COURSE DESCRIPTION

U.S. History A
Snake River High School
Mr. Morton

Objectives

The following are the five main objectives I would like students to come away with at the end of their U.S. History experience:

A greater awareness of and appreciation for the United States and it’s experiences
An interest in United States events, locations, and cultures – past and present
An ability to learn from the past and be a positive force in society
Gains in respect and abilities to cooperate with others
A greater self-esteem or confidence in oneself

Class format

The class will be structured around 3 units and 11 sections that will cover the Civil War to the Great Depression. In more specifics the course will go as follows:

Unit 1

The Civil War

Section 1 – Class Introduction / U.S. Geography

Section 2 – Prelude to War: Causes of the Civil War (1850-1861)

Section 3 – North vs. South: The Civil War (1861-1865)

Section 4 – Reconstruction (1865-1877 )

Unit 2

The U.S. as a Modern Nation

Section 5 – The Western Frontier (1877-1900)

Section 6 – Industrialism (1877-1900)

Section 7 – Progressivism (1890-1920)

Section 8 – Immigrants and Urbanization (1877-1914)

Unit 3
War and Prosperity in the U.S.

Section 9 – Imperialism in America (1890-1920)

Section 10 – WWI (1914-1920)

Section 11 – Post WWI and the Roaring 20’s (1919-1929)

Grading

Interactive notebooks          35% of grade          90-100% =  A
Assignments/Projects         15% of grade         80-89%   =   B
Quizzes                               10% of grade          70-79%   =   C

Tests                               30% of grade            60-69%   = D
Participation                       10% of grade      0-59%    = F

Class materials

The class textbook is The Americans. This text will be available for student use as part of a classroom set. The text may also be checked out if desired. Along with the text each student should bring the following every day to class:

a three ring binder with at least one-hundred pages of notebook paper
a pen or pencil
school agenda
any assignments, homework, project materials, etc. specified by myself

Class preparedness

In order to help further student learning and accountability an agenda of class activities will be written on the classroom white board weekly. Class each day will begin with a starter activity consisting of a quiz or review activity over the previous day’s materials. Frequent checks of student progress in their notebooks should also be expected.

The “Big 4”

I run my classroom according to four basic rules. These are intended for the purpose of building a sense of community in the classroom along with helping student learn self-mastery. They are as follows:

Everyone and everything, including the teacher, will be treated with respect
No one will be allowed to disrupt the learning process of anyone else
Be dependable and punctual
Get on task and stay on task

Discipline

Violations of the classroom rules will be handled in the following manner:
1st violation – Teacher warning
2nd violation – Teacher-Student conference / Detention / Mandatory Encore attendance
3rd violation – Parent conference and Administrative Intervention

Attendance, Tardies, and Late Work

I am a firm advocate in the idea of participation equaling learning. Thus, attendance is a must in my class. I offer credit for each day attended. However, if a student is late or absent they forfeit their points for that day. The only exceptions are school-related absences, and if you were held up by another teacher or administrator and have a note of verification.
My tardy, absence, and late work policies follow the school guidelines dictated in the Snake River High School Agenda (see agenda for more information). Approved late work from students will be allowed without penalty for three school days after the date of the assignment. After three days the assignment will automatically be penalized 50% of the grade.

Communication

I have an open door policy with all my students and parents. Anyone who wishes to conference with me, get help on work, or just chat and laugh can come to my room anytime during the school day, in addition to 30 minutes before and after school or by appointment. Simple stated, if the light is on, which it so often is as a teacher, come on in.