UNITED STATES HISTORY



UNITED STATES HISTORY

2015-2016

Course Syllabus

|Mr. Brush |Ms. Hayes |Ms. Luke |Ms. Ruthaivilavan |

|pebrush@cps.edu |klhayes-hartley@cps.edu |ndluke@cps.edu |mmruthaivilavan@cps.edu |

|Room 205 |Room 207 |Room 207 |Room 207 & 208 |

|Office 212 |Office 212 |Office 212 |Office 212 |

|Office Hours: After school or by appointment only |

Course Description

This course is designed to provide students with the analytic skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in U.S. history. Students should learn to assess historical materials—their relevance to

a given interpretive problem, reliability, and importance—and to weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in historical scholarship. This course should thus develop the skills necessary to arrive at conclusions on the basis of an

informed judgment and to present reasons and evidence clearly and persuasively in essay format. In this class, we will become historians by:

1. Examining how and why specific change occurs

2. Analyzing and drawing conclusions concerning recurring themes in U.S. History

3. Improving reading comprehension and critical thinking

4. Becoming efficient writers of historical essays

5. Exploring Possibilities

Course Profile

U.S. is offered to sophomore high school students at Kenwood Academy as a requirement and to meet Illinois State’s requirement for the Public Law 195 (Constitution) Exam. You may earn 0.5 high school credits per semester.

Primary Textbook

Danzer, Gerald, The Americans . Evanston, IL : McDougal Littell, 2006.

Supplemental Reading

Various Handouts

SHEG Stanford Thinking Like A Historian

Course Outline

|Unit 1 |American Beginnings (1607-1780) |

|Unit 2 |A New Nation (1781-1850) |

|Unit 3 |Era of Growth & Disunion (1851-1875) |

|Unit 4 |Transformation: Immigration, Industrialization, Urbanization, Imperialism, Protector of Democracy (1876-1920)|

|Unit 5 |Frontier & Modern America (1876-1920) |

|Unit 6 |Optimism & Disillusionment: Major Changes in America (1920-1959) |

|Unit 7 |Empowering & Emerging Voices: Redefining Ourselves (1960-present) |

|Unit 8 |Regan Revolution & Beyond |

Daily Required Materials:

Pen/Pencil/colored pencil/ scissors/ glue / posters/ 3 Panel project board

Spiral Notebook and Binder

Folder for handouts (you are expected to keep materials that have been passed out) * Handouts will only be given ONCE.

Portfolio

Guided Reading/Discussion Questions

*Binder: You will be required to submit your binder for random checks. All handouts and work must be kept in your binder.

*Additional materials may be required depending on the project you are assigned.

Assignments & Activities:

Assignments and activities will be based upon the following:

1. Class discussion & debate

2. Writing assignments

3. Group activities and projects

4. Analysis of short video clips/images

5. Speeches

6. Homework (Various assignments will be assigned. You will be expected to gain access to the Internet on occasion. There are several assignments that must be TYPED. Please use your time and resources wisely.

Classroom Expectations & Requirements

1. Invest in yourself and your class!

2. This is a learning community and each individual has the right to feel respected and safe. Since you

are a citizen of the world, you will respect each other and your differences. Your language and behavior should

demonstrate this! Using inappropriate and insensitive language will not be tolerated.

3. Participate and have fun (not at the expense of others) while you are learning.

4. Arrive prepared to learn and on time.

5. Stay engaged and on task.

6. Bring your materials to class

7. Ask for help!

8. Students will adhere to Kenwood Discipline Code of Conduct

9. No Cell phones: (Charging is not permitted.)

10. NO FOOD! (Water is permitted)

Class Work:

You will have multiple assessments (quizzes, writing assignments, tests) throughout the year. In order to be successful in this class, you must come prepared to take notes and participate in class discussion and activities. Keeping an organized notebook or binder will certainly help you especially if you are given an open notebook/binder quiz.

Current Events:

Students are required to stay abreast of current national and world events.  You will be required to turn in a Current Events Analysis. You must find at least one article from a reputable news agency that relates to our topic of study and analyze its application. This article may be from an online news source, a current newspaper such as the New York Times, a weekly publication such as Newsweek or Time magazines, or a reputable news agency such as CNN or NPR. 

 

Timed Free-Response Essays/Research Paper:

You will be required to complete a timed free-response essay related to a topic we are discussing during that week. Each essay must reflect your knowledge and application of class material and contain specific examples to support your argument

 

Weekly Quizzes:

Each week you will take a chapter review quiz on the material covered that week. The quizzes are to stimulate your application and knowledge of that week's course content

Chapter Discussion Questions

·     At the beginning of each chapter, you will be assigned the chapter reading from the text, as well as given discussion questions to answer. These questions are to help you better understand and process the information you read in the chapter, as well as to require you to begin drawing your own conclusions and applications of the material. You should be prepared to discuss your answers in class on the assigned date.

