Syllabus

Mr. N. Metropoulos

Email:  nmetropoulos@parkwayschools.net

nmetropoulos@pkwy.k12.mo.us  

Classroom (111) Phone Number: (314) 415-4908

Fern Ridge High School

World History

Website and flip videos are locate at: http://sites.google.com/site/mrnmetropoulos/

SYLLABUS

Course Description:  World History will focus on the world’s history, governments, economies, geography and cultures. We will explore everything from the first humans who were hunter-gathers to the War on Terrorism. This class is designed to give students insight and preparation for college level world history courses and optional enrollment to take the AP World History course and/or examination for college credits. The classes are student-centered and will engage learners in interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. We will do webquests, debates, Socratic circles, role-playing, and PowerPoints, etc. Learners will focus on improving and refining their analytical and critical thinking skills by reading through primary and secondary sources in addition to the textbook to holistically scrutinize world history. As a class, we will examine world history to learn from the past and apply what we learn to our own lives and to create a better future. Finally, the class will focus on affecting and “be[ing] the change in the world you want to see.”-Mohandas Gandhi       

Grades:

A= 90-100% - Exceptional Quality of Work

 B= 80-89% - Above Average Quality of Work

 C= 70-79% - Average Quality of Work

 D= 60-69% - Below Average Quality of Work

 F= 0-59% - Unacceptable Quality of Work and/or Number of Assignments completed

Classcraft: http://www.classcraft.com/en/

Classcraft is a free online educational role-playing game that teachers and students play together in the classroom. Acting as a gamification layer around any existing curriculum, the game transforms the way a class is experienced, throughout the school year.

NM=Teacher’s initials on a paper means you earned full-credit

Binder Requirements

1. All pages must be neatly fastened in a three ring binders or folders with roundhead

This includes:

• 1. Your syllabus as the first paper,

  2. Your assignments sheets are behind the syllabus, and

  3. All of your assignments are in order starting with 1, 2, etc. and are behind your assignments sheets    

1. If you lose your notebook or Do Nows and cannot find your work, you must start a new one

-Please come to me for a new syllabus and assignment sheet

1. FAILURE TO KEEP A BINDER COULD RESULT IN LOWERING YOUR GRADE FOR THE SEMESTER.

2. Students that follow directions and turn in an orderly notebook at the end of the semester may receive an extra 50 points towards their final grade. 

Journal or Do Now Requirements

1.  All Do Now entries should have:

A.  YOUR NAME,

B.     PERIOD,

C.     DATE, and

D.    DO NOW ENTRY NUMBER - starting with journal entry 1, 2, etc.

2.  Do Nows will be read and initialed -if completed and directions were followed

Class Participation Grade

1. Class participation is a cumulative grade figured at the end of each Quarter and Semester.

2. Class participation is ten percent (10%) of your grade

3. Many activities require class participation and that will affect your assignment’s grade as well is your participation grade overall

4. Keep track of your tardiness and absences, for these are part of your participation grade along with actual activity involvement and completion of your work in class.

Success Depends On:

1. Prompt daily attendance

2. Not missing class unless for excused emergency reasons

3. Participating in activities

4. Turning your assignments in on time

5. Following Directions

   1. ALL WORK SHOULD BE WRITTEN IN COMPLETE SENTENCES INCLUDING DEFINITIONS - unless advised otherwise

6. An short answer for this class is a bare minimum of one paragraph, in which you indent and write at least five complete sentences.

7.  All work must have a heading with:

A.  YOUR NAME,

B.     PERIOD, and

C.     DATE.

1. Come prepared to work with:

   1. PEN or PENCIL

   2. BINDER

   3. TEXT or MATERIAL PRINTED OUT

   4. JOURNAL (for your DO NOWS)

   5. IDENTIFICATION BADGE ON SHIRT AND VISIBLE AT ALL TIMES

Classroom Expectations

1. ALL FERN RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL POLICIES WILL BE FOLLOWED.

1. TARDINESS – Is not being in your seat when the bell rings and could result in an detention or further consequences.

1. Always Practice KAHFOOTY!

-Keep All Hands, Feet, and Other Objects To Yourself

1. Restroom passes WILL NOT BE ISSUED IN THE FIRST FIFTEEN OR LAST FIFTEEN MINUTES OF CLASS (unless there is an EXTREME emergency.)

1. PRIVILEGE PASSES will be given to students that exhibit mature and positive behavior. This will entitle those students to go to the restroom without asking at appropriate times, not sit in an assigned seat if they choose, and use of the classroom computers, if they are finished with their classwork.

1. CELL PHONES are expected to be turned off and in your pocket, purse or backpack, (unless you have been give specific instructions by me to use your phone for a learning activity).

1. MINOR INAPPROPIATE BEHAVIOR INFRACTIONS WILL RESULT IN TWO STRIKES/POINT LOSSES GIVEN BEFORE A STUDENT STRIKES OUT AND IS ESCORTED TO A BUDDY ROOM OR THE OFFICE.

1. MAJOR INAPPROPIATE BEHAVIOR INFRACTIONS COULD RESULT IN THE IMMEDIATE ISSUING OF AN OFFICE REFERRAL

1. LOOK AT AND FOLLOW THE CLASSROOM BILL OF RIGHTS THAT IS POSTED IN THE ROOM (We all created it as a class and we will all live up to its expectations.)

Course Goals and Objectives

1. Students will discriminate the bias of the historical source.

2. Students will examine the impact of cultural diffusion on society.

3. Students will recognize how the introduction of new technology and ideas serve as catalyst for change.

4. Students will identify the cause and effect of conflicts and conquests.

5. Students will analyze how economic systems and trade have shaped global interaction.

6. Students will evaluate how values and beliefs represent and can change a culture.

7. Students will apply the tools of social science inquiry (such as primary and secondary source documents, maps, charts and graphs) to their study of World History.

