11th Grade U.S. History & Government Course Expectations
Ms. Leo • Connetquot High School • Main Office: 244-2228
Review these guidelines with your parent and/or guardian and return to teacher. A copy is on my website.
Course Description:
This course is designed to engage you in an exploration of U.S. history and government. The journey that you are about
to begin will start with the formation of the Unites States and follow how our nation has evolved over time. As you
explore each unit and participate in class, you will also build many skills such as communication skills, critical thinking
skills, time-management skills, decision-making skills, computer skills, reading skills and of course writing skills. Most
importantly, you will prepare yourself for your future role as a voting citizen of the United States.
This is a one year course. You will be prepared for a midterm exam in January and the Regents Exam in June. It is
strongly recommended that you keep your class materials organized at all times. The materials and assignments that you
work on this year will help you prepare for the Regents.
Materials You Will Need:
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One three-ring loose leaf binder (1 ½ - 2 inches) and some loose-leaf paper. (REQUIRED)
o Make sure you get a big enough binder, there will be packets and other handouts.
Dividers: You will need 4 sections in your binder: 1 for each quarter.
A Blue or a Black pen. You must bring at least one everyday.
#2 pencils. You will need for quizzes and exams.
You will have access to an on-line textbook:
o Access to Prentice Hall: American History is available online through the CHS Social Studies Department website
as well as pearsonsuccessnet.com.
Agenda: Students must have their agendas with them at all times and utilize them to keep track of assignments and due dates
for all of their classes.
Additional Resources to Prepare You for the Regents:
Websites offering
Regents Exams and Preparation Materials
1. www.nysed.gov This is a database of ALL previous
Regents Exams & answer keys
2. castlelearning.com You will have a CHS account
2. www.regentsprep.org This website offers interactive
Regents Exam questions as well as additional resources.
Websites offering
information on current events
1. http://www.cnn.com/studentnews/ , foxnews.com
2. nytimes.com, newsday.com
3. Read the newspaper, watch news programs, and
stay informed of the world around you !
 Grading
Unit Exams 50%
Written Assignments 30%
Quizzes 20%
 Attendance
Students who are frequently absent and/or late will be reported to the attendance office as well as grade level
office as necessary in accordance to CHS policy.
It is your responsibility to get any missed class notes or assignments.
*If absent the day of a Test or Quiz, students are required to take it THE DAY they return.
*If absent the day of a test review, students must take the test THE DAY AFTER they
return. All assignments must be handed in the DAY AFTER a student returns from their absence plus any
lllllladditional work that may be assigned on the day they return. Students must right ABSENT on top of their
assignments to indicate they were not present the day it was due.
 Quizzes
Quizzes will be given for each chapter. Most will be on castlelearning.com.
 Writing Assignments
DBQ and thematic essays will be assigned each quarter and will count as 30% of your grade. You are strongly
llllllencouraged to proofread your work prior to submission and to hand these assignments in ON time unless you are
llllllabsent. In addition to DBQ and Thematic Essays, Students may also be assigned
primary source document and other article readings. They will have 5 days to complete it.
Students will be required to answer questions about what they read. Incorrect
responses and responses not answered in a complete sentence will result in a
reduction of their grade for that assignment.
Assignments will also be listed on the following website:
http://teacherweb.com/ny/oakdale-bohemiamiddleschool/msleo/
Essays will be marked down by 5 points for each day that it is late. For example, if an essay is one day late,
the highest grade that you can receive is a 95. Cutting class the day of any exams or not showing up for a
make-up will result in a grade of zero. WARNING: Failure to hand in essays or complete an exam will
significantly jeopardize your ability to pass the course. ACADEMIC SUPPORT: You will be notified in
advance of all exam and essay due dates in addition to this information being on my website. Review sheets
will be provided. Unit Cover sheets will also be provided to keep you binder organized to facilitate your
preparation for Midterm and Regents Exams.
 Tests and Exams
Cutting class the day of the quiz/test or not showing up for a make-up will result in a grade of zero. There
will be several unit exams this year. A review will be given before most tests.
If you are absent on a test day, expect to take it the day you get back.
Students may not leave the room during the test. They can go to the bathroom, get a
drink etc. after they have handed in their completed test.
Midterm Exam (20% of the 2nd Quarter Grade): There will be a Midterm Exam in January which will cover all
of the material that we have studied up until that point. The Midterm will count as 20% of your second
quarter grade.
Final Exam (20% of the total course grade): All material that is taught in this class is preparing you for the
Regents exam in June. Be sure to keep all notes, handouts, homework and papers. At the end of the year, each
quarter grade is combined with your Regent’s exam grade to determine your overall “course grade.” The final
exam is like a 5th quarter grade and is worth 20% of you total course grade
 Cheating/Plagiarism
If you are caught you will be given an automatic zero. A parent conference,
write up and detention may follow.Written assignments must be properly documented. If you choose to use
outside information do not forget to quote the sentence, note the author and page.
Plagiarism includes: copying from friends work, books. Magazines, newspapers,
journals or from the Internet.
I have read the course expectations and recognize my responsibility to follow them. I understand and accept
the terms, which have been outlined in this document.
Date signed: _____________
Student Signature (PRINT): _____________________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature:_____________________________