AP US History – Mr. Roe
University School of Jackson
2015-2016
Course Objectives:
Provide a college-level survey of American history.
Prepare students for success on the May 2016 AP Exam.
Teach students about themselves, principles of citizenship, and strategies that will improve them as students.
Emphasize historical skills such as interpreting documents, reading critically, writing well-organized essays, analysis of political cartoons, reading charts and graphs, organizing information and materials, note taking, and study skills.
Grading:
Daily 50% - Daily grades is a general umbrella that includes homework(most homework will be in the form of daily READING/responses or quizzes), classroom assignments, document responses, video questions, reading/notes quizzes. Reading quizzes from the text and primary source readings will be assigned regularly. There are times where essays, major quizzes, etc. will count multiple daily grades. These will be clarified by the instructor prior to the assignment being given.
Tests 50% - Tests will be given at the end of every unit and generally patterned after the AP Test with several multiple choice questions and some discussion/short essay to simulate/prepare for the Free Response element of AP, but may also include matching and fill-in-the-blank questions. In many cases, AP style items(prompt-based MC and short answer questions) will be given as well. Tests may include short discussion questions and major Long Essay/DBQ essays will normally be given as homework due to time constraints. 9-week notebook checks and research presentations may also be scored as test grades.
Grading Scale- Every assignment is based on 100-pt. format and follows the USJ grading scale:
A+ 98-100
A 93-97
A- 90-92
B+ 87-89
B 83-86
B- 80-82
C+ 77-79
C 73-76
C- 70-72
D 65-69
F 64 and below
Figuring the final grade for the course:
1st semester avg. = 1st 9 weeks (40%), 2nd 9 weeks (40%), Mid-Term Exam (20%)
2nd semester avg. = 3rd 9weeks (50%), 4th 9weeks (50%)
Final Grade = 1st semester (50%), 2nd semester (50%)
* The AP Exam(May 6) is required to be taken by all students enrolled to receive course credit.
Classroom Rule – Respect Others at all Times
Examples – Courtesy to others as it applies to speaking in turn, respecting property of others, daily preparation for class, punctuality, bringing materials, maturity, following all school rules(dress code, cell phones and other electronic devices, etc.)
Honor Code -Students will abide by the honor code statement “My name affirms my honor.” by the signing of their name for all assignments unless specifically exempted by the instructor. Violations of the honor code pledge will result in a zero for the assignment, parental contact and a disciplinary referral to the office for action consistent with the school policy on cheating. Examples of violations of this policy include (but are not limited to) giving or receiving help on any in-class or take-home test, essay, or quiz, plagiarism of material on take-home essays, and discussion of any quiz, test, or essay questions with students who have not yet completed that assignment.
Academic Standards – AP US History is a challenging opportunity which requires all to do their jobs daily, stay “on top” of all assignments and READings, study notes regularly, and LEARN the daily objectives as we go. All students are expected to carry themselves as scholarly young adults with regards to regular attendance, completing one’s work and turning it in on time, upholding the highest standards in the areas of honesty and scholarship, and being responsible for all missed assignments and materials. Assignments will be announced in class, posted on-line and are due on the announced due date, period. Assignments are only accepted late in the case of an excused absence or school-related absence, and, in most instances, those cases can be pre-arranged where assignments can be completed on time. In short, it is the student’s responsibility to take care of their academic business as PRIORITY ONE. Failure to comply with these standards will result in negative consequences as it relates to grades, course credit, and AP Test score.
Organization – A Key to Success
Every student will keep an AP US Notebook, which will contain exclusively all of our assignments, notes and materials organized by unit. This will allow the student to keep up with all grades, assignments, notes, and study materials. All of the contents will be labeled, dated and organized by unit in the following order so that the instructor and student can easily check and/or use for assessment preparation.
1) Grade Sheet
2) Daily Objectives by Unit
3) Notes(A MUST)/Assignments
4) Study Guides at the end of each Unit
5) New Units begin with a new objective sheet
· Notebooks will be taken up and assessed at the end of each 9-weeks and kept on file in the classroom for review by instructor/parent and study purposes in class.
Teacher Contact – Instructor is available regularly after-school and responds daily to student/parent emails. I am also available before school by appointment.
Room - 1123 7:45am-3:30pm
School email –
Tutorial/After-school study sessions-Required tutorials are on Monday afternoons for students who currently have a 69 average or below and for students who are failing to meet the standard of excellence that a USJ student should maintain. Mr. Roe will let you know if you are required for any other reason than overall average. This can also be assigned for ANY DAY if needed. Students are to check their averages on Netclassroom or ask if they are required. Not knowing is no excuse for not showing!
