AP U.S. HISTORY COURSE SYLLABUS 2016-17 / MR. LIPMAN
This course is intended to be an intensive study, at the college level, of American History. It is also designed to prepare students for the Advanced Placement exam which will be given on Friday May 5th, 2017. It is a reading and writing intensive course that will require dedication and time on the part of the student who seeks to master it and will be academically rigorous. It is also a dual credit course that is run in conjunction with Monmouth University. All eligible students who pay the tuition fee of ($180.00) to Monmouth University will earn college credits, transferable to almost all colleges in America, as long as they maintain an 85 average or higher for the year. These credits are earned regardless of your score on the AP exam itself.
This syllabus and many of the class assignments will be available on line on my teacher class web page and you should check the web page listings daily. You may email me at . In addition, you are probably aware of the rumor that I have no life outside of school. While the rumor is exaggerated, I am available for extra help every day before school starting at 7:00 am, and after school every day. Do not hesitate to speak to me if you find that you need help. You must also register your cell phone number and name on the Remind web site by texting to the number 81010 and putting in the code @fh3b2 or texting (732) 923-3208 and putting in the code @fh3b2.
Course Readings will include the following:
1. American Pageant, by Kennedy, Cohen and Bailey
2.A Short History of the United States by Robert Remini
3. The American Spirit, (volumes 1&2), Kennedy and Bailey
4. U.S. History, Preparing for the Advanced Placement Examination, Newman & Schmalbach
5. The Story of America by Jill Lepore: and
6. Selected readings from other related materials that will be handed out as the course proceeds.
Arrangement of the Course:
This is a yearlong course which will be divided into nine (9) major time periods that will be covered in approximately 135 school days. The remaining time will be utilized in reviewing for the Advanced Placement exam and subsequent writing and research assignments to be announced following the AP exam. These overlapping time periods of study are comprised of the following:
Period 1: 1491–1607
Period 2: 1607–1754
Period 3: 1754–1800
Period 4: 1800–1848
Period 5: 1844–1877
Period 6: 1865–1898
Period 7: 1890–1945
Period 8: 1945–1980
Period 9: 1980–Present
While the ultimate aim of this course is to learn and understand American history, an equally important component of the course is to ready each student for college level studies. Towards that goal there will be extensive emphasis placed on writing skills, note taking and historical thinking skills. In addition, there will be “voluntary” writing exam sessions after school each month beginning in October on Wednesdays. Extra credit on exams will be given to those students who “voluntarily” attend. These sessions are designed to improve each student’s writing skills and to prepare for the Advanced Placement exam short answer and essay questions.
Grading: Each unit will contain several chapter quizzes, a unit test, essay writing, projects and homework assignments. Attendance in class is crucial to success.
Course Requirements: Students are expected to maintain a three ring notebook since numerous handouts will be provided. You are to maintain notes for each day’s class. In addition, this notebook should also contain your homework assignments. Many of your assignments will be quizzes that are taken on line at quia.com. There are date and time limits on these quizzes and failure to adhere to the limits will result in a zero grade for that quiz. All assignments are due on their announced date. In order for me to consider excusing your absence to extend a due date there must be a note from a parent or guardian explaining that absence. Assignments handed in late will lose credit as follows: 1 day late 25%; 2 days late 50%. No assignments will be accepted more than two days late. If you miss a scheduled exam you must make it up the next day you attend school. Thereafter you will lose 10% credit for each day the exam is not taken.Any student who elects to "drop" the course after the first week of school must wait until the end of a marking period. Their transcript will then reflect a W/F (withdraw failing) or W/P (withdraw passing)as appropriate at that time.
THE ADVANCED PLACEMENT EXAM: Part A of the exam will consist of 55 multiple choice questions which must be answered in 55 minutes. Every correct answer receives a point. In addition, Part A will also include 4 short answer questions for which the student will have 50 minutes to answer the questions and the length of each answer will be limited to one page. There will then be a 10 minute break followed by Part B of the exam. Part B consists of a Data Based Question (DBQ) which the student will have55 minutes to review and answer. Then the student will be given a choice of two long essay questions and will have 35 minutes to answer one of the questions. The test is graded on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 representing the highest score possible. A score of 3 is considered passing. Those students who receive a score of 3, 4 or 5 (depending on the school), are eligible to receive college credits at many universities throughout the nation. All students registered for the class MUST take the AP exam which the school will pay for. Failure to appear for the exam will result in a reduction of 5% of your overall yearly grade for the course.
**THE KEY TO THE CLASS IS TO COME PREPARED WITH A COPY OF MY POWERPOINTS (AVAILABLE ON THE CLASS WEBPAGE) AND TO HAVE DONE THE READING. **
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