STUDENTS NAME: PERIOD: Loganville High School ADVANCED U.S. HISTORY SYLLABUS U.S. History Course Outline: U.S. History emphasizes the relationships between people, culture, religion, politics, economics, and the environment within the developments of the United States between Colonization and the Present. Through the study of U.S. History, high school students are expected to expand and apply the basic geography skills, ideas, and knowledge they have already acquired to key themes and concepts of U.S. history. This course is a very labor-intensive class. It requires students to learn the history of the U.S. from the dawn of colonization to the present in five months (16-18 weeks). It will require students to stay focused, actively participate in class activities, complete outside class assignments and homework, and read assigned unit readings. According to the Georgia Performance Standards for U.S. History, students are required to: GA STANDARD EXPECTATIONS SSUSH1 Describe European settlement in North America during the 17 th Century. SSUSH2 Trace the ways that the economy and society of British North America developed. SSUSH3 Explain the primary causes of the American Revolution. SSUSH4 Identify the ideological, military, and diplomatic aspects of the American Revolution. SSUSH5 Explain specific events and key ideas that brought about the adoption and implementation of the U.S. Constitution. SSUSH6 Analyze the nature of territorial and population growth, and its impact in the early decades of the new nation. SSUSH7 Explain the process of economic growth, its regional and national impact in the first half of the 19 th Century, and the responses to it. SSUSH8 Explain the relationship between growing north-south divisions and westward expansion. SSUSH9 Identify key events, issues, and individuals relating to the causes, course, and consequences of the Civil War. SSUSH10 Identify legal, political, and social dimensions of Reconstruction. SSUSH11 Describe the growth of big business and technological innovations after Reconstruction. SSUSH12 Analyze important consequences of American industrial growth. SSUSH13 Identify major efforts to reform American society and politics in the Progressive Era. SSUSH14 Explain America s evolving relationship with the world at the turn of the 20 th century. SSUSH15 Analyze the origins and impact of U.S. involvement in World War I. SSUSH16 Identify key developments in the aftermath of World War I. SSUSH17 Analyze the causes and consequences of the Great Depression SSUSH18 Describe Franklin D. Roosevelt s New Deal as a response to depression and compare the ways governmental programs aided those in need. SSUSH19 Identify the origins, major developments, and domestic impact of World War II, especially the growth of the federal government. SSUSH20 Analyze the domestic and international impact of the Cold War on the U.S. SSUSH21 Explain economic growth and its impact on the U.S. from 1945-1970. SSUSH22 Identify dimensions of the Civil Rights movement from 1945-1970. SSUSH23 Describe and assess the impact of political developments from 1945-1970. SSUSH24 Analyze the impact of 1960 s social change movements and organizations. SSUSH25 Describe changes in national politics since 1968.
Classroom Expectations: Every young man and woman has the capability of being a successful student. Some of the following hints have been developed by previous students and may help you to be successful this year. 1) Be in class on time and prepared to participate in class activities - Always have your pen/pencil, book, binder, unit journal, project supplies, etc. 2) Respect others and their property. (treat others like you wish to be treated) - Do not use negative put-downs - Do not talk when teacher or other students are talking - Do not touch someone else or their property without permission 3) Be responsible for yourself, your work, and your actions. - Inform teacher if your going to be absent and ask for make-up work. - Bring in an excuse if absent and ask for make-up work that you missed. - Ensure make-up work is turned in as required by school policy. - Ask for help when needed. (From a teacher, counselor, or student) 4) Be alert in class and participate in class discussions and activities. - Always try to do the best you can. - Help others that may not understand topic or activity. Classroom Environment: Learning should be fun, energetic, hands-on, and challenging. Every effort will be made to keep students actively challenged and engaged during the daily classroom activities. However, this depends a lot on student involvement and cooperation. Student IPAD s are a new learning tool to be used at the teacher s discretion and should not be used improperly or become a distraction to class instruction. All students will have assigned seats within the classroom for the purposes of attendance and getting to know student names. However, the class structure will provide ample opportunities for students to move around and work with each other during various class activities. All students are expected