Download AP World History Syllabus - Indianapolis Public Schools

SHORTRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL
An IB World School
3401 North Meridian
Indianapolis, IN 46208
317.226.2810
myIPS.org/SHS
Shane O’Day
Principal
Course Syllabus
Title of Course: AP World History (WHAP)
Grade Level: 9
Indiana Code Number: 1576
Instructor: Elijah Sanders
E:mail: [email protected]
Room: 339
Webpage: ManageBac
Overview: AP World History will cover the political, economic, religious, social, intellectual, and geographic topics
surrounding our global society. This course will take the scholar through the beginning of civilization to how our
world became a more interdependent society. Scholars will develop the skills to prepare them for the AP World
History Exam as well as the DP history exam their senior year. This will include essay writing and developing
understanding and analysis of historical topics. The class will also make connections between current and historical
events and how currents of history change over time.
Course Objectives:
1. To encourage the systematic and critical study of human history;
2. To promote the understanding of history as a discipline including how historians analyze various sources to
construct the past;
3. To encourage an understanding of the present by reflecting critically on the past;
4. To understand how historical developments have impacted people at the national, regional and international
levels;
5. To develop an awareness of the scholar’s own historical identity by studying the history of different
cultures;
6. To demonstrate knowledge and understanding by recalling historical knowledge and placing it in context,
examining the process of cause and effect and continuity and change, analyzing historical sources and using
detail to construct written essays;
7. To demonstrate application and interpretation by applying knowledge as evidence, presenting summaries of
evidence, and comparing and contrasting historical sources;
8. To demonstrate synthesis and evaluation through the analysis of different historical interpretations,
evaluating sources as evidence, integrating background and historical sources in writing, developing critical
commentary with regards to evidence and presenting an analysis of a summary of evidence;
9. To utilize historical skills to structure an essay using evidence as well as balanced and historically focused
arguments; and
10. To utilize historical skills to demonstrate evidence of research skills, organization and referencing.
11. Scholars are basically generating argumentative essay outlines.
Texts:
Davis, The Human Story: Our History, from the Stone Age to Today, ©2004
Brady and Roden, The DBQ Project: In World History, ©2012
Green, Crash Course in World History, ©2013
myIPS.org
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C9
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/exam/exam_information/2090.html
Cannon, IB 20th Century World History Course Book, @2012
Chasteen, Born in Blood and Fire A Concise History of Latin America, @2011
Judge, The Cold War: A Global History with Documents, 2e, @2012
Berliner, et. al., IB History of the Americas Course Book,@2012
Rogers, History: 20th Century World Cold War – Baccalaureate for IB Program, @2008
Course Topics:
Period 1: Technological and Environmental Transformations, to c. 600 B.C.E. (2 weeks)
Key Concepts:
• Big Geography and the Peopling of the Earth
• Neolithic Revolution and Early Agricultural Societies
• Development and Interactions of Early Agricultural, Pastoral, and Urban Societies
-Related ConceptsChange - Paleolithic, Neolithic, hunting and gathering, Bronze Age, civilization, domestication, cuneiform
-Concept Statement –
Will understand how various factors led to civilization
-Global ContextScholars will apply factors of change to modern societies.
-Inquiry How are societies dynamic and not static?
 Why and how have the roles of women changed since the Neolithic Revolution? Which roles have
continued through modern society?
 What are push pull factors that facilitate migration? How are prehistoric and modern migration
push pull factors the same and how are they different?
 How do archeologists investigate the past differently from historians?

-AssessmentEssay writing based on Inquiry questions; DBQs – (for each DBQ: students must construct a three column,
3 row outline; an argumentative thesis; and a five paragraph essay)
Using the following primary and secondary sources, students will answer the following:
DBQ _ 1. How did the Nile shape ancient Egypt? 2. Was Hammurabi's Code just?