8. Students will realize and act upon their role as a global citizen.

Enduring Understanding

1. The student will understand that conflict is the result of a variety of causes including expansion (ideas or territory), cultural differences, religion, economics, and national pride.

2. The student will understand that geography affects the societal, political, and economic structure of a civilization.

3. The student will understand that the significance of the movement of people and ideas (cultural diffusion) on world history.

4. The student will understand that historical and cultural experiences of a civilization impact how a people live their lives.

5. The student will understand that a society uses their economic resources to meet their needs.

6. The student will understand that civilizations create governmental structures to meet essential needs.

7. The student will understand the role of technological advancments in the history of a people.

8. The student will understand the role of the individual in shaping world events and his/her role in making a positive difference in the world.

9. The student will understand the impact of events in world history on the modern world.

Essential Questions

1. How does the past impact and influence the present and the future?

2. How does a shared history affect one's world view?

3. Does (wo) man make history, or does history make the (wo) man?

4. How does where you live shape how you live?

5. How does the movement of people and ideas affect world history?

6. Is the rise and fall of civilizations unavoidable?

7. What beliefs do divergent groups hold about power, authority, governance, and law?

8. When, if ever, should a country go to war?

9. How does technological change affect people, places, and regions?

10. How are economic systems structured to meet the needs and wants of the people?

COURSE SCHEDULE:

World History and Geography (weeks 1-2)

Icebreakers and classroom building exercises, geography of the World, primary sources, secondary sources, and exploring the movement of hinter-gathers by applying the five fields of social science

Students will review the major themes of the ancient and early modern world including emergence of civilization, culture, development of economy and trade, religion, government and politics in order to describe dominant characteristics/contributions of major ancient civilizations. The unit also includes a review of basic world geography and mapping skills.

Development of the Modern Western World (weeks 3-4)

Students will understand the concept of humanism, and how it shaped the Renaissance, Reformation, Exploration, and Enlightenment. Students will analyze the effects of the Reformation such as the separation of church and state and intellectual freedom. Students will evaluate the economic consequences of the Age of Exploration, which set the foundations of the modern economy. Students will discuss how the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment challenged the beliefs of the time period.

Development of the Eastern World (weeks 5-6)

Students will differentiate between the cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity of Turks, Persians, Arabs, and Indians. Students will explore the impact that these cultures had on the world. Students will understand how Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism play a role in Chinese society. Students will also understand why the Chinese and Japanese chose to become isolationist societies.

Revolution (weeks 7-8)

In this unit the students will review absolutism, the rising middle class, and the ideas of the Enlightenment. Students will evaluate how absolutism collides with the values of the rising middle class and the ideals of the Enlightenment. Students will discover how these conflicts manifested themselves into the revolutions in England, America, and France. Students will compare the struggles of England, America, and France including causes, consequences, and contributors to clarify their knowledge of revolutions.

Industrialization and Nationalism (weeks 9-10)

Students will apply their prior knowledge (Age of Exploration, Slavery, Colonialism, etc) to the economic revolution of the industrial age to clarify the relationship between the creation of the modern economy and the growth of the middle class. Students will discuss how the expectations of industrialization failed to meet the expectations of the working class, which led to the emergence of capitalism, socialism, and communism. Students will describe how forces for unity and self-determination led to the unification of Germany and Italy, Asian and Middle Eastern nationalism, and Zionism. The students will also consider how the forces led to conflict in the Balkans causing the collapse of the Austrian-Hungary Empire. Current thinking of the era including Social Darwinism will be debated. Students will analyze the political and social unrest of the time period to determine the causes and predict the consequences.

The Age of Imperialism (weeks 11-12)

Students will study imperialism in the 19th and early 20th century. Students will explain how Social Darwinism contributed to Western imperialism throughout the world. Students will compare and contrast how nations responded to western imperialism and analyze the short term and long term consequences of imperialism from multiple perspectives.

Nationalism Around the World (weeks 13-14)

Students will examine nationalism in the Middle East, Africa, and India following World War I. Students will consider why the nations occupied by imperial powers strove for independence following the war. Students will debate how the spread of nationalism fueled the independence movements and conflicts between emerging nations.

The Rise of Political Extremism and World War II (weeks 15-16)

Students will evaluate how economic and societal conditions resulting from World War I led to the rise of extreme political ideas (militarism, isolationism, fascism, communism) resulting in another worldwide conflict. Students will identify and explain the causes, conduct, and consequences of World War II as a global conflict. In addition to the war’s military aspects, the students will discuss its political, diplomatic, social, economic, and cultural dimensions. Students will recognize the emergence of Superpowers and the dawn of the Nuclear Age as outcomes of World War II.

The Cold War - A Global Perspective (week 17)

In this unit the students will explore the Cold War balance of power politics beginning with the occupation of Germany and Japan at the conclusion of World War II.  Students will focus on the emergence of the Superpowers and surrogate superpower rivalries.  Economic issues of the Cold War era will discussed as well as the emergence of the United Nations and its role in the world.  The students will conclude their study of the Cold War by analyzing the collapse of communism and the breakup the Soviet Union.

The Contemporary World (1945 - Present) (week 18)

The culminating unit of World History - The Modern Era engages students in a regional study of world history from 1945 to the present.  Students will explore the contemporary history of Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific.  In the course of their work, students will also have the opportunity to examine current global issues connected to each region.

(Review and Final Exam)

Students will demonstrate their knowledge and skills pertaining to world history from the impact of western imperialism to the present. The final exam may be multiple-choice, constructed response, essay, and/or a performance event as determined appropriate by the teacher.