the first quarter.
Only Summative Assessments will count in your final grade. Formative Assessments are ways for us to assess your learning as you go and you will not be penalized for practicing and checking in.
Grades will be entered regularly so that PowerSchool is up to date each week. At minimum, grades will be updated every two weeks. You should check your progress on PowerSchool approximately once a week.
TASC should be used for relearning opportunities, practicing and/or studying, and for any extra help you might need on your assessments. All assessments may be re-done in order to show learning or mastery of content and/or skills but re-dos must be completed in a timely manner. The same policy holds for all of our Social Studies classes.
Communication Protocols:
The following are the ways you (and your parents) can communicate with me outside of school, ranked in order from most to least reliable:
email me at ebowman@conval.edu
contact me through our Google Classroom
phone call to the school
*It is always best to talk face to face, but email is a good second option.
**You should check the Google classroom several times a day. I recommend setting the classroom so that you get notifications when new content has been posted by the teacher. Parents/Guardians will also have access to the classroom, though they will only be observers (not able to comment).
Required Texts and Resources:
I will not distribute a textbook this year, but we have one in the classroom if we need it.
Boyer, Paul S., Clifford E. Clark, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, Neal Salisbury, Harvard Sitkoff and Nancy Woloch. The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People. 6th Edition. Boston, MA: Houghton and Mifflin, Co., 2004.
I will provide podcasts of each chapter/time period that may be used in place of textbook readings.
Supplemental Readings:
We will read a number of primary and secondary sources, which will be provided to you.
Websites:
A number of websites will be used to access primary sources, ephemera, video, artwork, and historical interpretations. The most commonly used websites in this class will be:
American Experience at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History at https://www.gilderlehrman.org/
Library of Congress: American Memory at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
Nystrom Atlas of United States History at www.ushistoryatlas.com (we also have the print version)
Attendance Policy and Procedure:
The school district attendance policy pertains to this class. You can find that policy here beginning on page 15.
The Conval School district statement on attendance can be found here.
Electronic Device Policy:
Technology can help us learn and can be a very useful tool. However, I really believe that some of our technology can get in the way, or even harm us. We will follow the CVHS procedure of silencing and storing our phones when we're in class. In addition, we will follow the district policy on devices which you can find here beginning on page 12.
Academic Honesty and Plagiarism:
We will follow the school policy on academic honesty and plagiarism which can be found here beginning on page 13.
ConVal Regional High School and the Region 14 Applied Technology Center (ATC) do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, national/ethnic origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, or disability in its programs, activities and employment practices.