Standard/Honors American History I Syllabus

Hopewell High School Mr. Robb Bolar Standard/Honors American History I Syllabus Teacher email address – [email protected] Teacher phone number - 980-343-5988 Teacher Web Page - http://robbbolar.cmswiki.wikispaces.net/

I. Introduction

I am entering my seventh year at Hopewell High School and I have taught most of the courses offered in the Social Studies discipline, but I am most passionate about American History. I believe that students learn best when they are engaged and I will strive to include your student in all we do in my classroom.

II. Course Description

American History I: The Founding Principles will begin with the European exploration of the new world through Reconstruction. Students will examine the historical and intellectual origins of the United States from European exploration and colonial settlement to the Revolutionary and Constitutional eras. Students will learn about the important political and economic factors that contributed to the development of colonial America and the outbreak of the American Revolution as well as the consequences of the Revolution, including the writing and key ideas of the U.S. Constitution. American History I: The Founding Principles will guide students as they study the establishment of political parties, America’s westward expansion, the growth of sectional conflict, how that sectional conflict led to the Civil War, and the consequences of the Civil War, including Reconstruction.

III. Resources, References and Supplies

-Text: The Americans : Danzer et al…

Students should bring the following supplies to class every day

-Spiral notebook or college lined paper (100 sheets) -Blue or Black Pen and a pencil -2 inch, three-ring binder

IV. Rules and Expectations

a.i.1. Get to class on time. a.i.2. Bring all necessary materials to class every day. a.i.3. Use appropriate language. a.i.4. Treat all people, staff and students, with respect and courtesy. a.i.5. Take care of all CMS property. a.i.6. Give your best effort every day. a.i.7. Refrain from using or charging electronic devices unless otherwise given permission by the teacher.

V. Attendance and Make-up Work

Students are required to make up (recover) any days of absence in excess of 10 absences. Recovery must be scheduled with the course teacher and must be completed before the last week of the semester (finals week)

The make-up policy follows the school policy. If you are absent the day the assignment is assigned, you have five (5) days from your date of return set up a schedule for completion of the missing assignments. If the assignment was assigned before your absence, then it is due the day you return to class. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to see me for your make-up assignments! VI. Extra Help and Parent Contact

Please feel free to talk to me if you need help or do not understand an assignment. I will be willing to meet with you before school or after school. I am not a mind reader! If you need help, you have to ask. I will be in contact with your parents throughout the semester to report any problems such as grade shifts, missed classes or assignments. Tutoring will be offered at the following times:  Tuesdays 2:30-3:30 in room 960 Mr. Jensen  Thursdays 2:30-3:30 in room 957 Mrs. Hipp

Test retakes or make ups will be offered during the times listed above.

VII. Grading Policy

The grading scale is as follows:

93-100% = A, 85-92% = B, 77-84% = C, 70-76% = D, below 70% = F

In an effort to meet the objectives and requirements set forth by CMS Board Regulation IKA and Strategic Plan 2018: For a Better Tomorrow, Hopewell will institute the following grading policy for all courses and course levels. This grading policy will provide consistent guidelines to help ensure that grades reflect the level of content mastery students achieve.

Our Objective: “Every student at Hopewell High School will be given an opportunity to master course objectives through a variety of strategies provided during class and outside of class. Students’ formal grades will be broken down by specific objective. After each formal assessment, every student will be given the opportunity to improve their mastery of specific concepts and then demonstrate this improvement to improve their grade.”

All assignments will fall into one of two categories, informal and formal.

Informal Assessments: These will account for 30% of the quarter grade. Informal assessments must be linked to a specific course objectives and include a variety of assignments such as warm-ups, notebook checks, quizzes, in class tasks, class participation.

Formal Assessments: These will account for 70% of the quarter grade. Informal assessments are also linked to specific course objectives and will include unit tests, essays and other analytical writing assignments and major projects.

Concerted Effort: Student work will reflect thoughtful effort towards all items on class work, homework and assessments.

Remediation/Reassessment: Students who score below an 84% can retest after completing remediation. Students will receive the higher of the two grades for a maximum of 84%. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate and complete the remediation and the retest process within two weeks of the original test date or make other arrangements which are agreed to by the teacher. The 2nd test may be in a different format, but should maintain the rigor of the initial test. Students who scored above an 85% may also retest for the higher of the two grades after completing remediation.

Late Work: Students will receive a maximum 75% grade for work showing a concerted effort, if turned in by the beginning of the next class meeting. After this, late work showing concerted effort will receive a 50% grade if turned in prior to the first day of the published exam schedule for each quarter.

VIII. Homework

In order to be successful in any aspect of life, it is vital to be organized. A key element of being organized is managing your time. This course will involve short term projects as well as homework and tests. Each student should spend about a half hour between each class on homework. Even if there is not an explicit assignment, THERE IS ALWAYS HOMEWORK. You should review your notes and study after each class. IX. Miscellaneous

This syllabus is not etched in stone. It can change! However, I will do my best to try to stay as close to schedule as possible. I am extremely excited about this class. There is no limit as to how exciting U.S. History can be. However, just like most things in life, it all depends on your attitude. I expect you to come to class with a positive attitude and a willingness to participate. I firmly believe that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. So with that in mind, I hope we have a great semester together!!!!!

XI . Examples of possible assignments and projects

o Students will read primary source accounts of Columbus’ voyage vs. secondary sources and create a viewpoint on Columbus’ impact on Native Americans. o Students will create travel brochures that would be used to lure prospective colonists to the New World. o Analyze the Declaration of Independence using a series of Guided Questions o Given events of the Federalist Era, students will take a side either Federalist or Democratic Republican and debate their party’s stance on the event. o Students will be given a series of generalizations regarding Manifest Destiny and provide at least three specific pieces of evidence supporting/opposing the statement. o Students will assess the validity of the statement: “African slaves had a better life in the South than factory workers in the North” o Students will create a Time line laying out the short term causes of the Civil War in the 1850s. Students will then identify the North’s and South’s position on each of these events culminating in being able to answer the question: Was the Civil War inevitable? o Students will read primary sources concerning the political and social status of newly freed African Americans and generate a plan for integrating them into society. They will compare their ideas to the reality of the status of freed slaves after the Civil War.

The performance tasks that are listed above is a sampling of the type of work that we will be doing in class this semester. These types of assessments put greater emphasis on developing critical thinking skills and not as much emphasis on rote memorization of facts, although understanding concepts and knowing our nation’s history will continue to be a major aim of this course. The course will continue to be taught in a chronological sequence beginning with Exploration and Colonization and end with the Civil War and Reconstruction. In American History II during the second semester, we begin with Reconstruction and follow the chronology of American History to the present.

North Carolina’s American History I Standard Curriculum Goals

Goal - 1 Apply the four interconnected dimensions of historical thinking to the American History Essential Standards in order to understand the creation and development of the United States over time.

Goal 2 - Analyze key political, economic and social turning points in American History using historical thinking.

Goal 3- Understand the factors that led to exploration, settlement, movement, and expansion and their impact on United States development over time.

Goal 4- Analyze how conflict and compromise have shaped politics, economics and culture in the United States.

Goal 5- Understand how tensions between freedom, equality and power have shaped the political, economic and social development of the United States.

Goal 6 - Understand how and why the role of the United States in the world has changed over time.

Goal 7- Understand the impact of war on American politics, economics, society and culture.

Goal 8- Analyze the relationship between progress, crisis and the “American Dream” within the United States.