U. S. HISTORY SYLLABUS

Mr. Ross Matheny: mathenyr@issaquah.wednet.edu

MISSION STATEMENT
Students are emerging as members of their local, national, and global communities. We will collaborate to encourage curiosity, critical thinking, and communication skills as students explore the world’s cultures and become competent global citizens.
COURSE CONTENT
United States History is a year-long required course for all juniors. We will examine United States history from the Civil War era through the 20th century. The people and their experiences are at the heart of our course. We will encounter the challenges, triumphs, and sacrifices Americans faced, achieved, and made. We will discover that history is a story of ordinary people who sometimes do extraordinary things, and most often do ordinary things; it is a story of an extended American family, ripe with love, controversy, deceit, betrayal, obedience, disloyalty, risk-taking, prejudice, achievement, mistrust, and perseverance. We will experience the reflective value of history as a vehicle for reviewing the past, to understand our present, so that we can positively shape our future. The main goal of this course is to develop responsible, critical-thinking citizens!

COURSE SKILLS
As a social studies course, we will examine the primary social, economical, geographical, philosophical, and cultural events that shaped United States history. We will connect events and innovations throughout United States history to our present lives. We will practice and strengthen learning skills particular to the social studies field, such as map reading, persuasive writing, primary and secondary source document distinction, timeline chronicling, critical thinking, and political cartoon interpretation. Also, we will build general learning skills, such as, note-taking, peer cooperation, predicting, reading comprehension, editorializing, research planning, and public speaking.

COURSE THEMES
Historical themes provide a practical way to understand and categorize information. Also, they serve to help us make connections between historical periods. Throughout the class we will address the following historical themes:

1. The American Dream 6. Constitutional Issues
2. Innovation 7. Expanding Democracy
3. Economic Opportunity 8. Civil Rights
4. Cultural Diversity 9. American Global Relations
5. Immigration/Migration

COURSE UNITS
1. The Study of History
2. The Founding Era: From Independence to a Constitutional Federal Republic
3. Forging a Modern American Ideology: Civil War and Reconstruction
4. Pangs of Progress in the Gilded Age: The West, Populism, and Industrialization
5. Emergence of Imperial America: Securing American Democracy, Religion and Economic Opportunity Around the Globe
6. Progressivism, Normalcy, Depression and a New Deal: Evolution of Government Activism, and Birth of a Welfare State
7. America in WWI and WWII: Arm of Empire or Beacon of Hope?
8. The Early Cold War: Tensions Heat Up Abroad and at Home
9. Building a Greater Society: The Death of Jim Crow, The Birth of the Equal Rights Movement, and the Rise of Government Entitlements
10. The Vietnam Syndrome: War, Public Cynicism and The Malaise of the 1970s
11. Contemporary America: Conservative Resurgence, Coalition Governing, and the War on Terror



EXPECTATIONS
Being part of a learning community requires active participation—small and large group discussion, collaborative projects, and presentations are required components of this course. Your learning is a direct result of your involvement. Ask questions, get involved, advocate for yourself, and learn from one another.

PROCEDURES
Responsible Scholarship:
1. The curiosity, integrity, and cooperation of all students are important to the success of everyone in the class.
2. We will be concentrating on developing quality (not just quantity) in assignments.
3. We will teach and expect higher level thinking skills, such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
4. Plan ahead. If you procrastinate, you will not earn high grades.

Extra Credit
Extra credit is not offered. The easiest way to succeed in this class is to keep up with all work. If you turn work in ON TIME and complete, you will have no problems.

Homework / Late Work:
1. There will often be homework for this class. The length and difficulty will vary greatly.
2. Homework is due at the beginning of class.
3. Mistakes happen; it’s how we recover from those mistakes that count. If this happens please communicate with your teacher. You have oneweek past unit end to turn in late work for full credit and communicate via canvas or on paper when assignments are submitted and why it’s late. Plan ahead. Advocate for yourself. Past the one-week assignments will be input as a zero. If you have a personal commitment that prevents you from completing an assignment by its due date, make arrangements with me BEFORE the assignment is due.
4. Printer/technology issues are not an excuse for late work.
5. Keep all work until the end of the semester so that you have proof your grade is accurate.
6. I reserve the right to keep any written assignment or quiz/test as well as use it for others’ education.

