Advanced Placement United States History s5

ADVANCED PLACEMENT UNITED STATES HISTORY GENERAL GUIDELINES Mr. Wilson/Mr. Villamagna

Mr. Wilson’s Website: http://cwush.wikispaces.com Mr. Villamagna’s Website: http://villamagna.wikispaces.com

Welcome to Advanced Placement U.S. History at Cypress Woods High School. We are extremely proud of the fact that you have chosen to take on this academic challenge. Here are some general guidelines that we would like you and your families to be familiar with as we begin this school year.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Academic integrity is one of the most important components of being a quality student. This goes well beyond cheating on tests. All reading quizzes in this class are open notes. The only notes that are allowed are those that are the product of your own individual work. Group note- taking for quizzes is not allowed. Sharing notes with another student is not allowed. We have no problem if you discuss the content of the reading with other students but under no circumstances should there be a group endeavor to take notes or share notes.

A lack of academic integrity reflects poorly on your character as a student. Any student found to be involved in this type of activity may be removed from the class. It will also be very difficult to write a favorable college recommendation for a student that has demonstrated a lack of academic integrity. We have confidence that you will rise up to the highest standards of academic integrity here at Cy-Woods.

TEXTBOOKS

The main textbook you are issued through this class America: A Narrative History (Brief 7 th Edition), Tindall and Shi) is like any other school issued textbook. You will be issued this textbook in class. However, we strongly urge you to consider purchasing the text. By making the decision to purchase the text, you can then write in the book throughout the school year. This allows you to highlight in it as you prepare for your weekly quizzes. This text will also be a valuable source of reference during your college years. If you choose to write in the text, you do not need to pay for it until the end of the school year. We will charge the replacement cost for this book in May 2010.

The supplemental textbook for this course is listed below. A PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES – by HOWARD ZINN. **This textbook needs to be purchased although we have seen the entire text online in the past. Students can acquire the text online at a place like www.amazon.com or at the Barnes and Nobles: The Centre in Copperfield 7026 Hwy 6 North Houston, TX 77095 281-861-6842

Houston Champions 5303 FM 1960 West Houston, TX 77069 281-631-0681 ISBN-10: 0060838655

ISBN-13: 978-0060838652 **Any students with financial hardships should privately contact Mr. Villamagna or Mr. Wilson.

SUPPLEMENTAL READINGS

FALL SEMESTER

1. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, Written by Himself – Try www.amazon.com for this or a local bookstore. We have seen the entire text online in the past. ***Douglass wrote a number of autobiographies. Make sure you get this particular autobiography.

ISBN-10: 0312257376

ISBN-13: 978-0312257378

ISBN-10: 0393969665

ISBN-13: 978-0393969665 SPRING SEMESTER

2. Plunkitt of Tammany Hall, A Series of Very Plain Talks on Very Practical Politics - Try www.amazon.com for this or a local bookstore. We have even seen the entire text online in the past.

ISBN-10: 0451526201

ISBN-13: 978-0451526205 **Any families with financial hardships should privately contact Mr. Villamagna or Mr. Wilson.

THE ADVANCED PLACEMENT EXAM

This course prepares you to be successful on this exam which will be given on Friday May 7, 2010. Over 300,000 students worldwide took this exam last year. The exam is an internationally recognized measurement. Most colleges and universities provide some sort of credit for successful completion of this exam. We urge you and your family to contact the different colleges you are considering to determine what their policies are in regard to AP exams. You can use this website to get started: http://www.collegeboard.com/ap/creditpolicy. We want every one of you to take the AP exam in May. We have traditionally had virtually every AP History student take the exam and most AP History students earn impressive results. This is a tribute to the quality students that we have had over the years. We know you will be able to follow in their footsteps. DUAL CREDIT

