2016-2017Course Syllabus

Advanced Placement - US History

Instructor:Michelle South

Email:

Planning Period: 1st and 2nd block

Textbook: The American Pageant, 15h Edition, David Kennedy and Lizabeth Cohen

Supplemental Primary and Secondary Readingsfrom a variety of sources including but not limited to:

  • From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African-Americans, John Hope Franklin
  • A History of Women in America, Carol Hymowitz and Michaele Weissman
  • A People’s History of the United States, Howard Zinn
  • Speaking of America, Laura A. Belmonte

Time/Length:One Semester – 90 minute block Schedule

High School Credit: One Unit

AP Credit: Depends on AP Exam Score and individual college requirements regarding AP credit

Course Description:Welcome to AP US History. AP US History is a survey course designed to improve student comprehension about American history from pre-colonization through the present day. AP US History mirrors introductory college courses in both its scope and in its emphasis on a variety of historical interpretations and historiographical methods. This course is divided into periods of time and emphasizes themes throughout American history. These themes include the American identity, economic evolution, and American foreign policy. The class will be one semester. In one semester, the class will be broken into two parts: pre-colonization through Reconstructionand Industrialization through the Twentieth Century. Students will learn how various themes are carried through (and repeated) in our nation’s history. One method of learning that will be utilized is project-based learning focused on researching, writing and presenting various themes in history.

This is an Advanced Placement course; as such, students will be expected to perform at the college level. Students will be expected to be prepared and actively read assigned text material, documents and participate in student and teacher led discussions. Solid Reading and writing skills and further instruction to hone analytical skills, essay writing techniques, critical thinking, and interpretation of primary and secondary sources are necessary to student success in this program

Course Outcomes:

1.)Students will demonstrate the ability to find, analyze and appropriately utilize primary sources using library and internet sources.

2.)Students will be able to write historically-accurate essays (of no fewer than 5 paragraphs) to answer specific and broad questions about American history in 40 minutes or less.

3.)Students will be able to discuss various interpretations of American history, based on information gathered through reading primary and secondary materials.

4.)Students will be able to present information orally that is both historically accurate and relevant, by utilizing primary and secondary sources.

5.)Students will understand the ways in which art (visual, literary, musical, etc.) both reflects society and influences societal developments.

6.)Students will be able to read, interpret and create maps, graphs and charts.

7.)Students will be prepared to earn a minimum grade of 3 on the AP US History test on 11 May.

Student Expectations:

1.)Students will conduct individual and small-group research during class and outside of school in order to complete all written and oral assignments and to improve research and presentation skills.

2.)Students will complete all reading assignments as homework in order to prepare for discussions and q/a sessions.

3.)Students will complete homework assignments by the assigned date in order to stay on schedule.

4.)Students will participate actively in all small-group and whole-class debates, discussions and activities.

5.)Students will responsibly and effectively critique peers’ essays in order to improve writing skills.

Course Design: The course includes lectures, presentations and in-class discussions using materials from several resources. Students are provided with numerous handouts including historiographical information, charts, graphs, maps and articles. Each unit may consist of several activities: guiding questions to be researched and answered in outline form; a Data chart to be completed for specific time periods; presidential outlines as the various presidents are introduced; and other diverse activities geared to the particular unit of study. Presentations will serve to enhance students’ library and internet research skills as well as their public speaking ability and use of technology. Students are required to make several presentations during the school year, each requiring an extensive bibliography, outline and note cards using the APA style.

Each unit will culminate with an AP-style test, which will include multiple choice questions and a Free Response Question (FRQ). There will also be quizzes based on readings and lectures at various times during the unit of study.

Each mid- semester will culminate with an AP-style exam, complete with 80 multiple choice questions, a DBQ and two FRQs.

Materials: blue or black pin, pencil, wide rule loose-leaf paper, binder or notebook – a binder might be better for keeping up with handouts,

Grading: Each nine weeks’ grade will be based on but not limited to a combination of the following assessments. Point values will vary.

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  • homework assignments
  • in-class assignments
  • class discussions
  • quizzes
  • unit test(s) – 100 points
  • free response questions (FRQ)
  • document based question(s) (DBQ) – 100 points
  • performance assessments
  • writing assessments
  • reports / research papers – 100 points
  • presentations
  • group assignments

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Reading: Reading the assigned material is critical for this course. Some exam and quiz questions may come from assigned reading material that was not discussed in class.

Written Work: All written work that is turned in should be done in blue or black ink as required on the AP exam. All work should be written legibly.

Homework and out of class assignments: All assignments that are to be turned in for a grade that students have time to work on outside of class must be typed in 12 point times new roman font, double spaced, and have 1 inch margins unless otherwise noted. The student’s name, class period, and date should be at the topleft corner. Additional requirements may apply to various assignments.

