American History II Honors

Mr. Katz                                 katzs@gcsnc.com                                               Room 293            

Course Overview: American History II is a yearlong course that covers America’s domestic and foreign affairs from the end of the Civil War until modern day. The goal of this course is to develop and improve skills related to historical inquiries and research. At the end of this course students will be prepared for college history courses and/or to analyze events that occur from an historical perspective. Among the skills that students will develop this year are: proper citation of historical information; the ability to distinguish useful sources from irrelevant or incorrect sources; vocabulary to be able to understand, discuss and write about history and current events in historical terms; and the ability and confidence to present their own ideas in unique, understandable and interesting ways.

 Required Materials: All students must come to class daily with the following:

• Pen/pencil
• Paper
• 1-1.5” Social Studies binder
• Colored pencils and/or markers
• Highlighter
• Textbook
• Any assignments that are due

Course Outline:  

• Introduction and key concepts:                                                                                         
• Unit 1: Post-Civil War America (1862-1901)                                                                  
  • Unit test on 10/14 
  • Unit 2: Imperialism and Progressivism (1900-1914)                                      
    • Unit test on 11/18
  • Unit 3: The Great War and Its Legacy (1914-1939)                                        
    • Unit test A on 12/9 & Unit test B on 1/13
  • Unit 4: WWII and Early Cold War (1933-1975)                                                 
    • Unit test A on 2/3 & Unit test B on 2/24
  • Unit 5: Social Movements (1950-1980)                                                               
  •                 Unit test on 3/24           
  • Unit 6: Closing of the Cold War (1968-1991)                                                    
    • Unit test on 4/21
  • Unit 7: Role of Terrorism in Modern America (1990-present)                         
    • Unit test on 5/5
  • Review: Concepts and Skills                                                                                 

Classroom Rules:

1. Be in your seat, working on your assignment when the bell rings
2. Always come to class prepared
3. Be respectful of yourself and others in words and actions
4. NO cell phone use (unless specified for an assignment)
5. No food or drink (water is the only exception)
6. Do your best
7. Ask for help BEFORE an assignment is due
8. Always check the website then email me if you are unsure of your assignment

Grades and Assignments:

• Tests/Essays/Projects                                                                                 50%
• Homework/Classwork                                                                                 20%
• Quizzes                                                                                                       30%

Make-up work:

If you are absent, you have 3 days to complete any missing assignments. After the 3^rd day, make-up will no longer be accepted. If you are absent for an extended period of time due to illness, please see me upon your return and we will work out a schedule for make-up assignments. If you know you are going to be absent in advance, see me to get the assignments that you are going to miss. If you miss a test or quiz, you must see me after class (the day you return) to schedule a time before or after school or during lunch to make up your test or quiz. These must be made up within 3 days.

Tutoring and Skill Workshops:

Every Monday afterschool and Thursday before school I will be available for skill building workshops and/or tutoring. If you cannot make either of these days but would like extra help or need to stay afterschool for additional work time, please see me after class or email me to set an appointment.

Remind

Students and parents are encouraged to sign-up for Remind in order to receive updates and reminders of important events. These may include homework, project, test and quiz reminders.

The code for Standard American History II is: https://www.remind.com/join/abgce

This is a great way to keep up with your assignments, and for parents to stay involved with your child’s assignments!

Class success:

Every student can succeed in this class. All assignments are developed to allow each student to show off their individual skills. If you feel overwhelmed or do not understand material and/or skills in class please see me before or after school. If you have a question about an assignment, do not hesitate to email me or stop by and talk with me. If you are struggling with a project or studying for test, do not wait until the night before to let me know. After 9 PM I will not check emails until the following day. Make sure you are proactive and do not wait until the last minute on assignments.

Cheating and plagiarism:

Cheating is not tolerated and will be dealt with swiftly and directly. Your work is your work and not someone else’s.  You name is your honor.  Cheating is more than a pet peeve; it is a reflection of your character and honor. Cheating includes sharing answers, copying information from ANY other source, copying from a student, plagiarism, “division of labor”, allowing someone to copy materials, using someone else’s work as your own, buying research papers from Internet sources, having other students do your work, etc.  If you have a question about what constitutes cheating, ask; I will certainly tell you.  Students caught cheating will receive a ZERO on the assignment, a parent contact and notation placed in the gradebook.  I will not write scholarship or college recommendations for students who cheat on activities. Cheating is also deemed an honor code infraction and a disciplinary referral.  Finally cheating will be noted on student assessments for such accolades as Honor Society recommendations.