Peer Guided Reading Questions

Every Wednesday you are required to formulate two (2) questions using Bloom’s Taxonomy. The questions are written based upon a concept we covered in class, that you may not have understood. The question will be discussed and answered by your peers in a group setting. You will not be permitted into the classroom without the questions.

Attendance Policy:

If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out what work you have missed. You can always refer to the Kenwood website for assignments: find my last name and click on it. If the assignment is posted it is due when you return to class, if it is not, you must see me the day you return, after class, to find out the assignment. You will then have 24 hours to complete the assignment. You will have one day to make up the work that was missed. If you miss notes, it is your responsibility to get them. You can always refer to the Kenwood website for assignments. If you are absent on the day of a project/test/quiz, you must take the quiz/test or turn in the project on the day you return. *However, if you are in the building, (in school, office, etc.) you are expected to turn in your assignment. All absences are unexcused unless you bring in a note from the attendance office. *Late work will not be accepted! * Students with IEP’s or 504 Plans please refer to your individual plans.

Learning Targets/Literacy Strategies

In addition to the course objectives College Readiness Standards will be addressed throughout the year to support achievement and learning. The reading standards that we will target this year are as follows:

College Readiness Standards: Reading (16-19) & (20-23) *more complex bands may be used when deemed appropriate.

|Main Idea and Author’s |Supporting Details |Sequential, Comparative, and |Meanings of Words |Generalizations and |

|Approach | |Cause-Effect relationships | |Conclusions |

Common Core Social Studies Standards:

Reading: RH.9-10.1 – W9.10.10

Writing: W.9-10.1. - W.9-10.9

Grading:

|Summative Assessments |Tests/Exams/Projects |40 |

|Formative |Daily Activities/Writing |35 |

|Assessments |Assignments/ Exit | |

| |Tickets/Quizzes | |

|Participation |Preparedness/ Discussion |15 |

|Homework |Designed assignments outside |10 |

| |of class. | |

Participation

- You will earn up to 20 daily participation points by being a respectful, civil, and engaged member of our class. Be prompt, prepared, and polite!

- You can easily lose points by violating classroom rules and or norms (eating, cell phones, talking, behavior, tardy, unexcused absences, lack of supplies) * Cell Phones can NOT be used or charged in the classroom.

- Note: No work for each Unit will be accepted once the Unit has been completed (after each exam).

- If I suspect that your homework is copied, you will receive a Zero. Cheating during a test and sabotaging your results will automatically result in a Zero.

- As I have high expectations of you, you should have them for yourself. It is my hope that you will display a high level of academic integrity and will avoid plagiarism. If this is not the case, your grade will result in a ZERO.

- Your course grade is based on a cumulative point basis. Each assignment, test, quiz, etc., is worth the number of points listed on the assignment and you will receive a grade based on the quality of work completed. All of these grades together will make your term grade. 

Grading Scale:

A: 100-90 B: 89-80 C: 79-70 D: 69-60 F: 59-0

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Parents/Guardians: You will have access to your son/daughter’s grades on daily basis via Gradebook.

Helpful websites:

and

*If you have any concerns or questions regarding your student’s grades please email me via Gradebook.

UNITED STATES HISTORY

2015-2016

Course Syllabus

I have read the US History course syllabus with a parent/guardian and I understand what is required of this course.

Student Signature________________________________________________Date____________ Pd:____

Parent/Guardian Name:__________________________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature: ________________________________________________Date___________

Parent/Guardian Contact information: Cell:_______________________________

Email: ____________________________

Additional Contact information: ______________________________________________________________________

Allergies:__________________________________________________________________________________________

Additional Information:________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Kenwood Academy: A National Leader in Scholarship Acquisition Principal: Dr. G. Jones

Where a world class public education leads to a high quality, no cost college education

Phone: 773 535 1350 Fax: 773 535 1408‐class public education leads to a high quality, no cost college education

Phone: 773 535 1350 Fax: 773 535 1408 Email:

Kenwood Academy: A National Leader in Scholarship Acquisition Principal: Dr. G. Jones

Where a world‐class public education leads to a high quality, no cost college education

Phone: 773 535 1350 Fax: 773 535 1408 Email:

*Careful consideration is given to the time allowed per each assignment. Your grades will reflect your effort and the quality of your work.

* You will not receive credit for any assignment that is not the result of your efforts.

*Cell Phone Policy- Cell phones are prohibited in the classroom for personal use. However, some assignments do require the use of technology. At the teacher’s discretion, students will be informed as to when cell phones are required to complete an assignment. If a student violates the cell phone policy, the phone will be confiscated and given to the proper authority until a legal guardian is able to make a conference appointment to retrieve the device.

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*Cell Phone Policy- Cell phones are prohibited in the classroom for personal use. However, some assignments do require the use of technology. At the teacher’s discretion, students will be informed as to when cell phones are required to complete an assignment. If a student violates the cell phone policy, the phone will be confiscated and given to the proper authority until a legal guardian is able to make a conference appointment to retrieve the device.

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