to comply with all major school rules. Classroom Consequences may include any of the following: - Verbal and Written Warnings - Classroom Strike System - After School detention - Parent / Guardian Contact - Referral to Administrator Classroom Activities: Students usually learn in a variety of ways. Some students are visual learners (learn by seeing things done or demonstrated), some are auditory learners (learn by hearing things told or read to them), and some are kinesthetic learners (learn by doing things themselves). It is our objective to reach all our students through the use of a variety of class activities. Classroom Activities will include (but not limited to) all of the following: - Lecture - Powerpoint and Video Presentations - IPAD Activities (Individual Learning, Research, Projects, Extension Activities) - Student Journals - Note-Taking (Lecture, Powerpoint, Q & A s, Fill-in, Videos) - Graphic Organizers (Timelines, Maps, Wire-diagrams, Story-Maps, etc.) - Student Reading and Writing Activities (Primary Documents, Paragraphs, Essays, Reports) - Student Peer Activities (Pair Share, Group Discussion, Peer Teaching) - Teacher Demonstrations - Research Projects
STUDENTS NAME: PERIOD: Loganville High School ADVANCED U.S. HISTORY SYLLABUS Use of Technology In this technological age, students must learn to make effective use of all forms of technology (iphones, ipads, computers, kindles, internet resources, etc). Students must also learn to respect both the strengths and weaknesses of technology. Technology can and will fail at the most inopportune times and students must learn to anticipate and try to prevent these difficulties when they can. The use of technology forces the user to be more responsible if they plan to be successful. While extenuating circumstances will always be considered; as a general rule, technological difficulties will not be acceptable excuses for late work. (example: My printer is broken! It s not on my disk! or I can t get my disk to open. ). Students should always ensure they have a printed or hand written copy of any work that they have done on a computer, just in case they experience technical problems later. ipads All High School Students will be issued ipads. These are no different than any other educational resource that is currently used in most classrooms. ipads are considered a tool to enhance learning and students will be expected to know and comply with the classroom policies concerning the proper use and care of ipads. Three basic commands or buzz-words will be utilized concerning ipad use in the classroom: UP = All eyes up front on the teacher for brief information (ipad s may be left open and on). CLOSE = Close the ipad and pay attention to instruction (ipad s may be left on the desk). OFF = Close and Put Away the ipad (ipad may not be on the desk and should be put away). ALL Students are required to comply with the School and County Policies concerning the use of ipads and other technology in school. Students are recommended to check out the county web site on proper do s and don ts concerning the ipads. Failure to comply with school and county policies will result in disciplinary and administrative actions concerning the continued use and availability of the ipad. Moodle Moodle is an online course management site that many teachers will be using to conduct their courses. The Advanced and AP US History courses will be utilizing Moodle to make assignments and informational guides available to the students. Some of the activities will be conducted in class, while others students will be expected to complete on their own at home. Eventually, students will be able to receive and hand in assignments using Moodle without having to print papers (unless required by the teacher). More information concerning Moodle will be provided to students during the course. Communication and Web Pages: In an effort the maintain constant lines of communication with parents and guardians, the teachers at LHS will utilize several methods 1. Telephone: This is the primary method of communication available to both parents / guardians and teachers. Parents are asked to ensure that all home and work phone numbers are provided to the school and kept up to date so that LHS staff may contact them when necessary. 2. Cell Phone: If parents / guardians have cell-phones, these numbers are also appreciated as an additional way for LHS staff to contact them when necessary. If the cell-phone number is your preferred primary number, please let the LHS staff know as soon as possible. 3. E-mail: With the advancements in e-mail, this has become an important method of communications for many people. If you wish to receive regular updates concerning tests, quizzes, exams, special projects, after school activities, sporting events, and other school activities, please provide the LHS staff with your current e-mail address. All teachers try to make effective use of e-mail to keep parents / guardians informed. However, teachers are also required to follow up e-mail contacts by telephone as needed.
