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Webpage of eric j. heditsch |
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MENDHAM HIGH SCHOOL |
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IB/AP U.S. HISTORY II |
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I.B. / A.P. U.S. HISTORY 2 IS AN INTENSE STUDY OF THE UNITED STATES IN THE 20TH CENTURY, OR WHAT MANY HISTORIANS CALL THE “AMERICAN CENTURY”. THE COURSE MOVES AT AN ACCELERATED PACE AND PREPARES STUDENTS TO COMPLETE I.B. CERTIFICATION REQIREMENTS AND/OR TAKE THE A.P. U.S. HISTORY EXAM FOR POSSIBLE COLLEGE CREDIT. THE COURSE IS DESIGNED TO COVER THE MANY ASPECTS OF 20TH CENTURY AMERICA WITH PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, WAR, POLITICS, AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENTS.
IB/AP U.S. HISTORY REQUIRES AN EXTRAORDINARY EFFORT FROM STUDENTS BECAUSE THE STUDY OF HISTORY AT THIS LEVEL IS TWO-TIERED. FIRST, STUDENTS MUST MASTER THE FACTS OF EACH HISTORIC PERIOD WE COVER. THESE ARE THE PEOPLE, EVENTS AND IDEAS THAT COMPRISE THE 20TH CENTURY. MANY PEOPLE ERRONEOUSLY BELIEVE THAT SUCH FACTS ARE THE SUM TOTAL OF HISTORY. SOME STUDENTS HAVE BEEN TRAINED TO MEMORIZE SUCH DETAILS TO DO WELL IN HISTORY. ALTHOUGH KNOWING AND UNDERSTANDING THE FACTS IS ESSENTIAL, IT IS ONLY HALF THE BATTLE TO SUCCEED IN THIS COURSE.
MORE IMPORTANTLY, STUDENTS WILL UTILIZE THE FACTS OF HISTORY AT A HIGHER LEVEL. WE WILL EXAMINE WHY AND HOW EVENTS OCCURRED, THE DEVELOPMENT OF SHORT AND LONG-TERM TRENDS, THE IMPACT OF PEOPLE AND EVENTS ON OTHER PEOPLE AND EVENTS, AS WELL AS THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN IDEAS AND ACTIONS. FURTHERMORE, THE 20TH CENTURY GIVES US AMPLE OPPORTUNITY TO DEBATE THE KEY IDEAS, TRENDS AND DECISIONS OF AMERICAN HISTORY. THIS SECOND TIER REQUIRES DEEP THOUGHT AND ANALYSIS. OFTEN STUDENTS ARE EXPERIENCED WITH LEARNING FACTS, BUT ARE INEXPERIENCED WITH HIGHER LEVELS OF REASONING AND ANALYSIS. TO SUCCEED IN THIS COURSE, BOTH LEVELS OF HISTORY MUST BE MASTERED.
Course Outline Marking Period One: UNIT 1: 1890-1917: Turn of the Century & World War I (Ch. 27-30 in American Pageant) *U.S. at the Turn of the Century *World Stage: TR & the Big Stick *Progressivism *U.S. Goes to War, 1917
UNIT 2: 1917-1932: Peace, Roaring Twenties & Depression (Ch. 31-33 in American Pageant) *World War I at Home *Versailles & the League *Roaring Twenties *Great Depression
Marking Period Two: UNIT 3: 1932-1944: The New Deal & World War II (Ch. 34-36 in American Pageant) *FDR & the New Deal *Europe Goes to War *U.S.: Neutrality to War *World War II through 1944
UNIT 4: 1945-1949: Origins of the Cold War (Ch. 37 in American Pageant) *Yalta & Potsdam *the Atomic Bomb *Cold War Origins *Truman & Containment
Marking Period Three: UNIT 5: 1950-1959: The Fifties (Ch. 38 in American Pageant) *Korea & McCarthyism *Civil Rights *Fabulous Fifties? *Cold War
UNIT 6: 1960-1965: Early Sixties Turmoil (Ch. 39 in American Pageant) *Kennedy *Cuba *Civil Rights Movement *Vietnam
Marking Period Four: UNIT 7: 1965-1970: Late Sixties Radicalism (Ch. 39 in American Pageant) *Vietnam Escalation *The Great Society *Black Power *Counterculture
UNIT 8: 1970-1990: Modern American History (Ch. 40 & 41 in American Pageant) *Vietnam Conclusion *Détente *Watergate *End of the Cold War Books
**Textbook: The American Pageant by Bailey, Cohen & Kennedy **Supplement: The Cold War by Mike Sewell **Supplement: Why Nations Go to War by John G. Stoessinger
**Recommended for those planning to take the A.P. test: The Princeton Review-Cracking the AP U.S. History Test OR Fast Track to a 5 on the A.P.U.S. History Test (McDougall/Littell)
Abridged Classroom Policies & Procedures
*Your notebook is to be used for class notes, class work and notebook essays. It is recommended that you purchase a notebook of at least 100 pages. You must have a separate section for notebook essays. You may also want a section or pocket folder for packets, handouts, readings and syllabi. A well-organized and thorough notebook is the key to success in this course.