Homework is due the day after it is assigned unless otherwise noted. For each day an assignment is overdue. The student will lose 10%. Late assignments will not be accepted after 3 days (A “0” will be given for he grade).

AP Review: It is my goal to finish the course material with several days remaining to review for the AP Exam. However, any material that is not coveredis still the student’s responsibility. Students are encouraged to keep track of their notes throughout the year and review them periodically. There are AP review books available that student may want to purchase and utilize.

General Procedures:

  • Review the daily agenda and objectives on the board.
  • As soon as you come into class sit down, get out your materials, and begin working on your bell ringer.
  • Sit in your assigned seat.
  • Sharpen your pencil at the start of class.
  • Put away all food and drinks

If Absent

  • If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed such as bell ringers, notes, worksheets, etc.
  • Make up test and quizzes are to be completed on your first day back to school if you only missed the day of the test and your abscesses was not excused. If you missed several days or the day before a test and the absences are excused, then you have the same number of days you missed to make up the test. Make up tests will be given during your class period and you will be responsible for any material you miss that day while you are taking your makeup.
  • Any missed tests that are not made up in the allotted time frame mentioned above will be given a 0.

Classroom Rules and Consequences:

Rules: / Consequences
  1. Be responsible – always complete readings and assignments by the designated due date
  2. Be respectful to students and teachers
  3. Be prepared – always have your necessary materials
  4. Arrive to class on time
  5. Follow all school rules, district rules, and classroom rules / procedures.
/
  1. Verbal warning
  2. Minor infraction documented warning
  3. Minor infraction - 1 paragraph
  4. Minor infraction – 2 paragraphs
  5. Sent to office with disciplinary referral
The teacher reserves the right to skip directly to being sent to the office.

Course Outline: The course outline is subject to change. It is a guide for the students to follow. Individual assignments will be discussed in more depth as they approach. Due dates will be discussed in class. Time restraints and extenuating circumstances may not allow for the completion of all unit activities.

Unit 1: Colonial History through Independence(2.5 weeks)

Pageant: Chapters 1 through 8

Primary Source Readings, including:

A Conquistador Arrives in Mexico

A Mexica Description of the Conquest of Mexico

Bacon’s Rebellion

The Arbella Sermon

Poor Richard’s Advice

Boston Massacre Oration

George Washington Concludes That the Crisis Has Arrived

Secondary Source Readings, including:

“Witchcraft in Colonial New England,” John Demos

“William Byrd II of Virginia,” Marshall Fishwick

“The Middle Passage,” Daniel P. Maddix and Malcolm Cowley

Guiding Questions:

  • compare/contrast colonization methods of European powers and the effects on the environment, politics and Native Americans
  • compare the role of women, Native Americans free blacks and slaves during the colonial and revolutionary periods
  • identify and evaluate the short- and long-term impacts of the Enlightenment and the first Great Awakening on American thought
  • examine Lockean liberalism and its effects on pre-Revolutionary and Revolutionary America
  • identify the causes, major battles and effects of the American Revolution in America and in Europe (again, short- and long-term)
  • Culture clash: Consider the impact of the European settlement on the following: Native Americans, enslaved Africans who were brought to the New World and the environment.
  • Concepts of liberty and opportunity: What did the colonists want when they came to the New World? Were they all seeking freedom? Were they seeking a democratic way of life? What was their attitude toward personal liberty?
  • To what extent did the geography of the Eastern seaboard shape the economic, social and political development of individual colonies?

Content

Demographics of Europe, the Americas, and West Africa; Meso-American culture; transatlantic commerce;

comparison of colonies across the Americas (religion, economies, politics, cultures); and foundations of slavery.

Reading Assignments

The American Pageant, Chapters 1–2

Activities /Daily lesson plans:

• History Logs—informal writing in class

1. Read your notes and write a 1-2 sentence summary at the bottom of each page.

2. Underline or highlight the important facts.

3. Choose one idea or event that is most important.

4. On your dated History Log, write a short essay using the following to stimulate your thinking: What have you

learned? What have you thought about? What questions do you have?

• Students will be divided into groups, each one given a different pre-contact native population to research. As

part of an oral presentation, groups will create a visual showing the social, political, and economic structures and

interaction with the environment and other groups.

• Working in groups, students develop a class presentation that analyzes reasons for the development of different

labor systems in any two of the following regions of British colonial settlement: New England, the Chesapeake,

the southernmost Atlantic coast, and the British West Indies.

• Students will read the first chapter of A People’s History of the United States and identify the main ideas through

participation in a Paideia Seminar. Following the seminar, students will read the first chapter of A Patriot’s History

of the United States and create a chart indicating the strongest arguments from each chapter based on historical

evidence. Following these discussions, students will write an in-class essay, which includes a thesis statement,

responding to the question, “Columbus: hero or villain?”

