U.S History Syllabus Great Path Academy 2014/2015
Instructor: Ms. Gillies
Contact information: [email protected] or 860-512-4531
Course description: This course will survey the development of the United States from post 1877 through the present. Highlights of the course include the struggles for equality (i.e. women, African American and Native American), immigration, the rise of industry and labor unions, Progressivism, the Great Depression, U.S. foreign wars and foreign policy, and America’s present global and domestic advancements and challenges.
Course Objectives: The primary objective of this course is to prepare each student for the challenges of 12th grade and beyond. We focus on academic skills, writing, time management and inter-personal communication skills. Small and large group discussions are a part of classroom learning. All students are expected to participate in them. This course is writing intensive. You will regularly practice your writing skills. In-class research essays, participation, tests and projects make up a majority of your quarter grade.
Our class in U.S History moves very quickly and covers a lot of material. Therefore, it is important that students not only keep pace with the course, but also ask questions and seek additional help when needed.
By the end of this year, you will:
ØDemonstrate and strengthen your ability to write formal essays/research papers. ØStrengthen your note-taking skills.
ØCompare/contrast/synthesize and analyze information.
ØExercise critical thinking and communication skills in formal and informal discussion
Course Text:
United States History: Modern America, Emma J Lapsansky-Werner, Peter B. Levy, Randy Roberts and Alan Taylor, Pearson Education Inc, 2013.
COURSE POLICIES: All of Great Path Academy’s rules and expectations are enforced in Ms. Gillies’ classroom. These policies are reviewed at the beginning of each quarter and consistently enforced throughout the school year. Each student is expected to know, understand and follow these policies.
ATTENDANCE: Prompt daily attendance is expected. All students must be seated in the classroom and prepared to learn when the bell rings. Additionally, if a student is aware of up- coming absences, it is her/his responsibility to inform Ms. Gillies before the absence and arrange make-up or alternative work. A friend in class is helpful to collect materials and information if you are absent.
CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR: You are a member of a community of learners. For any community to thrive, certain concepts must be embraced. In our community, I expect the following general behavior of all students:
RESPECT: All students will respect themselves, their community members and their learning environment.
RESPONSIBILITY: All students must accept responsibility for themselves and their actions.
Safety: All students will follow all rules and directions in order to maintain a safe learning environment.
Active participation and preparedness is expected at all times!
You are responsible for your academic progress and communication with Ms. Gillies about problems or struggles is expected from you.
Late Work: All assignments must be completed on the scheduled due date. Unless otherwise noted, assignments are collected at the beginning of the class period. 10% will be deducted each day that the assignment is late.
Course Grading:
Homework -20% v Quizzes -25%Test -30% Class work - 15% Participation- 10%
You will typically have three test grades per semester so the tests weigh much heavier. All research projects and papers will count as a test grade and essays will count as a quiz grade. You will be informed when this is the case.
Academic Integrity:
An academically honest student submits for evaluation only such work, including tests, papers, reports, presentations or ideas that have been written, performed or created solely by that student. On those occasions when the stated rules of a course permit collaborative efforts, the contributions of other individuals and sources should be appropriately acknowledged. It is, at all times, the responsibility of the student to maintain conduct consistent with the concept and definition of academic integrity, including not only the avoidance of plagiarism, but also other actions further outlined in the Student Handbook.
Plagiarism is the act of taking someone else’s idea, writing or work, and passing it off as one’s own. If you fail to give credit to the source of the material, whether directly quoted or put in your own words, this lack of credit constitutes plagiarism. Whether you take, buy or receive material from the Internet, from a book, from another student or from any other source, and you fail to give credit, you are stealing ideas; you are engaged in plagiarizing. Plagiarism is a serious violation of academic standards and has serious academic consequences for the student.
Course Outline
Quarter One Essential Question:
• What role did industrial capitalism play in American life and in the United States’ rise as a world power?
Units:
1. Industrialization and Immigration
2. Imperialism and World War I
Industrialization and Immigration
Enduring Understanding(s)
Essential Question(s): How did the forces of industrialization and immigration, transform the United States from an agrarian society to a modern industrial nation and what problems and reforms followed that transformation?
