APUSH Advanced Placement United States History
Course Syllabus:
AP U.S. History is a challenging course that is meant to be the equivalent of two semesters of a freshman college course and enables a student to earn college credit while still in high school. The course covers historical material from colonization through the 1980s with the greatest emphasis on the 19th and 20th centuries. In addition to the core material in this course, extensive reading and writing assignments involve the student through in-depth historical investigation with primary sources and advanced research techniques. The textbook The American Pageant, 13th edition. supplemented by numerous primary source documents, prepares the student for the rigor and expectation of a four-year college or university. There is an emphasis on independent inquiry in the course, which challenges the student to synthesize material, reflect thoughtfully on historical information, and assess his/her own learning.
This course is divided into six units from the colonization of the New World to Modern America. While the approach is chronological, the themes of American Diversity, American Identity, Culture, Religion, Slavery and Its Legacies in North America, and War and Diplomacy are woven into the course with the goal of enabling students to more fully develop an understanding of the relationship between past and future events. Students should be able to demonstrate understanding of the importance of change over time as reflected through the themes listed above. Primary Source documents required by the state frameworks of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Education are incorporated into the course where fitting.
Textbooks:
Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, and Bailey, Thomas A., The American Pageant. 13th Ed., Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2006.
Bailey, Thomas A., Kennedy, David M., The American Spirit, Volumes I and II, 7th ed., Boston, Mass.: D. C. Heath and Company, 1991.
Boyer, Paul S., Clark, Clifford E., et al., The Enduring Vision, 3rd ed., Lexington, Mass.: D. C. Heath and Company, 1996.
Grading:
(50-30-20)
Tests and Quizzes: constitute 50% of the student grade. Quizzes may take place at any time while tests will occur at the end of each unit. Quizzes include multiple-choice questions and an essay; unit tests include multiple-choice questions, a document based question and a minimum of one essay.
Writing Assignments: constitute 30% of the student grade. Students are expected to write regularly both in and out of class. Writing assignments may include short answer questions, formal essays, or document based questions. These writing assignments may be based on reading assignments or may require written formulation of historical ideas or concepts.
Seminars: constitute 20% of the student grade. These Socratic seminars require detailed preparation outside of class and allow a student the opportunity to formulate thought and demonstrate critical thinking in response to others’ historical perception and judgment. Students are graded using a four-point rubric, as follows: clearly expressed positions, positions supported by historical evidence, ability to respond appropriately and critically to others’ positions, and ability to draw fresh, unique observations and conclusions from the seminar.
Course Outline:
Unit One: Founding the New Nation
Unit Two: Building the New Nation
Unit Three: Testing the New Nation
Unit Four: Forging an Industrial Society
Unit Five: Struggling for Justice at Home and Abroad
Unit Six: Making Modern America
AP US History Exam: Preparation/Review (Exam Date is Wednesday, May 15, 2013)
Post Exam: Independent HistoriographyProjects, Decades Project, DBQ Project, and Post Exam Assessments
Course Syllabus:
AP U.S. History is a challenging course that is meant to be the equivalent of two semesters of a freshman college course and enables a student to earn college credit while still in high school. The course covers historical material from colonization through the 1980s with the greatest emphasis on the 19th and 20th centuries. In addition to the core material in this course, extensive reading and writing assignments involve the student through in-depth historical investigation with primary sources and advanced research techniques. The textbook The American Pageant, 13th edition. supplemented by numerous primary source documents, prepares the student for the rigor and expectation of a four-year college or university. There is an emphasis on independent inquiry in the course, which challenges the student to synthesize material, reflect thoughtfully on historical information, and assess his/her own learning.
This course is divided into six units from the colonization of the New World to Modern America. While the approach is chronological, the themes of American Diversity, American Identity, Culture, Religion, Slavery and Its Legacies in North America, and War and Diplomacy are woven into the course with the goal of enabling students to more fully develop an understanding of the relationship between past and future events. Students should be able to demonstrate understanding of the importance of change over time as reflected through the themes listed above. Primary Source documents required by the state frameworks of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Education are incorporated into the course where fitting.
Textbooks:
Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, and Bailey, Thomas A., The American Pageant. 13th Ed., Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2006.
Bailey, Thomas A., Kennedy, David M., The American Spirit, Volumes I and II, 7th ed., Boston, Mass.: D. C. Heath and Company, 1991.
Boyer, Paul S., Clark, Clifford E., et al., The Enduring Vision, 3rd ed., Lexington, Mass.: D. C. Heath and Company, 1996.
Grading:
(50-30-20)
Tests and Quizzes: constitute 50% of the student grade. Quizzes may take place at any time while tests will occur at the end of each unit. Quizzes include multiple-choice questions and an essay; unit tests include multiple-choice questions, a document based question and a minimum of one essay.
Writing Assignments: constitute 30% of the student grade. Students are expected to write regularly both in and out of class. Writing assignments may include short answer questions, formal essays, or document based questions. These writing assignments may be based on reading assignments or may require written formulation of historical ideas or concepts.
Seminars: constitute 20% of the student grade. These Socratic seminars require detailed preparation outside of class and allow a student the opportunity to formulate thought and demonstrate critical thinking in response to others’ historical perception and judgment. Students are graded using a four-point rubric, as follows: clearly expressed positions, positions supported by historical evidence, ability to respond appropriately and critically to others’ positions, and ability to draw fresh, unique observations and conclusions from the seminar.
Course Outline:
Unit One: Founding the New Nation
Unit Two: Building the New Nation
Unit Three: Testing the New Nation
Unit Four: Forging an Industrial Society
Unit Five: Struggling for Justice at Home and Abroad
Unit Six: Making Modern America
AP US History Exam: Preparation/Review (Exam Date is Wednesday, May 15, 2013)
Post Exam: Independent HistoriographyProjects, Decades Project, DBQ Project, and Post Exam Assessments