The
Advanced Placement program in United States History is designed to provide
students with the analytical
skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and
materials of United States
history. The course prepares students for intermediate and advanced college
courses by making demands
upon them equivalent to those made by full-year introductory college survey
courses. In this pursuit, the
acquisition of factual knowledge is the beginning point of the process, not the
end. Students will learn to
interpret and evaluate the relative significance of primary and secondary
source material, and to present their
evidence and conclusions clearly and persuasively in an essay format.
Basic text: The American Pageant. Bailey and Kennedy.
Supplemental Text: A People’s History of the United States., Howard Zinn
(Must be purchased. Can be found at most major
bookstores for less than $20)
Many former students have found an outline of American history useful. I have a college-level outline available for the students, available upon request, provided the student can provide their own floppy disk.
One major outside reading assignment will be required each quarter. The student will choose from a list that they will get at the beginning of each quarter. I must be notified which reading the student selects within 1 week of receiving the list. At the end of each quarter, the student must turn in an assignment pertaining to the reading assignment. Additionally, scholarly essays and primary source readings will be distributed throughout the year for assignments. Many of them are posted on the class’s website. You would be well advised to keep up with your reading assignments. If you wait until the last minute you may find yourself overwhelmed by the volume of information.
Realizing that it is essential that every student MASTER the information of this time period, the first three take home tests will be mandatory (Chapters 1-8). Following that, virtually all take home tests will be optional. Whether they are optional or mandatory, all take-home tests are to be done individually, without assistance from anyone else. Any violation of the honor pledge at the top any test paper will result in a MINUS 100 points being factored into the students quarter grade.
Tests will generally consist of a multiple-choice
section and an essay section of equal weight. Each test is likely
to cover a significantly greater volume of material than many students have
previously experienced. These
tests will emphasize factual information, multiple causation/multiple outcome,
and the concept of change over
time and will require students to interpret and evaluate the events of history
and support their conclusions with
relevant specific factual information. There are likely to be no more than
seven to eight major grades per quarter. That means that each major grade has a
significant impact on the quarter grade. Students need to be
aware of this and responsibly prepare for each major assignment.
In addition to test essays, two to
three additional in-class or out-of-class essays will be required per quarter.
Each will count as a major grade. Pop quizzes will be used only if it is
apparent that students need additional
incentive to responsibly keep up with reading assignments. A mandatory take
home test is required with the
first unit. Following that, students for a major grade may complete optional
unit take home tests.
Homework will consist almost
exclusively of reading assignments, with an occasional outside essay. Students
who are having difficulty with the course may need to initiate additional
reinforcing activities. As students, you
are responsible for completing and mastering assignments on time.
Attendance in class is absolutely
essential to the successful completion of the course and to the attainment of a
passing grade on the National Advanced Placement Examination. Students
returning from excused absences
are responsible for completing missed assignments promptly. Be aware that the
instructor is under no
obligation to accept work after its assigned due date.
The AP experience may place greater
demands on students than those to which they have become
accustomed. It is likely that you will need to meet with the instructor from
time to time to overcome problems
you are having. I welcome those opportunities to help you one-to-one, and I
encourage you to make
arrangements to see me if you're experiencing difficulty. Mandatory conferences
will be scheduled with those
students experiencing significant difficulty.
Optional afterschool test review sessions will be offered after each major test.
The Advanced Placement Program of the
College Board affords students the opportunity to receive college
credit for AP classes by successfully passing a national examination offered in
May. The AP United States
History Examination consists of one hundred multiple-choice questions, one
document-based question, and one
free response question. The multiple-choice section and the essay section (DBQ
and free response) each make
up fifty percent of the grade.
|
Grading Guide |
|
|
Grade Category |
Weight |
|
13 tests = |
30% |
|
6 quizzes= |
20% |
|
6 essays/DBQ’s= |
30% |
|
Pop-Quizzes/DBQ’s/Essays= |
20% |