WELCOME! IB 20th Century History of the Americas Advanced Placement United States History 2 Mr. Stewart

My apologies… w I am sorry that I am unable to meet you at the 2014 “Back to School Night” because of a very important family matter. w Please contact me at my address if you have any questions or concerns. w

US History 2 w Thematic/Chronological study of 20th century American History w Foreign Affairs: w Imperialism, World War 1, World War 2, Cold War, Post-Cold War foreign policy, US in the Post-Cold War World w Domestic Affairs: w Liberalism and Progressive Reform, Conservative Reaction of the 20s, Depression/New Deal, Post War conformity of the 50s, Turbulent 60s, Contemporary America w KEY POINT: To analyze and understand the consequences of HUMAN DECISIONS.

…… w This segment of the course will prepare students to take the AP US History test administered in May w The AP test emphasizes writing skills, along with content knowledge. w Students can earn college credits by achieving qualifying scores. w Many students take the AP Exam in order to exempt the FINAL EXAM. w I’ve asked all students to purchase the AMSCO AP US History Review Book. There’s a link to the publisher on my MHS web site. w ALL STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THIS COURSE ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO TAKE THE ADVANCED PLACEMENT EXAM!!

IB 20th Century History of the Americas… w All students will be trained to achieve success on IB assessments. w They will learn US history of the 20 th century from different perspectives. w IB DIPLOMA CANDIDATES who will take IB History of Europe next year will be trained on how to take the IB exam. w All students will receive an in depth understanding of: Causes, practices and effects of 20 th Century Wars 20 th Century single party states The COLD WAR

Classroom Practice w The course in intense and challenging. w Since the students can receive college credit for this course, they will be expected to perform as college students. w Students will be challenged to recognize the relevance of history and think like historians. w Students are expected to be prepared daily and will be held accountable. w The students are asked to analyze primary and secondary sources for guided classroom discussions.

Assessments w HEAVY emphasis on writing w Homework assignments and daily preparation w In class writing activities w Notebook essays w Document analysis w Internal Assessment Project w IB Test preparation (Papers 1 and 2) w Student prepared presentations w AP Test Prep: Writing of DBQ’s and FRQ’s, practice tests (multiple choice tests) w Periodic quizzes w Unit Tests w Class participation

Expected Outcomes w Since the course is challenging, it’s expected that students will become more responsible and independent. w I expect to improve their verbal and writing skills. w Critical thinking and analytical skills will improve. w The students will be challenged to make decisions and defend them using logic, reasoning and evidence as support. w My MHS website.website