AP® World History



Dr. Duncan

Advanced Placement U.S. History

Course Name: Advanced Placement U.S. History

Textbook Name: Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People, 12th Edition. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2006.

Course Description:

This course is designed to provide a college-level experience and preparation for the AP Exam in May. An emphasis is placed on interpreting documents, mastering a significant body of factual information, and writing critical essays. Topics include life and thought in colonial America, revolutionary ideology, constitutional development, Jeffersonian and Jacksonian democracy, nineteenth-century reform movements, and Manifest Destiny. Other topics include the Civil War and reconstruction, immigration, industrialism, Populism, Progressivism, World War I, the Jazz Age, the Great Depression, the New Deal, World War II, the Cold War, the post-Cold War era, and the United States at the beginning of the twenty-first century. This course will fulfill the United States history graduation requirement.

In addition to the topics listed above, the course will emphasize a series of key themes throughout the year. These themes have been determined by the College Board as essential to a comprehensive study of United States history. The themes will include discussions of American diversity, the development of a unique American identity, the evolution of American culture, demographic changes over the course of America ’s history, economic trends and transformations, environmental issues, the development of political institutions and the components of citizenship, social reform movements, the role of religion in the making of the United States and its impact in a multicultural society, the history of slavery and its legacies in this hemisphere, war and diplomacy, and finally, the place of the United States in an increasingly global arena. The course will trace these themes throughout the year, emphasizing the ways in which they are interconnected and examining the ways in which each helps to shape the changes over time that are so important to understanding United States history.

Advanced Placement U.S. History is on a traditional schedule with students meeting daily for 50 minutes. The course will be taught using a wide variety of instructional strategies including: traditional lecture/discussion format, small group discussion, paired peer tutors, and individual research and discovery. You are to be commended for taking the opportunity to complete college-level studies during this school year. The rewards for completing college-level courses in high school place you at a great advantage over the other college freshmen that do not take AP courses.

The purpose of this course is to provide you with a college level overview of the U.S. History. The course will be taught using a wide variety of instructional strategies including: traditional lecture/discussion format, small group discussion, paired peer tutors, and individual research and discovery. All AP U.S. History students are encouraged to take the AP Exam in May.

Student selection procedures:

Enrollment in AP U.S. History is open to 11th grade students. All juniors who are willing to work hard, and are motivated to learn, are encouraged to challenge themselves with this Advanced Placement course. This AP course and examination in U.S. History are intended for students who wish to complete studies in secondary school equivalent to college introductory courses in U.S. History.

Overview of the Advanced Placement Program:

From its inception over 30 years ago, the AP program has been broadened to include more schools, students, and examinations than ever before. Each May, the AP Examinations are administered.

In order to receive college credit for passing the AP exam, ninety-percent of schools accept a score of “3”; however, some schools of “higher caliber”, require either a “4” or “5”. Duke University, Georgia Tech, and Stanford University require a “4” on the examination. Harvard University and the military service academies require a “5” on the exam which is the highest score possible. The best comprehensive source to discover college score requirements for Advanced Placement Credit is:

ap/creditpolicy

Chronological periods of the course:

• Colonial History to 1763

• 1763 to 1789

• 1788 to 1828

• 1828 to 1840

• 1840 to 1861

• 1861 to 1877

• 1865 to 1900

• 1900 to 1945

• 1945 to the present

AP U.S. History: Themes

These themes are woven throughout unit discussions, with assessments (quizzes, essays, and exams) being structured around them:

1. America on a World Stage

2. National Identity and Citizenship

3. Political Change and Continuity

4. Pluralism and Group Identity

5. Free Markets and Economic Transformation

Course Outline by Units:

Unit One:

Colonial Era (2 Weeks)

Readings:

Text: Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4

Various articles and handouts

Themes and Concepts/Topics:

Movement

• Colonization

• Physical Migration (free and forced)

• Importing of Intellectual Ideals

Social and Political Interactions

• Colonial Governments

• Social Mobility

Conflict and Compromise

• European/Native American conflict

• Colonial conflict with royal government

• Conflict among colonists

Ideas and Beliefs

• Great Awakening

• Individualism

Analysis

• Economic Opportunities DBQ – Americans often pride themselves that theirs is a “land of opportunity.” How much economic opportunity truly did exist in colonial America, and what factors affected the colonists’ opportunities to succeed?