-Primary and Secondary SourcesStone Stele of Hammurabi’s Code
Excerpts from the Epilogue of Hammurabi’s Code
Hammurabi’s Code _ Laws 21, 23, 48,53, 58, 129, 148, 168, 195, 196, 199, 209, 213, 215, 218
Wall painting from the tomb of Sennefer
Map of Egypt c. 1500 BCE
Chart from K. Hinds, Life in Ancient Egypt, 2007 (Nile Flood Cycle)
Illustration by O. Frey, Living In Ancient Egypt, 2009
Painting from the tomb of a tradesman named Sennedjam, c. 1300 BCE
Song “Hymn to Nile” c. 2100 BCE
Map “Filling the Earth”
Map “Two Early Civilizations”
King Narmer’s Victory Tablet

Choose one source from above and analyze it using OPVL
Period 2: Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies, c. 600 B.C.E. to c. 600 C.E. (7 weeks)
Key Concepts:
• Development and Codification of Religious and Cultural Traditions
• Development of States and Empires
• Emergence of Transregional Networks of Communication and Exchange
-Relate ConceptsTime,place and space - dynasty bureaucracy, Daoism, Confucianism, Aryan, Sanskirt, Hinduism, Buddhism,
Cyrus the Great, Zoroastrianism, Hellenistic, Julius Caesar, Diocletian, Aristotle, Stoics, Axum, Ethiopia,
Sahara, Olmec, Islam, Christianity, Byzantine
-Concept StatementWill understand and analyze the political, religious, geographic, and economic reasons that help define modern
cultures
-Global ContextScholars will evaluate how political, religious and economic factors affect modern societies.
-Inquiry Why do societies organize?
 Writing a Comparison Essay- Methods of political control in the Classical period, student choice of
two Han China, Mauryan/Gupta India, Imperial Rome, Persian Empire.
 Writing a Change and Continuity over Time Essay Political and Cultural Changes in the Late Classical
Period, students choose China, India, or Rome
 Students will evaluate the causes and consequences of the decline of the Han, Roman, and Gupta
empires
 Students will map the changes and continuities in long-distance trade networks in the Eastern Hemisphere:
Eurasian Silk Roads, Trans-Saharan caravan routes, Indian Ocean sea lanes, and Mediterranean sea lanes
-AssessmentsEssay writing based on Inquiry questions; DBQs – (for each DBQ: students must construct a three column,
3 row outline; an argumentative thesis; and a five paragraph essay)
Using the following primary and secondary sources, students will answer the following:
DBQs - 1. Great Wall of China (worker's journal) 2.Ashoka: ruthless or enlightened? 3. Citizenship in Athens
and Rome 4. Why did Rome Fall 5. What was the Maya most important accomplishment 6. Education in Sparta
7. How Great was Alexander the Great? 8. The Silk Road (journal) analyze primary and secondary sources,
essay writing (What are the societal characteristics when traveling the Silk Road?)
-Primary and Secondary SourcesThe Gospel of Luke, ch. 10, versus 25-37
H. Koester quotes from documentary from Jesus to Christ
E. Pagels quote from documentary from Jesus to Christ
Borg and Crossan, Map from The Oxford Illustrated history of Christianity
Pliny the Younger, a Roman judge
Map_The Great Wall of Qin and Han China
Excerpts of letter by Chao Chu, 169 BCE
Chart of tribute payment by Han to Mongols
Chart_ Silk Road Trade between Han and Indian, Asia, Rome
Poem_Han Calvary
Map_Asoka’s Empire
Thapar, excerpt from Asoka and the Decline of the Mauryas
Wood, quote from documentary The Story of India
Excerpts from the edicts of Asoka, c. 250 BCE
Quote about Asoka from Nehru
Chart about who could be a citizen in Athens and Rome
“The Polity of Athenians” 424 BCE
Speech from Emperor Claudius about citizenship
Siculus, History, Book XI
Illustration of the Athenian Assembly
Fresco of Roman Senate
Chart of Roman Emperors, 235-285 CE
Excerpt from Vegetius, 450 CE
Map of Foreign Invasions of the Roman Empire
Excerpt from Marcellinus, c.380 CE
Excerpt from Priscus, 449 CE
Excerpt from Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Map_Mayan Trade Network
Foster, excerpt from Handbook to Life in the Ancient Maya World, 2002
Whitlock, Mayan number system
Excerpt from Beck, The Ancient Maya
Excerpt from Hooker, The Ancient Spartans
Xenophon, Constitution of Sparta
