School Year 2015-2016
Course Name / AP® U.S. History / Course Code / 45.0820001 and 45.2820001GSchool Name / DeKalb School of the Arts / Teacher Name / Mr. José A. Gregory
School Phone Number / 678-676-2502 / Teacher Email /
School Website / www.dsa.dekalb.k12.ga.us / Teacher Website / https://edmodo.com/josegregory
Course Description
This course is designed to expose students to a college level United States History survey class and prepare them for the Advanced Placement (“AP®”) U.S. History exam. Students are required to master a large body of information, including but not limited to the United States’ geography, history, government, and economics. The topics covered range from the existence and impact of pre-Columbian civilizations in the Americas to the issues confronted by American society in the present day. A variety of instructional approaches are employed, including the use of primary and secondary sources as supplements to the reading of a college level textbook, to teach students high-level analytical and critical-thinking skills. Interpreting and analyzing documents, understanding different historical perspectives and writing essays are integral components of the course. Although the course is primarily organized into chronological units, thematic assignments and activities are incorporated throughout the year. The units are based on the nine (9) periods and key concepts specified in the AP® U.S. History Curriculum Framework. The College Board’s Curriculum Framework’s Thematic Learning Objectives and Historical Thinking Skills will also be covered in conjunction with the state curriculum as specified in the Georgia Performance Standards. Additionally, emphasis will be placed on the founding principles and ideas that created the American Nation, the leadership role played by the United States in world affairs, and the various reasons for American pride.
Course Format
This course will utilize a combination of the Socratic Method and lecture-discussions, which include group analysis. Accordingly, it is extremely important that students be prepared for each and every class. In other words, it is the student’s responsibility to keep up with the reading and homework assignments on a daily basis. Please keep in mind that the nature of this course demands that students be active participants since the quality of our class discussions depends greatly on their preparation. As the teacher, my focus will be to make class sessions instructive and worthwhile.
Curriculum Overview
The following academic concepts will be covered. THIS IS ONLY A GUIDE AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. The full curriculum can be found at: www.georgiastandards.org
CURRICULUM OVERVIEWUnit 1 – Creation of the American Nation (From the Colonial Era to the American Revolution and U.S. Constitution)
Unit 2– Growth of the New Nation (Jeffersonian Era, Jacksonian Democracy and Westward Expansion)
Unit 3 – Challenges for the American Nation (Antebellum Society and the Civil War)
Unit 4 – Emergence of an Industrial Nation (Expansion and Reform)
Unit 5 – Struggling for Justice at Home and Abroad (Domestic and Foreign Challenges for a World Power in the 20th Century)
Unit 6 – Making Modern America (A Superpower Overcomes the Cold War and Faces New Challenges in the 21st Century)
Historical Themes: In addition to the concepts covered in the course outline, the course will also emphasize the following seven (7) themes and their respective learning objectives as described in the AP® U.S. History Course and Exam Description. These themes are interspersed throughout each unit of study. The inter-connection among them, and the continuity and changes within each theme, will be emphasized. Each unit of study will address the concept questions as related to the time period.
1) American and National Identity; 2) Politics and Power; 3) Work, Exchange, and Technology; 4) Culture and Society; 5) Migration and Settlement; 6) Geography and the Environment; and 7) America in the World.
In each unit, emphasis will also be placed on the following ten (10) historical thinking skills, which will allow students to engage in inquiry as “apprentice historians.”
