Course Syllabus

 AP United States History

Syllabus & Course Outline

Weddington High School

Mr. Schnee

2019-2020

 

Welcome to AP United States History!

As its name suggests, this is a college level class focusing on the history of America from the pre-Columbian societies to present day. You will be reading at an accelerated pace and volume with daily writing. This class is designed to expose students to the rigors of a college History course, so you must be willing to devote significant time and attention to the prescribed coursework to be successful.

Objectively, this course will help students improve on the following skills:

• Critical reading of primary and secondary sources
• Constructing and evaluating historical interpretations
• Essay writing and oral communication
• Cause and effect relationships
• Comparative analysis
• Inductive and deductive reasoning
• Time management, organization, and study skills

 

Course Objectives: 

Students will be able to...

• Demonstrate a mastery of a broad body of historical knowledge
• Use historical evidence to defend and support basic arguments and positions
• Differentiate between various schools of historical thought and interpretation
• Interpret and draw conclusions from various pieces of historical data including original documents, political cartoons, graphs, etc.
• Demonstrate an effective use of analytical skills of evaluation, cause-and-effect relationships, and compare and contrast
• Work effectively in groups to produce products, make presentations, and solve problems
• Prepare for and receive a grade of 3 or higher on the AP U.S. History Exam.

 

Themes in AP U.S. History: These themes have been determined by the College Board as essential to a comprehensive study of United States history. 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 essential to understanding United States History (reference the included chart for more details).

 

• America and National Identity (NAT)
• Politics and Power (POL)
• Work, Exchange, and Technology (WXT)
• Culture and Society (CUL)
• Migration and Settlement (MIG)
• Geography and the Environment (GEO)
• America in the World (WOR)

 

 

Materials for course:

 

-Pencils

-Pens (blue/black ink only)

- 2-inch 3-ring binder

-Loose leaf paper for in-class use

-Post-it notes for marking throughout your textbook

-Large spiral notebook OR composition books

-Highlighters

 

 

Required Textbook:

United States History: Preparing for the Advanced Placement Examination (2015-2018 edition)

Additional Readings:

Zinn, Howard. A People’s History of the United States (New York: Harper Perennial, 2005)

Schweikart, Larry. A Patriot’s History of the United States (New York: Sentinel, 2004)

In addition to the reading required from your textbook, we will use a selection of primary and secondary sources, or excerpts from them.  This allows you to have contact with many voices and points of view from each era.

Absences:

We will follow the WHS and Union County policies in regards to absences.  In our classroom, you are responsible for the work you have missed due to an absence.  Plan to turn in all work that was due on the day missed at the time you return and prepare to ask the teacher for the work that was missed.  You will be given two days to turn in the work and make up any quizzes or test from the day(s) you were absent.  It is your responsibility to get your make up work to and from your teacher.

Grading:

This course will be graded similarly to a college course.  You will be tested in the same format as the AP test you will take on Friday, May 10, 2019.  This will enhance your chance of doing well on that test and prepare you for the style of testing seen in a college course. You will also keep an outline notebook throughout the semester.  This will be done in the spiral notebook that needs to be able to stay in class when asked.  These notebooks will be graded on your ability to show me that you are exploring what you have read, not merely summarizing or providing a superficial or oversimplified analysis.

In-Class Grading:  Points are earned by performance on various assignments, projects, quizzes, and tests. Your final grade will be calculated by the total amount of points earned divided by the total points possible. Grades will consist of Long Essay Questions (LEQs) and Document-Based Questions (DBQs), quizzes, tests, homework (reading assignments and outlines), and classwork (maps, seminar discussions, etc.). In addition, you will take the UCPS Common Assessments and the American History 1 NC Final Exam in January, and the AP Exam in May.

Grading Scale:

A 100-90

B 89-80

C 79-70

D 69-60

F Below 60

Please keep in mind that I do not curve grades on tests, quizzes, assignments, or exams.

Online Interaction:

Canvas, Google sites, forums and turnitin.com are all used in this course.  The benefit of using online resources will not only enhance the student’s understanding of this course, it will also prepare the student for the type of professor/student interaction found on most college campuses.

Maps:

The following links are just an example of the American History Maps that you must know for this AP U.S. History course.  We will do a map activity at least once a week in this course. Knowing the geography of this country, as it expands and changes, is essential to your understanding of the material.

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/histus.html

http://www.learner.org/interactives/historymap/index.html

http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/historical.html

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MAP/map_hp.html

Homework:

Homework will be assigned every night in AP U.S. History.  Assignments will always include reading and note-taking.  Additional assignments will include essay writing, research, and discussion questions.  Homework MUST be turned in on the assigned due date, at the beginning of the class period, in order to receive any credit.

Plagiarism:

I take plagiarism very seriously in my class.  Please refer to your Academic Honor Code for plagiarism policies.  Be reminded that whether you give your work to someone else to copy, or are copying from someone, both parties will be charged with plagiarism.  Penalties for plagiarism in this course strictly follow WHS policy.  Most written work will be done in class, but other assignments may be turned in on turnitin.com.  If you are not familiar with the site, please take time to look at it before turning in your first online assignment.

