Course Overview: Psychology Is Defined As the Scientific Study of the Mind and Behavior

AP US History 2017-2018

Mr. Benjamin Donnelly Email: [email protected] Phone: 720-424-1746 Office/Tutoring Hours: Stripe Days 7:30-7:55 or by appointment- Room 133

Contacting Me: Email is the best way to contact me as I am constantly checking my inbox. I will do my best to respond to all emails within 24 hours.

Rules: - No food or drink (yes, this includes your morning Starbucks) in the classroom with the exception of H2O in a capped bottle. - Use appropriate language. - Be respectful of yourself, of your classmates, and of the classroom. - NO CELLPHONES, HEADPHONES, or OTHER ELECTRONICS! If I see it, I take it- Keep them in your locker or bag. - Ipods, cameras or other recording devices may only be used with prior approval.

Expectations: - Come to class prepared and ready to learn every day. - Complete all assignments on time and to the best of your ability. - Actively participate in all activities and discussions. - Keep an open mind. - Take risks and make mistakes. Learning from our mistakes helps us grow. - Be accountable. Own your mistakes and take responsibility for your actions. - Maintain an environment of respect for both yourselves and others.

Materials: Being prepared means coming to class with all materials necessary for you to succeed. Students should bring the following with them to class every day:

- Both a pen and a pencil- All work must be done in only blue or black ink - Class specific Meade 5-Star notebook- the thick one (this is to be used only for this class and should not contain any work from other classes. We will go over specifics in class) - Highlighters - Give Me Liberty! Textbook - Any required readings or worksheets - Your brain

Course Overview: Advanced Placement United States History is designed to enable students to develop analytical skills and acquire a thorough knowledge of U.S. History. The approach to this course includes, but is not limited to, the following elements: development of substantial knowledge of social cultural, political, economic and military events relevant to the history of the United States; development of assessment and interpretive skills; development of map skill; and the development of communicative skills through the writing of coherent, analytical essays.

Required Course Materials:

- Give Me Liberty: An American History by Eric Foner o ISBN: 978-0-393-93430-4 The Publisher W.W. Norton & Co. offers this for $133.75, but you may be able to purchase through such sites as Amazon or past AP students at a discounted rate.

- A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn o ISBN: 978-0060838652

- Any AP US Prep book and flashcards, although Kaplan is highly recommended

Reading: This is a college level course and therefore a great amount of scholarly reading is expected. Almost all of the reading for this class will be completed outside of the classroom. The lecture notes in class are meant as a supplement, NOT A SUBSTITUTE for reading the text. It is very important that you keep up with the reading as well as it is easy to fall behind.

Grades: Grades will be available for parents and students through IC. I will also post grades in the classroom on a weekly basis by student number. Grades are determined using the following weighted categories: Process and Product. In accordance with district policy no extra credit will be available.

- Standard Grading Scale: 100-93= A, 92-90= A-, 89-87= B+, 86-83 = B, 82-80= B-, 79-77= C+, 76-73= C, 72-70= C, 69-60= D, 59-0 = F

In accordance with district policy each quarter will be entered as a stand-alone grading period. Each quarter will count as 45% of the semester grade with the remaining 10% coming from the final semester assessment.

- Example: Q1 (45%) + Q2 (45%) + Final (10%) = Final Semester Grade

Late Policy: Deadlines are an important part of life; therefore, they will be treated as such in the classroom. Everyone makes mistakes, but there will be escalating consequences. If you have an unexcused absence, you will not be able to turn in work due that day at a later time.

- 50% off for late work turned in within 48 hrs - Zero credit for late work turned in after 48 hrs - All papers submitted with no name will receive 50% off

Evaluations:

Process (30% of quarter grade)

- Daily Classwork – This includes all activities completed in class

- Writing – Prewriting, free response questions (FRQ) and document based questions (DBQ)

- Mini Quizzes - Given over various notes and reading selections.

- Homework – As this is a college level course, you can expect between 1-2 hours of homework a night. This includes your chapter work. Product (70% of quarter grade)

- Testing - Students will have a test over each chapter consisting of multiple-choice questions, identification, and writing prompts.

- Formal LEQ and DBQ essays

- Projects – Both individual and group assignments

Academic Integrity: Academic honesty is a fundamental principal of learning; therefore, written or other work which students submit must be their own and must follow proper citation guidelines. Please become familiar with the citation formats that will be used in this class. Presenting someone else’s work as your own, no matter where it originated, is cheating. If you choose to cheat on an assignment you will earn no credit for the assignment and a referral will be sent to Mr. Loera.

Attendance: Please review and become familiar with DSA's attendance policies and procedures in the Community Handbook. Please try to schedule any appointments or other activities outside the school day as attendance is necessary to be successful.

Tardy Policy: When you are late to class not only do you miss important information, but you also disrupt the flow of the class and the learning of others. As such the following tardy policy will apply:

- 1st and 2nd tardy = Freebie- no-consequence warning recorded in IC - 3rd tardy = Level A offense- DPS behavior packet #1 - 4th tardy = Level A offense- DPS behavior packet #2 - 5th tardy = Level B offense and call home - After 5 = Sent to Mr. Loera as a Level C offense

** If you miss a class because of a school based absence you are responsible for all assignments in accordance with the DSA Policy **