Skill Type / Historical Thinking SkillI. Analyzing Historical Sources and Evidence / 1) Analyzing Evidence: Content and Sourcing
2) Interpretation
3) Comparison
II. Making Historical Connections / 4) Contextualization
5) Synthesis
III. Chronological Reasoning / 6) Causation
7) Patterns of Continuity and Change Over Time
8) Periodization
IV. Creating and Supporting an Argument / 9) Argumentation
10) Using Evidence to Support and Argument
AP U.S. History Examination: The examination date for 2016 is Friday, May 6th. The exam is 3 hours and 25 minutes in length and consists of two sections: Section 1- a) a 55-minute multiple-choice part; b) a 50-minute short-answer questions part; and Section 2- a) a 90 minute free-response section (a) 1 document-based question and b) 1 long-essay). The free-response section begins with a mandatory 15-minute reading period. Students are advised to spend most of the 15 minutes analyzing the documents and planning their answer to the document-based essay question (DBQ) in Part A. The suggested writing for the DBQ is 40 minutes. Part B includes two standard essay questions that, with the DBQ, cover the period from the first European explorations of the Americas to the 1980s. Students are required to answer one long-essay in this part in a total of 35 minutes. There will be a 10-minute break between Sections 1 and 2.
End of Course (EOC): In addition to the AP content, students in this course will also be required to complete an EOC for the U.S. History course. While the course curricula of the two have commonalities, students are responsible for any additional readings and preparation for this exam that takes place in May. Depending on a final determination by the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE), this assessment may count for 20% of the final grade in spring.
Required Projects: Each student will be responsible for organizing thematically the voluminous information discussed in class. Specifically, outlines will have to be created for each theme. Additionally, students will have to create a timeline and their own DBQ. Book reviews will also be done in this class. Creative projects focusing on the historical thinking skills will be used throughout the year.
BOARD-APPROVED INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
Title / The American Pageant (13th Edition)ISBN / 0-618-47940-6
Replacement Cost / $89.37
Online book and/or resources / http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/home
www.ourdocuments.gov
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/
Online student access code (school specific) / N/A
GRADING SYSTEM: The DeKalb County School District believes that the most important assessment of student learning shall be conducted by the teachers as they observe and evaluate students in the context of ongoing classroom instruction. A variety of approaches, methodologies, and resources shall be used to deliver educational services and to maximize each student’s opportunity to succeed. Teachers shall evaluate student progress, report grades that represent the student’s academic achievement, and communicate official academic progress to students and parents in a timely manner through the electronic grading portal. See Board Policy IHA.
Late Assignments: Students will receive a zero (0) for any missed assignments not turned in within the prescribed time limit. If the work is made up and turned in late, however, the maximum point allotment will be 80%.
GRADING CATEGORIES / *GRADE PROTOCOLPre-Assessments Prior to Learning (Formative Assessments) - 0%
Assessments During Learning – 25%
Guided, Independent, or Group Practice – 45%
Summative Assessments or Assessments of Learning– 30% / A 90 – 100 ~P (pass)
B 80 – 89 ~F (fail)
C 71 – 79
D 70
F Below 70
Notes:
*English Learners (ELs) must not receive numerical or letter grades for the core content areas in elementary and middle school during their first year of language development. A grade of CS or CU must be assigned. This rule may be extended beyond the first year with approval from the EL Studies Program. English Learners must receive a grade for ESOL courses.
· Where students of varying abilities are enrolled in a class, the workload and/or assignments maybe modified to meet the needs and abilities of the individual student. All classes will promote a high level of rigor within the curriculum.
· The teacher reserves the right to modify a syllabus as needed with appropriate notification to students.
DISTRICT EXPECTATIONS FOR SUCCESSSTUDENT PROGRESS / Semester progress reports shall be issued four and a half, nine and thirteen and a half weeks into each semester. The progress of students shall be evaluated frequently and plans shall be generated to remediate deficiencies as they are discovered.Plans shall include appropriate interventions designed to meet the needs of the students. See Board Policy IH.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY / Students will not engage in an act of academic dishonesty including, but not limited to, cheating, providing false information, falsifying school records, forging signatures, or using an unauthorized computer user ID or password. See the Code of Student Conduct - Student Rights and Responsibilities and Character Development Handbook.
HOMEWORK / Homework assignments should be meaningful and should be an application or adaptation of a classroom experience. Homework is at all times an extension of the teaching/learning experience. It should be considered the possession of the student and should be collected, evaluated and returned to the students. See Board Policy IHB.