4. Online Gradebook: Walton County Schools utilize an online grade-book to provide both parents/guardians and students with timely and updated information on grades and student performance. Every parent is urged to make sure they register with the school to receive their child s login and password for the online grade-book. Please do not ask teachers to e-mail your child s grade since this is expressly forbidden by privacy act laws and county school board policies. Websites: In an effort to increase communication and information between the Walton County Schools staff and the local public, the school web site (www.loganvillehigh.org or http://lhs.walton.k12.ga.us ) has a lot of information on academic and extra-curricular activities conducted at LHS. The LHS Social Studies department has various study guides available on the school web page for students to use to do homework and study for unit tests, exams, EOCT s, and the Georgia High School Graduation Test. Student Journals: All students will be required to keep a Student Journal during each unit. Student Journals will be where all completed work will be kept (including worksheets, graphic organizers, notes, essays, and any other work designated by the teacher). The Student Journals will be reviewed periodically (usually in conjunction with announced tests and exams) by the teacher to provide the student with personalized and immediate feedback on their classroom performance and academic standing. In addition to keeping up with the Student Journal, it is suggested that all students attempt to keep up with the daily and monthly classroom agendas, curriculum maps, and reading assignments that will be posted in the classroom. Student Journals will be kept in a three pronged presentation folders (NO 3 Ring Binders Please!) Student Projects, Homework, and Additional Assignments: All students will be required to produce class projects during the course of the semester. Due to the volume of information that must be covered within a semester, students must make effective use of the limited time provided at school and are responsible for finishing required work at home if they do not do so at school. Student projects are purposely designed for students to demonstrate what they have learned during the semester. Projects may include (but are not limited to): - Formal Research Reports and / or Presentations - Critical Thinking Pyramids, Posters, Media Presentations (Powerpoints, Animoto, etc) - Creative Writing Activities (Formal Letters, Magazine and Newspaper Articles, etc.) - Create Historical Timelines, Murals, Wall-Writings - Build a Model (Historical Events, Cultural Activities, Important Structures, etc.) Pre-Reading Assignments: All students are expected to do chapter and section pre-reading assignments prior to each lesson. Each lesson pre-reading assignment will have a note-taking sheet that will be collected and graded the following day (at the beginning of the period). Lesson pre-reading assignments are designed with several purposes: 1. To expose students to key information and vocabulary terms important to the upcoming day s lesson topic. 2. To instill the need for students to start learning to take control of their own learning by becoming active (instead of passive) learners. 3. To better prepare students for the rigors of college, where they will be expected to read all assigned textbook chapters on their own prior to a professor s lecture or course tests. 4. To better prepare those students who have enrolled in Advanced Placement Courses here at LHS. The more effort each student makes to prepare themselves for the next day, the greater the learning experience will be and the more knowledge and understanding the student will obtain.
Honor Code Policy Penalties of the School Honor Code (Cheating) policy is outlined in the student agenda. However, to ensure that every student is aware of this policy, it is outline below. Any student who copies another student s homework, essay, project, or other assignment without expressed permission from the teacher has violated the honor code (cheating) policy and will receive a zero for the assigned work and a referral to an administrator. Any student who allows another student to copy their work, without expressed permission from the teacher has also violated the honor code (cheating) policy and will receive a zero for their assigned work and a referral to an administrator. In this course, all student work is expected to be done individually. Student s WILL NOT be allowed to do projects, essays, or homework together. If a student is not sure about any assignment, they should first ask the teacher and not assume anything. Grading: In general, grading is done on an assigned points scale. Each assignment is given a total number of possible points that a student may earn. Student work is then graded based on the quantity of work completed, the accuracy of the completed work, and the student s demonstrated knowledge of the subject material. Graded work will be returned to the student as soon as possible. Grades will be noted at the top of all graded assignments in the following format: Points Earned EXAMPLES: 45 = 90% 20 = 80% Points Possible 50 25 Students may determine their own percent grade for class-work, homework, quizzes, and tests by simply doing the basic math. At the end of each 9-week grading period, the student s overall grade will be based on: 20% of total course grade will come from Homework 15% of total course grade will come from Essays = 50% of 10% of total course grade will come from Classwork/Discussions Total Grade 5% of total course grade will come from Journal Reviews 20% of total course grade will come from Unit Tests and Exams 10% of total course grade will come from Quizzes = 50% of 20% of total course grade will come from Course EOCT (or Projects) Total Grade Helpful Hints for Homework and Studying Homework is one of the most valuable tools to student success in this type of class. Except for occasional essay assignments, there will be only two primary forms of homework: vocabulary words and summary questions. Vocabulary definitions are expected to be done prior to every lesson. This is to ensure that a student has at least seen, heard, and hopefully read about the word and its meaning prior to the in-class lesson and discussion. Students can expect to be quizzed on vocabulary terms on a regular basis. This is why the vocabulary flash card assignment is so important. Lesson Critical Thinking Essential Questions are expected to be done as soon as possible after the end of each lesson. The longer the student waits, the harder it becomes to answer the questions correctly. Summary questions are designed to review key facts, concepts, and themes covered in the lesson and should be done using the student s in-class notes and / or textbook. Students who do not take the time to accurately complete their summary questions during homework and study them prior to a test can-not expect to do well on these assessments.
