VILSECK HIGH SCHOOL
MR. RITTER
Course Description
The Advanced Placement (AP) US History course is designed to provide students with
the analytical skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and
materials in US history. The course prepares students for intermediate and advanced college
courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those made by full-year introductory
college courses. In some ways, this course is more challenging than a college course, as
students must cover the entire breadth of American history and take a rigorous, national
administer exam.
Students should learn to assess historical materials—their relevance to a given
interpretive problem, reliability, and importance—and to weigh the evidence and interpretations
presented in historical scholarship. An AP US History course should thus develop the skills
necessary to arrive at conclusions on the basis of an informed judgment and to present reasons
and evidence clearly and persuasively in essay format.
The course is organized into 9 units that cover the following eras:
Unit 1: 1491-1607
Unit 2: 1607-1754
Unit 3: 1754-1800
Unit 4: 1800-1848
Unit 5: 1844-1877
Unit 6: 1865-1898
Unit 7: 1890-1945
Unit 8: 1945-1980
Unit 9: 1980-present
Since this course is a college-level, students are expected to read at a college level. This
means that students must read the text and other assigned readings completely and for
understanding. It is imperative for students to comprehend what they read since not all the
necessary material will be covered in class. There is a direct correlation between the students
who have scored high marks on the AP Exam and being a strong, independent reader. Students
will need to read a chapter each week and complete guided reading assignment in the form of
reading questions, notes or in class reading assessment.
Course Objectives and Goals
AP US History is designed to offer students an opportunity to take a rigorous and
challenging class equivalent to an introductory college-level course. The objectives of the class
are:
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The student will be to apply thematic learning objectives to multiple eras in U.S.
History.
The student will be able to analyze and interpret primary and secondary source
documents.
The student will be able to understand an analytical essay prompt and create a
well-organized response.
The student will be able to use historical data, audio files, visual images, film and
maps to support a position on a historical question.
The student will be able to develop and improve writing, research and reading
skills using a variety of strategies.
The student will be able to employ a variety of historical thinking skills including
chronological reasoning, comparison and contextualization, crafting historical
arguments and historical interpretation and synthesis.
Expectations
Students enrolled in AP US History will:
 Read a chapter a week of the textbook outside of class and complete
complementary reading question assignment and notes.
 Take seven unit exams, which will be patterned after the AP US History exam,
including multiple choice questions, short answer questions, document-based
questions (DBQs) and long essay questions.
 Read additional assignments besides the textbook, most often primary source
readings in class.
 Complete a project after the AP Exam is completed in May.
Course Format and Credit
This school system calculates weighted grades for students who complete and take the
requisite exam of an AP course, which is given free of charge to the student. A weighted grade
means that if a student receives an “A” in the course, they will receive a 5.0. An “F” however,
receives no numerical credit. If a student fails to take the AP Exam, they will receive normal,
unweighted credit for the course.
Course Themes and Historical Thinking Skills
The course is structured both chronologically and thematically. In each unit, students will
get practice developing the multiple content-driven historical thinking skills. The themes and
historical thinking skills of the course are listed below
THEMES
Identity (ID)
Work, Exchange and Technology
(WXT)
Peopling (PEO)
Politics and Power (POL)
America in the World (WOR)
Environment and Geography (ENV)
Ideas, Beliefs, and Culture (CUL)
HISTORICAL THINKING SKILL
Historical Causation
Patterns of Continuity and Change over Time
Periodization
Comparison
Contextualization
Historical Argumentation
Appropriate Use of Relevant Historical Evidence
Textbooks and Reading Assignments
Textbook: Faragher, Buhle, Czitrom & Armitage. Out of Many, Advanced Placement
Edition, 5th edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2007. Print.
Each week, students will need to read a chapter from the textbook and answer guided
reading questions that address essential topics, themes and concepts. On Monday, the reading
questions will be due for each chapter. We will go over the reading questions in class, to help
students comprehend the chapter. Students will be given a quarterly reading question schedule.