Unit Objectives
Students will understand how the forces of industrialization and immigration, transformed the United States from an agrarian society to a modern industrial nation and the problems and reforms that followed that transformation.
Students will demonstrate knowledge about how the rise of corporations, heavy industry, and mechanized farming transformed the American economy, including the role of key inventions and the growth of national markets.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the rapid growth of cities and the transformation of urban life, including the impact of migration from farms and new technologies, the development of urban political machines, and their role in financing, governing, and policing cities.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the massive wave of “New” immigration after 1870, its differences from the “Old” immigration, and its impact on new social patterns, conflicts, and ideas of national unity.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the imposition of racial segregation, African American disfranchisement, and growth of racial violence in the post-reconstruction South, the rise of “scientific racism,” and the debates among African-Americans about how best to work for racial equality.
Students will demonstrate knowledge about how the rise of industry changed the nature of work in factories, the origins of labor unions, and the role of state and federal governments in labor conflicts.
Students will demonstrate knowledge about the ways the American people responded to social, economic, and political changes through electoral politics and social movements such as populism and temperance.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of how Progressives addressed problems of industrial capitalism, urbanization, and political corruption. 2. Students will analyze the debates about woman suffrage and demonstrate knowledge of the successful campaign that led to the adoption of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote.
2. Imperialism and World War I
Enduring Understanding(s)
Essential Question(s) How did World War I change the United States from a regional power to an economic and political world power?
Unit Objectives
Students will understand how the United States changed from a regional power to an economic and political world power.
Students will examine the causes of the Spanish-American war and analyze its effects on foreign policy, national identity, and the debate over the new role of America as a growing power in the Pacific and Latin America.
Students will analyze the causes of World War I and identify key people, major events, and the war’s impact on American foreign and domestic policy.
Quarter Two
Essential Question:
• How did the both the Depression and World War II lead to changes in both American economic and social structure?
Units
3. The Twenties and Thirties 4. World War II
3. The Twenties and Thirties
Enduring Understanding(s)
Essential Question(s)
How did the various social forces of the 1920’s and 1930’s lead to the end of unregulated capitalism and greater national government involvement in economic and social life?
Unit Objectives
Students will understand the social, political, and economic forces of the 1920’s and how they led to the Great Depression and the rise of the New Deal.
Students will analyze how developments in industrialization, transportation, communication, and urban mass culture changed American life.
Students will describe key social changes related to immigration, social policy, and race relations.
Students will examine the changing role of art, literature and music in the 1920s and 30s.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the causes of the Great Depression and how it affected Americans in all walks of life.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of how the New Deal addressed the Great Depression and transformed American federalism.
4. World War II
Essential Question(s)
How does World War II propel the United States to center stage on the world scene and lead to the division of Europe and the Cold War?
How did World War II lead to changes in American social structure and American economic life?
Unit Objectives
Students will understand the causes and consequences of World War II.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the international background of World War II and the debates over American involvement in the conflict.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of key leaders and events of World War II and how the Allies prevailed.
Students will describe the impact of the war on people such as women, African Americans and Japanese Americans.
Quarter Three
Essential Question:
• How have postwar social, political, and economic forces changed the United States internally and in its relationships with the rest of the world?
Units:
5. The Cold War Era
6. The Rights Revolution
5. The Cold War Era
Enduring Understanding(s)
Essential Question(s)
How did the cold war impact U.S. international affairs and life at home?
Unit Objectives
The student will understand the transformation of the United States after World War II and the impact of the Cold War on both international and domestic affairs.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of social transformation in post-war United States.
Students will understand the post-war economic boom and its impact on demographic patterns, role of labor, and multinational corporations.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of key events of the Cold War and the causes and consequences of the Korean War.
6. The Rights Revolution
Enduring Understanding(s)
Essential Question(s)
How were the forces at work that allowed these social movements to arise in the postwar period?
