AP US HISTORY

Course Description
Mr. Steven Schwartz
(708) 434-3341
Room 341
www.oprfapush.weebly.com
sschwartz@oprfhs.org

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
This course seeks to introduce you to the major themes, approaches, and concepts of American History. You
will not only learn American History, but you will also learn how to do history. This course also seeks to
improve your reading, writing, researching, and thinking skills. The course will also seek to prepare you to be
successful on the College Boards Advanced Placement US History test
FIRST SEMESTER UNITS:
Each unit will have both content-based and skill-based learning goals. You will be instructed and assessed on
both content and skills each unit.
Content
1. Collision,
Transplantations,
and Borderlands
2. America
3. Republic
4. Factions

5. Good
Feelings?
6. Market
Revolution
7. A Union
Severed
8.
Reconstruction

Historical Skills
Analyze cause and
effect and multiple
causations
Evaluate major
debates among
historians
Evaluate the
implementation of
historical decisions
Evaluate the
consistency of
historical actors
thoughts and
actions
Compare
alternative models
of periodization
Analyze cause and
effect and
historical
contingency
Compare
competing
historical
narratives
Analyze historical
continuity and
change

Reading Skills
Recognizing question and
thesis

Writing Skills
Writing thesis statements

Recognizing supporting
arguments

Writing supporting
arguments

Recognizing evidentiary
support

Incorporating evidence

Distinguishing opinion and

evidence

Citing evidence

Evaluating authors
credibility

Writing introductions

Identifying gaps in
argument, evidence

Writing conclusions

Compare/contrast ideas

Style and form

Knowing how to find and

use various sources

Style and form

AP US HISTORY
Course Description

A TYPICAL DAY IN CLASS:

THE NIGHT BEFORE: At the start of class every day, we will announce our goal for the day; we will set our
purpose highlighting what we want to learn from each day, how it fits into the units goals, and how it fits into
the years themes.
DURING CLASS: The course is structured as a seminar. You will have reading every night to prepare you to
approach the next days question. In class, we will use our assigned readings, discussions, analysis of primary
source documents and occasionally of videos or films to organize our answers to the days questions.
Every unit is structured as an essay, with each day as a body paragraph. Likewise, each day is structured as a
mini-essay.
THAT EVENING: Every day, your goal is to be able to devise a clear, succinct, accurate, and nuanced thesis
statement that fully answers the days question. You also want to be able to devise arguments that support
that thesis, and evidence that helps prove your arguments. Often, we will accomplish these tasks during class.
But whether we do or not, you should do these tasks at home as a way of assessing your learning of the class
lesson. You will also have a few multiple-choice questions to practice with every evening as another way of
assessing your learning of the days lesson.
MY FREE PERIODS:
Im available to meet during 3rd period (near Exit 8), 4th period (in Room 379) and 8th period in Room 341.
Im also available before or after school in Room 341.

ASSESSMENTS:
There are several types of assessments in AP US History:
Daily Self-Assessments
Every day, you will write a thesis to the daily questions and include relevant IDs. These may or
may not be graded.
Check-in Quizzes
Each unit is broken into a few distinct parts, organized around big ideas. At the end of each unit
part, you will take a check-in quiz to formally assess your learning of that part. These quizzes
will (almost) always be at the end of class on the last day of that unit part. This way, we can
ensure we are ready to move on to the next part of the unit. These check-in quizzes will be
worth 25 points each.
Unit Tests
At the end of each unit, you will take a unit test. Unit tests are structured the same way as the
AP test with multiple-choice questions and a writing portion. The writing portion will mirror the
skill-based goal that was the focus of the unit. These unit tests will be worth 100 points each.
Quarterly Review Exams
Twice a semester, you will take a Quarterly Review Exam that will cover the four previous
units. These Quarterly Review Exams will be structured the same way that the Review Exams
are structured taking half a period and occurring on Unit Test review days. These Quarterly
Review Exams will be worth 50 points.
Research Paper
In the spring semester, you will you will write a research paper a writing-intensive research
project. These papers are your chance to do history to add to the field. It will also provide

AP US HISTORY
Course Description
an opportunity to learn and assess your writing, reading, and research skills all of which we
will work to build throughout the course.

Projects
Occasionally you will be assigned group projects that you will present to the class.
EXTRA CREDIT:
Extra Credit opportunities will be very limited and offered at the teachers discretion.
THAT TEST IN MAY:
Although earning college credit is an immediate advantage of an AP course, for financial and scheduling
purposes, my greater goal is to foster your passion for history. That far outstrips any immediate and practical
advantage this course can offer you. Having said that, this course is designed to prepare you for the AP US
History exam. Tests will always be multiple choice and/or in-class essay so you can practice throughout the
year the types of questions that appear on the exam.

