Putnam City West High School

Vinita High School ADVANCED PLACEMENT U.S. HISTORY (APUSH) COURSE SYLLABUS – Mrs. Lierle

I. INSTRUCTOR AND COURSE INFORMATION

Brittani Lierle: Room 121 / (580) 774-9643 Email: [email protected]

Schedule: 1st hour: Algebra 1 2nd hour: Algebra 1 3rd hour: APUSH 4th hour: Algebra 1 5th hour: PLAN 6th hour: Algebra 1

Course Website: www. Orgsites.com/ok/mrslierle2012

This course is designed to increase the student’s understanding of United States History from its beginning to the present, its development and institutions. The goals of the class are to develop (1) an understanding of some of the principle themes in early and modern U.S. History, (2) an ability to analyze historical evidence, and (3) an ability to analyze and to express historical understanding in writing and other forms of communication.

Advanced Placement courses are taught and graded at the college level and require a high level of student commitment. Student responsibility is greater in an Advanced Placement class. It is a rigorous, fast paced, and challenging course designed to be the equivalent of a college freshman US History survey course. Students should possess strong reading and writing skills and be willing to devote substantial time to study and for the completion of class reading assignments. Emphasis is placed on class discussion, the use of primary and secondary sources, critical reading, and analytical writing.

Any AP Class requires hard work and a commitment to intellectual growth. All students are strongly encouraged to dedicate themselves to the goals of AP US History and to take the AP Exam at the end of the school year (Friday, May 15). I hope that you will be rewarded with a sense of accomplishment and the belief that even a rigorous class can be enjoyable.

***Preparation for the exam, however, is the student’s responsibility. They can not rely on me to hammer all pertinent information into their brains. They must also prepare on their own. I have many resources that will help and I will do everything possible to help them feel more comfortable about the exam.

II. COURSE EVALUATION

Six weeks and semester grades will be determined as follows:

 Tests: o At the end of each unit a test will be given. There will be approximately 45 multiple choice questions with 70% of these questions coming directly from the text. The other 20% will be from lecture, supplemental readings, and group presentations. The multiple choice questions will also be 10% cumulative coming from chapters previously tested. There will also be times where the students will have to answer essay questions and/or formulate thesis statements as an additional assessment.  Quizzes: o Reading Quizzes will be given for every chapter, these will be short answer ‘vocabulary term’ quizzes; students will need to identify the “what” and “why” of each vocabulary term. They will be VERY easy if the students has read the assigned chapter and paid attention to people, places, and important events. o Other quizzes will be given periodically – either announced or unannounced – in order to evaluate the students’ knowledge of the material on a day-to-day basis. If I assign an outside reading and I feel the students have not read; they will receive a “pop-quiz” to test that assumption.  Daily / Homework: o Read all assigned chapters and outside readings when they are due! Check the six weeks calendar often to keep up with all reading assignments. Your ability to keep up with the material and readings will help facilitate class discussions and learning. o A variety of oral, written, group and individual assignments will be given (e.g., charts, group tests, participation in seminars and debates, etc…).  Final Exam (10% of total grade): There will be a comprehensive final exam given on the last day of the semester that covers everything accomplished that semester. It is all identification – so I would keep up with any textbook notes taken!  Makeup: Makeup tests are to be completed by appointment. This appointment must be made and completed within one week after your return to school. If you return to school on the day after the test you will be expected to take the test THAT DAY – if you fail to do so – I will have no choice other than to give you an essay test. The responsibility for makeup is entirely the student's!

III. TEXTS AND TEXTBOOK WEBSITE

Basic Text: David M. Kennedy, Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas Bailey. The American Pageant, 13th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005.

Website: The American Pageant: http://college.cengage.com/history/us/kennedy/am_pageant/13e/student_home.html

IV. ACCOUNTABILITY AND INDEPENDENT LEARNING

The student is responsible for reading and studying the survey text by Kennedy and Bailey. There will be a calendar given to each student (and posted on the website) to assist in helping them follow the schedule for reading and daily activities as well as quiz and test dates. While some of the text will be discussed in detail, much of it will be covered through independent learning. Approximately 70% of the multiple-choice questions on the unit tests will come directly from the text assignment. If you are having a problem comprehending the text then please try taking notes over each chapter and make an appointment to see me so we can discuss additional reading comprehension skills.

