United States History/Civics College Prep
Description: John F. Kennedy
once said “The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of
all.” To ensure our security you will be taking United States History and Civics
to learn about our past and to better understand and act in the present. In
this class we will cover seven different units that span from the American
Revolution to the modern era. Throughout this wide span of time we will also
examine the structure and workings of the United States government to prepare
you to be actively involved in the democratic process. The following will be the units of study for
this course:
Unit 1: The Foundation of America
(American Revolution, Constitution and Expansion)
Unit 2: The Civil War, Reconstruction
and Industrialization
Unit 3: Urbanization, Immigration and
Progressivism
Unit 4: World War I and the 1920s
Unit 5: The Great Depression, New Deal
and World War II
Unit 6: The Cold War Era
Unit 7: Modern America
“Democracy cannot succeed unless those who
express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of
democracy, therefore, is education.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
Goals of the Course:
1.
Develop an understanding of the nation’s history through a comprehensive
curriculum.
2.
Become an informed U.S. citizen in regards to civic responsibility and
knowledge of government.
3.
Develop and/or improve critical thinking and analytical ability through
research.
4.
Improve the manner in which research is conducted and documented.
5.
Enhance reading, writing and presentation skills.
6.
Gain awareness of our nation’s past, present and develop a sense of
responsibility for improving our nation.
Class Materials:
The
textbook that we will be using is United
States History, and this book needs to be covered throughout the year. I
would encourage students to use the online textbook for homework (as it is
considerably lighter than your textbook). You can log in to your online
textbook at pearsonsuccessnet.com.
Each student will create an online account at the beginning of the year but in
order for it to stay active the student must visit the website or the account
will go dormant.
Junior
Writing Goals:
US History and Civics will focus
on two different forms of writing skills for the junior year. Students will
continue to develop their persuasive
writing skills by completing document based writing assignments but they will
also focus on analytical essays, which are required by the new SAT format. All junior students will be
taking the new SAT in March and in preparation for that exam the class will be
completing assignments that are in line with the skills that the new SAT
requires. In order to track student writing progress all students will create a
writing folder at the beginning of the year. This folder will remain in the
classroom and will be used by students to gauge their progress and identify
areas of strength and weakness concerning their writing skills.
Marking
Period One – 20% Marking
Period Two – 20% Mid
Term Exam – 10% Marking
Period Three – 20% Marking
Period Four – 20% Final
Exam – 10%
Grading Policy –
Students
will be graded on the following criteria:
Tests/Projects/ Essays: 45%
Quizzes/ Short Writing
Activities: 35%
Classwork/ Homework/
Participation: 20%
Attendance
– (Refer
to the Student Handbook for the full
attendance policy) Please be on time and prepared for
class. Tardiness will not be accepted
and it is important not to miss class.
Cheating
and Honor Code – (Refer to the Student Handbook for full policy)
Plagiarism is unacceptable and any violation of the honor code will be
persecuted. Plagiarism is both the intentional and the unintentional use
of another’s ideas, words, phrases, metaphors, and structures without giving
proper credit. This makes plagiarism a question of fact not intent. To
avoid plagiarism make sure that you take careful notes during the writing/
research process and develop a habit of identifying (or citing) the authors/
sources that you are indebted to.
US
History and Civics
HOMEWORK AND CLASSROOM POLICIES
Welcome
to US History! Below you will find a
list of classroom expectations and policies for this course. Please keep in mind that no list can cover
every situation.
Rules
of the Classroom –
1. Treat others in the class as you
would like to be treated and respect their ideas by listening and paying
attention.
2. Be prepared for class by bringing
a writing utensil, your textbook, notebook, and any due homework or other
assignments. Do NOT bring cellular devices, or electronics (these will be
confiscated)
3. Be on time to class and have a
pass if you are going to be late. If you
are late to class without a pass you will be given a lunch detention. 3 lunch detentions for tardiness will become
an afterschool detention.
4. Food or drink will be allowed
until it makes a mess, becomes a distraction or is left in class.
5. Homework is due the day after it
has been assigned. If you have missed
class your homework must be turned in the next time you are in class. For every day that a major assignment is late
you will lose 10 points off the final grade.
6. If you are absent, get any
assignments/notes from another student or talk with me directly. All homework
assignments will be posted on my website as well.
7. Plagiarism in any form will not
be tolerated.
8. Feel free to stop by during free
time or after school to ask any questions about the class that you might have.
9.
Behavioral Agreement:
a). Students will be verbally
warned for minor transgressions of any classroom guidelines
b). If student’s behavior does
not change he or she will be assigned a ½ lunch detention
- If you are assigned a ½
lunch detention you must report to my room the next lunch period
- If you fail to come to the
½ lunch detention you will be given a full lunch detention for the next
lunch period
- If you fail to come to the
full lunch detention you will be referred to the office, you will be
assigned an after school detention and your parents will be contacted.
c). Any
serious behavioral infractions will receive an after school detention, referral
to the office and your parents will be contacted.
10. If you have problems meeting
class expectations please see me to discuss
