US History

Guidelines for Class

This course is designed to cover the entire scope of the American experience. Of necessity, some areas will be touched on briefly while others will receive more attention. However, the student should emerge with a factual background which will serve as an adequate basis for later studies at the college level. Along with a factual knowledge of the events in United States History, the student should also acquire an understanding of the reasons behind the events, make connections, and see cause and effect. A secondary goal is to reinforce the skills of writing, research, critical analysis and thinking.

Tips for Success

Reading the chapters in the book, and staying on schedule is the best way to be successful in this class. I will talk about the periods, give notes, and multiple handouts, but there is no better way than to have read the material first so that my explanation will make more sense to you. Part of each day’s routine should be to review notes while the information is fresh. If something is unclear, reread that section from the book.

I asked that students have three-ring binder notebooks. I will provide tabs to organize the notebooks into sections for vocabulary, handouts, and tests. Student Planners from the school should be used for homework assignments as well as my web site.

Grading

Tests 40%

Essays 30%

Daily Grades 20%

Article Reviews 10%

Pop Quizzes

These can be expected daily from your reading. There are usually short, and easy if you have done your reading carefully. If you are absent or have an excused tardy, you may make-up a pop quiz, but those missed due to unexcused tardies may not be made-up. The lowest two pop quizzes will be dropped. If you have missed quizzes due to unexcused tardies, you lose the opportunity to drop another grade.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary words with definitions will be given from each chapter. Vocabulary quizzes will be given by chapter. This again should be an easy way to keep up your grades. The point is not to memorize the terms, but to make them part of your working history vocabulary.

Essays

A minimum of two formal essays will be written each quarter. Some will be written in class, and some as outside assignments.

Article Reviews

Students will be given articles on different issues in history. They will be instructed in how to write an article review.

Research Paper

In the third quarter, students will write a 5-7 page research paper using APA style. The assignment will be broken down into steps, so that they may learn the process. Deadlines will keep students on track.

Filmfest

The Filmfest project will be graded and added into the third quarter. My rules are - no vehicles or firearms unless supervised by an adult. Creativity is encouraged, but students should remember, it is a history project. There should be a factual base.

Chapter Tests

Frequently there may be tests over more than one chapter. On each test there will be a variety of question types, with some objective, as multiple choice, matching, etc, and always some short answer and essay.