American/Arizona History: Course Description, Goals, and Objectives
American/Arizona History: Course Description, Goals, and Objectives
American/Arizona History: Course Description, Goals, and Objectives
7:20am- 8:15am
Period 2-
8:20am- 9:15am
Period 3-
9:20am- 10:15am
Period 4-
10:20am- 11:15am
Lunch-
11:15am- 12:00pm
Period 5-
12:05pm- 1:00pm
Period 6-
1:05pm- 2:00pm
Class Procedures
In the following sections are included the less-fun parts of being in
this classroom. Despite this, you are responsible for knowing and
following these procedures, policies, rules, and expectations.
Absences: Students are expected to be in class each day. In the event of an excused absence, the
student can retrieve any missed materials, worksheets, or homework from the absent folder near
the door upon their return to class. In the event of an unexcused absence, the student will not
receive credit for classwork, homework, or presentations due on the day of absence. (Extreme
emergency or illness will be handled on a case-by-case basis)
If the student has an excused absence on the day of a Socratic seminar, they will
receive an alternative assignment to complete as homework when they return.
Tardiness: Students will be marked tardy if they are not in their seats by the time the bell rings.
If the student is in the room but not in their seat when the bell rings they will be marked tardy.
Students with a pass will be excused.
Make-up Work: For excused absences, students may submit make-up work. The burden is on
the students to retrieve their missing work from the absent folder when they return. Students will
receive two days per day of absence to complete and turn in their makeup work.
Grading Policy
Late work: If a student does not have an assignment ready to turn in by the beginning of the
class period on the day it is due, but is turned in by the end of the day, it will receive a 10%
reduction. One day after the due date it increases to 20%. Two days after the due date it increases
to 50%. Late work will not be accepted after two daysif an assignment is due Monday, then it
will not be accepted on Thursday.
Presentations: If a student is absent on the day he/she is scheduled to present (individual or
group) and he/she did not consult with me beforehand, he/she will receive zero credit for the
assignment. Being absent does not excuse you from your responsibilities in this class.
Homework
20%
Tests/Quizzes
20%
Socratic Seminars
25%
Writing Samples/DBQs
25%
Participation
10%
Grading System: 90-100% = A; 80-89% = B; 70-79% = C; 60-69% = D; 59% and below = F
Assignment Preparation: Assignments should be turned in on the due date and be presented
professionally. Papers should be neatnot frayed, not crumpled, not torn, not sloppy. Submitted
work should have a heading in the top-left of the page that includes: name, date, period.
Complete sentences are required for every assignment unless otherwise specified. Proper spelling
and grammar are a must. If using pen, use only blue or black. Illegible handwriting will not be
graded.
Plagiarism and Cheating: As I mentioned in the course description, I require creativity, effort,
and honesty. Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated in any form. Individual assignments
are not group assignments. If plagiarism or cheating is observed, a score of zero will be
immediately assigned for the assignment.
Extra Credit: There will be several opportunities for extra credit. Each extra credit opportunity
will be given a week to complete and submit. If all extra credit assignments are submitted,
students can expect a 3-5% bump in their grade.
Course Calendar
Here follows an outline of the subjects and topics we will be covering quarter by quarter, as
derived from Arizonas Social Studies Standards: https://cms.azed.gov/home/GetDocumentFile?
id=550c589eaadebe15d072aa0a
Quarter 1
Quarter 2
Early Civilizations
Westward Expansion
Socratic Seminars
Socratic Seminars are formal discussions based around one or multiple texts. These discussions
are driven by the students and are comprised of open-ended questions. These discussions are
professional and respectful and require an open-mind and critical thinking. Paired with these
seminars are worksheets with chunks of text that the students must write questions about-- We
will discuss this more in class. These seminars will occur once a week as the schedule allows.
Writing Samples
The students will be writing in this class quite often. Writing skills are underdeveloped as a
whole in our education system, so I believe it is not only beneficial, but necessary to help
develop those skills. As such, students will complete one writing assignment each week. These
assignments will include: DBQs, historical voice/perspective essays (e.g., writing a letter to John
Adams as Thomas Jefferson), research essays, and others. These will be graded on effort and
completionnot writing ability. If I see that the student has put in an earnest effort in
completing this written work, they will receive full/almost full points. However, I will provide
detailed feedback on each of these written submissions on how to improve for the next one. I
expect to see marked improvement over the course of the year. The student that improves the
most in each quarter will receive extra credit equaling +2% of their grade.
Participation
Participation refers to a students overall participation in class activities and discussions. If the
student is on time to class, does their warm-up, is engaged in the lesson, participates in informal
class discussions, and generally shows me that they are ready for the day they will receive high
marks.
Tests/Quizzes
There will be unit tests at the end of each unit. These tests will cover any and all information
covered in each unit and will typically range from 30-50 multiple choice questions along with 13 short response questions. Quizzes will be more frequentgenerally around four each month.
These will be smaller than the unit tests and will range from 10-20 multiple choice questions. I
do not believe that tests and quizzes are the most effective way of gauging and measuring student
knowledge and achievement. Thus, they are worth only 20% of your grade whereas Socratic
Seminars and Writing Samples are worth a combined 50%.