AP U.S. History at Cy-Woods is also offered for dual credit with Cy-Fair College (Lone Star system.) What this means is that if you meet the requirements for entry into Cy-Fair College and pay a semester tuition fee, you can receive Cy-Fair College credit as well as high school credit for this course. AP U.S. History is HIST 1301 (Fall) and HIST 1302 (Spring) in the Texas college system. There are no additional classroom requirements for the Cy-Fair College credit other than a requirement that dual credit students take the semester final exam. A student enrolled in dual credit will receive a course grade based on their semester average. Therefore, each semester it is possible to earn 3 credits (for a total of 6 credits for the year). We will provide students with the due dates and applications for this program, but in the end it is the family’s responsibility to work with Cy-Fair College and Mrs. Kitterman in our counseling office to enroll in dual credit U.S. history. August 28 is this year’s deadline for dual credit registration.

The Cy-Fair College credit is the same that any other student of that college would receive with no mention of Cy-Woods HS on the transcript. It is an inexpensive way ($45 a semester) to earn college credit and is accepted in many other colleges. However, some schools (especially out of state) will not transfer the Cy-Fair College credit and there is no question that taking the AP exam is more prestigious and more widely accepted than a junior college transcript. THEREFORE, WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU TAKE BOTH THE AP EXAM AND THE DUAL CREDIT. The cost of doing both of these is reasonable and, most importantly, having the AP Test credit will allow you to transfer credits to just about anywhere your academic career leads you. It also allows you to compare yourself to other juniors in the country and around the world. Students who take AP courses AND take AP tests perform better in college than those who do not. Having the Cy-Fair College credit is great insurance against the AP test not going the way you hoped it would.

MAKE-UPS

It is very difficult to make-up classes you have missed. We do not do worksheets or study guides that we can hand out to you and have you complete. The class has an interactive lecture/discussion format. The best you can do when you return from an absence is to review notes from a diligent note taker and discuss with a colleague what was discussed in class. We are also available to meet with you, give you a brief overview of what you missed and answer any questions you may have.

Whereas each personal circumstance will be taken into account, it is highly frowned upon to be missing quiz days. It is a matter of academic integrity. If you have not prepared yourself properly, come to class, do the best you can on the quiz, and prepare yourself for next week. Bonus questions are only given in class on the original quiz day. There are no bonus opportunities given on make-up quizzes. The make-up for missed Friday quizzes is the following Monday or Tuesday. The make-up for missed Wednesday and Thursday quizzes is Friday afternoon.

Understanding that there may be a time where circumstances beyond your control have prevented you from preparing for a quiz, we extend to each one of you an imaginary chip. The chip can be used ONE time per semester on a quiz day where you are not as prepared as you would like to be. We will allow you to take your reading into the library that day and spend the quiz period catching up on your reading. You are then required to take the make-up quiz without bonus questions. Use this chip wisely.

HOWEVER, ANY STUDENT WHO IS PRESENT FOR EVERY QUIZ GIVEN IN THE SEMESTER ON THE DAY IT IS GIVEN AND WHO HAS NOT USED THEIR CHIP WILL HAVE POINT FIVE (.5) ADDED TO THEIR SEMESTER AVERAGE. THIS IS A REWARD FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE THE DISCIPLINE AND THE LUCK TO BE HERE ON THOSE DAYS. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS.

DROPPING THE COURSE

It is important to understand that AP U.S. History is NOT just an advanced level of U.S. History K. AP History is a totally different course in that it is a college course whose content covers all of United States history whereas the other junior U.S. History course covers only the second half of U.S. history. District policy requires that any drops from this course be completed by the end of the third week of class. The only other opportunity to drop the course is after the completion of the Fall semester. It is also important to understand that dropping this course at semester requires that you still take junior history for a full year (the AP semester serving as an elective credit). Consult your counselor to understand all the implications of dropping the course.

We would appreciate it if you and your parents would sign below to acknowledge that you have received these guidelines and understand them. Parents, if there are any areas in which you need further clarification, feel free to contact us at 281 213-1930. Students, we are extremely excited about having you in our classroom this year. Thank you. ------