Our curricular materials lean heavily on primary sources from the time periods we study.  Most of these sources are found in the National Archives and Library of Congress.  The close study, annotation, and discussion of primary sources is a common theme throughout the year and helps prepare students for AP rigor down the road in high school.  Instruction is supplemented with secondary sources such as our Teachers' Curriculum Institute (TCI) virtual textbook, the Choices Program (developed by Brown University), the Document-Based Questions Project (DBQ), and Newsela, a student-friendly database of nonfiction articles.

Unit 1: The U.S. Constitution 

Compelling Question: Why THIS government? 

Supporting Questions: Why were changes put in place "to form a more perfect union"?  What steps did the United States take to try "to form a more perfect union"?  What structures were created to minimize the abuse of power?  What drives the decision making in government?

MODERN DAY: What rights do you see being utilized, promoted, challenged?

Unit 2: Cold War

Compelling Question: Does the United States win the Cold War?  

Supporting Questions: Why do the United States and the Soviet Union go from allies to enemies?  How does the Truman Doctrine transform US Foreign policy? Was the United States successful in containing communism?  

MODERN DAY:  How has the terms socialism and communism played a significant role in the political and social parts of our society, from economics to race to education to decisions to vote?

Unit 3: Becoming a Superpower

Compelling Question: What government actions are justified in times of crisis?

Supporting Questions: Why did the U.S. return to a foreign policy of neutrality after WWI?  How does the Great Depression influence U.S. domestic and foreign policy?  Why did the United States enter World War II?  How does the United States respond to the following circumstances: Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese refusal of the Potsdam Declaration, and the creation of the United Nations? 

MODERN DAY: What decisions have been made by the government that have been considered justifiable and how have those been perceived by factions in America?

Unit 4: Expansion and World War 1

Compelling Question: Is isolationism in the United States’ best interest?

Supporting Questions: Why does the U.S. revert back to a position of isolationism? What conflicts arose as a result of U.S. involvement in foreign affairs? What were the motivations for U.S. involvement beyond our borders?

MODERN DAY: How much does America put its role above others, what are the consequences both politically, economically, morally, ethically, and how does that define its role moving forward?

Unit 5: Civil War and Reconstruction

Compelling Question: Was the Civil War a beginning or an end?

Supporting Questions: How do the promises of the post-Civil War era continue to provide movement towards equality?  How did Lincoln's vision of Reconstruction compare to what actually happened? How did the Union win this war?

MODERN DAY: How does rebuilding broken communities, government, trust, and role responsibilities go about in today's society?

Unit 6: Pre-Civil War and Human Rights

Compelling Question: Was the Civil War inevitable? 

Supporting Questions: How did U.S. westward expansion and slavery growth expose contradictions in America?  How does the Industrial Revolution contribute to the growing differences between the North and the South?  What efforts were made to respond to the issue of slavery? 

MODERN DAY: How does the concept of state rights both benefit and hinder current situations?

Unit 7: Colonial America

Compelling Question: What are people willing to do when they feel their interests and values are threatened? 

Supporting Questions: What motivated European settlement and investment in North America? What led to the change in the relationship between the colonies and Great Britain?  How did values and interests impact the outcome of the American Revolution?  Who owns land?

MODERN DAY: How do economics play a role in decisions today?

Optional Last Week: Future America

Compelling Question: What will America look like in the future based on what trends you have studied this year?

Here students can make a hypothesis on the cultural, social, economic, technological, and political changes that will come to America based on both what they have learned from the past and the more recent present. 

Mrs. Piekarz 

EMAIL: jpiekarz@naperville203.org

Please encourage your child to speak with me directly about any questions or concerns that arise in an effort to support their self-advocacy.  I make every effort to respond within 48 hours to all emails and calls. 

Mrs. Piekarz's Availability:

• 3rd period supervised study (9:39 -10:16) daily:  small group & 1:1 student assistance

• Before and after school by appointment

Ms. Hoepfner 

EMAIL: jhoefpner@naperville203.org 

My goal is to reply to all emails and calls within 48 hours.  Email is the best way to contact me.  

Ms. Hoepfner's Availability:

• 3rd period Supervised Study (9:39 -10:16 am) daily for 1:1 or small group student support

• Before or after school by appointment

Mrs. Young 

EMAIL: lyoung@naperville203.org 

I do my best to return all emails and calls within 24-48 hours during the school week.  Please make every effort to have a conversation with your child before reaching out to me.  I am happy to talk with you - we just want to promote open communication as this is a year of transition towards high school.

Mrs. Young's Availability:

• 3rd period Supervised Study (9:39 -10:16) daily for 1:1 or small group student support

• After school, but at various times - need advance notice

• In class, students need to take advantage of this opportunity to work with their peers and Mrs. Young

Mr. Klein-Collins

EMAIL: jkleincollins@naperville203.org

I will return your correspondence as soon as possible, so if you do not hear from me within a few hours, make sure you spelled my name correctly (it's a long one and there is no hyphen in my email address). I'm an early riser, so emails you send late in the evening will be returned promptly the next morning. In most cases, I will advise you to have your child come and talk to me about assignments or other issues pertaining to their school.  

Mr. K-C's Availability:

• Before and after school by appointment

• 3rd Period - Supervised Study - conferring with students individually or in small groups

• I am of the generation tethered to email, consistently responding to current and former students who are interested in writing feedback, so email is the most efficient way to contact me.