Download World History syllabus

World History (Syllabus)
Mr. Kohler
Course Description:
This course is a year long study of your world. Students will explore several civilizations
from the ancient world. You will analyze the social, political, cultural, economic, and
technological developments of each civilization. By the end of the school year you will
be able to take any civilization that has existed throughout history and be able to
understand, for yourself, how these people lived.
Classroom Expectations
I expect a high level of professional behavior from every individual who walks through
the door. A professional attitude should be reflected in all your activities. This list of
expectations will grow, change, and be amended throughout the year, however, here is a
list of the major expectations. I had a business professor tell me once that proper
planning prevents poor performance, if you remember this saying you shouldn’t have
a problem excelling in my class.
1. Be honest, if there is one thing that I cannot stand and will not tolerate is
someone who does not take responsibility for their actions. If you find yourself in
a situation that is not acceptable to the school rules your best bet is to come clean.
If you do not take responsibility for your actions you will be awarded a detention,
to be served promptly either before or after school. The length of this detention
will range from 5 minutes to an hour depending on the circumstance.
2. Respect yourself and other individuals in the classroom.
 You may compliment you neighbors when they do a good job.
 You may listen quietly while someone is talking.
 You may give constructive criticism when necessary.
 You may not put down any one in the class.
 You may not use racism or stereotypes in your conversations.
3. Class/Homework work will be assigned every day. Some of this work may be
due that very day or it may be a project that lasts several months. A majority of
the work will be in class. You will still have some homework so be ready. There
will be a Quiz every 2-3 weeks. There will be a Test every quarter. Decide to
work.
4. If you have questions about homework assignments do not hesitate to ask. I will
be available most days until 8:00pm. You can reach me at the school (970-7368531 extension 4220). Our school provides a fair amount of extra school time for
tutoring but if you find yourself in a bind and you need more assistance than the
school offers talk to me and we will set up a time to help you. You can also email
me at [email protected].
5. Always be in attendance. There are important concepts that will be learned
every day. If you do miss class it will be your responsibility to set up a time
where we can get together and go over missed work. Major projects and
assignments will be posted on the web page.
6. Do not be tardy. If you are late 3 times you have earned yourself a detention.
This is a school policy so don’t be late.
7. If you must go to the bathroom, you must go. I do not want anything that
belongs in the bathroom to end up in my classroom; just fill out your pass and I
will sign. You will be allowed 8 hall passes during a quarter so use them wisely.
8. NO CELL PHONES—if your phone is confiscated here is what happens.
 Step 1: I take the phone and keep it until the end of the day.
 Step 2: The phone goes to the office until after school where your parents
can pick it up.
 Step 3: Your phone privileges are finished.
9. NO MP3 DEVICES unless otherwise directed.
10. Eating and drinking will be highly regulated. We have a clean school and it will
remain that way. Bottled water is the only substance that you may consume in the
classroom.
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Action Plan:
If for some unknown reason you students find yourself in non
compliance with the expectations this will be the course of action I will take.
 Verbal Warning: I will give you one chance to correct your behavior before we
move on to step 2.
 Move your seat: I will move you to a desk that is in a more appropriate setting.
 Refocus: you will be removed from the class where you will fill out a refocus
form. Your parents will be informed of the situation at this point and an
appropriate consequence will be handed out. Detention with the janitor will be
likely.
 One on one conference: I will call you out of the classroom so we can discuss the
situation without the class present. This meeting will take place with the
principal. If you find yourself at this step you will be serving detention which can
range from 5 minutes up to an hour depending on the circumstance.
 I reserve the right to skip any of these steps and send you strait to the principal’s
office.
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Course Outline
World History is a vast topic and could be stretched out over many years of instruction.
We do not have several years; therefore, the administration and I have chosen several
main ideas that will be important for your exploration. The following is merely an
outline of the concepts that you will learn. Some of these concepts will be changed
throughout the course of the year.
Unit I: Prehistory
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
When were these people on the earth?
What did their social structure look like?
What governmental system did these people use?
What technological advancements were made?
What evidence is used to understand prehistory?
Unit II: Ancient River Valley Civilizations
1.
2.
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9.
What civilizations are included under this topic?
Where did these people live?
What evidence is used to understand these early civilizations?
What is the agricultural revolution?
What were the technological advancements of these societies?
What were the major events of this time period?
What economic theories were put into practice?
What was the government structure of these civilizations?
What religious beliefs were practiced?
Unit III: Ancient Greece
1. How does the geography affect the growth of this civilization?
2. How do items from Greek culture effect future civilizations?
3. What is democracy? Where did it come from? How did the Greeks use it as a
system of government?
4. What can Greek theater tell us about our life?
Unit IV: Ancient Rome
1. How did the rise and fall of the Roman Empire affect the societies surrounding
the empire?
2. What are the factors that influenced the development of Rome?
Unit V: The Silk Road
1.
2.
3.
4.
How does geography affect economics?
How does religion affect economics?
How can economics connect different cultures?
How did the Silk Road help create the world that we have today?
Unit VI: National History Day
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The theme is “Turning Points in History”
Projects are Paper, Exhibit, Performance, Web Site, or Documentary
Topic of your choosing.
This is a yearlong project so start thinking about it.
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Course Materials: What do we need to bring to class every day?
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You will need to bring A PROFFESSIONAL AND POSITIVE ATTITUDE to
class every day. I understand that we have bad days and certain things might
happen that seem much more important than school. You must attempt to leave
these distractions out in the hallway. I, too, will have bad days and I understand
the difficulties that revolve around leaving your problems at the door. Do your
best to be ready to learn, we have a lot of work to accomplish this year and I do
not want personal problems interfering with our progress.
The classroom has new textbooks this year and I expect you to treat them with
respect. You will leave the books inside the classroom unless you check them
out. There will be a sign out process which we will cover in detail.
You will also need PAPER and PENCIL everyday. These items will be used
every single class period and I do not have extra money to buy pens and pencils,
so, if you forget them you will have to pay a quarter for a pencil. These quarters
will be used to buy items for the classroom. Repeat offenders will be marked
tardy at my discretion.
We will be using the computer lab on a regular basis. This means that I would
like you to carry a TRAVEL DRIVE with you to save your work. You can also
save your work to the shared drive. Always save in 2 places.
You will need your Notebook/Journal every day. There will always be a writing
assignment on the board when you arrive in class.
Please bring a folder to class. I will periodically give you handouts; therefore,
you will need a place to keep them.
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Grading Scale:
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Participation will be= 15%
Homework/class work=70%
Tests & Quiz’s=15%
100% - 93% = A
92% - 90% = A89% - 87% = B+
86% - 83% = B
82% - 80% = B79% - 77% = C+
76% - 73% = C
72% - 70% = C-
69% - 67% = D+
66% - 63% = D
62% - 60% = D59%- 0% = F
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World History Syllabus
I have read this syllabus and I understand the expectations and requirements that I
am responsible for. Please tape or glue this contract to the front cover of your
journal.
Student's signature______________________________________Date_______________
Parent's signature_______________________________________Date_______________