Plutarch, Lycurgus
Map_Alexander’s Empire
Arrian, excerpt from The Campaigns of Alexander, 130 CE
Green, excerpt from Alexander of Macedon
Worthington, excerpt from Alexander the Great: Man and God
Chart_chart of Alexander’s Legacy
Map_Silk Roads in Han-Roman Times
Photo and Description of Dunhuang Cave
Excerpt form Encyclopedia describing the Taklimakan Desert
Xuanzang, excerpt from Great Tang Records, 646 CE
 Choose one source from above and analyze it using OPVL
Period 3: Regional and Transregional Interactions, c. 600 C.E. to c. 1450 (9 weeks)
Key Concepts:
• Expansion and Intensification of Communication and Exchange Networks
• Continuity and Innovation of State Forms and Their Interactions
• Increased Economic Productive Capacity and Its Consequences
-Related conceptsSystems - Bedouin, Mecca, Muhammed, five pillars, Umayyad, Abbasid, Mongols, India, Southeast Asia, stateless
societies, Christian Kingdoms, Kingdoms of the Grasslands, Mali, Swahili, Justinian, Greek Fire, Icon, Orthodoxy,
Middle Ages, Martel, serf, Holy Roman, Magna Carta, Hundred Years War, Gothic, Indians, Quetzalcoatl, Aztec,
Inca, Tang, Song, Li Bo, Fujiwara, shoguns, feudalism, Han, Trinh, Khan, War Machine, Russia, Prester John,
Kubilai Khan, Zheng He, Ottoman Empire, Renaissance, Iberian, Vasco da Gama
-Concept StatementWill understand how civilization, conversion and accommodation establish new power systems.
-Global ContextScholars will apply understanding to evaluate how internal developments lead to global contacts.
-Inquiry Explain changes and continuity in patterns of interaction along the Silk Roads 200BCE to 1450 CE. How
are 'bridges' constructed between worlds?
 Writing a Comparison Essay - Comparing the level of technological achievement including production of
goods 500-1000 (Student choice: Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, Eastern Europe)
 Students will evaluate the causes and consequences of the spread of Islamic empires
 Students will compare the Polynesian and Viking migrations - Writing a Comparison Essay
 Effects of Mongol conquest and rule, students choose two: Russia, China, Middle East
-AssessmentEssay writing based on Inquiry questions; DBQs – (for each DBQ: students must construct a three column, 3 row
outline; an argumentative thesis; and a five paragraph essay)
Periodization Assignment - When using the periodization of the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages compare and contrast
the Middle East and Europe with Mesoamerican and South American using the dates c.1500 BCE to c.1500 CE.
Using the following primary and secondary sources, students will answer the following:
DBQs - 1. Why did Christianity take hold in the ancient world? 2. Why did Islam spread so quickly? 3. What is the
primary reason to study the Byzantines? 4. Aztecs: agriculture or human sacrifice? 5. Samuri and Knights: more
similar than different? 6. Should we celebrate the voyages of Zheng He? 7. Mansa Musa (journal) analyze primary
and secondary sources, essay writing
-Primary and Secondary ResourcesMap_Middle East trade routes, c. 570 CE
Selected verses from Qur’an
Map_showing spread of Islam
Excerpt_Armstrong, Islam: A Short History
Al-Mawardi, The Ordinances of the Government, c. 975 CE
The Origins of the Islamic State, c.850 CE
Norwich, excerpt from A Short History of Byzantium, 1998
Sherrard, The Great Ages of Man: Byzantium, 1966 (defense works)
World Fact Book, 2011 Chart_Eastern Orthodox Christianity Around the World
The Institutes of Justinian’s Code, 531 CE
Locke, The Second Treatise of Civil Government, 1690
Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence, 1776
Mango, “The Rival of Learning”
Map _Territorial Acquisitions by Aztec Rulers
Stearns, illustrations of Aztec agriculture
Mural _ Diego, 1929
Duran, The History of the Indies of New Spain, 1581
Codex Mendoza, 1542
De Sahagun, Florentine Codex, 1555
Charts _ social order in feudal Japan and Europe
Blomberg, The Heart of the Warrior
Adapted from PBS documentary “Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire,” 2004
Adapted from PBS documentary Warrior Challenge,” 2003
Images _ samurai and knight
