About this class...
Welcome to American History II! As your teacher, my goals are to: 1) provide a successful, positive, energetic, and engaging learning environment; 2) to achieve all the curriculum objectives defined by the State of North Carolina; and 3) be thoughtful and consistent in my actions. Parents, students and teachers must work together to see that students perform well in all aspects of this class and on the final exam. All assignments will support the curriculum in an effort to prepare the students for the North Carolina State Final Exam, and so all assignments should be completed in a timely and accurate manner.
In American History II, we will examine the political, economic, social and cultural development of the United States from the late nineteenth century through the early 21st century. The North Carolina Essential Standards for this class focus on the change in the ethnic composition of American society; the movement toward equal rights for racial minorities and women; and the role of the United States as a major world power. Students will understand the cause-and-effect relationship between past and present events, recognize patterns of interactions, and comprehend the impact of events on in the United States in an interconnected world.
Schedule of Topics: Our course of study is chronological.
Unit 1: Westward Expansion
Unit 2: Industrial Growth & the Gilded Age
Unit 3: Progressivism
Unit 4: American Imperialism
Unit 5: World War I
Unit 6: Boom to Bust
Unit 7: World War II
Unit 8: The Cold War Begins & The 1950s
Unit 9: American in Turmoil – The 60s & 70s
Unit 10: The Modern Era – The 80s through the Present
Policies & Procedures: Due to these unprecedented times and uncertainties concerning remote learning,
it is important that we all remain flexible and adaptive. If I need to make changes in the following policies or procedures, I will communicate them as quickly as possible.
1. Textbook & Materials: We will use "The Americans," published by McDougal Littell, for our textbook. Students will be expected to use the downloaded version of the textbook, available on the class Canvas page. We will also use the ushistory.org textbook. Due to the online nature of this course, assignments will be completed on Canvas; however, students will also need to keep a well-organized 3-ring binder with loose leaf notebook paper for notes (Mueller & Oppenheimer, 2014).
2. Grades & Assessments: The following grades will be recorded as a percentage of 100 each nine-week quarter (Q3 and Q4). Quizzes (pop or assigned) and small projects are worth 40% of a student's grade; Unit Tests or large projects are worth 60% or a student's grade. Typically, there will be several quizzes or small projects and at least one summative unit test, project, or paper for each unit. Students will have prior notice for these larger assignments. Formative assignments are not graded, although I usually provide feedback on these assignments. There is a midterm for this course, as well. Finally, this course has a final exam that counts as 20% of the final course grade (F1). Students’ grades are configured as follows: Third Quarter Grade (Q3) 40% + Fourth Quarter Grade (Q4) 40% + Final Exam (E1) 20% = Final Course Grade (F1)100%.
***IMPORTANT!!! This class is REQUIRED for graduation.
Students must pass American History II to earn a diploma.***
3. Mastery Opportunities: Extra credit will NOT be offered because research has proven that extra credit and bonus points distort a student’s record of achievement. As a result, I will offer additional opportunities for students to master material that has previously presented challenges. Rewrites, test corrections, and tutoring are examples of mastery opportunities.
4. Tutoring and Remediation: Students will have opportunities to attend tutoring or study hall during FlexTime. If a student has a D or an F in the course, he or she may be assigned to come to my classroom during FlexTime.
5. Make-Up Work: If a student needs to make up missing work or a test, he or she must arrange to do so within two weeks of the due date.
6. Plagiarism and Collusion: Plagiarism, or using someone else’s work without attribution, is unacceptable. Students must not copy material from a source or another student and turn it in as their own. If a student submits plagiarized or partially plagiarized material, it will count as a 0 until an alternate assignment is completed. Sharing independent work with another student is collusion, also an integrity violation; if duplicate work is turned in, the students involved will have another opportunity to demonstrate mastery independently or they may split the grade.
7. Collaboration & Engagement: It is ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT that students commit to completing self-directed homework (asynchronous assignments) AND attend class (classwork activities) in order to be able to collaborate with classmates and receive direct feedback and support from me. Students will be held accountable for ALL assignments.