Readings/Texts – It is crucial in the AP classroom that the student is exposed to many historical sources, primary and secondary readings and multiple interpretations of historical scholarship, therefore independent reading is a MUST and is assigned regularly. To facilitate this, we will be using our text along with document collections, the following secondary sources which are illustrative of differing historical analyses, and many other teacher-provided excerpts from various sources (There is a more comprehensive list of primary docs in the Unit organization section).
Primary Texts:
David M. Kennedy, Lizabeth Cohen and Thomas Bailey, The American Pageant, 15th Edition, Wadsworth Publishing, 2012.
David M. Kennedy and Thomas Bailey, The American Spirit, Volumes I and II, 10th
Edition, 2002 (Supplemental Readings)
Secondary Sources:
Larry Madaras and James Sorelle, Taking Sides in American History, Vols.I and II, 14th Edition, McGraw Hill/Dushkin, 2010.
Kerry Candaele, American Voices:Opposing Viewpoints on Significant Issues, Scott Foresman and Co., 1992.
Additional Support Materials:
Stacie Berman and Mark Epstein, Fast Track to a 5: Preparing for the AP United States History Examination, 2013.
Additional Primary and Secondary Sources provided by instructor.
Multiple on-line and video sources, including Peter Jennings’ The Century: America’s Time, 2000.
Historical Scholarship/Interpretation Readings: Students will be reading differing perspectives on historical issues from contemporary historians. Some of these books will be excerpts from popular history such as works by Stephen Ambrose(Undaunted Courage), Robert Remini(Andrew Jackson), H.W. Brands(TR:The Last Romantic), and David McCullough(John Adams and Truman). Others will include arguments/essays which will examine historical analyses concerning key historical questions. Samples of these can be found in the Unit Organization section under “historical interpretation” and will come from various sources, not limited to the following:
John Garraty, Historical Viewpoints(New York: Longman, 2002).
James W. Loewen, Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong(Touchstone, 2007).
Francis G. Couvares, Martha Saxton, Gerald N. Grob and George Athan Billias, Interpretations of American History, Vols. 1 and 2:Patterns and Perspectives(Free Press, 1991).
Patrick Gerster and Nicholas Cords, Myth America, Vols. 1 and 2(Brandywine Press, 1997).
Tentative Organization by Unit (Correlated by Chapter(s) of Pageant) - Duration
For each unit, we will stress key concepts, or organizing principles connected to each period.
Fall Semester
Unit 1: Beginnings to Colonial America (Ch. 1-5) 3 weeks
Unit 2: The Revolutionary Era (Ch. 6-9) 2 weeks
Unit 3: The New Nation (Ch. 10-12) 3 weeks
Unit 4: The Age of Jackson (Ch. 13-15, 17) 3 weeks
Unit 5: The Worlds of North and South (Ch. 16, 18-19) 3 weeks
Unit 6: Civil War and Reconstruction (Ch. 20-22) 3 weeks
Mid-Term Examination (cumulative)
Spring Semester
Unit 7: The Gilded Age/The West/Industrialization/Intro to Imperialism (Ch. 23-27) 3 wk
Unit 8: Progressivism (Ch. 28-29) 2 weeks
Unit 9: Imperialism/WWI (Ch. 27,30) 3 weeks
Unit 10: 1920s-1930s (Ch. 31-33) 2 weeks
Unit 11: WWII (Ch. 34-35) 2 weeks
Unit 12: The Cold War(Truman, Ike, JFK-Ch. 36-38) 3 weeks
Unit 13: 1970s-1980s (Post Cold War) (Ch. 39-42) 3 weeks
Review/AP EXAM
* See course organization section for specific examples of primary document readings, FRQ and DBQ writing assignments, and details on thematic/conceptual topics.
AP US History – A REDESIGNED Skills-based, Thematic Approach
In addition to the narrative of American History, replete with the major personalities, events, and the chronology that has shaped the story of America, we will also weave into every Unit nine(9) overarching historical thinking skills and seven(7) major themes emphasized by the College Board with which students must be proficient to perform well on the AP Exam. The instructor will also interject other significant concepts students need to apply these themes to their study.