Soko, The Way of the Samurai, c. 1600s
Malory, Le Monte d’Arthur, c. 1470
Map_The Voyages of Zheng He: 1405 – 1433
Illustration _ When China Ruled the Seas, Levathes
Chart _ Zheng He’s Fleet by the Numbers
Chart_ Tribute by Foreign Courts to China, c. 1407-1417
The Changle Inscription, 1431
Chart _ Mansa Musa’s Hajj by the Numbers
Map _ North Africa and Sahara Trade Routes, c. 1400
Battuta, Rihla, 1356
Qur’anic Verses about the 5 Pillars
Al-Umari, Masalik al-Absar, 1337-1338
The Catalan Atlas, 1375
Map “Age of Discovery”
 Choose one source from above and analyze it using OPVL
Period 4: Global Interactions, 1450 – 1750 (5 weeks)
Key Concepts:
• Globalizing Networks of Communication and Exchange
• New Forms of Social Organization and Modes of Production
• State Consolidation and Imperial Expansion
-Related conceptsGlobal Interactions - Ottoman, Ming, slave trade, Moscow, Columbus, Safavid, Spanish Colonies, Protestant
Reformation, Magellan, Mughal, Pizarro, Hideyoshi, India, North America, Scientific Revolution, isolation, Qing,
South Africa, Dutch, Peter the Great, Latin American colonies, Seven years war, East Indian Company, Democratic
Revolutions
-Concept StatementWill understand and analyze how global economies, biological exchanges, and large political units create a smaller
world.
-Global ContextScholar will describe and analyze how the modern world is connected.
-Inquiry How cultural and individual tactics and motives create political and economic interdependence.
 Comparison Essay - Processes of empire building, students compare Spanish Empire to either the Ottoman
or Russian empires.
 Students will evaluate the causes and consequences of European maritime expansion including the
development of armed trade using guns and cannons

student project - each student will apply techniques used by art historians to examine visual displays of
power in one of the land or sea based empires that developed in this time period
-AssessmentEssay writing based on Inquiry questions; DBQs – (for each DBQ: students must construct a three column, 3 row
outline; an argumentative thesis; and a five paragraph essay)
Using the following primary and secondary sources, students will answer the following:
DBQs - 1.How did the printing press effect Reformation and Exploration? 2. How did the Renaissance change man's
view of man? 3. Was Magellan worth defending?
4. What was the main idea of the Enlightenment?
-Primary and Secondary ResourcesMaps_location of European printing presses 1471 and 1500
Excerpts from Martin Luther’s 95 Theses, 1517
Map_religions in Europe, 1560
Columbus, Concerning the Islands Recently Discovered in the Indian Ocean, 1493
Martellus’s World Map, 1489
Waldseemuller’s World Map, 1507
Images_Madonna Enthroned Between Two Angels and Mona Lisa
Excerpt from play Everyman, 1485
Excerpt from Act II, Scene II of Hamlet, 1601
Images_Geocentric Universe of Ptolemy and Heliocentric universe of Copernicus
Images_Zodiac Man, 1512 and On the Makeup of the Human Body by Vesalius, 1543
Map_voyage of Magellan
Journal “The Genoese Pilot,” 1520
Bergreen, Over the Edge of the World, 2003
Journal of Pigafetta, 1520
Locke, Second Treatise on Civil Government, 1690
Voltaire, Letters Concerning the English Nation, 1726
Smith, The Wealth of Nations, 1776
Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Women, 1792
 Choose one source from above and analyze it using OPVL
Period 5: Industrialization and Global Integration, c. 1750 to 1900 (6 weeks)
Key Concepts:
• Industrialization and Global Capitalism
• Imperialism and Nation-State Formation
• Nationalism, Revolution and Reform
• Global Migration
-Related conceptsChange - population, Watt, Australia, French Revolution, Vienna settlement, 1848, England in Indian, MexicanAmerican War, Marx, Opium, Perry, Crimean, Meiji, imperialism, Spanish-American War, Sino Japanese War,
slavery abolished, Boxer Rebellion, Panama Canal, Russo-Japanese War, Young Turk, Revolution in China, WW I
begins
-Concept StatementWill understand and analyze how industrialization changed civilization’s political, economic, religious, social,
intellectual and geographic forces.