*Every other week, you will be given a syllabus that will list topics for discussion, assignments and due dates for upcoming classes. Therefore there is never a valid excuse for not knowing a due date or when tests and other assignments will be administered.
*If you have questions or problems pertaining to the course please let me know; there are many different ways of making contact. Before and after school, and during lunch I can usually be found in room 27. During my non-teaching periods (1,2,6,8) I can usually be found in the lobby, library, or my office, which is opposite the snack bar/pizza stand in the history wing.
*Additionally, I will be available for extra help on Tuesday at 2:45 in room 27. This is your opportunity to discuss any problems you may be having in the course. These sessions are also opportunities to review old tests and quizzes to determine strengths and weaknesses, and to prepare for upcoming tests and the AP test. If you will be stopping in for extra help please let me know in advance.
******************************************************************* GRADING SYSTEM The break-down is as follows:
MAJOR GRADES (TESTS & IN-CLASS WRITINGS)………………80% QUIZZES……………………………………….15% PARTICIPATION…………………………….. 5% --------------------------- 100% MAJOR GRADES (80%) *TESTS cover a large amount of information and are primarily multiple choice. Multiple choice questions are designed to be similar to the types of questions you would encounter on the AP test. Tests will usually include an identification section that requires students to explain the historical importance of historical ideas, trends, events, people, etc. in high-level written responses. Textbook readings and primary source readings are particularly important on tests. You can expect two tests per marking period. ******************************************************************* *IN-CLASS ESSAYS
“We do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” - President John F. Kennedy
These are formal essays that are written after extensive preparation. As a general policy, you will be given the full period to complete an in-class essay assignment. Some of the writing assignments will require the use of primary source historical documents, as would be expected on the AP test or IB evaluation. Some will simply be free-response essay questions.
Examples of in-class essays are IB “Paper One” and “Paper Two” type writing assignments, as well as Free-Response and Document Based Questions (DBQ) as is standard on the A.P. test. These major writing assignments are considered test grades and you can expect two per marking period. ******************************************************************* QUIZZES (15%) are designed to check your progress as we move though the various units of study. These quizzes may or may not be announced in advance. - students are expected to be ready. Quizzes will be given in various formats and will often focus entirely on the assigned reading. Once the reading is assigned, you are responsible for it. ******************************************************************* NOTEBOOKS must be brought to class each day and are subject to evaluation at all times. Notebooks will be evaluated at least once during the marking period for a quiz grade. To achieve a high mark here, the notebook must have two elements: 1.) organized and thorough class notes from lectures, discussion, activities, videos; these notes must be chronologically dated and exclusive to this course. 2.) all assigned notebook essays; once every week or two you will be assigned a notebook essay question that requires a well-written essay response of at least 1 ½ pages. Use the 5 paragraph essay as your model. Keep all notebook essays in a separate section of your notebook, and make sure they are numbered. ******************************************************************* PARTICIPATION (5%) - Outstanding class participation means involvement in discussions, and answering and asking questions. Such involvement provides an excellent opportunity for students to learn without relying on the textbook; it also helps students to understand the material covered. As there will often be different points of view regarding the issues we discuss, it also provides for a dynamic and interesting class. Keep in mind that to get an excellent participation grade, participation must be consistently outstanding. As this is an AP class, non-participants can expect a poor participation grade. It is impossible to make up a marking period worth of participation in the final weeks, so start getting involved from the beginning! ******************************************************************* I.B. INTERNAL ASSESSMENT - I.B. candidates will complete a rough draft of their extended written history assignment known as the I.B. INTERNAL ASSESSMENT/HISTORICAL INVESTIGATION. The internal assessment requires research and critical analysis of a 20th Century War or Cold War topic chosen by the student and a final written product of 1500-2000 words. The intention here is to prepare you to successfully complete your actual I.B. Internal Assessment during your senior year. ******************************************************************* For all marking period grades, the following Mendham High School grading scale is used: Average = Grade Average = Grade 97.0 - 100.0 = A+ 73.0 - 76.99 = C 93.0 - 96.99 = A 70.0 - 72.99 = C- 90.0 - 92.99 = A- 67.0 - 69.99 = D+ 87.0 - 89.99 = B+ 63.0 - 66.99 = D 83.0 - 86.99 = B 60.0 - 62.99 = D- 80.0 - 82.99 = B- 0 - 59.99 = F 77.0 - 79.99 = C+ |
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Current Topic: TRUMAN & THE EARLY COLD WAR |
