United States History 1 

2018-2019 Academic Expectations 

Pre-AP Level 
 
Ms. Kate Curtin 
Norwood High School 
Room 329 
 
kcurtin@norwood.k12.ma.us 
http://ms-curtin.weebly.com/ 

Welcome to United States History I Pre-AP. This course will focus primarily on the events that shaped the United States from the 
settlement of the “New World” to the reconstruction of America post-Civil War. While we will spend time examining historical events and 
understanding why they were important to the Americans who experienced them, we will also follow the legacy of these historical events 
and discuss why they are important to us, Americans living in the 21​st​ century. This course will teach you history, and will also help you 
understand your role as a member of American society and the responsibilities you will have as you begin to play a more active role in our 
nation’s future.  

This course is being offered to highly motivated sophomores who are thinking about enrolling in the AP U.S. History course as juniors. It is 
designed to help prepare students for AP level work and for the AP exam, which students take in the spring of their junior year. The course 
focuses on developing students’ understanding of American history from approximately 1491-1877. Using thematic and chronological 
approaches to the material, the emphasis of the course will be interpreting primary sources and other documents, mastering a large amount 
of key facts. The course will also emphasize the writing of essays that show an ability to critically analyze those documents and to explain 
them in the context of the facts. 
 
We have a lot of information to cover in a short amount of time, so for the course to be meaningful and enjoyable it is very important that 
you take your class responsibilities seriously, including keeping up with assigned readings, completing assignments on time and preparing 
for tests and quizzes. If you put in the work, you will see rewards not only in your grades, but also in gaining a greater appreciation for the 
complexities of American culture that you encounter every day. 
 

Skills to Develop: 
The Pre-AP Course seeks to help students develop their historical thinking skills, which are central to the study and practice of history. We 
will be using a variety of sources to examine historical events, and you will be expected to utilize your historical thinking skills in order to 
better understand the events being studied. The historical thinking skills we will be strengthening this year are chronological reasoning, 
historical interpretation and synthesis, comparison and contextualization, creating and supporting a historical argument. 
 
Units of Study: 
Period 1: 1491-1607 and Period 2: 1607-1754 
➢ Unit 1: Settling the Nation -- E ​ ssential Question: What basic ideas are inherent in democracy? 
○ Columbus and the Columbian Exchange 
○ Initial Contact between Europeans and Native Americans 
○ Relationship between Great Britain and the colonies 
○ French and Indian War 
 
Period 3: 1754-1800 
➢ Unit 2: American Revolution--​Essential Question: Are revolutions necessary in a democratic society?   
○ Causes of the American Revolution 
○ Battles of the American Revolution 
 
➢ Unit 3: Constitution and Federalism--​Essential Question: In what ways does the Constitution protect democracy? 
○ Articles of Confederation 
○ Constitutional Convention 
○ U.S. Government then and now 
○ Washington’s Presidency 
○ Formation of Political parties 
Period 4: 1800-1848 
➢ Unit 4: Building a National Identity--​Essential Question: How can the executive expand the power of the federal government? 
○ Adams’ Presidency 
○ Jeffersonian Democracy 
○ War of 1812 
 
➢ Unit 5: Balancing Nationalism and Sectionalism--​Essential Question: Should sectional problems be considered national concerns? 
○ Industrial Revolution 
○ Monroe Doctrine 
○ Nationalism v. Sectionalism 
○ Jacksonian Democracy 
○ Indian Removal 
 
➢ Unit 6: Religion and Reform--​Essential Question: In what ways does America continue to need reform today? 
○ Immigration 
○ Slavery and the Plantation Life 
○ Reform movements 
 
➢ Unit 7: Manifest Destiny--​Essential Question: Is expansion motivated by democratic principle or self-interest? 
○ Inventions, transportation revolution, market economy 
○ Westward expansion 
○ Texas Revolution 
○ Mexican American War 
 
Period 5: 1844-1877 
➢ Unit 8: Union in Peril--​Essential Question: Can fundamental differences coexist in a democracy? 
○ Causes of the Civil War 
 
➢ Unit 9: Civil War--​Essential Question: How does war change a nation? 
○ Secession 
○ Preparing for War 
○ Pivotal Battles 
○ Home Front 
○ Ending Slavery and Effects of the War 
 
➢ Unit 10: Reconstruction--​Essential Question: Does reconciliation depend on government action? 
○ Reconstruction Plans 
○ Black Codes 
○ 13-15​th​ Amendments 
○ The Recovering South 
 
Classroom Expectations: 

1. Be respectful to me, your classmates, yourself, and the classroom environment 

2. Come to class prepared and ready to engage 
3. Complete your own work 
 

In this high level course, classroom discipline and behavior simply will not be an issue. If a problem arises, it will not be tolerated. My 
expectations for each member of the class is that he or she is respectful and respected; that he or she participates by both listening and 
speaking; and that he or she always strives to work hard and improve.   