Unit Two:

Revolution to Constitution (3 Weeks)

Readings:

Text: Chapters 5, 6

Various articles and handouts

Themes and Concepts/Topics:

Social and Political Interactions

• Colonial response to actions of Parliament

• Development of political parties

Conflict and Compromise

• French and Indian War

• American Revolution

• Constitutional Convention

• Federalists vs Anti-Federalists

Ideas and Beliefs

• Social contract

• Limited government

• Individual and states’ rights

• Key documents

Expansion

• Ohio Valley, Proclamation of 1763

Analysis

• Causes of the Revolutionary War DBQ—Were the American colonists justified in waging war and breaking away from Britain?

Unit Three:

Creating a Nation (2 Weeks)

Readings:

Text: Chapters 7, 8, 9, 10, 12

Various articles and handouts

Themes and Concepts/Topics:

Trade, Industry, and Technology

• Transportation improvements

• Early Industrial Revolution

Social and Political Interactions

• Jacksonian Democracy

• Reform movements

• Extension of suffrage

Conflict and Compromise

• War of 1812

Expansion

• Louisiana Purchase

• Monroe Doctrine

• Manifest Destiny national identity

Analysis

• Antebellum Reforms DBQ—What forces or ideas motivated and inspired this effort to remake and reform American society during the antebellum years?

Unit Four:

A Divided Nation (3 Weeks)

Readings:

Text: Chapters 11, 13, 14, 15

Various articles and handouts

Themes and Concepts/Topics:

Social and Political Interactions

• Abolitionist Movement

• Reconstruction

• Popular sovereignty

Conflict and Compromise

• States’ Rights vs Nationalism

• Mexican-American War

• Territorial Expansion and Slavery

• Civil War

Analysis

• What Caused Secession DBQ—What led the Southern states to secede from the Union in 1860 and 1861?

Unit Five:

Expansion and Reform (4 Weeks)

Readings:

Text: Chapters 16, 17, 18, 19

Various articles and handouts

Themes and Concepts/Topics:

Movement

• Westward migration

• Immigration

• Urbanization

Trade, Industry, and Technology

• Industrialization

Social and Political Interactions

• Reform Movements

• Changing Role of Government

Conflict and Compromise

• Native American conflicts

Analysis

• The Nativist Response to Immigration DBQ—Why did American nativist groups oppose free, unrestricted immigration in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?

Unit Six:

Becoming a World Power (3 Weeks)

Readings:

Text: Chapters 20, 21, 22, 23

Various articles and handouts

Themes and Concepts/Topics:

Movement

• Great Migration

Trade, Industry, and Technology

• Growth of the media

• Impact of the automobile

Social and Political Interactions

• Constitutional amendments

• Isolationism

• New forms of entertainment

Conflict and Compromise

• World War I

• Treaty of Versailles (1919)

Expansion

• Debate over American expansionism

Analysis

• The Debate over American Imperialism DBQ—Was imperialism a proper and legitimate policy for the United States to follow at the turn of the nineteenth century?

Unit Seven:

National Crisis (3 Weeks)

Readings:

Text: Chapters 24, 25, 26, 27, 28

Reader: The Face of the Great Depression, War and American Society

Various articles and handouts

Themes and Concepts/Topics:

Movement

• Dust Bowl

Trade, Industry, and Technology

• Causes and effects of the Great Depression

• Demands on Industrial Productivity

• War mobilization

Social and Political Interactions

• Impact of the New Deal

• Domestic Impact of World War II

Conflict and Compromise

• World War II

Analysis

• The New Deal’s Opponents DBQ—Identify those groups that most strongly opposed the New Deal and explain the reasons for their opposition.

Unit Eight:

America as a World Power (4 Weeks)

Readings:

Text: Chapters 29, 30, 31

Various articles and handouts

Themes and Concepts/Topics:

Social and Political Interactions

• Domestic impact of the Cold War

Conflict and Compromise

• Cold War

• Regional Conflicts

• Conservatism vs Liberalism

Globalization

• Post-War policies

• International Relations

• U.S. role in world affairs

• Terrorism

Analysis

• How Has America Changed Since 1950? DBQ—How is American society today different from what our grandparents’ generation knew in the years just after World War II?

