Course Syllabus

Contact Information

CATA Office: Room 107

Course Overview

Our class is a survey course, meaning we will be hitting the main points and themes from the very broad umbrella term of “World History”. We will begin our study in 1200 AD and work our way up to the 21^st century. Our class is based on an interactive study of history in which students will work together using methods learned in class to study history intently. So, not only will you learn history, but you will also learn how to be a historian.

Course Objectives

Students will be learning World History through the use of the following six social science lenses: Inquiry, Behavioral Science, Civics and Government, Economics, Geography, & History. A more detailed description of course objectives can be found here: https://www.dpi.nc.gov/media/11822/open

CATA Honors Statement

World History HN is an honors-level course. This course is also available in the Program of Studies at the College Preparatory level. Students earning credit for an Honors level course receive an elevated number of Quality Points for their Grade Point Average. Students choosing the Honors level course should be aware that this Honors level course will include:

Required extension opportunities that are directly related to the Standard Course of Study. This includes additional content beyond that covered in the College Preparatory level.
More challenging coursework and assessments. Students will be expected to demonstrate higher levels of understanding for grades.
Projects and presentations will be more in-depth.
Students will have to focus and study regularly to master the content.
The expectation is that students can move through the coursework at an accelerated pace and students experiencing difficulty should quickly seek guidance from their teacher on how they can be more successful.

Grading

This course operates on a points-based system. This means graded items will be assigned a point-value based on weight. Larger items like tests and projects will earn more points than smaller items like homework and classwork. Students can easily calculate their grade by adding up the total amount of points they have earned and dividing it by the total points possible.

Tutoring

I will be available to students before and after school as well as during their advisory block. My set office hours are Tuesdays (8:30-9:00) and Thursdays (3:45-4:15). I can be available most mornings and afternoons as long as you tell me about it first!

Suggested Materials

Organize yourself in a way that works well for you. You are the expert on what system will help you succeed. You will need a place to take notes (Laptop, Binder, Notebook) and a place to put loose papers (Folder, Binder). If you have questions or think you may want help organizing yourself, talk to me NOW! Not after your grade is suffering.

We will be using the student laptops daily, even if you choose to take handwritten notes. Bring you laptop and charger to class every day so you are able to participate.

Resources

Class Textbook: Ramírez, Susan Elizabeth, Peter Stearns, and Sam Wineburg. World History: Human Legacy. Holt Rinehart Winston, 2008.

Assessments and Assignments

We will be doing a variety of assignments and projects during our course. Students can expect to complete homework and classwork as well as larger projects, essays, tests & quizzes. Students are on a points-based system and the point-weight of an assignment will always be clearly communicated when assigned.

Make-Up Work Policy

If a student is absent from school, the student will have three days from their return date to complete any missed work. It is the student’s responsibility to come see me if they are absent. I also encourage students to check the class canvas page on days they are absent (if they are able) so they know what information is being covered.

Classroom Expectations

Behavior

Students are expected to be respectful to their peers both in and out of class. This includes arriving on time, monitoring their volume when speaking, and NEVER using offensive or inappropriate speech about anyone or anything.

Technology

Students will be asked to use their laptop almost every day. To make sure they can participate effectively, they will need to bring their laptop and laptop charger to class every day.

Cell Phones and Personal Technology

There will be time during the semester when students will be allowed to use their cell phones for educational purposes. During times when cell phones are not part of instruction, students will be expected to keep their phones on silent and stowed in their bookbag/pocket.

During assessments, students may be asked to place their cell phones and personal devices in a distanced but visible location for the duration of the assessment. Personal devices include smart watches, Bluetooth headphones, cell phones, and other small communication devices.

Cheating & Plagiarism

My classroom has a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY on cheating and plagiarism. If you are found cheating on an assignment or assessment, you will receive an automatic zero on the assignment and an office referral. Forms of cheating include; Using cell phones and/or personal communication devices during an assessment, communicating with peers during an assessment, using unauthorized materials during an assessment, discussing assessment questions/content with peers who have yet to complete the assessment. Forms of plagiarism include; Copying and submitting works from online resources, copying and submitting works from a peer, copying and submitting works from the instructor, submitting work to the instructor that is not your own.

Late Work Policy

Students should turn in their assignments/homework when prompted to, generally at the beginning or end of class. Due dates/times will always be clearly communicated with students in advance. If an assignment is one day late, the student will lose 10% of the points possible. 2 days is 20%. 3 days is 30%. Etc. Once an assignment due date is passed, the student can still submit the assignment, but may only receive up to 50% credit.

Online Learning Platform

UCPS and CATA operate all online learning through Canvas. Assignments can be submitted a variety of ways including, uploading files, typing into text boxes, and sharing Google documents/presentations. Students not having used Canvas before should alert the teacher and they will be shown how to submit assignments on Canvas. Individual assignments will indicate which method of submission on Canvas is expected. If students need a refresher or have questions, they can access the Canvas Student Guide for specific instructions. It is the student's responsibility to ensure assignments are submitted on time and to contact the instructor if there is a problem. The Canvas Learning Platform logs every student log-in on Canvas which provides teachers with a list of when students log-in to Canvas using their user id.

Canvas is used to grade assignments as well, however, the grades in Canvas, while accurate to that assignment, are NOT the teacher’s gradebook. The teacher’s gradebook includes categories of assignments that may be weighted differently and may include grades for assignments that did not use the Canvas Learning Platform. Therefore, students and parents should always check their child’s true average on the Parent Portal on Powerschool.