Course Syllabus

Course: American Civics & Literacy Honors

Teacher: Henry Credle

Contact: henry.credle@ucps.k12.nc.us

Room: 501

Planning: 4^th Block

Description: This course serves to teach students about the underpinnings of America from the philosophy of Natural Rights all the way to concepts like Appellate Jurisdiction. Additionally, this course serves to teach students about the political system and their place within it so they better understand the society in which they live

Goals: Students will be able to:

·        Understand the bases and ideologies at the core of America’s Founding

·        Describe the government of the United States and its branches

·        Analyze primary and secondary sources that give insight into America

·        Summarize the powers of local and state governments

·        Know how they can get involved in the American political system

·        Chart the progression of civil liberties and rights throughout America’s history

Necessary items for class:

·        Notebook (preferably three subject)

·        1 Pack of 10 black pens

·        Chromebook & Chromebook Charger

Need Help?: If a student needs tutoring or additional help please contact me, I am available during Cougar Time and Planning Periods besides Tuesdays

Work Policies

The Grade Scale is as follows:

·        Homework/Classwork – 40%

·        Projects – 30%

·        Tests – 30%

Note: All assignments assessed for “Correctness” will be eligible for corrections in the following point scaling

·        Homework/Classwork – 100%

·        Projects – Dependent on project, will define in assignment details

·        Tests – 50%

Corrections are a privilege, not a right, and can be revoked at any time for any reason

Homework: There will be three genres of homework that are as follows

·        Vocabulary: A necessary evil of the curriculum. Students will be asked to define the term or give an explanation of what it is. This assignment is participation-based, either a 100%, 75% or 0% depending on substantiveness of work.

·        Canvas Discussions: Students give their opinion on a prompt (paragraph length) then reply to another classmate’s opinion saying whether they disagree or agree. Simple regurgitation of what the other student just said, a response with the complexity of a simple “I agree,” or a combination of the two do not suffice. Please expound on your agreement or disagreement. This assignment is participation-based, either a 100%, 75% or 0% depending on substantiveness of work.

·        Current Event: Similar to canvas discussions there will be opportunities for students to share current events they feel are interesting and related to the class. Students will need to summarize an article of their choosing about a current event that interests them and then give a short blurb about What It Means* (in total paragraph length). Then respond to one other student’s current event and provide their own interpretation of What It Means. This assignment is participation-based, either a 100%, 75% or 0% depending on substantiveness of work.

·        Short Quiz: Weekly take-home, multiple-choice quiz. Corrections are offered and require the following: Why you thought it was the answer you chose, why the other answer is correct, and the question rewritten with the correct answer.

What It Means: Tell me what the current event/article means to you or your opinion on the event.

Exam: This course’s exam is exemptible if you meet the requirements. You may be exempt ONLY if you have an A average for the semester and no more than 2 unexcused absences -OR- a B average for the semester with no more than 1 unexcused absence. More information on this towards the end of the semester.

Extra Credit: Extra credit is available on a case-by-case basis, no zeroes may be in the gradebook for the grading period if one wishes to take advantage of extra credit.

Late Policy: Each schoolday late is 10% off final grade with a 0 being input on the fifth day. All assignments have due dates at least five class days in the future. If you know you will be unable to complete an assignment on time, please let me know and we can work it out. If a student submits an assignment more than five days late they will receive a 2%

Make-Up Work: Each excused absence = Two class days to complete work. This excludes planned absences (ex: Band Trips, Family Vacations, etc.). If you have a planned absence, please speak to me so we can set up a learning plan ahead of time. Additionally, prolonged absences (5+ days) will be dealt with on a case by case basis

Plagiarism/Cheating: Cheating is academic doping and I find it despicable. By cheating or plagiarizing you not only cheat yourself of learning but also gain an unfair and undue advantage in the competition of life. If caught cheating you will receive a 0, a referral, and a parent contact. Additionally, all future digital assignments will have to be handwritten as you have demonstrated a capacity for deceit that is only aided by modern technology.

As for Plagiarism I have no issue with using sources in an assignment, even full quotes. However, you must give credit to the author of the work. The standard of credit in this class is an in-text citation with author last name at the end of a quote or paraphrase as well as a link to the source. Failure to complete this will result in a 0, referral, and parent contact. However, all hope is not lost. If the student completes the assignment “Documenting Sources” by hand and turns it in by the end of the grading period they are eligible to resubmit the assignment.   

Miscellaneous Rules and Guidelines

Class Overview: Classes will generally be half-lecture, half-activity meaning that we strive reinforce concepts the day they are learned. For each project there will be set aside days to work towards its completion but work outside of class may be necessary. All tests will be announced with at least two weeks’ notice.

Idiosyncrasies: These are the weird things for my class that I just want to outline ahead of time

·        Chromebooks cannot be used for note-taking during lectures unless otherwise approved for use

·        Phones are allowed to be kept by students except on test or presentation days during which they must be turned in

·        There will be a lot of discussions in-class, please keep everything respectful especially when discussing sensitive issues

Civics 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 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.

Tardy Policy: At CATA, instruction is very important. All students are expected to be in their classrooms and ready to receive instruction before the tardy bell rings for each class. Following the tardy bell, students who are not in class must report to the front office for a tardy pass if they tardy to first period.  During the rest of the day teachers will mark student tardy in the PowerSchool Attendance System.   Only students with a Tardy Pass will be admitted after the tardy bell rings for any class period.  There is absolutely no food allowed in the classrooms.  Students may not bring in food.  

o    Tardies will be recorded as unexcused unless an excuse can be verified by staff. 

o    All students must report to the office when tardy to first period and to class the rest of the day.  Teachers will mark students tardy who are late to 2nd period, 3rd period, and 4th period.  If a student is tardy twice in third period on Cougar Time days (Once before class and once after lunch), then the teacher will  mark them tardy one time in Power School and write it up as a minor incident in Educator Handbook for the second tardy of the period.    

o    Tardies will result in the following penalties:

§  1st/2nd Tardy:  Warning from an administrator in the front office (1st period) and the teacher in the classroom (all periods).

§  3rd Tardy:  Warning from an administrator in the front office (1st period) and the teacher in the classroom (all periods).  The teacher will contact the parent on the third tardy by phone.  

§  4th/5th Tardy:  Warning from an administrator in the front office (1st period) and the teacher in the classroom (all periods). The teacher will submit a discipline referral to the administration and 1 day ASD with administration.  The administration will contact the parent.  

§  6th/7th Tardy:  Warning from an administrator in the front office (1st period) and the teacher in the classroom (all periods).  The teacher will submit a discipline referral to the administration and 2 days ASD with administration.  The administration will contact the parent.  

§  8th Tardy: Warning from an administrator in the front office (1st period) and the teacher in the classroom (all periods).  The teacher will submit a discipline referral to the administration and 3 days ASD.  The administration will set up a parent conference, create a written plan, and possible additional consequences.  

The administration reserves the right to modify consequences on a case-by-case basis whenever appropriate. This may include loss of parking privileges. Students arriving on late buses will not be considered tardy.

Canvas: The majority of assignments will be submitted on our new "learning platform," 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.