Unit Nine:

Recreating a National Social Identity (4 Weeks)

Readings:

Text: Chapters 32, 33, 34

Various articles and handouts

Themes and Concepts/Topics:

Trade, Industry, and Technology

• Impact of changes in the media

• Changing demographics

Social and Political Interactions

• Civil Rights Movement

• Other reform movements

• Judicial activism

Analysis

• The Civil Rights Movement—America’s Second Reconstruction DBQ—The rhetoric and prose of the Civil Rights movement aimed to convince white Americans to support the cause of equal rights for African Americans by abolishing segregation and Jim Crow laws. What themes did the champions of civil rights use in their appeal?

Unit Ten:

Post-Exam Activity (1 Week)

Futures simulation or dramatic group presentation of a decision that changed American history.

Classroom Rules and Discipline Procedures, including school-wide expectations re: tardiness to class, electronic devices, and playing cards:

Woodland High School

Classroom Expectations

To ensure an optimum learning environment, please adhere to the following:

• Students will be respectful to all adults and classmates.

• Students will be seated in class when the bell rings.

• Students will not display cell phones, portable electronic devices or playing cards in class.

• Students will use computers/ technology appropriately at all times.

Violation of these rules may result in changes to school policies.

We are Woodland!

Go Wolfpack!

Make-up Policies: Students will be provided with opportunities to make-up all missed work.

Grading:

School-wide Grading Requirements as follows:

Semester Final Average 100%

• EOCT/Final Exam 20%

• Course Final Average 80% The Formative and Summative

o Formative Assessment 55% Assessments equal 100% but fall

▪ Practice 20% under the category of Course Final

▪ Quizzes 35% Average which is 85% of the

o Summative Assessment 45% Semester Final Average.

(major tests & projects)

Since our objective in this course will be to prepare you for the National

AP Exam, which is given in May, your grade for each grading period will consist

of college-level multiple choice tests, free response essays on each test, quizzes

and class work/homework grades. The Grading System will consist of the

following:

Academic Integrity:

Academic integrity is a fundamental value of quality education; therefore, Woodland High School will not tolerate any acts of cheating, plagiarism, or falsification of school work.  Should it be determined that an academic integrity violation has taken place, the school reserves the right to assign a grade of a zero and submit a disciplinary referral to the appropriate Assistant Principal.  The school also reserves the right to remove or suspend enrollment in any Advanced Placement/Honors classes as well as Academic Honor Societies.

Quizzes

Students should expect regular quizzes. Students should always be prepared for

a quiz by keeping up with required chapter readings. We cannot possibly cover everything in class. Quizzes will help me hold you accountable for the textbook reading.

Each regular test will be graded as follows:

1. Multiple choice section: 50% (maps, statistical tables, works of art, and pictoral & graphic materials will be included in the multiple choice.)

2. Free response: 50%

a. document-based questions

b. free response questions

Comprehensive Semester Exam

There will be a comprehensive semester exam at the end of each semester. It includes all material covered up to that point in the year.

Notebook guidelines:

A three-ring binder is required for this course. Students should use it to keep all class notes, handouts, notes from the text, outlines, study guides, and assignments. It is also required that students keep a separate spiral bound notebook to record all study guide terms and concepts throughout the year since the AP exam is based on understanding and applying terms and concepts from U.S. History. Success in the course, and ultimately on the AP exam, depends on this type of organization and discipline.

Assignments:

Writing:

There are two types of essay assignments.

a.) Document-Based-Question(DBQ) - Write a clear, persuasive thesis demonstrating your insightful analysis of source documents with reference to historical context and author bias. Analyze by comparing and contrasting the documents to form various groupings.

b.) Free Response Question (FRQ)- Standard essay questions may require students to relate developments in different areas, analyze common themes in different time periods, or compare individual or group experiences that reflect socioeconomic, ethnic, racial, or gender differences.

Homework Policy:

It is the student’s responsibility to complete homework when it is assigned. All work is due at the beginning of class on the designated table. Work will NOT be accepted after the first few minutes of class after attendance has been taken. Again, NO late work will be accepted. However, students are given ONE opportunity (Amnesty Day) per 9 weeks to turn in all missed assignments for partial credit.

Absences, Make-up Work, Tardies, and Classroom Rules:

• See the Woodland High School supplement to the Henry County Schools Handbook.

• It is the student’s responsibility to check the notebook and pick up their make up work on the first day following the absence.

• Tests will be made up by appointment before or after school.

I have read and understand all of the requirements and expectations of Dr. Duncan’s History class.

Student Signature__________________________________________________Date_______________

Parent/Guardian Signature___________________________________________Date_______________

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download