ABSENCES ON TEST AND QUIZ DAYS:

If you are absent on a test date, you may make up the test if your absence is excused. If your absence is
unexcused, you earn a zero on the test. If you are late for a quiz or test, you may not make up the quiz or test
and your score will be a zero.

GRADES:
90.00% - 100%
A
80.00% - 89.99%
B
70.00% - 79.99%
C
60.00% - 69.99%
D
59.99% and lower F
We will use the OPRF grade scale. I will give you progress reports periodically. You should do your best to
monitor your progress as well. Always, you can feel free to come in and ask to see your grade. The online
gradebook will be updated constantly.

BREAKDOWN OF THE GRADES:

Homework: 25%
Essays: 30%
Tests/Quizzes: 30%
Participation/Risk Taking: 15%
DUE DATES:
The goal of this or any class is to learn. As such, there is no final due date for any assignment. You can
revise or rewrite or redo any assignment in this class 1. The goal is to learn. You will never write a perfect
paper no draft of anything will ever be perfect, and thus no draft will ever be the final draft. You will, then,
not be penalized if work is handed in late. However, I strongly encourage you to hand in work early as you

1 I do reserve the right not to permit revisions/rewriting/redos of any assignment at any time. This scenario will only come up if the
initial work clearly demonstrated a lack of effort or dishonesty.

AP US HISTORY
Course Description
can get additional feedback, etc. The goal of class is to increase your knowledge, skills, and intellectuality.
Grades are only important as they are indicative of the learning. You should view me not as an evaluator but
as a learning guide who is present to help get you from Point A to Point B.
-

So, to recap and be as clear as humanly possible:

You can rewrite any paper or writing assignment.
You should turn work in when you have it completed. You will then get it back and have an opportunity to take
another stab at it.
MASTERY MANAGER
Every multiple-choice test will use Mastery Manager a computer program which allows us to tag each
question with a standard. Essentially, when you get a test back, you will not only get a raw score, but you will
know exactly how you performed on each learning objective both content objectives and skill-based
objectives. Our goal is to be as explicit as possible.
OTHER COURSE EXPECTATIONS:
You should have a dedicated APUSH binder for our course materials
You will also need to have a shared Google Drive folder for this class. (The Googleverse packet will explain
what this is all about)
Always bring to class the assigned reading and materials for taking notes. Please do not wait for me to ask
you to take out your reading at the beginning of class . . .
Communicate with me. If you do not understand my expectations for you at any time, talk with me as soon as
possible and in all cases before a project or paper is due.

PLAGIARISM AND ACADEMIC HONESTY:

ACADEMIC HONESTY is imperative in this and in all courses. Dishonest work earns an automatic zero with
no chance to make up the points. If you are ever unsure about whether a practice constitutes academic
dishonesty, ASK ME!

You must use your own words. Anything not in your own words must be clearly
attributed to the original source. Here are some guidelines to follow:
If a complete sentence or large portion of text matches someone elses complete sentence or large
portion of text, it needs to appear in quotation marks and be attributed.
Even if the portion has only your own words, it still needs to be attributed if the ideas expressed are not yours.
Your thesis, your argument, the crux of your writing must all be originally your own.
Bibliographies are not enough. You also need to cite exactly where the material came from.
Plagiarism is more than simply copying material. Failure to properly cite, even by accident, can be
plagiarism too.
It is also possible to plagiarize yourself. Turning in the same work for two classes, for example, is
plagiarism.
Essentially, follow these basic tips:
If the idea of the sentence and the words in the sentence are yours, you do not need to cite.
If the idea of the sentence is not originally yours, you need to cite.
If a substantial portion of the words are not originally yours, you need to put them in quotation marks and cite.
When in doubt, you should provide the source. After all, no one ever was accused of academic dishonesty for
citing too much.

AP US HISTORY
Course Description

If you have a question, come in and ask.

DISCIPLINE, IDs, CELL PHONES, AND FOOD

The OPRF 2016-2017 Code of Conduct will be followed according to school policies
Student IDs must be worn at all times, and students will not be admitted into the classroom without an ID.
Within the walls of the classroom, cell phones must be turned off completely and be out of sight, unless we use
them it for a specific activity in class.
Food, beverages, gum, candy, etc. cannot be consumed in class, as per school policy. Hats, gloves,
sunglasses, jackets are to be left in lockers, and clothing that is worn in the classroom must be appropriate for
the academic atmosphere we -- as a class -- are cultivating.