United States History Dulles High School Course Syllabus

Teacher: Mrs. Minor-Stickney Phone: 281-634-5984 E-Mail: christrina.stickney@fortbenisd.com Textbook: The Americans: Reconstruction to the 21st Century http://www.classzone.com/eservices/index.cfm Activation Code: CLASS1286281 Cost: $59.49 Conference Period: 4th period (10:15-11:05). Tutorials: Every Wednesday 2:35-3:35 and by appointment. Purpose of this Course: U.S. History is a course designed to help students develop an appreciation of our nations past. Emphasis will be placed on political, economic, and social history. Expanding critical thinking skills and polishing note-taking skills will be priorities. Students will be expected to work with their classmates in many different situations so their social skills will be called upon daily. Summary of Course Content: This course will begin with a brief retrospective of our nations past from the early settlement through the Civil War. The students will then study the history of the U.S. from Reconstruction to the present. Historical content focuses on the political, economic, and social events and issues related to industrialization and urbanization, major wars, domestic and foreign policies of the Cold War and post-Cold War eras, and reform movements including the Civil Rights Revolution. Students will examine the cause-and- effects on this country of such major events as the Great Depression. The students will also examine the impact of constitutional issues on American society, evaluate the dynamic relationship of the three branches of the federal government, and analyze efforts to expand the democratic processes. Students will analyze the impact of technological innovations on American society. Students will use critical-thinking skills to expand and apply different methods that historians use to interpret the past, including points of view and historical context. Grading Procedures: At least three major grades will be given each nine weeks. Objective tests will consist of a combination of multiple-choice, matching, and true-false questions. Tests will be averaged and will count as 50% of the nine-week grade. At least eight daily grades, including quizzes and written assignments, will make up the remaining 50% of the nine-week grade. Grading scale: A90-100 B80-89 C75-79 D70-74 F69 and below Expected Outcomes: Students should be able to demonstrate knowledge of content and the ability to apply social studies skills to problem solving and should become comfortable with doing research so as to foster later success in collegelevel work. Students will be expected to take and pass the TAKS Social Studies assessment as part of the graduation requirements.