-Global ContextScholar will understand how industrialization leads to modern culture.
-Inquiry How does technology change culture?
 Writing a Comparison Essay - Comparing the roles of Women from 1750 to 1900—East Asia, Western
Europe, South Asia, Middle East
 Students will write a change and continuity over time essay evaluating changes in
production of goods from 1000 to 1900 in the Eastern Hemisphere


Students will analyze five political cartoons about European imperial expansion in Asia and Africa to
identify how nationalism and the Industrial Revolution served as motivating factors in empire building in
this time period
Students will analyze tables showing increased urbanization in various parts of the world to consider
connections between urbanization and industrialization.
-AssessmentEssay writing based on Inquiry questions; DBQs – (for each DBQ: students must construct a three column, 3 row
outline; an argumentative thesis; and a five paragraph essay)
Using the following primary and secondary sources, students will answer the following:
DBQs - The Reign of Terror: Was It Justified? How Should We Remember Toussaint Louvertoure? Latin American
Independence: Why Did the Creoles Lead the Fight? Female Workers in Japanese Silk Factories: Did the Costs
Outweigh the Benefits? What Was the Driving Force Behind European Imperialism in Africa?
-Primary and Secondary ResourcesTimeline_Reign of Terror
Map_1792 map of West Europe, European armies attacking France
Map_France c. 1793 showing resistance to revolutionary government
Letter from the Vendee, 1793
Otfinoski, Triumph and Terror: The French Revolution, 1993
Engraving_Faucher-Gudin, 19th century, Death of King Louis XVI
Robespierre, Report on the Principles of Public Morality, 1794
Timeline_Abolition of Slavery in Saint Domingue
Louverture, “Letter to the French Directory, November 1797”
Louverture, The Saint Domingue Constitution of 1801
Louverture, “Proclamation, 25 November 1801”
Bell, Toussaint Louverture: A Biography, 2007
Brown, “A Description of Toussaint Louverture,” 1802
Bolivar, An Address of Bolivar at the Congress of Angostura, 1819
Wiarda and Kline, Latin American Politics and Development, 2011
Viscardo, An Open Letter to America, 1791
Knight, Mexico: The Colonial Era, 2002
Mural_by O’Gorman, Grito de Dolores, 1961
Bethell, The Independence of Latin America, 1987
Photo_workers in a silk factory in Nagano, c. 1900
Shokokyoku and Jijo, Condition of the Factory Workers, 1967
Chart_Average Daily Wages for Selected Occupations in Japan, 1892
Statement and data from a Government Report on Mill Workers in Japan, 1909
Tsurumi, Factory Girls: Women in the Thread Mills of Meiji Japan, 1990
Chart_Hane, Peasants, Rebels, and Outcasts: The Underside of Modern Japan, 1982
Song by a Silk Worker c. 1900
Map_Partition of Africa, 1884-85
Ruskin, lecture at Oxford University, February 8, 1870
Fabri, Does Germany Need Colonies?, 1879
Chart_technology developments of 1800s showing use and significance
Chart_African colonies with their exports
Chart_Lloyd, The British Empire imports and exports 1854 and 1900
Kipling, “The White Man’s Burden,” 1899
Khumalo, chief of the Matabele, c. 1890
 Choose one source from above and analyze it using OPVL
Period 6: Accelerating Global Change and Realignments c. 1900 to present (7 weeks)
Key Concepts:
• Science and the Environment
• Global Conflicts and Their Consequences
• New Conceptualizations of Global Economy and Culture
-Related conceptschange - Mexican Revolution, Qing, WW I, Russian Revolution, Balfour Declaration, Versailles, Chinese
Communism, Stalin, Great Depression, Manchuria, Nazis, New Deal, rearmament, facsism, WW II, Holocaust, U.N.,
Iron Curtain, Korea, NATO, Korea War, Ghana, Civil Rights, Cuban Missle, Arab-Israeli war, OPEC, Mao, Iranian
Revolution, Soviet Union, Oslo Accords, Iraq War
-Concept StatementWill understand and analyze decolonization, technological innovations and demographic explosion established our
modern world.