• Using The American Spirit (pages 3-6) readings, students will identify the European view of Native Americans,

“Juan Gines de Sepulveda Belittles the Indians” (1547) and “Bartoleme de Las Casas Defends the Indians”

(1552).

• Students will complete a Semantic Features Chart comparing England, France, and Spain during the period of

exploration and colonization. Once the chart is completed, students will write an essay on the following: Analyze

the cultural and economic responses of TWO of the following groups to the Indians of North America before 1750.

A) British

B) French

C) Spanish

US History Instructional Theme:

As a review for the unit, students will work in groups discussing and framing answers to the essential question

Theme Concept Questions for Review:

Identity: How did the identities of colonizing and indigenous American societies change as a result

of contact in the Americas?

Work, Exchange, and Technology:

How did the Columbian Exchange—the mutual transfer of material goods, commodities,

animals, and diseases—affect interaction between Europeans and natives and among

indigenous peoples in North America?

Peopling: Where did different groups settle in the Americas (before contact) and how and why did

they move to and within the Americas (after contact)?

Politics and Power: How did Spain’s early entry into colonization in the Caribbean, Mexico, and South

America shape European and American developments in this period?

America in the World How did European attempts to dominate the Americas shape relations between Native

Americans, Europeans, and Africans?

Environment and Geography:

How did pre-contact populations of North America relate to their environments? How did

contact with Europeans and Africans change these relations in North America?

Ideas, Beliefs, and Cultures:

How did cultural contact challenge the religious and other values systems of peoples from

the Americas, Africa, and Europe?

Performance Assessment: Rebels, colonial style. Students will select an individual and be asked to determine the extent to which he or she could be considered a rebel. Using primary and secondary sources, each student will type a three- to four-page essay on this topic.

Writing Assessment 1: Using the1993 DBQ, students will work in groups to develop a minimum of 3 categories for the 8 documents and to generate related SFI for their first take-home DBQ. After discussing these categories as a class, students will write individual essays as a homework assignment. The essay will be graded for completion, and students will spend the following class period reading and assessing each other’s essays using the DBQ rubric. The goal for this assignment is to familiarize students with the requirements and expectations of writing AP-level essays.

Writing Assessment 2: Students will work in groups of three to write a thesis statement and to create an outline (including SFI) for the following essay: “Compare and contrast the British, French, and Spanish imperial goals in North America between 1580 and 1763”

Writing Assessment 3: Using Advanced Placement US History 1¸ Lesson Six “The Colonies by 1763—A New Society?” assignment, students will work in pairs to unscramble the sentences and to generate related SFI for their first take-home FRQ. As individuals, they will complete the essay assignment for a grade.

Reading Assignment

The American Pageant, Chapters 2–5

Activities/Daily lesson plan Colonization

  • Complete a map showing the resources and products for different regions. Describe the settlement of Northern,

Middle,and Southern colonies showingmotives, location, religious influences, political system,economic

structure, labor source, relations with natives, etc.

  • Discuss in small groups the environmental and geographic impact on the development of each region.
  • Centerfor Learning Lesson–Compare Great Awakening , Puritans, andEnlightenmentand theinfluence of each on colonial ideology and development.
  • Students will read articles from Opposing Viewpoints, and be ready to discuss the two articles in small groups,

focusing on sourcing and contextualization. “A Defense of the Salem Witch Trials” (1692) Cotton Mather and

“An Attack on the Salem Witch Trials” (1692) Thomas Brattle.

  • After studying colonial development and utilizing all readings, students will write an essay on the following:

Early encounters between American Indians and European colonists led to a variety of relationships among the

different cultures.

  • Analyze how the actions taken by BOTH American Indians and European colonists shaped

those relationships in TWO of the following regions. Confine your answers to the 1600s.

A) New England

B) Chesapeake

C) Spanish Southwest

D) New York and New France

— The course includes diverse primary sources consisting of written documents, maps, images, quantitative data

(charts, graphs, tables), and works of art—The course provides opportunities for students to compare historical developments across or within societies in various chronological and geographical contexts — Comparison

PERIOD 3: 1754–1800

—Each of the course historical periods receives explicit attention

Content

British colonial policies; enlightenment ideas; war for independence; formation of republic and national identity; work

and labor (free and unfree); and regional economic differences.

Reading Assignments

The American Pageant, Chapters 6–10

Activities/Daily lesson plans American Revolution

• Students examine two charts representing two time periods of riots and rebellions, looking for patterns of location

and categories of unrest for each time period. Students will then draw conclusions based on the chart and

conversation.

• Introduce the DBQ with students working in groups, reading and analyzing the documents to answer the prompt:

In what ways did the French and Indian War (1754-1763) alter political, economic, and ideological relations