Advanced Placement U.S. History Calabasas High School Mr. Lee

Instructor’s Background  College Board Summer Institute 2015 (APUSH)  M.A. in Holocaust Studies, University of London  B.A. in History, California Lutheran University

APUSH: Pro’s & Con’s  College level class (NOT a college prep class).  Students primarily demonstrate their learning and earn grade through traditional multiple choice testing and essay writing.  Time prohibits lengthy simulations and oral presentations.  Course is challenging in terms of work load and caliber of intellectual thought.

College Board Curriculum The College Board uses an auditing process to authorize the AP designation on a student transcript. LVUSD uses a weighted 5-point scale for this course. The APUSH Exam is on May 6, 2016.

The Exam  The instructor is assuming all students plan on taking the AP Test, and has adjusted instruction accordingly.  Students ARE NOT required to take the test.  The exam is 3 hours and 5 minutes long.  Multiple choice portion is 55 stimulus-based questions answered in 55 minutes (40% of exam score).  4 Short Answer questions answered in 50 minutes (20% of Exam Score)  One DBQ (25 %) and one LEQ (15%) will be answered in a 120 minute portion of the written test.  15 minute mandatory reading section  Covers U.S. History before Columbus to Present-day

Example M-C

The AP USH Curriculum Framework  Nine historical thinking skills  Seven course themes  Key concepts for each of nine periods  Learning Objectives for the course as a whole Major elements:

Defining the Historical Thinking Skills Proficiencies defined across the three AP History courses: Thinking Skills TypeHistorical Thinking Skills Crafting Historical Arguments from Historical Evidence Historical argumentation Appropriate use of relevant historical evidence Chronological Reasoning Historical causation Patterns of continuity and change over time Periodization Comparison and Contextualization Comparison Contextualization Historical Interpretation and Synthesis Interpretation Synthesis

Identity Work, Exchange and Technology Peopling Politics and Power America in the World Environment and Geography Ideas, Beliefs, and Culture Course Themes 7 Defining Course Themes Overarching “big ideas” that structure the course as a whole:

Defining the Course Periods Period TitleDate Range Exam Weight 1Early Contacts Among Groups in North America % 2 North American Societies in the Context of the Atlantic World % 3Birth of a New Nation and Struggle for Identity Growing Pains of the New Republic Expansion, Regional Separation, the Civil War and Its Aftermath Industrialization, Urbanization, and Cultural Transformation % 7 Domestic and Global Challenges and the Creation of Mass Culture Increasing Prosperity and Global Responsibility After World War II Globalization and Redefining National Identity1980-Today5%

Getting a “5”  A score of “3” is considered passing.  A “5” is considered equivalent to a college-level “A”  Students earning a “5” will receive a 2 notch bump (B- goes to B+)  A “4” is considered equivalent to a college-level “B”  Students earning a “4” will receive a notch bump (B- goes to a B)

Final Exams  The final exam at the end of the 1 st semester will be a comprehensive test of all the material to date. It will include a multiple choice, short answer, DBQ and LEQ.  A second semester multiple choice final exam will be administered prior to May 6 th.  The instructor will conduct a number of review sessions outside of school leading up to May 6 th (date TBD).  The class will work on a major project after the May 6 th test date.

The Course Website  Can be found under Mr. Lee’s page at  The website will contain a “study guide” for each unit, which students are expected to read and keep track of throughout each unit.  ALL STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO USE ADDRESS!!!!  STUDENTS HAVE SETUP REMIND SERVICE FOR MR. LEE’S REMINDERS

Essay writing  We will cover strategies that will help students  Write a strong thesis  Outline intellectual thought  Write using academic language  I will use the College Board’s grading rubric.

Pace and Course Materials  We crawl before we walk, we walk before we run…  We have started by building skills that will be used repeatedly.  The amount of content and pacing will increase dramatically in the next few weeks.  We will primarily use Brinkley’s American History: A Survey.  We will use an abundance of outside materials as well:  Primary Sources  Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States  Robert Remini, Short History of the United States

Attendance  Students are required to send an when absent. Students will not be permitted to use absences as an extension for the test.  Make-up tests may be different than the original test.

Grading scale I do not round up grades. There will not be a curve in the class. The grading scale is as follows: 93%-100%=A80%-82.9%=B-67%-69.9%=D+ 90%-92.9%=A-77%-79.9%=C+63%-66.9%=D 87%-89.9%=B+73%-76.9%=C60%-62.9%=D- 83%-86.9%=B70%-72.9%=C-59.9%-0%=F

Academic Honesty  Parents and students have been asked to fully review the LVUSD “Academic Dishonesty” documentation that is included with the course syllabus.  Homework is to be handwritten to discourage “cut and paste” practices.  Quiz and/or test information must not be shared with students in other sections.  I am encouraging students to improve their skills and content knowledge throughout this course. Cheating, encouraging cheating, or defending any form of academic dishonesty will only hinder the students’ academic pursuits and growth.

Study Aids  APUSH Spiral  Others are available for purchase.  Baron’s, Princeton Review, Kaplan, REA.. These are intended to help students prepare for the test.

Contact Information Please check the website regularly ESPECIALLY at the beginning of a new unit. Please use to communicate with me:

Japan 2016 Informational Meeting: Wednesday, September 6:30 PM Lecture Hall