United States History Syllabus

Mr. Smith

2015-2015

Course Description:

Organized chronologically, American History is a survey of American

history from Civil War/Reconstruction to the 21st century. Throughout this course, students will be required

to act as historians by developing their ability to analyze historical evidence to determine its validity and

relevance. Students will also identify point of view and appreciate the nature of bias while recognizing

the necessity of objectivity and substantiation in their own conclusions.

In addition to traditional lectures on important themes of United States history, students are expected to participate in group projects, class discussions, debates of key issues, role playing of historic figures and mock trials. Furthermore, students are expected to continually develop their writing skills through regular short essays, research papers and essay exams. The volume of material involved in a survey course of United States history is extensive and students can expect to do an extensive amount of reading not only in the text, but from supplementary sources and research both in the library and through the Internet.

Course Overview

Chapters / TOPICS COVERED / BENCHMARKS
Ch 3, 5 / Causes of the Civil War - Reconstruction / SS.912: A.2.1 to A.2.7; A.3.13
Ch 6, 7, 9, 19 / Industrial Revolution / SS.912: A.3.1 to A.3.10; A.3.13
Ch 11 / Imperialism / SS.912: A.4.1 to A.4.4; A.4.11
Ch 10 / Progressive Era / SS.912: A.3.8 to A.3.13
Ch 12 / WWI / SS.912: A.4.5 to A.4.11; A.5.5
Ch 13 / Roaring 1920’s / SS.912: A.5.1 to A.5.10
Ch 14, 15 / Great Depression / SS.912: A.5.11 to A.5.12
Ch 16, 17 / World War II / SS.912: A.6.1 to A.6.7
Ch 18, 19, 20 / Cold War 1950’s / SS.912: A.6.8 to A.6.13; A.7.1 to A.7.5
Ch 20, 21, 22 24 / Civil Rights,1960’s and 1970’s / SS.912: A.7.3 to A.7.10
Ch 25 26 / Contemporary Times / SS.912: A.7.11 to A.7.17

Textbooks:

UNITED STATES HISTORY 1850 to the PRESENT. $65.00

Grading:

Your grade will be based on summative assessments that may include: formal essays , cumulative projects, and unit exams which will constitute 60% of the final grade, while the remaining 40% of the final grade will based on formative assignments. If a student makes a 89 or lower on his/her Summative Assessment, he/she may retake the test ONE time per exam. Test retakes must be taken before the next Unit test is given. In order to qualify to retake a Summative assessment, students must complete a remediation assignment.

Retakes:

·  Once the Intervention Plan is completed, students may retake exam Retakes must be completed before the next summative is given.

Make-Up Policy:

·  Any missed assignments due to absence, the student must get from the teacher.

·  Any pre-assigned work or test missed due to a student’s absence must be turned in or taken care of upon the student’s return to class.

·  Students with an excused absence will have one day, or one day per each day missed, to submit formative/summative work unless the teacher determines that extenuating circumstances necessitate additional time

·  Students may submit late work for a reduction of one letter grade per day.

Tutoring or Success Sessions:

Students should not hesitate to ask their teacher any questions they may have regarding the course or their performance. If extra assistance is required, time will made outside of class to make every effort insure that each student has the opportunity to succeed.

Academic Honor Code:

Cheating is a level 2 discipline infraction. Do not look at any other student’s work and do not show your work to any other student. Do not attempt to give or receive assistance on any assignments or testing prompts. As all Deltona High Students are bound by the Honor Code, plagiarism will not be tolerated. Copying someone else’s work, whether written, spoken, or in any other form (i.e. electronically), is unethical and strictly forbidden. Failure to credit your sources accurately (this includes your text, books, encyclopedias, CD-ROMs, Internet sources, or other materials) will result in no credit for the assignment. Please refer to the following sites that explain how to avoid plagiarism at Indiana University or Purdue Online Writing Labs. Simply put, use common sense and do not cheat. I have faith that you will not do any of the above, for I have no reason not to trust you. However, if this trust is violated, it will be dealt with appropriately and immediately.

Classroom Expectations:

1.  We respect each other

2.  We try our best

3.  We are a team

4.  We learn from mistakes

5.  We create

6.  We celebrate each other’s success