Communication. You are always welcome to e-mail. However, please keep the following in mind:
1. Your emails must have appropriate spelling/grammar and include a relevant subject, your name, and class.
2. If you need help on an assignment, you must e-mail at least 24 hours before the due date. Otherwise, you likely will not get an answer in time.
3. You will always get a response when you e-mail me…even if it is just “Thanks” or “Got it.” If you do not receive a response, I did not receive your e-mail.
4. If you’re not at school, neither am I. Please don’t email at night expecting a reply before class the next day.

Technology and Cell Phones:
Cell phones may not be used for non-class-related purposes during learning time. See the Liberty handbook.

Attendance / Make-up Work:
1. Regular attendance is extremely important because in-class activities are essential aspects of the course.
2. If you have a pre-arranged absence, you must request assignments in advance and keep current with all aspects of the class. Students may be asked to submit long-term assignments (paper, project, etc.) before the absence.
3. Starting the day you return, you have 1 day per day you were absent to complete your make-up work or it is a 0%.
4. Each assignment (test, homework, warm-up, etc.) that is due the day you have an unexcused absence (skip) is a 0%.
5. It is your responsibility to immediately get the work, notes, and due dates you missed from the website or a peer and arrange a time with us to make up quizzes/tests.







Tardies:
1. Please be in your seat following directions when we start class. See the Liberty handbook.

Materials:
1. Any supplemental texts we’re using
2. Sticky notes or flags
3. Up-to-date, organized class binder or notebook
4. Homework planner
5. Blue/black pens, pencils, highlighters, & non-blue/black pens (purple, green, etc.)
6. USB drive or plan for saving documents
7. Note cards


Restroom Use. Be reasonable:
1. Always sign out and take the pass. Sign in and return the pass. Please avoid leaving during instruction.
2. You are responsible for what you miss while you’re gone.
3. If you take advantage of this policy, you will no longer be allowed to go to the restroom.

Grading:
1. Grades can be viewed online through Family Access. On average, they will be updated weekly.
2. It is your responsibility to check your grades regularly.
3. Because of the new teacher evaluation system, some student work may be used as evidence and not returned. In these cases, you are welcome to arrange a time with us to discuss your work.
4. I will not round your grade.
Scale:
A: 93-100
A-: 90-92
B+: 87-89
B: 83-86
B-: 80-82
C+: 77-79
C: 73-76
C-: 70-72
D+: 67-69
D: 60-66
F: 0-59


Academic Honesty:
1. Honesty in all work is expected at all times.
2. You are expected to cite any ideas and phrases that are not your own.
3. Any form of cheating (see below) is a serious offense, and consequences will follow Student Handbook procedures.
a. Plagiarizing: stealing any part of another person’s work and submitting it as ones’ own.
b. Distribution: sharing class assignments or test information in either written or verbal form to another student without teacher permission.
c. Unauthorized Collaboration: working with others without teacher permission on assignments that will be submitted for an individual’s grade. This applies to in-class or take-home assignments, projects, or quizzes/tests.
d. Collusion: allowing one’s work to be copied or submitted for assessment by another student. Collusion also includes the use or sharing of identical or highly-similar passages of one’s own work or the work of another.
e. Technology Malpractice: any misuse of private or public technology to obtain an academic advantage, including infractions of the school technology user agreement, cell phone messaging, or picture transmission.
PURSUE EXCELLENCE ACT WITH INTEGRITY TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER
-Participate to the best of your ability

-Come prepared and ready to learn

-Follow through with assigned tasks
-Take risks and embrace that failure is a part of success

-Be willing to ask for help -Be accountable for your choices

-Have a growth mindset

-Use technology for the purpose of learning

-Present yourself honestly

-Take pride in your work
-Look for strengths in all people

-Practice empathy

-Respect personal differences

-Embrace and encourage collaboration

-Advocate for each other

U. S. History