Supplemental readings will be given in the form of primary and secondary reading materials (essays, articles, documents, etc.) within each unit that will deal with an organizing concept that will be emphasized on the unit writing assignments. The materials are to be read and eventually used to help construct and defend a thesis within a timed written essay. These supplemental reading assignments will take the form of individual reading and response to questions, group assignments, and seminar-type or group discussions.

V. TAKING NOTES

Taking notes is a required independent activity for this course. Notes should be maintained and organized in a separate notebook. Note-taking strategies are varied and each individual student should determine the best way of taking notes for him/herself. Examples of common note-taking strategies:

 Cornell Notes are a form of two column notes that transform the note-taking process to note-making. This is accomplished by students summarizing the information noted.  Content Frames are visual representations of information. Frames work well with material that has main topics and similar subtopics where showing the inter-relationship of ideas is important.  Magnet Summaries are a form of two column notes where students write the central concept on one side with key worlds related to the concept underneath. In the other column, students write a summary sentence about the main concept.  Power Notes are similar to outlining. Students differentiate between main ideas and details. Main ideas are power 1 while details are power 2, 3, 4, etc.  Chapter Outlines focus on the main ideas of the chapter and summarize the information contained in the chapter.

Note-taking strategies/formats are not limited to the examples listed above. These are just a few of the more common methods used for taking notes. Note-taking should be used as a way of processing and categorizing the information you encounter in this class. Note-taking is a highly individualized activity. It’s important that you incorporate the method that is most effective for you.

VI. LIERLE’S STRATEGY FOR SUCCESS IN AP U.S. HISTORY CLASS 1. Discussion – NOT Lecture (learning is an active process, not passive) 2. We will study Historical Analysis and Interpretation (History is NOT black and white with dates!). We won’t discuss when the Civil War was fought – we will study WHY! What I will teach you is to considered truth – from a certain perspective. 3. Simulate the difficulty of the AP Exam. 4. Expose the students to LOTS of information. 5. Learning can be FUN as well as CHALLENGING (this is NOT an easy class – but it is a fun class – remember that you chose to be in this class).

I consider teaching this class a privilege, and I look forward to working with each student. Please feel comfortable contacting me with any questions or concerns that may arise during the year.

Parents and Students: Kindly sign and return the attached acknowledgement stating that you have read and understood what was expected for success in this class; including grading practices. Thank you.

______Brittani N. Lierle THREE COLUMNS OF INSTRUCTION – My Philosophy of Education

DIDACTIC COACHING The Acquisition of Development of Intellectual SEMINAR Organized Knowledge Skills Increased Understanding of Ideas and Values

Didactic Instruction is the Intellectual Coaching is guidance Small Group Seminar is a delivery of factual information. through modeling and questioning. collaborative, intellectual dialogue Lecture, demonstration, videos, Intellectual Coaching may begin facilitated by open-ended and reading are common forms of with a teacher modeling writing a questions about a text. The goal of Didactic Instruction. The goal of sentence, reading a paragraph, Engagement is for students to Didactic Instruction is for students solving a problem, or expand their understanding of to acquire the basic "must know hypothesizing about a reaction. ideas, concepts, and values about information" about a subject. Intellectual Coaching often the curriculum. Alternates to the APUSH with Lierle: Interactive happens by questioning as well as Small Group Seminars are Lecture, Assigned Readings from either positive or corrective Socratic Class Discussions and the Textbook and Other Primary feedback. The goal of Intellectual Whole Class Debates. and Secondary Sources, Note Coaching is for students to acquire APUSH with Lierle: Small Checks, Chapter Quizzes, and expertise in skills of learning, such Group Seminars, Socratic Class Tests. as reading, writing, calculating, Discussions, and Whole Class and observing. APUSH with Debates. Lierle: Writing Practice, Quiz Reviews, Group Tests, Small Group Work, and Essays.

------Vinita High School Advanced Placement U.S. History – Mrs. Lierle

Student: I have read the 2012-2013 Syllabus for Advanced Placement U.S. History and I understand my responsibilities as a student in this course and the requirements to maintain good standing.

Parent/Guardian: I have read the course syllabus for Advanced Placement U.S. History and support my student’s enrollment in this course.

______Student Parent/Guardian

Feel free to add any comments that you might need to share with me regarding this class or student.