Lassiter High School
Reaching Excellence and Climbing Higher
Social Studies Department
Fall Semester 2017
COURSE TITLE: Honors United States History - A INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Rhonda Webb
EMAIL: PHONE #: 678-494-7863
SCHOOL WEBSITE: www.lassiterhigh.org CLASS/TEACHER WEBSITE: Lassiter High School Blog
LEARNING GOALS:
¨ Students will demonstrate proficiency in the critical thinking skills of decision-making, information processing, reasoning, and analysis above course standards.
¨ Students will demonstrate appropriate critical thinking skills in reading comprehension and written expression.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: United States History “A” is a survey of the development of the United States from European contact through approximately 1900. The purpose of this course is to increase knowledge and appreciation of America’s social, political, and economic development during the formative years. Semesters “A” and “B” are required for graduation. There is a Georgia Milestones End of Course Test in May that covers both Semesters “A” and “B.”
This course will require extensive reading and writing.
Fall Semester Units Corresponding Textbook Chapters
The American Revolution and Constitution / Chapters 4 and 5
The New Republic / Chapter 6
Age of Jackson, Reform, & Manifest Destiny / Chapters 7, 8, and 9
Slavery in America and Sectional Division of the 1850s / Chapter 10
The Civil War and Reconstruction / Chapters 11 and 12
Industrialization, Immigration, The West, & Gilded Age / Chapters 13, 14, 15, and 16
GRADING POLICY: Major Assignments 55%
(Tests, Essays, any long term assignments)
Minor Assignments 30%
(Reading Quizzes, Vocabulary Quizzes, any brief assignments)
**Reading Quizzes will be unannounced and draw from nightly reading assignments.
Final Exam 15%
Please be aware of Cobb County’s Web based grading system. Grades will be updated in a timely manner. Given the nature of grading essay questions and in depth tests with critical thinking and writing components, updates for these items may take extra time.
TEXTS/READINGS:
United States History. Prentice Hall (2008). Replacement cost- $71.47
Various primary and secondary source documents will be used throughout the course.
KEYS TO SUCCESS IN HONORS US HISTORY:
· Read the text (or any other assigned reading) keeping in mind that if you do not remember at least the important points of what you have read, you did not read. Reading is more than looking at the words—it requires comprehension and retention. Reading more than once is a good idea!
· Start learning all there is to know about each vocabulary word when you first encounter it in a reading assignment. Keep your vocabulary list out while you read so that you will be aware of the terms as you encounter them in the reading.
· Review what you have learned from the text and from class regularly. Each day when you come to class, you should remember previous material. We will build on that knowledge. If you don’t recall and understand the earlier material, real comprehension of new concepts will be more difficult.
· Think about what you’ve read and what you remember from previous units while we are discussing new concepts in class. Try to link all this material together.
· Real understanding is the key. Just trying to memorize (although history does require that you do remember some names, dates, events, etc.) material that you don’t understand and that you can’t relate to anything else won’t really help you much in this class, in college, or in life!
· IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY IN MASTERING THE SKILLS AND CONCEPTS OF THE CLASS, SEE ME TO SET UP AN APPOINTMENT FOR EXTRA HELP!
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Notebook, loose-leaf paper, writing utensil, and highlighter
ATTENDANCE AND MAKE-UP POLICY:
Your class time is extremely valuable! If a student is absent, he/she has one day for each day of excused absence to make up the work. (For example, a student absent 2 days would have 2 days to make-up the work.) Students are responsible for asking their teachers for the make-up work. A student with an unexcused absence may ask for assignments and may choose to complete them in order to keep up with the class; however, the teacher is under no obligation to grade the work. If a student misses a test due to an EXCUSED absence, the student may make up the test the following morning at 7:30 AM. If the test will be made up any time after the morning following the regular test administration, the test will be a different version made up of free response questions.
LATE WORK POLICY:
There will be a letter grade per day deduction if an eligible assignment is turned in late. Homework is not eligible.
TARDY POLICY:
Three unexcused tardies to class in a semester will result in a Saturday School discipline referral. To avoid being counted tardy, students must be seated and ready for class when the bell rings.
CELL PHONE / SMART WATCH POLICY:
Cell phone / Smart Watch use is NOT permitted in Dr. Webb’s class. Each student will store his/her cell phone in the appropriate numbered slot upon entering the classroom each day. Phones will be systematically retrieved at the end of the period. If a phone is accidently left behind, it will be turned in to the front office for safe keeping at the end of the school day. It will be the student’s responsibility to retrieve the phone from the front office if it was left behind. Violations of the cell phone policy will result in automatic discipline referrals to administration.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
Cheating is considered a serious matter. The parents of a student who has been involved in cheating will be notified and the student will receive a grade of zero for the test or assignment, and a grade of U in conduct.
For this course, cheating is defined as, but is not limited to, the following acts:
§ Copying anyone’s answers to questions, exercises, study guides, classwork or homework assignments.
§ Taking any information verbatim from any source, including the Internet, without giving proper credit to the author, or rearranging the order of words and/or changing some words as written by the author and claiming the work as his or her own, i.e., plagiarism.
§ Looking onto another student’s paper during a test or quiz.
§ Having available any study notes or other test aids during a test or quiz without the teacher's permission.
§ Collaborating on assignments when independent work is expected.
§ Students displaying cell phones OR Smart watch during tests and/or quizzes will have the device confiscated, and will be given a zero for that test or quiz.
LASSITER HIGH SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT FALL 2017
SYLLABUS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
TEACHER: Dr. Webb COURSE: Honors United States History
Please check the boxes indicating your agreement to the following:
q I have read the class syllabus and understand the academic integrity policy.
q I have read and understand the Cell Phone / Smart Watch policy.
q I have read and understand the tardy policy.
q I have reviewed the class syllabus and understand the grading policy, make-up policy, and the additional demands of this Honors level course.
q I am willing to be contacted by email.
q I have access to the Internet and will access the Cobb County Web feature to check on my child's progress. I understand that teachers will make every effort to post grades within 2 weeks of accepting the assignment, but that posting of grades for larger papers and projects may extend beyond the 2 week timeframe.
q I understand Dr. Webb is available for extra help — all my student has to do is schedule an appointment.
Student Name: ______Class Period: ______
(Please print.)
______
(Student's Signature) (Parent's Signature)
______
(Student's E-mail—optional but encouraged) (Parent's E-mail – optional but encouraged)
Note: Since teachers have limited access to telephones, the most efficient manner of communication is through email. Please make a note of my email and blog addresses.
RETURN THIS FORM WITH BOTH SIGNATURES BY Friday.
Please feel free to contact the instructor if you have any additional questions or concerns.