Fall 2005-2006
Syllabus
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Las Plumas High School AP U.S. History Course Syllabus Mrs. Walker
Course Description:
Advanced Placement United States History is a chronological survey course covering the period from Colonial America (1607) to contemporary America (1990). The Advanced Placement program in United States History is designed to provide you with the analytic skills and factual knowledge to deal critically with the problems and issues in United States History. The course prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands on you equivalent to those made by full year introductory college courses. Students will learn to assess historical materials -- their relevance to a given interpretive problem, their reliability, and their importance, and to weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in historical scholarship. Students will also be prepared to take the AP U.S. History exam offered by the College Board and earn college credit or placement at the college or university of their choice. Program Objectives v Students will acquire fundamental and advanced knowledge of United States political, social, economic, constitutional and intellectual history. v Students will develop mastery of the process skills: analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and critical reading necessary for mastery of the content of United States History. v Students will acquire an advanced knowledge of the content and concepts unique to United States History. v Students will develop the ability to recognize the significance of change over time and cause and effect. v Students will be able to develop historically accurate interpretation of the events of United States History. v Students will develop the ability to think and reason analytically as demonstrated through essay and expository writing. Course Materials: Kennedy, David M., et. al. The American Pageant. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, Thirteenth ed., 2006 Ÿ Davis, Kenneth C. Don't know Much About History. Everything you Need to Know About American History, but Never Learned. Avon Books, New York, 1992 Ÿ Gonick, Larry, The Cartoon History of the United States. Harper Perennial. New York, 1991. Ÿ Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States 1492-Present. Harper Perennial. New York, 1996. Ÿ Soifer, Paul, Ph.D. and Abraham Hoffman, Ph.D. U.S. History I and II. Cliff Notes, Lincoln, NB, 1999. Ÿ Barron's how to Prepare for the AP Exam in American History, most current edition Please note the checked text are recommended, but not required. Class Requirements: Students will create an maintain an AP U.S. History Notebook. The notebook will be of a loose-leaf type and contain the following selections:
Students will maintain a reading journal of their assignments. This journal will contain the homework assignments that will be turned in as requested and after review by the instructor or designate, returned to the students. The reading journal will make up 25% of the final course grade. Tests will be old A.P. exams from the College Board. Expect both multiple choice and essay questions. Tests will make up approximately 50% of your grade. Students will also submit written responses/evaluations of primary and secondary sources including, but not limited to book and article reviews. These analytic wirings assignments will make up approximately 25% of the final course grade. Students in Advanced Placement classes are expected to attend class regularly, on time, with their materials and ready to work. All students are encouraged to express their opinions and thoughts on any topic under discussion. All students and the teacher will be treated with dignity and respect. Disagreement is expected and encouraged, as long as that disagreement is conducted in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Late assignments will not be accepted. All assignments will be graciously accepted until 4:00 pm on the day they are due. You may bring them to the classroom. All examinations and tests must be taken on the announced date unless special arrangements are made in advance. All students enrolled in AP U.S. History are expected to take the Advanced Placement United States History examination. The AP test will be administered on the first Friday in May, 2006. Review Sessions: Review sessions, study sessions, seminars, and movie nights conducted outside class time are for your benefit, and you are not required to attend. Specific topics, times, and dates will be announced well in advance of the event. No new test material will be introduced during the review sessions. Grading Policies: Grades will be calculated as follows: 100-90% A 89-80% B 79-65%` C 64-60% D 59-50% F Rubrics on all assignments are on a 9-point scale. Written work will be evaluated on the clarity of the thesis, quality of the supporting details, and strength of the analytic arguments presented, using the AP nine-point rubric. If at any time your grade falls below 65%, you will be put on probation until your grade improves. Parent conference will be mandatory. All chapter outlines, 3-Level Questions, or One pagers will be due on Tuesdays. Remember, no late work will be accepted. Consultation Hours: Students and their parents are welcomed and encouraged to consult with me whenever they have questions or concerns. I don't leave school until 4:00 pm. My email at school is nwalker@ouhsd.org. I check my email before and after school. My school telephone is 538-3210 ext. 291. Please call during my prep period only. Miscellaneous: There is no extra credit available for this class. Advanced Placement American History Course Overview
