Contemporary U.S. History Syllabus

DESCRIPTION OF COURSE                

Syllabus in Document Form

This course is aligned with the 2020 South Carolina Social Studies College and Career Ready Standards for Unite States History and the Constitution. Students will employ the skills of a historian to explore the modern history of the United States. They will investigate the impact of American industrialism and capitalism, including being drawn into world wars, on American politics and geopolitics.

 Instruction will utilize the historical thinking skills identified and explained in the 2020 South Carolina Social Studies College and Career Ready Standards. These standards are aligned with the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate that focuses on world-class knowledge, world-class skills, and life and career characteristics. Students will acquire content knowledge through reading and analyzing primary and secondary sources, group discussions, and whole class instruction. They will apply historical thinking skills to the acquired knowledge, and then design and communicate their interpretation of the past. This process as a whole is known as inquiry. Rather than focusing on the memorization of facts with one correct answer, inquiry differs because students are evaluated on their ability to make a claim and support it with reliable evidence from research. This course concludes with an end-of-course exam, in which students will apply their understanding of the historical thinking skills to answer multiple choice test items.

INSTRUCTIONAL PHILOSOPHY

A general goal for all classes is for all students to gain confidence in their abilities, develop problem-solving skills;  make historical and geographical connections, and learn to correctly communicate (both in writing and verbally) within a social science context.  The following skills and competencies will be reinforced weekly and daily:  Reading, Speaking, Decision Making, Reasoning, Acquiring Information, Organizing Information, Writing, Listening, Evaluating Information, Interpreting Information, Individual Responsibility, Teamwork, and Visualizing.

1. Students should come to class every day expecting meaningful, bell-to-bell instruction.  Students must be active learners, and each student is expected to participate in class discussions and other activities.

2. Students need to be prepared to work both independently and in groups.

3. Instructional strategies will vary based on the teacher’s assessment of their students’ strengths; but will provide the students the opportunity to learn course content verbally, visually, and with hands-on activities.  

4. Instructional activities will vary based on the teacher’s assessment of their student's strengths and as the content changes throughout the year.  Students should expect to participate in a variety of instructional activities.  These will include but are not limited to lecture/discussion, various debate formats, cooperative learning, technology-based instruction, use of primary source documents, current events, and student-driven activities such as projects.

Materials Needed:

• Paper

• Pencils: Mechanical Preferred. The classroom does not have a pencil sharpener. 

• While not essential, utilizing an external mouse significantly enhances the ease and reduces the stress associated with using a Chromebook. 

Scope and Sequence

• Unit One: Early Cold War

• Unit Two: Late Cold War

• Unit Three: Current US History

MAJOR ASSESSMENTS AND PROJECTS

1. Students should be expected to write often in any social studies class.

2. Students should expect some form of formal evaluation at the end of every unit.  These will include traditional tests but also could include other authentic assessments the teacher feels are appropriate.

3. Assessments such as quizzes and small tests may also be used mid-unit as the teacher attempts to assess student progress throughout a unit of study.

4. Students should expect to complete at least one major project every quarter. 

GRADING PROCEDURES/WEIGHTING AND HOMEWORK POLICY 

• Major Assessments 60% of Final Grade: Tests, Projects, Culminating Activities

• Minor Assessments 40% of Final Grade:  Quizzes, Homework, Summarizing Activities

There is a minimum of 12 minor assignments and three major assignments per 9 weeks.

Extra Help: Please contact me to set an appointment. I am here to help. 

ABSENCES, TARDIES AND MISSED ASSIGNMENTS POLICIES

Tardy Policy: You are tardy if you are not inside the room when the bell begins to ring.

Attendance and Make Up Work: Regular attendance is essential for success. Students are responsible for all work missed due to an absence or tardy, and will receive a “0” for any missed assignments. All such work must be submitted within five days of the student’s absence. Tests and quizzes must be retaken during the morning or afterschool.

Late Work: All assignments are due at the beginning of class. Late assignments are 75% for one day late, 50% for two days late, and no late assignments will be accepted after two days.

CLASS RULES 

A classroom is an environment in which learning should take place.  Therefore I want to create a learning environment which is open, engaging and structured.  Each student should be responsible for their own learning. 

• Students are to be respectful towards myself and other students in the classroom at all times. 

• Students are to be prepared and ready for class when the tardy bell rings.

• Distractions will not be tolerated.

• All other school and district wide rules apply.