OUR GOALS Every student will pass this course and the citizenship OGT. Every student will score a 3,4, or 5 on the Ohio End-of Course A.I.R test Every student will improve by 50% on the post assessment. Every student will improve their reading and writing skills. Every student will improve critical thinking skills. Every student will improve their social and cooperative skills. Every student will have fun and most importantly…LEARN SOMETHING! THE COURSE Modern American History (MAH) is designed to allow students to gain more knowledge about U.S. history and government, (including the new state require ‘historical documents’ requirement), world geography, and economics while emphasizing the skills and knowledge needed to pass the state mandated American History test that is a part of the new graduation requirements and to improve their personal score on the post-assessment. During the course there will be a variety of assignments and assessments designed to help you learn, review, and apply the foci of this class while improving your academic, thinking, social, and self- discipline skills. YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES Be in your seat when the bell starts to ring. Any tardy will be recorded and reported. Bring needed / required materials to class. Your text, your MAH notebook, and assignments on a daily basis. Detentions may be given for not having materials. Be respectful of others and their property. Don’t mark on desks, throw things, or leave trash behind. Keep your feet, the desk legs, and chair legs on the ground. Don’t bring food or drink to class. (Water bottles are allowed.) Be a courteous, productive, and positive force. Don’t interrupt people, talk at inappropriate times, or put your head down. Don’t leave your seat when others are talking. No phones or earbuds (If I see them, I will take them.) THE CONSEQUENCES Warning or Detention. I will assign the date and time of the detention. Parental contact and / or office notified of behavior. Removal from room.

HALL PASSES Students are expected to come to class prepare. You must have your agenda-planner filled out before I will sign a pass. You will be given three passes per quarter from this class. Each pass is good for a maximum of 5 minutes. Extra credit will be given for some unused passes. If you need to leave the room and you don’t have your agenda-planner or you are out of passes you must serve a detention. GRADES – SCHOOLWIDE POLICY A = 92.5% or more of the total possible points. B = %of the total possible points. C = 69.5 – 82.4% of the total possible points. D = 59.5 – 69.4% of the total possible points. F = 59.4%or less of the total possible points. GRADES IN MODERN AMERICAN HISTORY Different categories of work will be weighted as follows: 20% Writing & reading (Constructed response assignments, reading quizzes) 20% Class work (Review work started and completed in class) 20% Home work 20% Chapter quizzes 20% Unit tests Therefore, here’s how your grade will be determined: Writing and Reading (W&R) 85/100 = 85% (B)85 x.20 =17 Class work (CW) 150/160 = 94% (A)94 x.20 = 18.8 Home work (HW)160/200 = 80% (C)80 x.20 =16 Chapter quizzes (CQ)126/150 = 84% (B)84 x.30 =16.8 Unit Tests (UT) 80/110 = 73% (C)73 x.30 =14.6 Your grade =83.2 (B) YOU MUST PASS AN AMERICAN HISTORY CLASS AND THE A.I.R. TEST IN ORDER TO GRADUATE Welcome to the school year at Brookville High School and my Modern American History (MAH) course I hope you are as excited about this school year as I am Mark A. Brown

COMMUNICATION / INFORMATION THE DAILY PLAN FOR CLASS WILL BE ON THE FRONT BOARD THE UPCOMING ASSIGNMENTS / DUE DATES ARE ON THE BACK BOARD THE QUARTER SCHEDULE IS ON THE FRONT BOARD & YOU HAVE A COPY CLASS NOTES ARE ON THE SCHOOL WEBSITE (BROOKVILLESCHOOLS.ORG) REMINDERS & ONLINE ASSIGNMENTS BY GOOGLE CLASSROOM REMINDERS & NEWS ITEMS VIA TWITTER (BHS312) ATTENDENCE It is expected that you will be in class, in your assigned seat, when the bell starts to ring. I keep track of attendance. If you have an unexcused absence, you are encouraged to make the work up so you will learn the material – but you will not get credit for the work. No work will be accepted for credit if it is more than a week late. If you miss a quiz, test, or presentation you will have to make it up before or after school in room 312. Homework, quizzes, tests, or other assignments for students with absences may be different. READING It is expected that you will read any assignment given as homework. This will help you understand the concepts better and give you the confidence to participate in discussions and activities more. At the start of class, if you have questions about what you have read, please ask them. READING QUIZZES (10 points) Unannounced quizzes will be given on a occasional basis (once every week or two) at the start of class. The reading quizzes will be over material your should have read the evening before, over the outline questions assigned the day before, or over the information we covered in class the day before. NOTEBOOK CHECKS (30 POINTS) It is expected that you will have a notebook for MAH. You are encouraged to take notes BEFORE class since all notes are on the school website. If there is a lecture, you should take notes. If there is a cooperative or outlining lesson it is expected that you will answer the questions in your notebook. There will be notebook checks every quarter. Remember you are responsible for all notes / assignments missed when you are absent. Xeroxed or notes printed from online sources will not earn you credit. Sounds good

