2017-2018 United States History II Syllabus Mrs.

Bowles
Email: powens@bostonpublicschools.org Room 204
Class Website: mrsbowlesclasses.weebly.com

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

United States History II covers the events, issues and ideas from the 1870s to the present. The course and units are
based on the Boston Public Schools History Standards. This years units are as follows:
Unit I: The Economic, Political and Social impact of the Industrial Revolution (1870-1920)
Unit II: The Cause and Impact of Immigration (1850-1920)
Unit III: The Age of Reform and Progressivism (1900-1940)
Unit IV: US Expansion and Emergence as a World Power (1870-1920)
Unit V: Return to Normalcy and the Roaring Twenties (1910-1930)
Unit VI: The Great Depression and the New Deal (1930-1940)
Unit VII: World War II at Home and Abroad (1940-1945)
Unit VIII: Post War Issues and the Cold War Home and Abroad (1945-1960)
Unit XI: The Turmoil of the Sixties and Seventies (1960-1980)
Unit X: The End of the Cold War and Modern Day Issues (1980-present)

HOW YOU WILL BE GRADED:

Each term, your grade will be determined by:

Performance Assessments (i.e. Debates, Socratic Seminars, Projects or Presentations)
& Citywide Paced Interim Exams 25%
Document Based Questions or Close Reading Assignments 20%
Homework 20%
Classwork and Class Decorum 20%
Binder Organization 15%

--Performance Assessments are my way of assessing what you have learned. These assignments really unique
and are based on what you have learned throughout the unit. You might participate in a debate or Socratic
seminar or create an online presentation about the topic we have studied. You could be asked to connect what
you have learned to modern day issues while writing a letter to the editor of a newspaper or lobbying elected
officials. Citywide Paced Interim Exams, which occur three times per year, are also factored into your grade.
--Document Based Questions generally given at least once a unit. They are essentially in-class essays where you
refer to historical documents in your answer. You will be able to use all of your notes, homework and classwork
to complete a DBQ planning sheet that you can use when writing. Close Reading Assignments are also
generally given at least once a unit. You will be asked to read either a primary or secondary source, answer
questions about what you have read and write a short open response.

--Homework will always be reading and answering questions from an assigned chapter of The Americans. You
will find all of the chapters on the class website. There are usually 3 sections of homework assigned per week.
All homework should be completed by due date given, but late homework turned in within the same unit will be
accepted. It will be collected and assigned a grade based on completeness, accuracy and effort (on a scale of 0
to 10) and then returned to you. If you let someone copy your homework, you will receive a zero. No
exceptions.

-- Classwork can be many different things. You may be asked to read and annotate an article, analyze historical
documents or quotes, or discuss ideas. You might work in groups, pairs or individually. Generally, classwork
is due at the end of each class and will be graded based on completeness, accuracy and effort (on a scale of 0 to
10). Part of your grade for classwork is based on your class decorum, which simply means how you act in class.
Examples of proper class decorum include:
Coming to class regularly and arriving on time
Staying awake, alert and on task during class
Paying attention to the discussion and taking notes
Contributing to class discussions without dominating them
Keeping side conversations to a minimum and not distracting peers
Being aware of your language and attitude toward your peers and toward me
Be reasonable and respectful with cell phone use. Keep them on silent. Keep them off to the sidepreferably
out of sight. No pictures or constant texting. Just act grown and polite and I wont be annoyed. If you are using
your cellphone for a class assignment, please make sure you are focusing on your work.

--Binders are required and must be brought to class everyday. You should have a between a 1 and 2 inch
binder and a pack of filler paper to start. All notes, handouts and returned work should be stored in your binder
in an organized way by unit. You should have a notes section, a homework section and a classwork section of
your binder.
 Return this page for your first classwork grade!
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I have read and understood the requirements and expectations for United States History II.

Your name:_______________________________________ Signature: _________________________________________

Your email:___________________________________________________________________________________________

Parent or Guardian name: _______________________________________________________________________________

Their telephone number and email: ________________________________________________________________________

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What should I know about you to help you do well in this class? What did you like most about History classes you have
taken before? What did you like least? What do you think that your biggest strengths are as a student? What are your
biggest weaknesses?
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