Download APWH 2013 Class Syllabus

Harrison High School
Advanced Placement World History
Contact Information
Teacher: Mr. Brian Jewell
Room: 506
Phone: (719) 579-2375
E-mail: [email protected]
Welcome to Advanced Placement World History! The purpose of this course is to guide you through the history of the
entire world from 8000 B.C.E. to the present. The goal for this course is to prepare you for the national AP World Exam
you will take in May. This course will focus not only on content, but also on document interpretation and essay writing.
By successful completion of this course you will also gain the higher-order thinking skills you will need to be successful
in college.
This class will be very fast paced. It is very important that you do the work when assigned, complete the readings, selfreview every couple of days, and seek help when you need it. We have a little over 30 weeks before the exam to cover
10,000 years of history in 40 chapters!
Text Used
Traditions and Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past.
Periodization
The course is broken down into six time periods:
Unit One: Technological and Environmental Transformations, to c. 600 BCE
Unit Two: Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies, c. 600 BCE – c. 600 CE
Unit Three: Regional and Transregional Interactions, c. 600 – c. 1450 CE
Unit Four: Global Interactions, c. 1450 – c. 1750 CE
Unit Five: Industrialization and Global Interaction, c. 1750 – c.1914 CE
Unit Six: Accelerating Global Change and Realignments: c. 1914 to the Present
The Five Themes of AP World History
Throughout the course, five themes will be addressed within each chapter. We will use the following AP World
History themes throughout the course to identify the broad patterns and processes that explain change and continuity over
time.
1.) Interaction between humans and the environment
 Demography
 Migration
 Patterns of Settlement
 Technology
2.) Development and interaction of cultures.
 Religions
 Belief systems, philosophies, and ideologies
 Science and technologies
 The arts, and architecture
3.) State-Building, expansion, and conflict
 Political structures and forms of governance
 Empires
 Nations and nationalism
 Revolts and revolutions
 Regional, trans-regional, and global structures and organizations
4.) Creation, expansion, and interaction of economic systems
 Agricultural and pastoral production
 Trade and commerce
 Labor systems
 Industrialization
 Capitalism and socialism
5.) Development and transformation of social structures
 Gender roles and relations
 Family and kinship
 Racial and ethnic construction
 Social and economic classes
Teaching Strategies and Unit Activities
Document Analysis
At least three times a week in class we will analyze primary sources in the forms of both texts and visuals. This
primary source analysis will help you directly with the Document-Based Question (DBQ) essay on the national
AP exam, but the daily use of historical materials will most assuredly help you practice using evidence to make
plausible arguments. You will also become an expert at identifying point of view, context, and bias in these
sources, as well as creating point of view statements, thesis statements, and the correct essay structure necessary
for the national AP exam.
Periodization Review
A second important habit of mind you will develop over the year is assessing issues of change and continuity
over time, including the capacity to deal with change as a process and with questions of causation. To help
keep these changes in order you will be working on timelines and maps on a consistent basis throughout the
course of the different units. At the end of each unit, you will be completing a text timeline review. This
activity requires students to use the chronological timeline of their textbook as a baseline for the other primary
and secondary source materials they encounter in their readings, research, and other studies. The students will
place items from these other sources onto the timeline associated with their textbook. Students will then be
asked to write their responses to the following prompts at the bottom of their timeline:
1. What is the relationship between the causes and consequences of the events or processes identified on
the completed timeline?
2. Discuss the contradictions or inconsistencies between the textbook’s chronological timeline and that of
the other sources.
Discussion and Debate
About two or three times in each unit, we will conduct whole-class Socratic seminars where you will discuss the
great diversity of interpretations that historians present in your textbook and in additional secondary sources
such as excerpts from books, magazines, newspapers, and historical articles. You will see that there are two
sides to every argument and be able to analyze secondary sources. We also will do debates that challenge you to
address questions about human similarities and differences and the historical context of culturally diverse ideas
and values. This course will cause you to examine your own beliefs and those of others and try to make sense
of the world in a much more broad and global way.
Classroom Materials
Every day you should be in class with the following materials:
-Writing Utensil
-Notebook paper
-1/2 inch binder
Grading Policy
To ensure students can compete at a college and career ready level, everything below a C will be considered
failing – 69% or below. The grades will be broken down into the following categories:
District Assessment – CBM*
30%
Unit Assessments -- Periodization
30%
Chapter Assessments -- Weekly
20%
Chapter Notes – Weekly
20%
*District Exams are designed to measure student mastery of content knowledge and skills.
Grading Scale
Grades will be updated in IC every Thursday and progress reports will be distributed every 4 ½ weeks.
No late work is to be accepted after a unit of instruction is completed.
A = 90-100%
B = 80-89%
C = 70-79%
F = 69% and below
Classroom Character Traits and the Disciplinary System (Increase the Peace)
Harrison High School is founded on the school’s core character traits: show respect, take care of business, and
check yourself. These character traits provide students with the opportunity for self-improvement, individual
growth, and character development. These character traits define our rules and behavioral expectations.
Consistently living these character traits is expected of all students for their benefit and the benefit of the entire
school community. Students are encouraged to support their peers in adhering to the character traits. School
authorities have the right and responsibility to manage student conduct and create an orderly and safe learning
environment. Harrison High School core character traits fall into three categories:
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
SHOWING RESPECT
CHECKING YOURSELF
Consequences for minor infractions:
1. Teacher intervention: verbal warning, confiscation, loss of privileges, conference, etc.
2. Phone call home
3. Teacher/student/admin conference
4. Referral*
*Severe disruption will result in immediate and more serious consequence (office visit and/or referral)
Bathroom Passes
Students receive two bathroom passes each quarter. Students may not be in the hall without a teacher pass or
clinic pass. They may use them or give them back to the teacher at the end of the quarter for some type of
reward determined by the class. After the student has used the two passes, however, that is it. If a student clearly
abuses the policy, privileges will be lost. If a student is gone longer than 5 minutes on a pass, it is considered
skipping. Obviously, as with everything, common sense is needed and emergencies are the exception. During
the first and last 15 minutes of class, students will not be allowed to utilize their bathroom passes. This is a
critical time in class when learning objectives are being rolled out and learning is being assessed.
Electronic Devices
These are not allowed to be out during class time. If they are out the student will turn it over to the teacher. If a
student refuses to turn over their electronic device, the assistant principals will be emailed and they will follow
up with the student.
Tardies
At Harrison High School, tardies are not tolerated. In the event that a student is late, they will not have the
privilege to attend that class period. These types of interruptions can diminish the learning environment. Rather,
the student will be sent to a detention room where the student will work on homework. This will count as a
tardy unless the student does not arrive to the room and then it will be considered an unexcused absence. Two
tardies will equal one unexcused absence. Two tardies in the same day or three tardies in the same week will
result in ISS.
Academic Integrity
Cheating will not be tolerated in this class. If you are caught cheating, you and any others involved will
automatically receive a zero for the assignment and will not be eligible to make-up those points. Furthermore,
you will be required to come in after school on the day of the offense and call your parents and explain to them
what you did from the classroom telephone. There are NO exceptions to this.
Agreement: By signing below, you are showing that you and your student have fully read this document and
understand the terms that it presents:
Student Name (Print): _______________________________
Student Signature: __________________________________
Date: _________
Parent Name (Print): ________________________________
Parent Signature: ___________________________________
Date: _________