HISTORICAL SKILLS(9)
1) Historical Causation
2) Patterns of Continuity and Change
3) Periodization
4) Comparison
5) Contextualization
6) Historical Argumentation
7) Appropriate Use of Relevant Historical Evidence
8) Interpretation
9) Synthesis
KEY AP THEMES(7)
1) Identity – understanding the American character
2) Work, Exchange and Technology – tracing the development of the American economy
3) Peopling – who moved to, from and within the US
4) Politics and Power- the changing role of the state in American society
5) America in the World – diplomacy and military action
6) Environment and Geography – interaction between the environment and Americans
7) Ideas, Beliefs and Culture – the impact of religion, culture, science and philosophy on the American people
*Rationale/Details on Thematic Approach: It is imperative that students are exposed to American history through a conceptual approach, and not simply a chronological survey of people and events, so throughout our AP experience we will emphasize how major historical themes such as diplomacy(America’s place in the world), economic trends(how the changing trends in business and the dynamic role of government in the U.S. economy), political institutions(the evolution of the U.S. Constitution and role of the federal government, for example), and social and cultural aspects of history(race, gender, media, technology) have changed over time. This thematic view of “change over time” will guide much of our instruction. Several examples of these recurring themes will be pointed out in the Unit organization section. For example, it will be clear through our studies how the concepts of Race and Political Institutions have been both inter-related and evolving “over time” through American history.
A Word on the AP Approach to Reading, Primary Documents and Assessments
The ability to understand, compare and analyze historical documents is integral both to truly learning how to do history and to perform well on the Advanced Placement examination. We will extensively use first-hand accounts of events, speeches, letters, essays, cartoons, editorials, laws and other primary sources to support classroom lectures, text assignments(students WILL READ most of the textbook – LEARN TO LOVE IT!), and additional readings of secondary sources. These documents will be used for shorter writing assignments and responses as well as for document-based essays which will be assigned regularly. Reading additional documents and primary/secondary sources are routine exercises in an AP classroom. Many of these will come from The American Spirit as well as from other texts and websites. The following detailed course organization with specific documents provides examples of this. Student learning will be assessed through regular reading and notes quizzes (usually announced, but always fair game), and writing will be practiced on a regular basis. Short document responses will be assigned often, short discussion questions will be asked on every unit assessment, and a sample DBQ (document-based question) or Long Essay Question will be assigned or reviewed about once a month. In addition, regularly assigned outside reading is a vital component of AP preparation. The instructor will assign/adjust which documents will be used for which type of assessment as they arise and students will be notified of specific assignments and instructions, due date, etc. during class time and through the school website. The instructor also reserves the right to adjust the reading list and assignments based on our schedule, course objectives and student progress. As you read through the Unit topics and readings, understand that every Unit will culminate with a Unit Examination consisting of Multiple Choice, Matching, Fill in the Blank and Short Discussion questions. A study guide with specific terms, people, and readings of emphasis and general reminders will be provided two school days before the Unit Exam.
AP Required Meetings – We will have mandatory weekly meetings during lunch to teach writing and how to address AP-specific skills for test preparation. This is a requirement of AP as our regular class time content instruction must be supplemented with prep time together and much independent work to be successful at this level. We will also hold at least two Saturday meetings in the Spring(April 23 and 30 from 9am to noon) which are required for AP test prep. AP success requires MORE, and thus, these additional meetings and assignments are not optional for AP students.
Unit Organization with Specific (Tentative) List of Primary Readings, Assigned DBQs and FRQs by Unit and Examples of Specific Themes (and related topics) by Unit to demonstrate our overarching theme of “change over time”
Fall Semester
Unit 1: Beginnings to Colonial America (Ch. 1-5) 3 Weeks
Documents/Readings:
Sepulveda Belittles the Indians v. Las Casas Defends the Indians
Hakluyt Sees England’s Salvation in America (1584)
The Starving Time (1609)
Act of Toleration (1649)
Mayflower Compact (1620)
Abandoning Communism at Plymouth (1623)
The Blue Laws of Connecticut (1672)
Mary Rowlandson is captured by Indians (1675)
The Governor Upholds the Law/The Baconite Grievances (1676-1677)
Benjamin Franklin Analyzes the Population (1751)
George Whitefield Fascinates Franklin (1739)
Jonathan Edwards Paints the Horrors of Hell (1741)
Thematic topic examples: Peopling (role and rise of slavery in colonial regions), Politics and Power (structure of colonial administrations, evolution of salutary neglect, colonists’ approach to British rule), Work, Exchange and Technology(Mercantilism, Navigation Acts)