-Global ContextScholars will understand and analyze how their modern society was created.
-Inquiry How does science and philosophy change the culture and environment?
 Writing a Comparison Essay Comparing the political goals and social effects of
revolution in: China, Russia, Mexico: Students choose two
 Writing a Change and Continuity over Time Essay: Changes and Continuities in the formation of national
identities 1900-present. Students choose from among the following regions: Middle East, South Asia, or
Latin America
 Students debate the benefits and negative consequences of the rapid advances in
science during the 20th and early 21st centuries
 Students trace the development of one form of popular culture in the 20th century and present a graphic or
visual display of their research to the class
-AssessmentEssay writing based on Inquiry questions; DBQs – (for each DBQ: students must construct a three column, 3 row
outline; an argumentative thesis; and a five paragraph essay)
Periodization Assignment - Choose two periods of history and explain why periodization is arbitrary and how it has
‘branded’ certain periods of history. Some periods that you may consider are: Gilded Age, Victorian Era, Edwardian
Era, Napoleonic Era, Jacksonian Era, Meiji Era, Romantic period, Before Common Era, Common Era, Victorian,
Cold War, Renaissance, English Renaissance, Italian Renaissance, American Renaissance, Harlem Renaissance, the
“long 19th century,” the “short twentieth century.”
Using the following primary and secondary sources, students will answer the following:
DBQs - What Was the Underlying Cause of World War I? How Did the Versailles Treaty Help Cause World War II?
The Soviet Union: What Should Textbooks Emphasize? What Made Gandhi's Nonviolent Movement Work? China's
One Child Policy: Was It a Good Idea?
-Primary and Secondary ResourcesMap_European Alliances, 1914
Illustration_McCutcheon, “The Crime of the Ages. Who Did It?” 1914
Chart_ The Growth in Armaments, 1890 – 1914 (for European countries)
Speech_von Bulow to Reichstag, 1899
Illusrtartion_German propaganda poster “The British Octopus”
Chart_Nicolson, “Size of Colonial Empires in 1913”
Map_German Territorial Losses, Versailles Treaty, 1919
Treaty of Versailles, 1919. Articles 160, 231, 232, 233
Chart_”Reparartions Established by Verailles Treaty” Keynes, 1920
Moyer, Victory Must Be Ours: Germany in the Great War 1914-1918, 1995
Map_Soviet Union, c. 1940
Chart_”Soviet Society and USA - Economy by The Numbers,” 1980
Medvedev, Moscow News, 1988
Pipes, Communism: A History, 2001.
Illustration_Manning political cartoon, 1960
Chart_”1979 Election Results for Leader of Soviet Communist Party”
Chart_military spending USSR and USA, 1980
Chart_Soviet Space Race Firsts
Chart_Summer Olympics Medal Count USSR and USA
Homans, The New Republic, 2010
Picture_Kirov Ballet Company
Ghandi, “Letter to Lord Irwin,” 1930
Miller, “They That Turn the Cheek,” 1936
Picture_protesters preparing to march in Dharasana, 1930
Gandhi, reflections about Johannesburg, 1908
Illustration, The London Graphic Illustrator, 1930
Chart_ China’s Population_1950-2100
Wang and Yong, “China’s One Child Policy at 30,” 2010
Watts, “China’s one-child policymeans benefits for parents – if they follow the rules,” 2011
Greenhalgh and Winckler, “Governing China’s Population,” 2005
Fitzpatrick, “A Brief History of China’s One Child Policy,” 2009
 Choose one source from above and analyze it using OPVL
Resources:
Stearns, et al., World Civilizations: The Global Experience, AP* Edition, 6e ©2011 (electronic)
Davis, The Human Story: Our History, from the Stone Age to Today, ©2004
Brady and Roden, The DBQ Project: In World History, ©2012
Green, Crash Course in World History, ©2013 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C9
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/exam/exam_information/2090.html
Statement of Teacher Philosophy:
I am from a small town in Southern Indiana and grew up in a non-traditional family with multiple siblings. This
upbringing has influenced my teaching philosophy through my belief in the value of hard work and community
support. In order for me to be an effective teacher to each scholar, I also hold the belief that there is something
beyond one’s self. In living this philosophy, I always strive to demonstrate personal and professional integrity in the
interests of each scholar and the community we serve. I will give every student the respect they deserve as young
scholars and members of the Shortridge community, but I also expect the same respect to be shown towards me.