First Semester Test Dates Unit I Colonial History August 17 Unit II Revolutionary War Era September 8 Unit III Early Republic 1800-1820 October 20 Unit IV Antebellum America to 1850 November 10 Unit V The Civil War, Reconstruction and the West December 1
Second Semester Unit VI Imperialism January 12 Unit VII Industrial America February 2 Unit VIII Modern America (1920-1945) March 2 Unit IX The Cold War and Civil Rights 1945-1990 March 23 Unit X Contemporary America 1968-Present April 27 End of the year activity from May 5th to June 1st is watching Cold War films which include Manchurian Candidate, Failsafe, Dr. Strangelove and Testament. Other important dates: September 14th is back-to-school night! Outline dates 2-6 August 17 Unit I 7 August 23 Unit II 8 August 30 9 September 6 10 September 13 Unit III 11 September 20 12 September 27 13 October 4 14 October 11 15 October 18 16 October 25 Unit IV 17 November 1 18 November 8 19 November 15 Unit V 20 November 22 22 November 29 23 December 6 Unit VI 24 December 13 or 15 25 January 3 26 January 10 27 January 17 Unit VII 28 January 24 29/30 January 31 31 February 7 Unit VIII 32 February 14 33 February 21 34/35 February 28 36 March 7 Unit IX 37 March 14 38 March 21 39 March 28 Unit X 40 April 4 41 April 18 42 April 25 A.P. Exam - May 5th Unit I: Colonial History Fall 2005-2006 Pages 25-106 in American Pageant The Big Picture: "Throughout the Colonial period, economic concerns had more to do with the settling of British North American than did religious concerns. ________________________________________________________________________
Week #1 August 17-19 Due Date Wed: Test on Chapters 2-6 8-18 Outlines 2-6 Thurs The Syllabus 8-20 Notebook Fri Writing a Free Response essay 8-26 Free Response Essay
Week #2 August 22-26 Mon Set up: Trial of Anne Hutchinson Tue Trial Day 1 Wed Trial Day 2 Thu Lecture: Reformation/Counter-Reformation Fri Three Levels of Questions 8-30 due
Unit II: The American Revolutionary era (1750-1800) Fall 2005-2006 Pages 106-190 In American Pageant The Big Picture: "Seeing themselves as unique, in what ways did Americans of the Revolutionary Era (1750-1800) justify their revolution and their establishment of a new nation?" ________________________________________________________________________ Week #3 August 29-September 2 Mon Writing with a Rubric Tues SOAPS workshop - Cinderella and Church Bulletin Wed Lecture Thu Readings - Handout #3 Fri Unit I exam
Week #4 September 5-9 Mon Labor Day Holiday Tues APPARTS workshop Wed Debate: Choosing Independence Thu Activity: Virginia Declaration of Rights Handout Fri Unit III: The Early Republic (1800-1820) Fall 2005-2006 Pages 190-255 in American Pageant The Big Idea: "How did the divergent theories of democracy influence the American identity?" ________________________________________________________________________ Week #5 Mon Tues Wed Thu Fri
Week #6 Mon Tues Wed Thu Fri
Week #7 Mon Tues Wed Thu Fri Unit IV: Antebellum America to 1850 Fall 2005-2006 Pages 256-371 in American Pageant The Big Idea: "How did conflicting impulses strain American Society between the years 1820-1850?" _______________________________________________________________________ Week #16 Mon Tues Wed Thu Fri Week #17 Mon Tues Wed Thu Fri Week #18 Mon Tues Wed Thu Fri Unit V: The Civil War, Reconstruction, and the West Fall 2005-2006 Pages 371-479 in American Pageant The Big Idea: "Evaluate the degree to which the Civil War and Reconstruction, including developments in the West, forged a new sense of identity for the American people amidst their diversity." _______________________________________________________________________ Week #19 Mon Tues Wed Thu Fri Week #20 Mon Tues Wed Thu Fri Unit VI: Imperialism Spring 2006 Pages 626-720 in American Pageant The Big Picture: "Analyze the motivations and rationalizations for U.S. political and economic imperialism." _______________________________________________________________________
Unit VII: Industrial America Spring 2006 Pages 504-626 in American Pageant In what ways did the Populist Party force change in the American urban landscape? _______________________________________________________________________
Unit VIII: Modern America Spring 2006 Pages 720-848 in American Pageant The Big Picture: "How and why has the concept of modern America transformed between 1920 and 1945?" _______________________________________________________________________
Unit IX: Cold War/ Civil Rights 1945-1990 Spring 2006 Pages 848-852-938 in American Pageant The Big Picture: "Analyzing the conflict between capitalism and communism in the United States from 1945 to 1990, what were the effects of the Cold War on foreign and domestic policies, culture and the reform movements of the time period?" ________________________________________________________________________
Unit X: Contemporary America 1968- present Spring 2006 Pages 938-1011 in American Pageant The Big Picture: "In what ways and to what extent has neo-conservatism triumphed over liberal democracy in the period following 1968?" _______________________________________________________________________
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