 
Supplies: 

● 3-ring binder designated for history (which you may leave in the classroom if you’d prefer!) 
● A spiral-bound notebook designated for history 
● A writing utensil 
 
 
How to Start Each Day: 

Please be on-time and seated in your seat at the beginning of each class, pull out your homework to be checked, and complete the warmup 
on your warmup sheet. 
 

How to End Each Day: 

Write down the homework in your notebook or planner. Wait to pack up until the end of the lesson. 
 

Daily homework updates will be posted on Instagram & Twitter. If you have Instagram/Twitter accounts, you may follow me ​@ms_curtin​. 
All Instagram and Twitter posts will also be featured on my webpage w
​ ww.ms-curtin.weebly.com 
 

Class Structure: 
 
In this class you will notice that we follow a similar structure for each unit that we study. This will help all of us understand the material 
better, understand the class better, and be better able to predict what is happening in class on a daily basis. 
 
For Every Unit 
● Vocabulary ​(for homework) for each unit that we study 
o You will be given a list of vocabulary words and asked to write definitions for each word using the internet. 
Please be sure that you are finding accurate definition for that term. 
● Each unit will have an​ Essential Question​ for the Unit 
o Through the duration of each unit we will try to answer a thematic question. At some point during the unit, you 
will have an opportunity to use your content knowledge and various documents to aid your answer. 
● Every unit, we will be concluding with a review of the major events to help us prepare for assessments with two steps: 
making timeline cards​. 
o For this assignment you will be assigned an event(s) and on the front of an index card you must clearly and 
boldly label it with the event’s name.  
● Each unit we will have an assessment on the unit -- whether it is an essay, test, or project. 
 
 
Map Quizzes​ -- In order to understand U.S. History, you will need to know the geography of where the 50 states are located. This 
year you will have a map quiz on the 50 states every month -- you will take 10 quizzes that are simply labeling a map of the United 
States. I won’t make you remember them all at once but by the end of the year you better be able to label all 50 states correctly!! 
● September​: Label any 10 states (10 points) 
● October​: Label any 20 states (20 points) 
● November​: Label any 30 states (30 points) 
● December​: Label any 40 states (40 points) 
● January​: Label ALL 50 states! (50 points: a FULL QUIZ GRADE!) 
● February - June​: Label ALL 50 states! (25 points) 

 
 
Absences and Tardiness: 

Excessive tardiness and repeated unexcused absences will result in a reduction of participation grade and will prevent you from 
understanding the material covered in your absence. Arranged absences from school should be arranged through the office and work to be 
missed should be collected before leaving. Work missed because of absences will be placed in the make-up folder and is to be m ​ ade up on 
your own time as soon as possible​. Failure to make up work missed during absences will result in a zero for missed assignments. 
Grading: 

My grading system is very simple – the total number of points you receive divided by the total possible points for those assignments.  

Each assignment will carry a point value. Larger assignments (tests, projects, essays, etc.) will be worth more points than smaller 
assignments (classwork, homework, participation, etc.)  

Each unit will consist of daily classwork and/or homework, quizzes, writing assignments, and a unit assessment. Homework will be due the 
following day ​unless otherwise stated. L
​ ate work will result in a reduction of a grade. 

You are responsible for your own grade in this class. Monitor your progress on Aspen! I will keep your grades updated (within a reasonable 
amount of time), but it is your responsibility to check on your average! If you ever have a question about your average, please come to see 
me either before school or after school. If your parent/guardian ever has a question about your average, please have him/her email me and I 
will be happy to respond, however I expect you to take responsibility for your own performance in this class. Please make the most of this 
class and this experience. 
 
 
Late Work: 

All work is expected to be completed by the assigned due date. Homework assignments will be accepted no more than one day late for half 
credit. Larger assignments (projects, essays, papers, etc.) will receive a deduction of 5 points for each school day they are late.  

An assignment that is being turned in late is D ​ UE THE NEXT SCHOOL DAY​, not the next time we have class. It is late for EVERY school 
day it is late. If I am here and you are here you can turn in the assignment even if we don’t have class!! If a major assignment it is due and for 
some reason you do not have it completed, do not wait until class to tell me this. Email me or tweet at me the night before or stop by room 
329 to see me so we can discuss your issue and how we will proceed. It’s 2018, there are plenty of ways to contact me – use them! 

