1. AP US History: Course Syllabus
Mr. Riley
A217

2. Introduction and Welcome
This course is designed to be the most challenging and rigorous social studies course for Juniors in the district.
This course will also help you sharpen and expand your skills to read, think critically, study, and analyze. These are all “21st century skills” that you will need in college and beyond.
This class will be taught in much the same way as an entry-level college course; the expectations for participation, timely submission, and quality of work on your part are high.

3. Introduction (cont’d)
Bear in mind that YOU made the choice to take this course. As we know (and will learn), our choices have consequences. By choosing to take AP US History, your choice indicates that you are ready and willing to push yourself harder and be faced with more challenging situations/topics than you may have had in the past.
However, this DOES NOT MEAN that you must be PERFECT in everything you do here for the next 27 weeks. There are times where you will fall short of expectations, both of the course and of yourself. But that is ok and perfectly natural. We are humans; we make mistakes. Most importantly, we LEARN how to do better when mistakes are made. That being said, CHALLENGE YOURSELF to take risks and risk being wrong or failing to understand. You will never be “called out” or criticized for a wrong answer. If anything, you will earn respect for taking on a challenge outside of your comfort zone. This will ALWAYS be a safe learning environment where you will be treated with respect. 

4. What We Will Be Doing In Class:
Class collaboration/discussion on historical issues
Multi-media presentations (student and teacher created/led)
Socratic Seminars on ancillary readings
Document Based Questions (DBQs)
“Long Essay” Questions (LEQs)
“Short Answer” Questions (SAQs)
Documentary/Dramatized film accounts of historical events
Analysis/Reflection of daily learning (usually as homework)

5. Our Textbook: America’s History – 8th Ed.
Henretta, Hinderaker, Edwards, Self

6. Ancillary Books: Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen
You are NOT required to purchase these but we will use sections from them for HW, discussions, Socratic Seminars, etc.
Lies My Teacher Told Me
by James W. Loewen
A People’s History of the United States
By Howard Zinn
The Untold History of the United States
By Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick

7. Grades

8. Grading System
AP US History is a 1.5 credit course that lasts for three marking periods. The weight of each marking period is as follows:
MP 1 = 26%
MP 2 = 27%
MP 3 = 27%
Midterm Exam (55 multi-choice/50 pt. essay) = 10% of final grade
Final Exam (same breakdown as midterm) = 10% of final grade

9. Grading (cont’d)
Throughout the course, we will be assessed in a multitude of ways. The teacher reserves the right to count each assignment as a summative or a formative work. Summative Assessments are worth 90 percent of your marking period grade while Formative Assessments are worth the remaining 10 percent.
Summative assessments will ALWAYS be announced in advance as to their nature of being summative. For example, a reading/response that might take a few days to analyze and discuss would be labeled and counted as summative. A Period Exam would be announced a week ahead to give you adequate time to prepare. Assignments designed as formative are to give you practice on a historical concept or thinking skill and will be used for feedback and self-checks to determine our level of understanding at a particular point in time. The teacher reserves the right to count any collected formative assessment toward your marking period grade so be sure you complete them when they are assigned!

10. Core Assessments
As per district policy, the 2nd and 3rd marking periods will each include a core assessment that each student will complete. More information will be given as we approach this time.
Please note: the summer assignment is NOT considered a core assessment.

11. Scope of the Course MP1 – 1491 to 1840 (Columbus to Mex-US War)
Throughout the course, we will comprehensively study the history of America from the arrival of the first indigenous Americans up to the beginning of the 21st century. Each marking period will cover the following time periods:
MP1 – 1491 to 1840 (Columbus to Mex-US War)
MP2 – 1840 (approx) to 1898 (Pre-Civil War – Beginning of American Empire)
MP 3 – 1900 to Present (Progressivism – America in a Globalized World)

12. Themes and Skills
Since 2014, the goal of the AP US History course is not to simply have you regurgitate a series of facts in a linear progression. Rather, our job is to learn how to see American history through particular “themes” (i.e. our ever-changing “identity” as a nation, the ideas, beliefs, and culture that have shaped America through the centuries, the development of economic system(s), etc.) You will find (as many have) that history truly is a “series of arguments supported by evidence”.
In addition, we will work on mastering to the best of our ability certain “historical thinking skills” such as historical causation, continuity and change, comparison, and contextualization. These skills, more than rote memorization of dates and people, are what college professors want their students to do when they arrive on campus.

13. Absences
If you are absent, you are responsible for meeting with me to collect, ask questions about, and/or turn in missing work. Please utilize our class School Wires site on CB East’s website to download the assignments and powerpoints that you may have missed.
Log in, click on the link labeled “APUSH” and choose which unit you need information from.

14. Lest We Forget…the AP Exam
This will be a 3-hour exam administered on Friday May 10th, It consists of multiple choice, “short answer questions” and two essay questions (DBQ and LEQ).
The AP Exam is scored on a 1-5 scale. A score of “3” is considered passing. Colleges may recognize a 3, 4, or 5 for college credit.
You are greatly encouraged to take the AP Exam. Doing so, however, is voluntary and there is a fee of approximately $94 to take it.
You may already know this, but just to ease your fears: your performance on the AP Exam DOES NOT affect your overall grade in this course.

15. Two Great Resources For the Course:
Available for $14.50 on Amazon Prime!
Available for $13.38 on Amazon Prime!