Unit Objective
Students will understand the causes and consequences of the “rights revolution” including the civil rights movement, youth movements and the Great Society
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the domestic policies and civil rights issues of the Truman and Eisenhower administrations.
Students will analyze provisions of Kennedy’s New Frontier and Johnson’s movements, Native American rights movements, women’s rights movements, expansion of civil liberties, and the movements to protect for the environment and consumer rights.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the “rights revolution” including the civil rights movement, women’s rights movements, expansion of civil liberties, and environmental and consumer protection.
Quarter Four
Essential Question:
How has America’s involvement in world affairs lead to both domestic and international conflict?
7. Vietnam and its Aftermath 8. Contemporary America
7. Vietnam and its Aftermath
Enduring Understanding(s)
Essential Question(s)
How did the United States get involved in the war and how did American involvement in the war result in social changes at home and in international affairs?
Unit Objectives
Students will understand the causes, the nature of the involvement and consequences of the Vietnam War.
Students will analyze America’s involvement in the Vietnam War.
Students will analyze the impact of the foreign and domestic policies of Nixon.
8. Contemporary America
Enduring Understanding(s)
Essential Question(s)
How does the rising global economy lead to new forms of domestic and international conflict?
Unit Objectives
Students will understand the evolution of foreign and domestic policy in the last three decades of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the changing domestic and foreign policies in the Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Clinton, George W. Bush administrations.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of economic, social, and cultural developments in contemporary United States.
Students will know and describe the political and economic policies that contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Syllabus Acceptance Statement
“I have read and understand the expectations required of me in US History as per this syllabus. I am aware that to successfully complete this course of study, I need to attend class on a regular basis, actively participate in class or small group discussions, complete and turn in assignments for grading, and conduct myself in a responsible fashion while in class.
_______________________________________ _________________ Student’s Signature Date
“I have also reviewed this syllabus with my child and I/we are aware if it’s content.”
___________________________________ ____________ ____________________
Parent/Guardian’s Signature Date Contact Phone Number
Instructor: Ms. Gillies
Contact information: [email protected] or 860-512-4531
Course description: This course will survey the development of the United States from post 1877 through the present. Highlights of the course include the struggles for equality (i.e. women, African American and Native American), immigration, the rise of industry and labor unions, Progressivism, the Great Depression, U.S. foreign wars and foreign policy, and America’s present global and domestic advancements and challenges.
Course Objectives: The primary objective of this course is to prepare each student for the challenges of 12th grade and beyond. We focus on academic skills, writing, time management and inter-personal communication skills. Small and large group discussions are a part of classroom learning. All students are expected to participate in them. This course is writing intensive. You will regularly practice your writing skills. In-class research essays, participation, tests and projects make up a majority of your quarter grade.
Our class in U.S History moves very quickly and covers a lot of material. Therefore, it is important that students not only keep pace with the course, but also ask questions and seek additional help when needed.
By the end of this year, you will:
ØDemonstrate and strengthen your ability to write formal essays/research papers. ØStrengthen your note-taking skills.
ØCompare/contrast/synthesize and analyze information.
ØExercise critical thinking and communication skills in formal and informal discussion
Course Text:
United States History: Modern America, Emma J Lapsansky-Werner, Peter B. Levy, Randy Roberts and Alan Taylor, Pearson Education Inc, 2013.
- You DO NOT have to bring your text to class every day; HOWEVER, you will be assigned nightly reading assignments aligned with the text.
COURSE POLICIES: All of Great Path Academy’s rules and expectations are enforced in Ms. Gillies’ classroom. These policies are reviewed at the beginning of each quarter and consistently enforced throughout the school year. Each student is expected to know, understand and follow these policies.
ATTENDANCE: Prompt daily attendance is expected. All students must be seated in the classroom and prepared to learn when the bell rings. Additionally, if a student is aware of up- coming absences, it is her/his responsibility to inform Ms. Gillies before the absence and arrange make-up or alternative work. A friend in class is helpful to collect materials and information if you are absent.
CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR: You are a member of a community of learners. For any community to thrive, certain concepts must be embraced. In our community, I expect the following general behavior of all students:
RESPECT: All students will respect themselves, their community members and their learning environment.
RESPONSIBILITY: All students must accept responsibility for themselves and their actions.
Safety: All students will follow all rules and directions in order to maintain a safe learning environment.
Active participation and preparedness is expected at all times!
You are responsible for your academic progress and communication with Ms. Gillies about problems or struggles is expected from you.
Late Work: All assignments must be completed on the scheduled due date. Unless otherwise noted, assignments are collected at the beginning of the class period. 10% will be deducted each day that the assignment is late.
Course Grading:
Homework -20% v Quizzes -25%Test -30% Class work - 15% Participation- 10%
You will typically have three test grades per semester so the tests weigh much heavier. All research projects and papers will count as a test grade and essays will count as a quiz grade. You will be informed when this is the case.
Academic Integrity:
An academically honest student submits for evaluation only such work, including tests, papers, reports, presentations or ideas that have been written, performed or created solely by that student. On those occasions when the stated rules of a course permit collaborative efforts, the contributions of other individuals and sources should be appropriately acknowledged. It is, at all times, the responsibility of the student to maintain conduct consistent with the concept and definition of academic integrity, including not only the avoidance of plagiarism, but also other actions further outlined in the Student Handbook.
Plagiarism is the act of taking someone else’s idea, writing or work, and passing it off as one’s own. If you fail to give credit to the source of the material, whether directly quoted or put in your own words, this lack of credit constitutes plagiarism. Whether you take, buy or receive material from the Internet, from a book, from another student or from any other source, and you fail to give credit, you are stealing ideas; you are engaged in plagiarizing. Plagiarism is a serious violation of academic standards and has serious academic consequences for the student.
Course Outline
Quarter One Essential Question:
• What role did industrial capitalism play in American life and in the United States’ rise as a world power?
Units:
1. Industrialization and Immigration
2. Imperialism and World War I
Industrialization and Immigration
Enduring Understanding(s)
Essential Question(s): How did the forces of industrialization and immigration, transform the United States from an agrarian society to a modern industrial nation and what problems and reforms followed that transformation?
Unit Objectives
Students will understand how the forces of industrialization and immigration, transformed the United States from an agrarian society to a modern industrial nation and the problems and reforms that followed that transformation.
Students will demonstrate knowledge about how the rise of corporations, heavy industry, and mechanized farming transformed the American economy, including the role of key inventions and the growth of national markets.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the rapid growth of cities and the transformation of urban life, including the impact of migration from farms and new technologies, the development of urban political machines, and their role in financing, governing, and policing cities.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the massive wave of “New” immigration after 1870, its differences from the “Old” immigration, and its impact on new social patterns, conflicts, and ideas of national unity.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the imposition of racial segregation, African American disfranchisement, and growth of racial violence in the post-reconstruction South, the rise of “scientific racism,” and the debates among African-Americans about how best to work for racial equality.
Students will demonstrate knowledge about how the rise of industry changed the nature of work in factories, the origins of labor unions, and the role of state and federal governments in labor conflicts.
Students will demonstrate knowledge about the ways the American people responded to social, economic, and political changes through electoral politics and social movements such as populism and temperance.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of how Progressives addressed problems of industrial capitalism, urbanization, and political corruption. 2. Students will analyze the debates about woman suffrage and demonstrate knowledge of the successful campaign that led to the adoption of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote.
2. Imperialism and World War I
Enduring Understanding(s)
Essential Question(s) How did World War I change the United States from a regional power to an economic and political world power?
Unit Objectives
Students will understand how the United States changed from a regional power to an economic and political world power.
Students will examine the causes of the Spanish-American war and analyze its effects on foreign policy, national identity, and the debate over the new role of America as a growing power in the Pacific and Latin America.
Students will analyze the causes of World War I and identify key people, major events, and the war’s impact on American foreign and domestic policy.
Quarter Two
Essential Question:
• How did the both the Depression and World War II lead to changes in both American economic and social structure?
