Course Policy Statement – United States History

20141-20152

Mr. H. Sinclair

“Felix, qui potuitrerumcognoscerecausas” – Virgil

Mary Star of the Sea High School seeks to graduate:

  • Well-rounded thinkers ready and willing to live their Faith
  • Individuals with Strength of Character prepared to seek higher education
  • Community Contributors able to thrive in the global workplace and eager to promote the common good

Thus, Mary Star of the Sea High School’s United States History Government/Economics Course includes Expected School-wide Learning Results:

  • Catholicism
  • Character
  • Curriculum
  • Community

Course Objectives

The course objectives, above and beyond students developing a thorough understanding of United States History from the Colonial Era to the present, are as follows:

  • Empower students to develop and defend their opinions thoroughly and concisely verbally and in writing
  • Develop and hone reading and writing skills
  • Prepare students to understand and place current events in an appropriate historical context

This course is taught in accordance with California State High School Standards for United States History.

Texts

  • America: Pathways to the Present (Andrew Cayton, Elisabeth Israels Perry, Linda Reed, Allan M. Winkler). Publisher: Prentice Hall, 2005
  • MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Seventh Edition (Joseph Gibaldi). Publisher: Modern Language Association of America, 2003

Supplemental Materials

  • Instructor-created handouts, including excerpts from novels and journals

Required Materials for All Students

  • Three-ring binder with tabs for sections
  • Black or blue pen, red pen
  • Highlighter
  • Lined notebook paper

Themes and Questions

As we move throughout the text and the course, we will revisit these themes and questions. They will also be instrumental in linking material covered in the text and at different times in the course with current events

  • The philosophical aims of our Founding Fathers; the Constitution and Declaration of Independence as products of Renaissance and Enlightenment thought
  • What is the American Identity? What was it in 1776? What was it in the 1860s? What was it in the early 1900s? What was it in the 1960s? What is it today?
  • The nature of American expansion
  • What is the American Dream?
  • Where did today’s conflicts, issues, challenges, and debates originate?

Historical Eras Covered

  • Origins of a New Society to 1754
  • Balancing Liberty and Order – 1753-1820
  • An Emerging New Nation – 1783-1855
  • Division and Uneasy Reunion – 1846-1877
  • Expansion: Rewards and Costs – 1850-1915
  • The United States on the Brink of Change – 1890-1920
  • Boom Times to Hard Times – 1920-1940
  • Hot and Cold War – 1931-1960
  • A Period of Turmoil and change – 1950-1975
  • Continuity and Change – 1969 to Present

Homework, Course Assignments, and Grading

  • Homework

Homework assignments will primarily include reading of course texts and instructor handouts, as well as short and long essays. Failure to complete or turn in homework assignments on time will result in the assignment being docked one full letter grade, and may result in an Academic Detention.

In the event of excused absences, students will be allowed to make up assignments and tests. It is the student’s responsibility to meet with the instructor to determine and schedule make-up work. There will be no make-up work allowed for unexcused absences.

  • WrittenAssignments

All written work must be in compliance with the Standards for Written Work, as outlined in the Student-Parent handbook. When required, assignments must be submitted to and a hard copy given to the teacher. Failure to satisfy these requirements will result in an assignment being considered “late.”

Often, long-term written assignments will have due dates for different sections; failure to turn in portions of the assignment by their respective due dates will be considered a late assignment.

  • Tests

Tests will be given at the end of each unit of study, and will be announced at least one week in advance. Tests will comprise primarily of multiple choice, short-answer/identification, and essay response questions. As with homework and written assignments, make-up tests will be issued in the case of excused absences. Make-up tests will not be allowed in the event of an unexcused absence, and the student will not receive academic credit.

  • Grading

Student grades will be given in accord with Grading Policy, Grading Scale, and Grades for Written work, as found in the Student-Parent Handbook. All work will receive percentage grades, calculated as points earned out of total possible points

The grading breakdown is as follows:

Homework, in-class assignments, quizzes:30%

Essays, quizzes, t and Tests and projects:30%

Class Participation:10%

Notebook checks/preparedness10%

Final semester exam (cumulative, required): 20%

TOTAL100%

The class participation grade will encompass preparedness for class, active and engaged participation in class discussions, and respect of classroom rules. Quizzes will be announced as well as unannounced.

Research Paper

In a 5-week unit overlapping with the 3rd and 4th quarters, students will complete a 5-7 page research paper as an essential college preparatory portion of the school curriculum. The steps in completion of the paper are listed below:

  • Instructor reviews MLA guidelines early in the year to ensure students properly note and cite various short research/reference assignments
  • Parenthetical notation
  • Footnotes
  • Endnotes
  • Works Consulted
  • Works Cited
  • Instructor assigns individual US History topic to each student – student may petition for topic change according to criteria established by Instructor
  • Students gather, verify, organize, and utilize evidence to prove an essential Cause/Effect Argument concerning topic assigned
  • Instructor models two acceptable methods of organizing research fact by fact, requiring students to use one of the two methods
  • System – School-wide regimen used in 10th, 11th and 12th grades:
  • Research conducted
  • Research check #1
  • Thesis statement submitted – students will rewrite until instructor approval is gained
  • Research check #2
  • Works Consulted list submitted – rewritten until MLA format is perfect
  • Detailed Sentence Outline – must be Instructor-approved before students can progress to draft
  • Best Possible Draft – Peer-edited in class using Instructor-approved Editor’s Worksheet
  • Final Draft – Submitted with Best Possible Draft and Editor’s Worksheet attached
  • Electronic submission to

Classroom Rules

In addition to following all Mary Star of the Sea High School rules, the following apply specifically to Mr. Sinclair’s United States History class:

  • Be on time and prepared for class – this includes having completed all necessary assignments beforehand, and bringing all required materials to class
  • Respect the sanctity of the classroom – the classroom is a place for learning, and any disruption of the learning process, such as speaking out of turn or discourteousness, will not be tolerated
  • Obey all Mary Star of the Sea High School rules

Student-Parent Acknowledgement of Course Policy Statement

We have read and understood the Course Policy Statement for Mr. Sinclair’s United States History History class.

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Student Name (printed)Student Name (signature)signatureDate

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Parent Name (printed)Parent Name (signature)signatureDate

Please return a signed copy of this document to Mr. Sinclair