Course Units and Outline
Unit
Chapters
Topics from Out of Many
Unit
1&2
Chapters
1-5
Unit
3
Chapters
6-8
Unit
4
Chapters
9-14
Pre-Colombian American Indian Societies, European
Exploration and Expansion, Development of Colonies in the
North America, African Slavery and the Development of a
North American Slave Society, The Regions of Colonial
North America, Diverging Social and Political Patterns
The Seven Years’ War in America, Emergence of American
Nationalism, Rebellion, American Independence,
Revolutionary Politics, The Creation of the Constitution,
Washington’s Administration, Development of American
Political Parties
Agrarianism under Jefferson, Rivalry in America, The War of
1812, King Cotton, Slave Life, Jacksonian Democracy,
Transportation Improvement, Market Revolution, New
Approximate
Month of Study
AugustSeptember
October
OctoberNovember
Unit
5
Chapters
15-17
Unit
6
Chapters
18-20
Unit
7
Chapters
21-25
Unit
8
Chapters
26-30
Unit
9
Chapter
31
Social Order, Immigration, Urbanization, Abolitionism,
Evangelism and Other Religious Movements, Westward
Expansion, Manifest Destiny, Mexican War, Gold Rush
Compromise of 1850, Kansas-Nebraska Act, Dred Scott,
The Election of 1860, The Establishment of the
Confederacy, Lincoln’s Expansion of Federal Power, The
Battles of Northern Virginia, The War in the West, The
Emancipation Proclamation, New York Draft Riots, 1863:
Turning Points of the War, The Politics of Reconstruction,
The White Resistance, Freedman Life
Indians Under Siege, Open Ranges, Homestead Act, The
Ghost Dance, Rise of Industry and Business, The New
South, The Urban Landscape, The Spoils System,
Populism, Crisis of 1893, The Spanish American War
Progressivism, Women’s Suffrage, NAACP, Trustbusting
TR, World War I, Great Migration, The Treaty of Versailles,
Red Scare, The Twenties, Development of Mass Culture,
Resistance to Modernity, Return to Normalcy, The Crash of
1929, Hoover’s Failure, FDR and First New Deal, Limits of
Reform, World War II, Arsenal of Democracy, Internment of
Japanese-Americans, The War in Europe, The War in the
Pacific, Atomic Bomb
Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, The Red Scare, MilitaryIndustrial Complex, Korean War, Suburban Life, Rock ‘n’
Roll, Television, JFK and the Cold War, Segregation, MLK
and SCLC, Birmingham, Civil Rights Act of 1964, Vietnam,
War on Poverty, 1968: Year of Crisis, Identity Politics, The
Southern Strategy, Watergate, Me Decade, Reagan
Revolution, Collapse of Communism
Clinton’s New Democrat, Electronic Culture, Culture Wars,
War on Terror
December
January
February
March
April
Assignments and Assessments
Grading Policy:
Grades for the course are based on a variety of exercises and assignments throughout
the year. The relative weights of these components are approximately:
Tests/Quizzes
Assignments/Projects
60%
40%
TESTS AND QUIZZES
I feel that tests and quizzes are the best reflection of a student’s understanding, and
therefore, they comprise the biggest percentage of a student’s quarter grade. Tests will always
be announced at least 3 days in advance and will be accompanied by a study guide. Unit tests
are patterned after the AP exam as to give the students practice. Quizzes may be announced,
however, there may be surprise “pop” quizzes as well, usually based on reading assignments.
Unit exams will occur 7 times over the course of the class. The unit exams will primarily
focus on one particular historical period (the first two units will be combined) and the exam will be
made up of AP Exam like questions (including multiple choice questions, short answer questions,
document-based questions and/or long essay questions). Every exam will feature at least one
DBQ or long essay question, as to give students multiple opportunities to practice the kind of indepth historical writing that they will need to do on the AP Exam. The scoring of these exams will
follow the scoring system of the AP Exam. Students will receive a 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 on each exam,
which will be converted into the following grades:
1=50% F
2=65% D
3=75% C
4=85% B
5=100% A
ASSIGNMENTS AND PROJECTS
Completing the weekly reading assignments and homework is essential if students are to
learn the course’s demanding content. Homework assignments will be kept in a binder or
notebook dedicated to AP US History. Homework assignments are usually chapter reading
questions and it is essential for students to read and then answer the questions carefully. I have
found a common trait among students who pass the AP Exam: they are all careful readers and
did a thorough job answering the reading questions.
Almost every day we begin class with a Starter. A Starter is a brief assignment done in a
notebook and its purpose is to get the class focused and to preview or review an important topic.
An example would be:
Starter: Explain the rationale of the Japanese in launching a preemptive strike against the US at
Pearl Harbor.
The class binder will serve as the ultimate US History reference during and after the
course, so it is important to keep it organized. In your binder, you should have a section for
starters, and for each of the nine units we will study. I will check your binder for organization and
completeness each quarter.
In addition to the reading assignments and class activities, cross-unit projects will be
assigned this year. These projects will require students to apply the thematic learning objectives
of the course to multiple eras in US history. Projects may include:
 Debates and structured class discussions
 Historical film analysis papers and presentations: Students compare a historically
based film to the real historical event
 DBQ projects: Students create their own DBQ style question complete with
documents, question, and grading rubric
 Creation of Chapter 32: The USA from 2014-2100 (after the AP Exam)
Late Work Policy:
I strongly feel that students need to build a strong work ethic now if they plan to be
successful later. Therefore, late assignments and projects will be accepted, but will lose 10% of
the grade for each day it is late. Of course, students who have excused absences will be allowed
to turn in assignments late. However, the student is responsible for finding out what was missed
the day that he or she was gone. If an assignment was missed, the student has the number of
days he or she was absent to complete it and turn it in.
Grading Scale:
90 -100 = A
80 - 89 = B
70 - 79 = C
60 - 69 = D
59 or below = F
Support Services
I am more than willing to meet with individual students who are having trouble
understanding the course content or to help them prepare for upcoming tests. If a student needs
extra help, they should see me and we can schedule a time to meet either before or after school.
In the spring, special AP Review study sessions will occur outside of normal school hours and
students are encouraged to attend these.
Contact Me
Email is the best way to contact me during the day. My primary email is
richard.ritter@eu.dodea.edu. I am also available through VHS's gmail account at
richard.ritter@student.dodea.edu If you need to get assignments, notes or other class
information check my website at http://vhsritter.weebly.com