1. What You Need to Know about USII History 2009-2010

2. Why do we study history? History is the story of our country. It tells us who we are and where we have been. History is full of true stories with real heroes, real villains, and real people like you and me. When we learn history in this class, we relive real-life adventures.

3. Why do we study history? History is a mystery. No one knows the whole story of what happened in the past because we weren’t there. Studying history is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle together. We will gather pieces of the puzzle and try to discover how they fit together into a big picture.

4. Why do we study history? “Those who do not read and understand history are doomed to repeat it.” Harry Truman

5. Why do we study history? “Those who do not read and understand history are doomed to repeat it.” August 6, 1945 U.S. Drops Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima The first atomic bomb more than 2,000 times more powerful than the largest bomb has been dropped by a United States aircraft on the Japanese city of Hiroshima After the Hiroshima bombing, President Truman announced, "If they do not now accept our terms, they may expect a rain of ruin from the air the likes of which has never been seen on this earth."

6. Why do we study history? “Those who do not read and understand history are doomed to repeat it.” June 24, 2009 North Korea Warns of 'Fire Shower of Nuclear' Attack North Korea condemns U.S. nuclear protection of South Korea, warns of 'fire shower of nuclear retaliation' North Korea condemned a recent U.S. pledge to provide nuclear defense of South Korea, saying Thursday that the move boosts its justification to have atomic bombs and invites a potential "fire shower of nuclear retaliation."

7. Why do we study history? “Those who do not read and understand history are doomed to repeat it.” August 22, 2008 The New Cold War? Given the recent events in Georgia many people in the West believe Russia is the new Nazi Germany, Putin is Hitler, and Georgia is Czechoslovakia in 1938. Does Russia have a master-plan to restore the Soviet empire, with Georgia as the first domino to fall while the West stands idly by?

8. I teach in units, not by chapter or by SOL. We will study the history of the United States, 1877 to the present in chronological order, that is the order it occurred. This isn’t always how the textbook or the SOLs are written. So...

9. ... do we use a textbook? Hardly ever. In fact we have a classroom set; you will not be issued a history book to bring to class each day. We will use an interactive notebook which we will keep in your history folder. This will allow us to do many different kinds of activities that will help you learn and remember the stories of our country’s history, 1877 to the present.

10. Units We Cover: Civil War Reconstruction, Jim Crow Westward Expansion U.S. Geography Resources, Products, and Markets (RPMs) Immigration Inventions Big Business Spanish American War World War I

11. Units We Cover: 1920s – Harlem Renaissance, Prohibition, Suffrage, Great Migration North The Great Depression World War II Cold War (Korea, Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam) Civil Rights Technological Advances Globalization International Issues

12. Mrs. Richardson’s Classroom Expectations Character is what a person is inside. Our character is revealed by how we act when we think no one else is looking. A person of character has good values, knowing right from wrong and committing to do what is right.

13. Mrs. Richardson’s Classroom Expectations Be honest. Honesty is being truthful in actions and words. Accomplish your goals fairly, without cheating or stealing.

14. Mrs. Richardson’s Classroom Expectations Be respectful. Treat others the way you want to be treated, being courteous in actions and words when someone else is speaking. Stay seated and turned toward the speaker. Do not interrupt by speaking out or moving from your desk.

15. Mrs. Richardson’s Classroom Expectations Pursue excellence. Do your best. Bring your materials to class each day. Complete your assignments and return them to school on time. Leave toys at home.

16. Mrs. Richardson’s Classroom Expectations Be fair. Be open-minded and listen to other people’s opinions, even when they are different than yours.

17. Mrs. Richardson’s Classroom Expectations Care about others. “Build up” your classmates; don’t “tear them down.” Tell a classmate when he or she does a good job or has a good idea. Resist name calling or put downs.

18. Mrs. Richardson’s Classroom Expectations Show good citizenship. Do your share by protecting our classroom environment, keeping a neat desk and picking up after yourself.

19. Will you have homework? Yes, but not every night. This is why it is important you do your best on each assignment. When I do assign homework, I always try to give you time to get started in class. Use that time wisely!

20. Will you have quizzes and tests? Yes, you will have announced quizzes and tests. I try to give you at least a week’s notice before a test and a couple of days notice before a quiz. If the quiz does not cover a lot of information, you may just have one night to review.

21. Grading Scale 100-93A 92-85B 84-77C 76-70D <70You don’t want to go there!

22. What if I forget my planner? Go to Mrs. Richardson’s Wikispace! http://purplehistorywiki.mmswiki.wikispaces.net/ You will find copies of the PowerPoints and sheets in your units here plus a summary of your assignment.

23. A to Z Review What do you remember about the Civil War and Reconstruction from last year’s history classes? On your own, use the first letters of the A to Z Review as a guide and write down any word or phrase that you can think of that has to do with history or geography. We will then pair up and compare lists. You may add words as you wish. Finally, we will report out to the class.