HOME WORK and CLASS WORK (USUALLY 10 POINTS) It is expected that you will complete the assignments on time using proper English in complete sentence form done in a neat and easily readable manner. Copied work is not acceptable. Late work will be worth partial credit. If we are doing class work and you are disruptive you will earn partial credit for the work done that day. If we are doing group work and you are not contributing in a productive and positive manner you will receive partial credit for the group’s work. Excellent Work Expected Work Fair Work Poor Work 12 – 1110 – and below ( No late work will be accepted more than one week late. ) CHAPTER QUIZZES (USUALLY 30 POINTS) These will be pre-planned and announced quizzes. These quizzes will cover notes, readings, homework, and classroom activities. Chapter quizzes will usually be given every 4 to 7 class meetings. The quizzes may contain a plethora of questions ( T/F, multiple choice, matching, short answer, completion, and essay).. You may retake these quizzes before or after school and improve your score to a 92%. UNIT TESTS (USUALLY POINTS) Major exams will be given every 3 to 5 weeks. The test may be made up of all types of questions based on past lectures, reading, assignments and quizzes. You can not retake tests. CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE (ESSAYS) QUESTIONS (USUALLY 10 POINTS) There will be written assignments over specific topics covered in the text or in class. If an assignment done in class or for homework it will be worth 10 points. If the assignment is done over a period of days – usually as a long term assignment or project – the assignment may be worth more. Organization, grammatical structure, spelling, and critical analysis will play a large part in grading. OTHER PROJECTS (USUALLY 30 TO 100 POINTS) There will be a variety of other projects through the semester. These projects will be designed to introduce, reinforce and / or evaluate knowledge and skills. EXTRA CREDIT Rarely will extra credit assignments be given to the class. Do not count on extra credit to raise a grade since very little of it will be given out. Extra-credit will be given to a class. There will be no extra credit given to individuals. ATTITUDE & CLASS PARTICIPATION The way you approach this class, as with everything in life, will be the greatest factor. Be positive and flexible. The more involved you become, the more enjoyable and educational it will be. If you have problems or concerns – see me!

Dear Parent, This introductory letter is designed to open the lines of communication between us. I believe that clear communication between student, parent, and teacher improves the learning process. Therefore, I encourage you to contact me about any issue concerning your child or their education. I can be reached by phone at school ( ) or on my cell ( ). You can also me at The second purpose of this letter is to explain why your child is taking Modern American History (MAH) this year. The State of Ohio requires Modern American History and an end of course exam. Because of this we have adjusted the curriculum at Brookville High School and this MAH course will focus on the information and skills necessary to pass achieve those objectives. This class is also REQUIRED FOR GRADUATION. Therefore, I feel that MAH should have priority over many other activities. The final reason for this letter is to make sure that you are aware of my classroom expectations. Attached to this letter is a syllabus which contains the class objectives, rules, consequences, attendance policy, grading scale, and a description of the different planned assignments. Your child was also given a “tentative” schedule for the next 2 months. Finally be aware that assignments and grades on posted on Progress Book. Class notes and other resources are posted on my school website ( Thank you for your time and concern. Again, if you have questions please contact me. Sincerely, Mark A. Brown THIS IS AN ASSIGNMENT ! THANK YOU FOR RETURN THIS PAGE TOMORROW. We have read and understand the syllabus which contains the class objectives, rules, consequences, attendance policy, grading scale, and a description of the different planned assignments. Student Signature_________________________________________ Date _________ Student Address __________________________________________________ Parent Signature___________________________________________ Date_________ Parent Address ___________________________________________________