Studying is another essential tool that students need to learn and become proficient in. For the first time in their education students WILL NOT receive a study guide or outline prior to a unit test or quiz. Student inclass notes and summary review questions will be their study guide. Students need to realize that studying is a learned skill that takes time to perfect. Cramming for an exam or unit test is useless. A student should never study for longer than 30 minutes at a time on any given subject. They should study for about 25-30 minutes and then do something else for an hour or so before coming back and studying again for 25 30 min. Students should find a good place, away from distractions, to study. They should use study skills like rewriting their notes, creating flash cards or practice tests, or designing their own graphic organizers for their notes. Every time a student re-writes the facts they need to know their brain retains 15-25% more information than just reading it over and over. Unit Tests: Unit Tests will follow a standardized format. Each Unit Test will be comprised of both multiple choice and short essay questions. There will be a Unit Test immediately at the end of each unit. Students will receive an in-class review session prior to each Unit Test. Course Materials: Textbooks EACH STUDENT will be able to receive a copy of the textbook entitled The American Vision. However, all the reading assignments will be available to each student through Moodle. A Textbook will also be available to each student in the classroom (under eachj desk). If a student chooses to have a textbook issued to them, textbooks are expected to have the student s name printed in the space provided for in the front cover. Student s should plan to always have their textbook / ipad with them for class. Textbooks / ipads will be used extensively, in conjunction with a variety of outside references and resources that are chosen to enhance the learning experience. Textbooks / ipads are the responsibility of the student if they are lost or damaged. Student Supplies ALL STUDENTS are expected to have the following items for this course! PEN and PENCIL NOTEBOOK PAPER 2 THREE RING BINDER (If desired) POCKET DICTIONARY THREE PRONG FOLDERS Students who come to class unprepared will receive an academic and/or disciplinary warning. Repeated offenses will result in after school detention and possible administrative referral. Course Videos: As part of the course, students will view a variety of video excerpts to enhance their understanding of social studies topics and concepts. While some videos will come from popular history-based movies, many will be short 1-5 minute excerpts from educational sites. All these videos may not be seen by every student in every class, but have been reviewed prior to being shown in class to ensure academic value and content. As always, if a student or parent/guardian has any questions or concerns, they are encouraged to contact the course instructor via e-mail or phone at the school. E-mail addresses for me is as follows: Mr. Michael Goethals - mgoethals@walton.k12.ga.us Sincerely, Michael Goethals Loganville High School Advanced & AP World History
Dear Parent / Guardian, Please review the U.S. History course syllabus, County Technology Guidelines, and School Handbook/Agenda with your son/daughter during the first few days of school. These documents will give you a better understanding of the school and class policies and procedures, and will outline my expectations for your son or daughter during this year. Both the School Agenda and the permission slip below require parent / guardian review and possible signature so that your child may participate in class activities and research projects during the school year. After reviewing both the School Handbook/Agenda and the course syllabus, please return the completed permission slip to me. Please feel free to contact me, via e-mail at mgoethals@walton.k12.ga.us or by calling me at the school if you have any questions or concerns about the Social Studies curriculum, projects, lessons, or any of the videos scheduled for use as part of the course. I will be willing to answer your questions and explain the purpose for any lesson, video, or activity and the purpose it will serve in the student learning process. Thank you Sincerely, Michael Goethals I, (Parent/Guardian Name): have read the U.S. History Course Syllabus and understand my child s class obligations & requirements. (Student s Name): and I completely understand the course expectations and requirements outlined in the Course Syllabus. AP US HISTORY APPLICANTS ONLY: In addition, my son/daughter understands that they are required to satisfactorily complete the Advanced US History Course and pass the associated State EOCT in order to qualify for acceptance in AP US History (2nd Semester). In addition, we understand that ONLY the top 26 Students (determined by course grade) will be accepted into the AP US HISTORY COURSE for 2 nd Semester. STUDENT S SIGNATURE: PARENT / GUARDIAN SIGNATURE: PARENT E-MAIL: PHONE # s