Quizzes:

Quizzes will be both announced and unannounced. Students must be prepared daily for a possible quiz on material covered in class as well as that assigned for homework the night before.  Some writing assignments also hold the value of quiz grades rather than homework grades.

Testing:

Students will take objective exams covering material from the textbook, supplemental readings, discussions, and lectures.  The design of each exam will be a multiple choice section and an essay section; this will either be a document-based question (DBQ), long essay question (LEQ), or both.  The tests actually count as two separate grades: one for the multiple choice test and one for the essay.  I try to have graded assignments back to you as soon as possible.

 Most objective tests consist of 55 multiple choice questions and a 35 minute essay question. The tests are timed to approximate the time allowed on the AP Exam.  Occasionally, due to time constraints, the two segments of the test are given on two separate days.

The DBQ part of each test is composed of a 15 minute planning period and a 45 minute writing period. Students may not begin formally writing their responses during the planning period; they may only plan. This is the same timing they will experience during the AP Exam. I stop students after 15 minutes and tell them that the 45 minute period of writing has begun.  This is meant to help students recognize that the planning period is a good start, but that they probably need several more minutes to plan before beginning to write their responses.

 The AP United States History Exam is comprehensive, covering material from the entire year. Students who are enrolled in the AP U.S. History course are expected to take the AP U.S. History Exam. Class time is allotted for review, and many students participate in informal study group review sessions and take a practice test, which is also scheduled outside of school hours.

The AP United States History Exam is Friday, May 8, 2020 at 8am.

Tutoring:

Students are encouraged to attend tutoring as necessary to enable their maximum success in class.  I welcome the opportunity to help students on an individual basis.  The tutoring schedule will be posted in my classroom. This could also be done during Warrior Block on your period’s designated day.

Extra Credit:

I rarely offer extra credit for any of my classes. However, AP United States History is an exceptionally challenging course and I reserve the right to assign students extra credit work in order to master the course material, not just to boost his or her grade.  No extra credit work will be given to any student who does not make every attempt to attend tutoring, or who has any missing or late assignments.

The Key to Success:

The most important factor in this class is consistent effort and improvement.  Do not be discouraged if your grades seem low after the 1^st test or in the first grading period.  For many of you, this is your first AP course and some of you are taking several AP courses this semester.  The load can sometimes be heavy and even seem to be unbearable, but effective management of your time is essential.  What you learn in terms of writing, thinking and study skills will be well worth the effort.  (Not to mention the money you may save on college credits!)

For the course calendar and other valuable resources, please go to the course Canvas page and website.

----------------------INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO MR. SCHNEE’S CLASS:-----------------------

 

Class Site: shorturl.at/iptF6 (for reading/assignment calendar and helpful resources)

 

Regular Classroom Procedures:

1. Outline Notebook: Your reading outlines are to be Cornell style. For the textbook, you are required to complete 2 pages of written outlines for every 5 pages of reading. For the Zinn and Schweikert books, you are required to have 2 pages of outline for every 10 pages of reading as assigned. You will write these in your spiral notebook/composition books and turn them on the day of each test to be graded and returned to you. It is recommended that you have a separate notebook for the textbook and one for the People’s & Patriot’s.
2. DAILY warm ups: These will be at the start of every class and will consist of some discussion, as well as questions relating to previous or upcoming content in class. These are to be done in your notebooks.
3. If you wish to use the restroom, get some water, or leave the room for any reason, you must fill out the sign-out/sign-in sheet. Go and return as efficiently as possible.

***More procedures will be added as we go throughout the semester, but the above are for everyday reference.

Class Rules: (some are also school rules that you should hear again)

1. Be Prepared – have all necessary materials for the day out when the bell rings, work from bell to bell, and do all necessary work for the class
2. Be Engaged – hold your head up with your neck, phones and headphones away, only work on my class’s work, and eyes ears and minds focused.
3. Be Mindful of Others – respectfully share your opinions and respect others’, think before you speak
4. Be Hungry (a.k.a.: No Food) – it is distracting, messy, and could trigger allergic reactions.

***School Rules:  We will follow all school and district rules that have been laid out for you in your student handbook.***

Technology Use:

1. Chromebooks/Computers are ONLY to be used when directed to research a topic or complete other class-related work
2. Phones: ONLY for class-related activities and when permitted to do so. Otherwise, keep it put AWAY (not on your desk or lap…).
3. If you are seen using these items and other devices for something unrelated to class, your privileges will be revoked until further notice. The item will be confiscated for the remainder of the class or turned into the office for pick up.

Supplies:

1. Pens & pencils
2. Colored pencils
3. Highlighters
4. 2 notebooks (composition is sturdiest, but spiral notebooks are OK too).
5. A binder and/or folders to keep materials for class in.

 

Parent “Signature”:

Parents/Guardians, please send me an email containing your contact information (Michael.schnee@ucps.k12.nc.us) with your child’s name and period in the Subject Line.  I will use your email as confirmation that you have read this syllabus and I will give your child credit for completing this assignment.  If you need anything, please feel free to email, call, or schedule a visit.