2014-2015

A.P. United States History Syllabus

Instructor: Mr. Jason Harding
Harrison High School
Syllabus Resource Credit: Mr. Kevin Fox

Course Description and Goal
Advanced Placement United States History is designed to enable students to develop analytical skills and
acquire a thorough knowledge of United States History. This is a course that matches the content and skills
necessary for college level historical inquiry and investigation. The approach to this course includes, but is not
limited to, the following elements: development of substantial knowledge of social, cultural, political, economic
and military events relevant to the history of the United States; development of assessment and interpretive
skills; development of map skills, and the development of communicative skills through the writing of
coherent, analytical essays.
Classroom Guidelines
In the interest of developing a positive learning environment that will facilitate the BEST possible education for
you and your peers, ALL STUDENTS are expected to be DEDICATED, TRUSTWORTHY, and to CARE
about their success and the success of others. In short, students are expected to RESPECT the rights of all
individuals and the instructor in the room and its guidelines.
Evaluation
Daily Classwork
Students are required to maintain an exclusive notebook for this class. Students are expected to keep all notes,
homework, in class assignments, handouts, quizzes and exams organized throughout the semester. In addition to
the points earned on assignments mentioned. The teacher reserves the right to conduct unannounced notebook
checks. In the case of these checks, notebooks will be evaluated on completeness, effort, organization (point
values may vary). Bring your notebook, a writing utensil and paper to class every day.
Homework
Students will have homework every day, at the least in the form of reading and reviewing course material. On
days that no assignments will be given, students are expected to study and review their notes. All late
assignments, including major essays and presentations, will NOT be accepted for credit (unless a student is
absent and has an excused absence).
Along with the assigned readings, students will take notes on the text in an assigned format. Students are
required to turn in notes the Monday following the week of that specific assigned reading. If students turn in
their notes 1 day after the due date, the notes will be given half credit. Notes turned in any time after this will
receive a 0.
Topical Presentations and Essays
Essays and topical presentations are used to give students the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, skill
and creativity in the class. The students ability to develop, organize and deliver ideas is a critical component of
a students grade. This is particularly important since a substantial portion of the AP exam consists of essay
assessments in the form of a few Free Response Questions and one Document Based Question

Quizzes and Exams
Unit exams are designed to reflect a college-style exam. Therefore, there will be anywhere between 5-8 unit
exams throughout the school year. They will consist of a variety of sections including multiple choice,
identifications, document based questions and free response questions, all skills that will be assessed in the AP
U.S. History Exam in May.
Chapter reading quizzes will be given at the beginning of every week to ensure that students have read and
comprehended the required reading material. Additional document analysis quizzes or short answer quizzes
may be announced or unannounced.
Students will also be administered a midterm assessment and a final assessment by the instructor. Both of these
assessments will be given in the form of 80 multiple choice questions and will be over all material covered in
the course up until that point. In addition, Harrison District 2 will administer their Curriculum Based
Assessment on finals week of each semester. These exams will be given in the DBQ/FRQ format to assess
students written understanding of the material.
**IMPORTANT** All students who earn a grade lower than 60% on a Unit Exam must retake the exam until
they receive a 60% or higher. This serves as incentive for the student to review and relearn material extensively.
Participation, Attendance and Punctuality
Students active and meaningful participation is the single most important element to your learning. As juniors,
you should be aware of the current attendance policy. Tardies are not tolerated at Harrison High and students
who are late to class will be required to report directly to In School Suspension (ISS) for the duration of the
period. This will count as a tardy unless the student does not arrive to the room and then it will be considered an
unexcused absence.

Students who miss an exam due to an excused absence must make up their exam one day after they return.
Students will lose a letter grade every day after. If a student has an unexcused absence, he/she will not have the
opportunity to make-up the exam and will receive a 0.

Note: Even if a student misses required work and fails to make it up for credit, it should be known that all work
in AP U.S. History is designed to better prepare students for Unit Exams and the AP Exam in May, therefore, it
is always most beneficial for students to complete make-up work, even if it will not be accepted by the
instructor for credit.

Grading Scale

Weighting Policy:

30% CMB
30% Unit/Chapter Tests
20% Chapter Notes/Homework/Research
10% Chapter Tests/Quizzes
10% Class assignments/Discussions/Debates
A: 100-90% B: 89-80% C: 79-70%F: 69-0%
Textbook

Every student will be assigned a textbook for the year. Textbooks will be used for course readings, homework and essays.
Students will be responsible for their books should they be lost or damaged. The textbook we will be using is: The
American Pageant 13
th
Edition by Kennedy, Cohen and Bailey. A class set of these texts will be provided for in-class use,
so students are NOT required to bring their assigned books to class every day.


School Policies

All school policies regarding dress code, food, drink, plagiarism, electronic devices and other topics will be strictly
enforced. As a student, you are expected to know your rights and responsibilities. Please read your student handbook if
you have any questions.

Classroom Character Traits and the Disciplinary System (Increase the Peace)

Harrison High School is founded on the schools core character traits: show respect, take care of business, and
check yourself. These character traits provide students with the opportunity for self-improvement, individual
growth, and character development. These character traits define our rules and behavioral expectations.
Consistently living these character traits is expected of all students for their benefit and the benefit of the entire
school community. Students are encouraged to support their peers in adhering to the character traits. School
authorities have the right and responsibility to manage student conduct and create an orderly and safe learning
environment. Harrison High School core character traits fall into three categories:

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
SHOWING RESPECT
CHECKING YOURSELF

Consequences for minor infractions:
1. Teacher intervention: verbal warning, confiscation, loss of privileges, conference, etc.
2. Phone call home
3. Classroom contract
4. Referral to the office*

*Severe disruption will result in immediate and more serious consequence (office visit and/or referral)

Bathroom Passes
Students receive two bathroom passes each quarter. Students may not be in the hall without a teacher pass or
clinic pass. They may use them or give them back to the teacher at the end of the quarter for some type of
reward determined by the class. After the student has used the two passes, however, that is it. If a student clearly
abuses the policy, privileges will be lost. If a student is gone longer than 5 minutes on a pass, it is considered
skipping. Obviously, as with everything, common sense is needed and emergencies are the exception. During
the first and last 15 minutes of class, students will not be allowed to utilize their bathroom passes. This is a
critical time in class when learning objectives are being rolled out and learning is being assessed.

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Student Name (Printed ) Student Signature

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Parent/Guardian Name (Printed) Parent/Guardian Name Signature