MAKE-UP WORK
DUE TO ABSENCES / When a student is absent because of a legal reason as defined by Georgia law or when the absence is apparently beyond the control of the student, the student shall be given an opportunity to earn grade(s) for those days absent. Make-up work must be completed within the designated time allotted. See Board Policy IHEA. Local Guidelines: Work assigned prior to absence(s) is due upon return. Tests or projects assigned before absence are due upon return. Tests will be made up according to teacher(s)’ schedule. If the student is absent due to unforeseen circumstances within board approved absences, the student will be permitted the equal number of absent days to make up work assigned during the absence. If absence is unexcused, make up work may not be accessed.
SCHOOL EXPECTATIONS FOR SUCCESS
CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS / 1.) Adhere to the DCSS Student Code of Conduct.
2.) Be prepared for class at all times.
§ It is the student’s responsibility to know what the assignments are and when they are due and to have in class all the necessary materials, including the class binder.
§ Students must have completed the assigned work for each class and be willing to participate in discussions on a daily basis.
§ Students must be seated and ready to work when the bell rings.
§ Turn off and put away cell phones and any other device that might be disruptive to the class.
3.) Be respectful and polite.
§ There is NO room for cheating or plagiarism.
§ Listen to your fellow classmates and respect other viewpoints even if you disagree with them.
§ Think before you speak.
§ Respect other people’s property.
4.) Live up to your highest potential and try your personal best.
§ Have high expectations and set goals for yourself.
§ Think critically: Be creative and original.
§ Have an open mind and question what you read, what others say in the classroom, and what you believe.
§ Communicate well with others: Do not be afraid to ask questions or ask for clarification.
§ Cooperate with your classmates and other fellow students.
The following actions will ensue if a student should violate class or school policy:
Step 1: Warning
Step 2: Parent Phone Call
Step 3: Detention
Step 4: Office Referral
Academic Honesty: Receiving or giving information for an assignment is cheating and when caught in the act, students will neither receive credit nor the opportunity for a make-up. Plagiarism is UNACCEPTABLE: If a student takes information from the Internet or any printed resources without a citation, it is considered plagiarism and will result in a failing grade.
Note to students- Although I do encourage you to work in groups and to discuss ideas and possible approaches to essays, you MUST write your own essays. This is also true for the themes project, timelines, DBQ project and book reviews. I also encourage study groups for tests, but you are obviously forbidden from sharing answers on examinations. Remember to safeguard your integrity and credibility. It is unwise to compromise either for short term gains.
Disclaimer- Where students of varying abilities, learning styles and interests are enrolled in a class, the workload and/or assignments may be modified to meet the needs of the individual student. All classes will promote a high level of rigor within the curriculum. As the teacher, I reserve the right to modify the syllabus as needed with appropriate notification to students.
MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES / 1) One 3-Ring Binder (at least 2 inches wide) with Dividers
2) Lined Notebook Paper
3) Writing Instruments: Blue or Black Ink Pens and Pencils
4) Index Cards and Post-It Notes
5) Book: United States History- Preparing for the Advanced Placement Examination. Latest Edition: Author: John J. Newman and John M. Schmalbach (Amsco) 2015
EXTRA HELP / Tutorial Hours: Tuesdays 3:30-4:30pm or by appointment
PARENTS AS PARTNERS / Teacher Website: https://edmodo.com/josegregory
School Website: www.dsa.dekalb.k12.ga.us
PTSA Website: www.ptsa4dsa.org
County Website: www.dekalb.k12.ga.us
State Websites: www.doe.k12.ga.us; www.georgiastandards.org/
AP® U.S. History
Mr. Gregory
Room #308
https://edmodo.com/josegregory
PLEASE SIGN BELOW AND RETURN
I have read the syllabus.
Student Signature______
Parent/Guardian Signature______
Date______
Additional information to support continued contact:
Information / Parent/GuardianDay Time Phone Number
Cellular Phone Number
Home Phone Number
Email Address