Scholars can demonstrate this by following the general rules below. That being said, I am still candid, curious,
unconventional and outlandish. Each class period it is my goal to engage scholars in lessons, assignments and
projects that are novel and absorbing to each scholar as they navigate through the DP History curriculum and criteria.
On a fundamental level, history is probably one of the most misunderstood topics in American culture. Each
individual and group has its own interpretation and focus of a variety of events that are a part of our history in the
form of a narrative. My goal as a teacher is to challenge you to truly think critically about our collective, and
individual, past through inquiry and analysis to lead you to a deeper understanding of human nature and current
events. I will constantly play “devil’s advocate” in class by representing the interpretation that is not being presented
by scholars. Always remember, just because I am challenging you does not make you wrong! Trying to appease me
by regurgitating what you think I believe will not earn you a high grade; in fact, you will just confuse yourself. If you
finish this course knowing my opinion, then I did not do my job. Each scholar’s task throughout this course will be to
challenge their own beliefs of our past and be able to support their interpretations with documents, facts and data. It is
my hope that, through this process, each scholar will understand the historical process, the positive and negative
events that have shaped history, all while maintaining civic pride in helping to shape the world’s future.
Description/ Organization:
The following is a general statement about how the class will be structured. However, no two days are exactly alike
so the order may vary and other activities may be substituted. This will simply give scholars an overview of what a
typical day might look like:
1. Turn in homework in the appropriate area before the class begins;
2. In a journal, answer initial inquiry prompt/premise and discuss;
3. Discuss homework;
4. Watch a video clip or read a short introduction related to the World History topic;
5. Scholars will generate notes during teacher lecture, discussion, video, and/or during reading;
6. Skill development where scholars might analyze primary and secondary documents or work through an
application of political terminology, philosophy or ideas. This may be done individually, with partners, or
groups;
7. Socratic seminar or other discussion format related to analysis;
8. Scholars will write a summary about the daily topics studied demonstrating understanding and analysis;
9. Instructor will ask questions about class topics in a random fashion;
10. Instructor will assign homework (see ManageBac); and
11. When applicable scholars will be given time in-class to work on research projects.
Academic Honesty: Cheating and plagiarism are serious academic offenses. Plagiarism is the intentional or
unintentional use of work that is not your own. Early in the school year, we will review the concept of plagiarism and
learn ways to avoid it. A first offense will result in a zero (0) for the assignment and a parent phone call. A second
offense will result in a zero (0) for the assignment and a parent meeting. The second offense may also result in failure of
the course. A third offense may result in dismissal from Shortridge High School. Please see the scholar handbook for
definitions of cheating and plagiarism and for the list of consequences.
Attendance: Attendance and participation in class are directly linked to student success; attendance is mandatory and an
excessive number of absences may result in no credit for a semester. Scholars are expected to contact the front desk
(226-4108) and to email their teachers when an absence occurs to ensure that they keep up with class work; homework
and/or any assignments are due the day of the scholar’s return to school regardless of the day or schedule. As a courtesy,
scholars should notify the school and teacher(s) of any pre-planned or anticipated absences to ensure scholar learning is
not interrupted. Please refer to the scholar handbook for clarification of policies and procedures.
Assignments:
The following is a list of the types of assignments and assessments scholars will encounter throughout the year. This
list is subject to change as the year progressives and learning needs are met:
Homework/In-Class Assignments: Homework is assigned daily and should be done individually. There will be at
least one reading assignment each night. There will also be vocabulary lists, primary and secondary document
analysis and other written assignments. In-Class assignments may be assigned individually, as partners, or as group
assignments. Scholars should be prepared at all times to share the results of their work with the class.
