US History Syllabus Brian Strickland

Textbook The Americans, McDougal Littell Inc., Copyright 2003 The Americans, McDougal Littell Inc., Copyright 2003 The American's is a typical high school text that covers United States history from the ancient civilizations that inhabited North America to the present time. The text will be used as reference material along with other required reading provided by the instructor. Library research, guest speakers, videos, the Internet, newsmagazines, newspapers, and handouts will also be used to access information.

Course Description This course is designed to inform students about who they are as citizens of the United States and how past events have shaped the world we live in today. We will concentrate on the following historical periods: Constitutional period, major events of the 19th century, World War I, the Depression, World War II, the beginning of the Cold War, the 1960's, and the last 30 years.

Daily Assignments All daily assignments which includes reading of chapters, worksheets, etc. are to be completed in the proper time frame. No Late work will be accepted. The student(s) are responsible for any assignments and class notes if they are absent.

Grade Policy 50% from daily work 50% from major test Chapter Tests All tests will consists of multiple choice, true/false, essay or short answer.

Grading Policies Re-teach/re-assess shall be an option for students at all grade levels as set forth in administrative regulations. Results of 6-week assessments shall be included as a grade in the computation of 6-week grades as set forth in administrative regulations and shall serve as benchmarks to determine re-teach activities/intervention programs, curriculum revisions, and instructional modifications/adjustsments. Standards for the appropriate use of grammar, spelling, and punctuation shall be established for all grade levels according to grade level-TEKS as set forth in administrative regulations.

Tardies You are to be in your assigned seat when the bell rings. If you are not in your seat when the bell rings. Students who are tardy to class will be subject to disciplinary action. A student is tardy when the student is not in the classroom when the bell rings. Disciplinary action will be assigned when a student is tardy to class.

Attendance To receive credit in the class, a student must attend at least 90 percent of the days the class is offered. A student who attends fewer than 90 percent of the days the class is offered may be referred to the attendance review committee to determine whether there are extenuating circumstances for the absences and how the student can regain credit.

Conduct As required by law, the board has adopted a Student Code of Conduct that prohibits certain behaviors and establishes standards of acceptable behavior-both on and off campus- and consequences for violation of the standards. Students need to be familiar with the standards set out in the Student Code of Conduct, as well as campus and classroom rules.

Identification Badges Students will be required to wear their photo identification badges at all times during regular school hours and while being transported to and from school on the District transportation. Failure to do so shall result in disciplinary action as outlined in the Student Code of Conduct.

Student Mode of Dress All students enrolled at a school with a Standard Mode of Dress Policy must follow the District Dress Code as well as the mode of dress regulations of the campus they are attending.

Restroom Policies You may not go to the restroom during the first 10 minutes of class and the last 10 minutes of class. (Exceptions can be made in certain circumstances (Instructor’s discretion) Restroom passes are for emergency only. Each student will be given only two opportunities during the nine weeks to go to the restroom

Cheating Cheating will be defined as copying another students homework, daily work, tests, and having unsanctioned notes during a test, looking on another students paper during a test, and/or speaking out loud during a test in a way that would assist another student or themselves on a test. Any student caught cheating will receive a zero on the class work and parents will be notified. If cheating persists, the student will be sent to the office. Cheating will be defined as copying another students homework, daily work, tests, and having unsanctioned notes during a test, looking on another students paper during a test, and/or speaking out loud during a test in a way that would assist another student or themselves on a test. Any student caught cheating will receive a zero on the class work and parents will be notified. If cheating persists, the student will be sent to the office.

Make up work for Absences: It is the responsibility for the student to get all assignments from instructor if they are absent. Make-up tests need to be scheduled with the instructor. The rule of thumb for make-up work is one day for each day absent. **Example: The student is absent on Monday and returns on Tuesday. The work on Monday will be due Wednesday. **Example: the student is absent on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and returns Thursday. The work completed Monday in class is due Friday; Tuesdays work is due Monday; Wednesdays work is due Tuesday. If a student is in school on the day the teacher explains an upcoming test and the date of the test, the student is expected to take the test even if the student was absent the day before the test (e.g. The test is explained on Friday and the student is told the test would be Tuesday. A student is absent on Monday who was in attendance on Friday and comes to school Tuesday. The student would be expected to take the test).

Late Work No Late work will be accepted. There will be time set aside during week 3 and week 6 of each 6 weeks to make up any zeros or to increase a failing grade on a test. This time frame will be set between the student and the teacher.

Class Procedure. All school rules will be followed and enforced.. Cooperation and on-task behavior is required.. Any problems with classroom decorum (cooperation and on-task behavior) will follow a three step process:. Teacher-student talk. If this doesn't correct the problem,. Teacher-student talk and discussion with parents. If this doesn't correct the problem,. Outside assistance will be requested (Principal, counselor, other).

General order of events each class day General order of events each class day 5 minutes take role while students begin warm-up routine 5 minutes take role while students begin warm-up routine 5 minutes recent news relating to world events. 25 minutes lesson for the day. 5 minutes closure, discussion of the days lesson and expectations for the next day.

Miscellaneous: The student is expected to be in class, on time, everyday. Obviously there are exceptions to this rule but there shouldn't be many. The teacher expects learning to take place for every student. If this isn't happening, something needs to be fixed so it can happen. Please communicate. All living humans have perceptions of what is happening in their environment, but not all humans have the same perceptions about their environment. Therefore, communication is essential for bringing understanding to different perceptions. Please talk to the teacher if there are any problems or concerns about what is taking place in the classroom. Let's have fun learning about U.S. History. Let's have fun learning about U.S. History.