8. Attendance: The attendance policy of the Orange County Board of Education will be followed, and daily attendance WILL be taken -- even during remote learning. Materials and information presented in class are essential for successful completion of this course, and students are responsible for all materials. Accordingly, students are expected to participate in all class activities, including remote classes.
Thank you and I look forward to a fun and productive year!
In American History II, we will examine the political, economic, social and cultural development of the United States from the late nineteenth century through the early 21st century. The North Carolina Essential Standards for this class focus on the change in the ethnic composition of American society; the movement toward equal rights for racial minorities and women; and the role of the United States as a major world power. Students will understand the cause-and-effect relationship between past and present events, recognize patterns of interactions, and comprehend the impact of events on in the United States in an interconnected world.
Schedule of Topics: Our course of study is chronological.
Unit 1: Westward Expansion
Unit 2: Industrial Growth & the Gilded Age
Unit 3: Progressivism
Unit 4: American Imperialism
Unit 5: World War I
Unit 6: Boom to Bust
Unit 7: World War II
Unit 8: The Cold War Begins & The 1950s
Unit 9: American in Turmoil – The 60s & 70s
Unit 10: The Modern Era – The 80s through the Present
Policies & Procedures: Due to these unprecedented times and uncertainties concerning remote learning,
it is important that we all remain flexible and adaptive. If I need to make changes in the following policies or procedures, I will communicate them as quickly as possible.
1. Textbook & Materials: We will use "The Americans," published by McDougal Littell, for our textbook. Students will be expected to use the downloaded version of the textbook, available on the class Canvas page. We will also use the ushistory.org textbook. Due to the online nature of this course, assignments will be completed on Canvas; however, students will also need to keep a well-organized 3-ring binder with loose leaf notebook paper for notes (Mueller & Oppenheimer, 2014).
2. Grades & Assessments: The following grades will be recorded as a percentage of 100 each nine-week quarter (Q3 and Q4). Quizzes (pop or assigned) and small projects are worth 40% of a student's grade; Unit Tests or large projects are worth 60% or a student's grade. Typically, there will be several quizzes or small projects and at least one summative unit test, project, or paper for each unit. Students will have prior notice for these larger assignments. Formative assignments are not graded, although I usually provide feedback on these assignments. There is a midterm for this course, as well. Finally, this course has a final exam that counts as 20% of the final course grade (F1). Students’ grades are configured as follows: Third Quarter Grade (Q3) 40% + Fourth Quarter Grade (Q4) 40% + Final Exam (E1) 20% = Final Course Grade (F1)100%.
***IMPORTANT!!! This class is REQUIRED for graduation.
Students must pass American History II to earn a diploma.***
3. Mastery Opportunities: Extra credit will NOT be offered because research has proven that extra credit and bonus points distort a student’s record of achievement. As a result, I will offer additional opportunities for students to master material that has previously presented challenges. Rewrites, test corrections, and tutoring are examples of mastery opportunities.
4. Tutoring and Remediation: Students will have opportunities to attend tutoring or study hall during FlexTime. If a student has a D or an F in the course, he or she may be assigned to come to my classroom during FlexTime.
5. Make-Up Work: If a student needs to make up missing work or a test, he or she must arrange to do so within two weeks of the due date.
6. Plagiarism and Collusion: Plagiarism, or using someone else’s work without attribution, is unacceptable. Students must not copy material from a source or another student and turn it in as their own. If a student submits plagiarized or partially plagiarized material, it will count as a 0 until an alternate assignment is completed. Sharing independent work with another student is collusion, also an integrity violation; if duplicate work is turned in, the students involved will have another opportunity to demonstrate mastery independently or they may split the grade.
7. Collaboration & Engagement: It is ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT that students commit to completing self-directed homework (asynchronous assignments) AND attend class (classwork activities) in order to be able to collaborate with classmates and receive direct feedback and support from me. Students will be held accountable for ALL assignments.
8. Attendance: The attendance policy of the Orange County Board of Education will be followed, and daily attendance WILL be taken -- even during remote learning. Materials and information presented in class are essential for successful completion of this course, and students are responsible for all materials. Accordingly, students are expected to participate in all class activities, including remote classes.
Thank you and I look forward to a fun and productive year!