Norcross High School Course Syllabus

Course Title...IB History of the Americas I Term...... Fall 2015
Teacher.....Mr. Byrne room #...... B111

Email Address
Teacher Web Page /
Websites are available through the eClass portal

Teacher Support

(Help sessions etc.) / Help is available before and after school by appointment.

Course Description

IB History of the Americas I is a demanding introduction to the history of the Americas. The course is designed to provide the analytic and factual knowledge necessary to deal with problems and issues within the scope of American History. Because this course is similar to a first-year college course, students should expect that the workload will be heavier than most regular high school history courses. The analytical thinking, writing, and reading skills that students develop in IB History of the Americas I will equip them for college and lifelong learning. During the scope of this course students will be required to assess historical materials and weigh their importance in relation to current historical scholarship.

In order to succeed, students need both to be motivated to study and to be able to keep up with the demands of a college-level course. By the end of course students should be able to arrive at informed decisions and support those evaluations clearly and persuasively in an essay format. By taking the IB exam and/or the AP exam at the end of the course, students have the opportunity to demonstrate that they have, indeed, learned college-level material and are prepared to enter advanced college courses.

Course Curriculum Content

IB History of the Americas I will follow the Academic, Knowledge and Skills for United States History and those established by the IBO for History of the Americas. Units to be covered in the first semester include: Exploration and Colonization, Independence Movements, Nation Building, Rising Nationalism, The Civil War, and Reconstruction.

Expectations

ATTENDANCE:Students are expected to be in class every day. When you are absent work will be missed. It is your responsibility to obtain makeup work and complete it within the required timetable.

TARDY POLICY:We will follow the school tardy policy.

LATE WORK POLICY:

Daily Work:

70% of the grade up to 1 week after due date.

50% of the grade after 1 week to the unit assessment.

Major Assessments:

10% of the grade per day for the 1st 3 days (e.g., 2 days late = 80% credit).

60% of the grade after 3 days.

Instructional Materials and Supplies

Published Materials / Instructional Supplies
Out of Many: A History of the American People by Faragher, et.al.
Latin America: A Concise Interpretive History by Burns
A Little History of Canada by Nelles
Other materials may be required. / 1)Pens and Pencils
2)Paper
3)Notebook
4)Highlighters
5)USB Storage/Flashdrive

Evaluation and Grading

Grade Weights / Grading Scale
Quiz 20%
Final 20%
Summative 45%
Homework 5%
Classwork 10% / A:90 and above
B:80 – 89
C:74 – 79
D:70 – 73
F:69 or below

Other Information

Expectations for Academic Success / Additional Requirements/Resources
  1. Attentiveness
  2. Comprehension
  3. Analysis
  4. Evaluation
  5. Application
  6. Synthesis
  7. Responsibility
  8. Preparation
  9. Objectivity
/
  • Tutoring available (see hours above).
  • Supplemental readings (see above).

The syllabus may be updated as needed throughout the semester.