Foundations of American History – Course SyllabusBedford High School 2012-13

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COURSE OVERVIEW: Foundations of American History is a survey course of United States History beginning around the time of European colonization and ending with post-Civil War Reconstruction. We will study the content with a focus on the political, economic, environmental, and social development of the United States and our evolving relationships with peoples from other lands. We will explore the relationship between past and current events.

1Values & Critical Thinking IntroductionN/A

2Pre/Colonial America(Pre - 1770)

3American Revolution(1760s-1783)

4The Constitution(1770’s -- >)

5The New Nation(1789 – 1830’s)

6Changes: Industrialization, Reform,& Expansion(1800 –1860s)

7The Civil War and Reconstruction(1850-1877)

SKILL DEVELOPMENT: The content that this class is designed to cover is vast. It would be impossible to meaningfully cover all of the important concepts, movements, events, and people. So the Bedford High School Social Studies department has been working toward incorporating many of the important elements of the content into a skills based curriculum. The skills that we will be working to develop include: critical thinking, informed decision-making, the development of research skills, the application of technology in the classroom, and effective communication.

Critical Thinking Skills: Students in FOA will be instructed to think critically and apply reasoning to their understanding of history. We will specifically focus on understanding cause and effect, comparison, and generalization reasoning. We will be working on systematically applying techniques to decision making. Additionally, we will look at the relationship between values and historical events and historical reporting. The values pairs that we will focus on to make these critical evaluations include: Liberty and Order, Capitalism and Centralization, Democracy and Authority, Individualism and Collectivism, and Equality and Hierarchy.

Active Learning and Communication Skills: Students in FOA will be expected to read actively and purposefully. Critical research and evaluation of evidence is another important skill that we work on developing in this class. We will critique historical arguments and work on developing and supporting our own arguments. Students will express their ideas and knowledge in oral and written forms as well as using a variety of media and technology.

COURSE MATERIALS

Bring the following to every class: Notebook and/or Ipads, Appropriate Writing Materials, Organized assignments, work, and readings

RULES AND EXPECTATIONS

We can develop a positive, inclusive, and engaging learning environment and experience academic success when everyone follows the following rules. Your class participation grade is directly tied into your ability to follow these rules.

1. All BHS Handbook rules/policies apply. Pay special attention to understanding the electronic device policies, attendance policies, homework and make-up policies, social and civic expectations, and the academic honor code.

2. Follow instructions: Those given by me, administrators, staff and substitute teachers.

3. Come to class on time, prepared, and ready to work. I will post instructions daily; you will need to follow them without prompting. Failure to meet this expectation can result in academic and administrative penalties.

4. Respect the classroom and your classmates: I’ll treat you with respect and consideration and it’s expected that you will treat peers and adults in a courteous and respectful manner. This classroom is ours, not mine or yours alone.

5. Keep the classroom clean. You should do the same throughout the building

6. Group work. We often work in groups. Sometimes the assignment is informal and quick; sometimes it is as part of a major assignment. Successful group activities require cooperation and that each member pulls her/his own weight.

7. Everyone is expected to consistently ask questions and participate in class and group discussions. Participation is graded.

8. Shared work is unethical unless authorized.

9. Students are expected to add to the learning environment. They are not expected to or allowed to detract from it.

10. When possible, try to take chances that allow yourself and others to grow

GRADING

I use numerous means of evaluating your learning. Among these means are homework assignments, papers, projects, tests, quizzes, presentations and class participation. Assignments vary in number of points. The greater the number of points, the greater the value of the assignment. For instance, a single nights homework is worth 10 points, a quiz could be 10-50 points, and a major assignment could be 100 points. Class participation, which emphasizes active learning and effective communicating is assessed every week and is a major element of the overall grade. The BHS Academic Learning Expectations are used to assess participation.

COMMUNICATION INFORMATION

Website: My website can be found through the staff directory. Your class will have a unique page, but the home page usually contains material relevant to all classes. You can find many course materials including unit outlines, worksheets and some articles on the web site.

First Class Email: Your first class email is your “work email.” You need to check your first class email regularly as that is how I communicate with you outside of class.

My Contact Information: You can reach me by phone at 781-275-1700 or by e-mail at (I strongly recommend using the email.)

Twitter or Google Apps: These have not yet been incorporated into our current class, but we may add them as the course develops