9th Grade American History Syllabus
Mrs. Kor
kors@tracy.k12.mn.us
Welcome to 9th Grade American History! American History is a class that is designed to comprehensively examine American History from the pre-colonial period through present day. Emphasis will be put on relating past historical facts with present day occurrences. We will connect the past to the present issues and topics. Students will analyze a variety of historical events together with broad historical inquiries including rivalries among European nations, the American Revolution, American expansion impacted by technology, WWI and WWII, and the Cold War. Consideration will also be given on how the histories of other nations and people have affected the growth and development of the United States.
Text: The American: Holt McDougal 2012
Curriculum: United States Studies: Colonization to present
Required Material:
Bring the following materials to class EVERYDAY:
Textbook: The American: Holt McDougal 2012
· Notebook
· Folder with ALL assignments and/or hand-out materials
· Pencil
· Computer/Computer Charger
· Pen
Not bringing the required material to class each day will result in a grade deduction.
Classroom Rules:
Be respectful of yourself, others, and the classroom.
Be responsible and accountable for your actions. No excuses.
Be prepared.
Attend to personal needs before class.
5. All other school rules apply.
Classroom Procedures:
Please do not bring food, drink, gum, or other personal items into the classroom.
Come to class on time. Standing outside the door and rushing in after the bell has begun to ring will constitute a tardy. You must be inside the door and seated when it begins ringing to be counted on time
Begin any “bell work” immediately once you take your seat.
4. Be sure to clean up your workspace, the floor, and return any materials you may have used in their proper place.
All students must be quiet and in their seats before they will be dismissed. Please remember, the teacher dismisses class not the bell.
Daily Schedule:
Sit quietly in your assigned seat
“Bell Work” (review previous lesson when finished)
Instruction (lecture, reading, notes, demonstrations)
Activity (class work, mini-project, other assignments)
5. Review
6. Dismissal
Discipline Policy:
Warning
Detention
Detention/Teacher Conference
Teacher Conference and Parent Contact
Grading Policy
The grading scale will follow the Tracy Area High School Handbook.
Late Work
Late daily work will result in a grade of a zero. Examples of daily work include but are not limited to: current event assignments, bellwork assignments, and guided reading assignments. Projects, papers, and other non-daily work assignments that are turned in late will result in a grade deduction based on the teacher’s discretion.
Absent Policy:
If a student has been absent, he/she must notify the teacher. The teacher will provide a written note that is signed that includes any missing assignments. See the teacher for additional instructions, explanations, or materials. It is your responsibility to gather and complete any and all make-up work! If no notification is presented to the teacher and you do not receive the make-up work, the assignment is considered late. Please see the Tracy Area High School Handbook for further explanation regarding this policy.
Tests:
Tests will be administered per chapter and/or per unit of study. Each test may contain a variety of sections including: Matching, Multiple Choice, Interpreting Graphs/Maps/Chart/Documents, True/False, Fill-in-the-Blank, Short Answer, and Essay items. In some cases essay questions will be given to students in advance. There may be some questions from previous chapters on each test. Tests are 60% of the total grade.
Current Events:
Each student will find one story in a newspaper or on a television news program each week for class discussion. The website/source of the news article must be included along with the date that it was retrieved. Use reputable sources only.
The article that you choose MUST relate to the topic of study that is being covered in class. For each article, the student must complete a one paragraph summary. The summary MUST be in your own words and not copied directly from the article. If a student chooses to copy directly from an article the assignment grade will result in a zero.
Each student must also write a one paragraph reaction to the news story. The reaction should include why the student chose to write about the news story and how it relates to the topic of study that is being covered in class.
Current Event assignments will be worth five points each. If a student misses any part of the assignment, or does not meet the requirements for the assignment, full credit will not be earned. Current events are due on Friday at 8:00am each week. Current Events are 2.5% of the total grade.
Bell Work:
Each day, students will begin the lesson by completing a short activity or answering questions that will be assigned on Schoology. Bellwork will be graded periodically. Be sure to keep record of each question or activity. Tests and/or quizzes may include material from Bell Work. Bellwork is 2.5% of the total grade.
Daily Work:
For most chapters, students will receive a packet of worksheets to be completed using the textbook. These assignments will be graded based on completion and are due at the beginning of the hour the day of the Chapte/Unit Test. On occasion the worksheets will be handed in and graded on a different date and the students will be notified in advance. If a daily work assignment is not complete when it is due it will result in a zero. No late daily work assignments will be accepted for credit but must be completed. Daily assignments are 5% of the total grade.
Vocabulary:
Each student is required to hand in a complete list of all of the vocabulary words and definitions identified for each chapter/unit on the day of the test. The assigned words are highlighted throughout the chapter. This assignment is to be hand written! Students are encouraged to use this assignment as a study guide for each test.
Quizzes:
Random quizzes may be given based on topics that have been covered including: daily assignments, bell work, and essays. Quizzes may or may not be announced. Each quiz will be worth 5-20 points. Quizzes are 20% of the total grade.
Projects:
Students will complete projects that will cover a variety of topics relating to the curriculum. Projects may be completed in groups or individually. Projects may require time out of class to complete. The total points for a project will vary based on size and difficulty. Students must complete the project by the assigned due date. Failure to meet that date will result in a grade penalty. Failure to complete the project will result in a zero. Projects are worth 10% of the total grade.
Retakes:
All students have the opportunity to retake any test or quiz given. In order for the student to retake any test or quiz they must prove to the teacher that an effort was made to learn the material. Students must complete the section review assignment located in the textbook for any quiz they wish to retake. In order to retake a test, students must complete the chapter review for the chapter test they would like to retake. The grade the student earned on the retake will be entered into the gradebook. All retakes are offered and administered at the teacher’s discret
Extra Credit Policy:
Extra credit assignments will not be given on a regular basis. However, there may be a few opportunities throughout the year to earn extra credit points. Be sure not to pass up any extra credit opportunity because they are few and far between.
Cheating:
***Cheating will not be tolerated. Copying any type of work is considered cheating, even if it is only homework. Cheating will result in a grade of zero and an administrative referral. Bottom-line – don’t cheat!
For all exams and assignments, I must be satisfied that the language you use is your own. That means the source for any direct quote or close paraphrase is properly cited immediately after that passage (e.g., Adams, p. 424). Make sure any such external source is listed fully in an attached bibliography. If taking a passage from the course text, be certain you cite it, too.
If I observe language that appears not to be written in your own words (from a written source, an artificial generation platform, or another student's work) you will need to explain that situation to my satisfaction or receive a significant penalty, including the possibility of zero points, for that answer.
Coverage of Content:
The following schedule will be followed tentatively. Inclement weather, school activities, and other circumstances may alter the schedule.
1st Quarter:
Chapter 3 The American Revolution
Unit 4: Migration and Industrialization 1777-1917
Chapter 14: A New Industrial Age
Unit 5: Modern America Emerges 1890-1920
Chapter 19: The First World War
2nd Quarter:
Unit 6: The 1920s and the Great Depression 1919-1940
Chapter 20: Politics of the Roaring Twenties
Chapter 21: The Roaring Life of the 1920s
3rd Quarter::
Chapter 22: The Great Depression
Chapter 23: The New Deal
4th Quarter:
Unit 7: WWII and its Aftermath 1931-1960
Chapter 24: The War Looms
Chapter 25: The United States in WWII
Chapter 27: The Postwar Boom