 
 
Technology 

We live in a world of cell phones, ipads, computers, and many other instruments of technology that enhance our lives. We will be utilizing 
many of these technologies throughout the year, but you are expected to use them responsibly. 

Phones​ -​ - ​We will be using our phones OFTEN in class. However, in order to maintain a productive and inclusive learning 
environment, cell phone use will only be permitted for assigned academic purposes in our classroom. At all other times, I expect 
you to keep your phone in a bag or a pocket, out of sight. When using the bathroom, your phone must be stored in the basket at 
the front of the room. 
 
Email​ -- Each student in this school has a school email through google. Your email address is your year of graduation, first initial, 
last name @ norwood.k12.ma.us (ex: ​19jsmith@norwood.k12.ma.us​). I will use this email address to contact you. You must check 
this email address periodically. If you need help accessing your email or setting it up on your phone please see me or any other 
teacher in the building. If an assignment is due you are always welcome to email it to me rather than bring it in as a hard copy. 
Therefore, “running out of ink” or “my printer died” are no longer excuses in 2018. Email me the work if you cannot print it out. 
Assignments that are emailed to me must be emailed by the time class starts to be considered on time. 
 
I have an email: ​kcurtin@norwood.k12.ma.us​. Please use it to contact me. If you have a question about your grade, an assignment, 
a due date, or about the class itself please email me or come see me after school.   
 
Website​ -- I have a webpage which I update constantly with assignments, resources, announcements, classwork, and homework 
assignments. Check it out by either googling “Ms. Curtin” or typing in the URL ​www.ms-curtin.weebly.com  
 
Instagram/Twitter​ -- Every day after school I will post homework assignments on both Instagram and Twitter. If you have an 
Instagram and/or a Twitter account: simply follow ​@ms_curtin​ and you will get homework reminders, as well as some sweet 
NHS updates and classroom antics each time I post. If you do not have these accounts, the posts are also linked on my webpage. 
**Disclaimer : I am pretty good about posting on Twitter/Instagram, but I am not perfect and sometimes I forget. At the end of each 
class, you should write down the homework. You are old enough and responsible enough for keeping track of your own assignments. 
 
Text Support​-- Out of the goodness of my heart, I will be using an app called ​Remind​ to send out text message reminders and 
updates. I will NOT be texting you your homework every night, however this is also a good way to get in touch with me. If you 
would like be a part of the text message “class chat” please visit my website for instructions to join. 
 

Policy for Academic Honesty: 

In line with school policy, cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated in any form. Cheating or copying will result in a score of z​ ero​ for the 
assignment or test, and disciplinary action with the dean may be involved. Do your own work, always. 

 
Plagiarism 
According to the Harvard University: “In academic writing, it is considered plagiarism to draw any idea or any language from 
someone else without adequately crediting that source in your paper. It doesn't matter whether the source is a published author, 
another student, a website without clear authorship, a Website that sells academic papers, or any other person: Taking credit for 
anyone else's work is s​ tealing​, and it is unacceptable in all academic situations, whether you do it intentionally or by accident… 
 
If you copy language word for word from another source and use that language in your paper, you are plagiarizing v​ erbatim… ​  
If you copy bits and pieces from a source (or several sources), changing a few words here and there without either adequately 
paraphrasing or quoting directly, the result is ​mosaic plagiarism… ​   
 
It's not enough to change a few words here and there and leave the rest; instead, you must completely restate the ideas in the 
passage in your own words. If your own language is too close to the original, then you are plagiarizing, even if you do provide a 
citation… 
 
When you use your own language to describe someone else's idea, that idea still belongs to the author of the original material. 
Therefore, it's not enough to paraphrase the source material responsibly; you also need to cite the source, even if you have changed 
the wording significantly… 
 
When you put source material in quotation marks in your essay, you are telling your reader that you have drawn that material 
from somewhere else. You must also credit the author of that material and provide a trail for your reader to follow back to the 
original document.” 
 
Harvard Guide to Using Sources: A Publication of the Harvard College Writing Program. President and Fellows at Harvard College, 2016. 
http://usingsources.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k70847&pageid=icb.page342054​. Accessed 9 August 2016. 
 
 
Please be sure to review Norwood High School’s policy on cheating and plagiarism found in the student handbook. 
 
 
​  
LET’S HAVE A GREAT YEAR! ☺
 
 
 
 
   
 
Start practicing! Your September Map Quiz is on 9/28! 
 

Please bring these course expectations home and sign these expectations, and have a parent or guardian sign as well. 

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I have read through Ms. Curtin’s academic expectations and understand what is expected of my student. 
 
Parent/Guardian Name: ___________________________________ Student’s Name: ________________________________  
 

​ ✍​ ______________________________________ ​ ✍​ ______________________________________