US II HISTORY SYLLABUS

American History

Syllabus, Student Signature, & Information Sheet

Course Description and Essential Knowledge

This course is designed to give the student a better understanding of American History. Through the course you will gain a deeper understanding of the people and cultures that have made America the country that it is. We will also spend a lot of time discussing current events.

Textbooks

• We will utilize 1 In class textbook for this course: “The Americans” by Holt McDougal.

• We will utilize 2 digital textbooks for this course. These are: 

American History – Available: http://www.ushistory.org/us/index.asp

The American Yawp – Available: http://www.americanyawp.com/

Units of Study:

Unit 1: The Civil War

Unit 2: Reconstruction

Unit 3: The Gilded Age

Unit 4: Progressives & Imperialism

Unit 5: World War 1

Unit 6: The Roaring 20’s

Unit 7:  The Great Depression

Unit 8: World War 2

Unit 9: The Cold War

Unit 10: The Civil Rights Movement

Unit 11: Modern America

Goals of the Course          

1. Students will acquire knowledge of American History including specific names, terms, and concepts.

2. Students will weave together the skills and content of civics, history, and geography and learn how they affect each other.

3. Students will consider multiple perspectives, weigh evidence, and make sound judgments about the contemporary world.

4. These processes build student confidence as critical thinkers.

5. Learners will leave prepared for advanced level courses in the social sciences and some of the analytical tasks common to the 21st century work world.

Student Progress, Assessment, and Grading

Evaluation of the student takes the form of formative and summative assessments.  Formative assessment generates information of student progress toward proficiency and excellence in meeting the goals of the course.  Summative assessments are one-shot measures of student learning.  Student evaluation will employ a variety of instruments including but not limited to, student reflections, entry and exit slips, multiple choice quizzes and tests, essays, projects, and class discussions.  Warm ups, in-class reviews, extra help after school will be offered to students as needed to assure their mastery of the curriculum.  Bonus points and or assignments may be awarded at the discretion of the instructor.

Interim and Quarter grades indicate what the student knows about the content and what they can do with that knowledge at a specific point in time and will be calculated using a total point system based on the following: content, skills, homework and projects.

GRADES POLICY:

Tests/Projects=40% 

Quizzes=30%

Homework and Participation=30%

The teacher reserves the right to consider the student’s progress and growth over the entire school year when determining the final grade.

The following scale will be used to determine your grade:

A: 93-100

A-: 90-92

B+: 87-89

B: 83-86

B-: 80-82

C+: 77-79          

C: 73-76 

C-: 73-76

D+: 67-69

D: 64-66

F: below 64

Faculty members will be available for remediation and assistance on late bus days and after school on non-late bus days by appointment.  

Expectations:

1. Arrive to class on time and come to Class prepared.  Students should bring a notebook/binder and pen/pencil to class every day.  

2. Student work accountability. Students are responsible for completing ALL assignments.  Students can request an extension for some assignments but extensions are not granted for routine assignments.  Work that is excessively late detracts from student learning.  The instructors of this course believe that responsibility for learning is an essential outcome of the course as well, and as such, all late work handed in after the associated unit test, though always accepted, may be subject to reduction of credit. When assignment deadlines (original or extended) are missed, students will be required to have a conference with the course instructor.  The conference may need to be scheduled after school, or some other time outside of the regular time the class meets. Parents, counselors, and administrators may also attend conferences at the discretion of the instructor.  All late work is due one week prior to the end of each quarter for consideration in the quarter grade.  

3. Be organized.  ALL assignments, notes, and handouts should be kept in your notebook/binder because it is being graded.  If you are absent, you should get any missed assignments from blackboard.  You are responsible for all materials covered in class, including videos, presentations, and supplementary readings.  

4. Do your own work (No plagiarism or cheating).  Students are expected to complete their own work.  Any student who gives or receives unauthorized help (including materials) on quizzes, tests, or other assignments is cheating.  Plagiarism - using text from another source, including Internet web sites, without permission or citation - is also considered inappropriate.  Such behavior will result in a student receiving no credit for the assignment, and the student will be referred by the teacher to the Honor council.  For more information refer to Honor Council Handout.

5.  A classroom is based on RESPECT.  

• You are expected to politely listen to your classmates' opinions and ideas, think about what they have said, and contribute yourself.  Throughout the year students will be introduced to different cultures, lifestyles, and religions, students must be respectful, not judgmental.  Statements of bigotry, intolerance, and racism will be punished with detention, and parents will be contacted.

•  Respect property that is not your own.  Unless something is yours, do not touch it without permission.  This refers to anything belonging to your classmates, the furniture in the room, and the teacher's belongings

•  Conduct yourself appropriately in class.  No eating or drinking (including candy and gum) is allowed in the classroom.  Treat others as you wish to be treated.

6. Materials needed.

• Notebook 

• Pen and pencil

• Colored pencils

Revising & Resubmitting Assessments: 

Retakes are an option designed to help students demonstrate mastery on major assessments. A retake can be requested by a student. A retake can also be required by the teacher or a student’s support team (e.g. the Individualized Education Plan team or a parent/student/teacher partnership). When doing retakes, students will be expected to complete a new assessment, not repeat the original. The student should also submit the original assignment with the retake if it was returned to them by their teacher (to document learning over time).

A retake follows additional learning to help achieve mastery. These activities may include test corrections, after school with the teacher or peers, and/or other remediation activities created by the teacher or course team. 

Additional effort and retakes must be completed within the timeframe established by the teacher to accommodate quarterly grade deadlines. Retakes will not be allowed in the last week of the quarter. In support of mastery learning, the retake opportunity will be the grade recorded (unless otherwise specified by the teacher).