Quizzes: Quizzes will be given at different times through the semester and will be free response. There will also be
pop quizzes given over nightly reading and vocabulary at my discretion.
Research Projects: In order for scholars to complete the investigation criteria, there will be research projects
conducted individually, in pairs, or in small groups throughout the two years of the course. These may include written
and presentation components.
Exams: An exam will be administered over each unit at a minimum. All exams will consist of primary source
analysis, a free response questions or a DBQ that will closely resemble the format of the IB exams. Exams will be
scored using IB criteria associated with the exams. Scholars will receive more information and instruction on the
requirements as the course progresses
Subject Criteria:
• Knowledge and understanding: Scholars will construct explanations using knowledge to demonstrate their
understanding; apply knowledge and understanding to solve problems set in familiar and unfamiliar situations; and
apply terminology effectively to communicate understanding of topics in Economics.
• Investigating: Scholars will formulate an idea and construct a plan; demonstrate and justify a plan; and analyze and
evaluate the effectiveness of the plan related to topics in Economics.
• Communicating: Scholars will apply and demonstrate skills and techniques effectively; and apply and demonstrate
strategies and movement concepts effectively related to topics in Economics.
• Thinking Critically: Scholars will develop the ability and willingness to assess claims and make objective
judgments on the basis of well-supported reasons. Scholars will be able to look for flaws in arguments and resist
claims that have no supporting evidence. Scholars will also foster the ability to be creative and constructive to
generate possible explanations for findings, think of implications, and apply new knowledge to a broad range of
social and personal problems related to topics in Economics.
More specific rubrics will be given out as scholar’s progress.
Grading: Grading will follow International Baccalaureate practices. Tasks are graded on levels of achievement for
criteria in the subject area. Each criterion is assessed repeatedly throughout the year. At the end of each marking
period, a mark is assigned for each criterion based on the highest sustained level of achievement; the combination of
these marks determines the overall level of achievement ranging from 1 to 7. Please refer to the scholar handbook for
more information.
General Rules:
As in all societies, expectations are necessary to establish boundaries for success. Scholars are expected to adhere to
my expectations at all times. While I don’t anticipate any difficulty in this regard, should a scholar not follow an
expectation, there will be a progression of discipline within my room, which may consist of verbal warning, parent
contact, and eventually the assignment to before or after school study sessions in my room. I reserve the right to
modify these policies should situations warrant.
My expectations are as follows:
A. RESPECT – Each of us should have respect for one another. Everyone in the classroom is expected to
demonstrate respect (active listening and voice tones) at all times.
B. TARDINESS: Tardiness is a sign of disrespect and is disruptive of our class time. Scholars are expected to be
present in class and in their seats promptly each day.
C. DISCUSS – Discussion is required in this course. Everyone is expected to fully and actively participate.
D. READ – This is an advanced course. Like any college course, reading is often assigned in advance. This means
that you will be reading the material BEFORE we cover it in class so you will be prepared to discuss the material
rather than having to sit through a lecture every day.
E. HOMEWORK – Homework is not optional. Failure to turn in an assignment when due will result in a scholar
being required to stay after school to complete the assignment as well as a ten percent reduction in the value of the
assignment.
F. NOTES – You cannot possibly remember everything you need to know in this course without taking notes. You
should take notes when you are reading, during class lectures, presentations, and discussions. These will help you
when studying for your exams. If you are having trouble with note taking, please ask. I will be happy to help you
with a note taking strategy.
G. ELECTRONIC DEVICES – Electronic devices are not permitted unless authorized by the instructor. When
devices are allowed, it will be the responsibility of the scholar to use their device in a responsible manner that is
productive to their personal learning as well as the learning environment.
Additional information: Always remember that we are all here in the pursuit of lifelong learning and we must be
willing to work hard. Anything worth having never comes easy, especially at the beginning. I am setting high
expectations for you because you are all bright and capable. We must recognize that we are in this together and I am
always here for you as a resource. Do not be afraid to ask questions during class or to come see me before and after
school. In the beginning, you will be overwhelmed but you will be impressed by how much you will grow as a
scholar and citizen of the world. Always remember: Nothing is impossible and never give up.