5225 HonorsU.S. History I

Course Description

U.S. History I is a semester-long course that dynamically explores the people, places, and events that shaped early United States history. This course stretches from the Era of Exploration through Jacksonian Democracy, leading students through a careful examination of the defining moments that paved the way for the United States of today. Students begin by exploring the colonization of the New World and examining the foundations of colonial society. As they study the early history of the United States, students will learn critical thinking skills by examining the constitutional foundations of U.S. government.

Course Objectives

Throughout the course, you will meet the following goals:

  • Describe the geographical regions of the United States and the influence of these regions on early settlements and the nation’s development.
  • Explore different cultures within U.S. history and how these cultures were changed by various influences, such as settlement, acts of government, and conflicts.
  • Examine the importance of cultural and reform movements on U.S. government and society.
  • Assess the political development of the United States, including the influence of democratic ideals, the changing role of government, and the development of the two-party system.
  • Investigate and understand the reasons behind American involvement in wars and conflicts throughout U.S. history.
  • Trace the economic development of the United States from an agrarian economy to an industrial economy.

Communication

Your teacher will communicate with you regularly through discussions, e-mail, chat, and system announcements. Through this communication with your teacher, you will monitor your progress through the course and improve your learning by reviewing material that was challenging for you.

Scope and Sequence

When you log into the Virtual Classroom, you can view the entire course map, which provides a scope and sequence of all topics you will study. Clicking a lesson’s link in the course map leads to a page listing instructional activities, assignments, and learning objectives specific to that lesson. The units of study are summarized below.

Unit 1: The New World

Unit 2: The Thirteen Colonies

Unit 3: Road to Revolution (Writing Workshop: Creating an Argumentative Essay)

Unit 4: War of Independence

Unit 5: Jacksonian Democracy (Writing Workshop: Summarizing a Leader’s Impact)

Grading Policy

You will be graded on the work you do online and the work you submit electronically to your teacher. The weighting for each category of graded activity is listed below.

5225 US 1 Part I / 5225 US 1 Part II
Quiz / 30 / 30
Test / 30 / 30
Essay / 5 / 5
Exam / Yes
Assignment / 35 / 35

Student Expectations / Course Structure

This course requires the same level of commitment from you as a traditional classroom course would. Throughout the course, you are expected to spend approximately 5–7 hours per week online on the following activities:

  • Warm Up- You will be introduced to a new lesson. This is a great opportunity to take eNotes by clicking the + button in the top right corner of the screen. This section will include video as well as questionswhich you must answer. You are able to use eNotes to answer these questions. If you do not answer correctly you will be given a second attempt with help from the virtual teacher. I will review your answers and look for effort. If you are consistently getting most of the questions wrong you will lose participation points which will affect your grade. The Warm-Up will end with the lesson objectives.
  • Instruction- You will be given a “Lesson Question” followed by instructional information. Once again this is a great opportunity to take eNotes. After some instruction you will be given questionswhich you must answer. You are able to use eNotes to answer these questions. If you do not answer correctly you will be given a second attempt with help from the virtual teacher. I will review your answers and look for effort. If you are consistently getting most of the questions wrong you will lose participation points which will affect your grade.
  • Summary- You will review the information presented in the lesson. Once again you can take eNotes in this section. You will also revisit the lesson objectives.
  • Journals, Online Content, and Homework-The Edgenuity system will initially grade your assignments. The system only looks for key words and bases your grade on their inclusion in your answer.I REVIEW ALL JOURNALS, ONLINE CONTENT, AND HOMEWORK PRACTICE QUESTIONS. I OFTEN TIMEs CHANGE THE GRADE THAT EDGENUITY GAVE YOU. YOU SHOULD ALLOW 48 HOURS FOR ME TO REVIEW YOUR ANSWER ALONG WITH THE GRADE THAT WAS GIVEN BY EDGENUITY. Please answer all parts of the question. If you do not earn a 100% on your journal entry, a comment will be given to explain your grade. Please be sure to attempt to answer all of the short answers and do not leave them blank. Be sure to let me know if you find a problem with the scoring or if you need something reset.ALL SHORT ANSWERS NEED TO BE ANSWERED IN COMPLETE SENTENCES WITH A CAPITAL LETTER AND PUNCTUATION!!
  • Teacher feedback- In the Assignment section you should look for feedback from me where you missed points. This will most often be the case when you miss points on short answer questions. You will know if there is teacher feedback by selecting Course Map from the lobby and looking for the pencilsymbol for the assignment in question OR by choosing Organizer, then Reports, then Socres & Feedback, and looking for the Feedback next to an assignment.
  • Quizzes and Tests-You may have 2 attempts for a quiz and test.BOTH ARE GRADED FOR ACCURACY! When you are finished with the assessment you must click submit. If you take the quiz twice, the higher score will be accepted.
  • Unit Test Review-You will have a Test Review before each Unit Test. You have one chance to take the Review. You are able to save & exit if necessary. When you are finished you must click the Submit button. The Review is graded for accuracy and is part of your Assignment grade!
  • Unit Test-You will have a test at the end of each Unit. You will have two chances to take the test and you are able to use your eNotes.
  • Projects/Essays-Once you arrive at the Project/Essays assignment for the course, you will submit the project to the teacher for grading. For all projects and essays, you should cite your sources within your writing and include a works cited page at the end of your document. For an Honors course, higher level writing skills are expected.