Units
3. The Twenties and Thirties 4. World War II
3. The Twenties and Thirties
Enduring Understanding(s)
Essential Question(s)
How did the various social forces of the 1920’s and 1930’s lead to the end of unregulated capitalism and greater national government involvement in economic and social life?
Unit Objectives
Students will understand the social, political, and economic forces of the 1920’s and how they led to the Great Depression and the rise of the New Deal.
Students will analyze how developments in industrialization, transportation, communication, and urban mass culture changed American life.
Students will describe key social changes related to immigration, social policy, and race relations.
Students will examine the changing role of art, literature and music in the 1920s and 30s.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the causes of the Great Depression and how it affected Americans in all walks of life.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of how the New Deal addressed the Great Depression and transformed American federalism.
4. World War II
Essential Question(s)
How does World War II propel the United States to center stage on the world scene and lead to the division of Europe and the Cold War?
How did World War II lead to changes in American social structure and American economic life?
Unit Objectives
Students will understand the causes and consequences of World War II.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the international background of World War II and the debates over American involvement in the conflict.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of key leaders and events of World War II and how the Allies prevailed.
Students will describe the impact of the war on people such as women, African Americans and Japanese Americans.
Quarter Three
Essential Question:
• How have postwar social, political, and economic forces changed the United States internally and in its relationships with the rest of the world?
Units:
5. The Cold War Era
6. The Rights Revolution
5. The Cold War Era
Enduring Understanding(s)
Essential Question(s)
How did the cold war impact U.S. international affairs and life at home?
Unit Objectives
The student will understand the transformation of the United States after World War II and the impact of the Cold War on both international and domestic affairs.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of social transformation in post-war United States.
Students will understand the post-war economic boom and its impact on demographic patterns, role of labor, and multinational corporations.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of key events of the Cold War and the causes and consequences of the Korean War.
6. The Rights Revolution
Enduring Understanding(s)
Essential Question(s)
How were the forces at work that allowed these social movements to arise in the postwar period?
Unit Objective
Students will understand the causes and consequences of the “rights revolution” including the civil rights movement, youth movements and the Great Society
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the domestic policies and civil rights issues of the Truman and Eisenhower administrations.
Students will analyze provisions of Kennedy’s New Frontier and Johnson’s movements, Native American rights movements, women’s rights movements, expansion of civil liberties, and the movements to protect for the environment and consumer rights.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the “rights revolution” including the civil rights movement, women’s rights movements, expansion of civil liberties, and environmental and consumer protection.
Quarter Four
Essential Question:
How has America’s involvement in world affairs lead to both domestic and international conflict?
7. Vietnam and its Aftermath 8. Contemporary America
7. Vietnam and its Aftermath
Enduring Understanding(s)
Essential Question(s)
How did the United States get involved in the war and how did American involvement in the war result in social changes at home and in international affairs?
Unit Objectives
Students will understand the causes, the nature of the involvement and consequences of the Vietnam War.
Students will analyze America’s involvement in the Vietnam War.
Students will analyze the impact of the foreign and domestic policies of Nixon.
8. Contemporary America
Enduring Understanding(s)
Essential Question(s)
How does the rising global economy lead to new forms of domestic and international conflict?
Unit Objectives
Students will understand the evolution of foreign and domestic policy in the last three decades of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the changing domestic and foreign policies in the Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Clinton, George W. Bush administrations.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of economic, social, and cultural developments in contemporary United States.
Students will know and describe the political and economic policies that contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Syllabus Acceptance Statement
“I have read and understand the expectations required of me in US History as per this syllabus. I am aware that to successfully complete this course of study, I need to attend class on a regular basis, actively participate in class or small group discussions, complete and turn in assignments for grading, and conduct myself in a responsible fashion while in class.
_______________________________________ _________________ Student’s Signature Date
“I have also reviewed this syllabus with my child and I/we are aware if it’s content.”
___________________________________ ____________ ____________________
Parent/Guardian’s Signature Date Contact Phone Number