Course Expectations
Advanced Placement U.S. History
Mrs. C. Chupek Room 172
candice.chupek@copley-fairlawn.org
330-664-4999x527872
Remind Number: 330-483-7413/81010
Welcome
Congratulations! You have chosen to challenge yourself and expand your academic horizons
through the analysis and interpretation of our nation’s history. This course is the equivalent of a
100 level college class with the understanding that it is being taught to high school students.
Accommodations will be made as needed to assure student success and exam preparedness.
Class Structure
This course will be taught with guidance from your textbook, Out of Many (6e) and many other
supplemental materials that will be provided for you. These readings will need to be well
understood and analyzed carefully so that you might participate fully in their discussion and use.
The following tips will be helpful in your classroom success…
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Arrive to class on time and fully prepared for discussion and participation in the day’s
activities.
Take an active role in the day’s activities.
Complete all assignments including bookwork, writing prompts, vocabulary notecards
(IDs) and DBQs.
Create and compile a record of class materials (class/discussion notes, handouts,
readings, etc.) to help with exam review.
**This course is designed to be teacher-facilitated and student-led which means I am here
to guide the discussion and you are here to create it. You will take from this course what
you put in with little exception. Direct lecture is minimal.
Evaluations/Assessments
Period Tests/Quizzes
Testing format will take the form of multiple choice, short answers and summative
assessment essay. You will be permitted to use vocabulary terms/ID note cards on this
assessment. Quizzes are less frequent but are possible from time to time.
Class Activities
Development of graphic organizers, informational handouts and the like will also be
included in your quarter grade. You will often be required to supply class copies of your work
so be prepared for that circumstance. Any of these documents prepared for class discussion may
be collected, assessed and scored randomly at teacher discretion.
Writing Assignments
You will be required to write frequently in this course. Writing will take the form of onepage reflections, formal essays and extended summative essays. Each will require you to use
specific historical thinking skill(s) and analyze the prompt in a justified, comprehensive manner.
Grammar, typos, poor sentence structure, etc. will also be scored and can impact your overall
grade. See the “writing expectations” section for further details.
ID Note Card Completion
Format—Front
Top center: ID in large font (ex. Beringia)
Bottom left: # period w/ years (ex. Period 1: 1491-1607)
Bottom right: corresponding textbook chapter number and page(s)
Format—Back
Top center: ID w/ year, date (Beringia Last Ice Age)
Left: full definition/identification (A subcontinent bridging Asia, etc)
Below left: significance(s) of ID (Allowed for human migration, etc.)
Each well prepared note card is worth 2 pts each, will be assessed and averaged into your quarter
grade. IDs are the bolded words in each chapter. ID cards may be used on period tests.
APUSH Course Information
The APUSH curriculum is based on 7 themes from 9 periods of American History. You will
focus on 9 different historical thinking skills as well throughout the course.
7 Themes
ID: Identification
PEO: Peopling
WXT: Work, Exchange and Technology
POLPOW: Politics & Power
WOR: American in the World
CULT: Idea, Beliefs and Culture
ENV: Physical/Human Environment
& Geography
9 Periods of American History (with percentage of possible questions on exam)
Period One: 1491-1607 (5%) Columbian Exchange
Period Two: 1607-1754 (10%) Colonial Experience
Period Three: 1754-1800 (12%) Founding & Revolution
Period Four: 1800-1848 (10%) Westward Expansion
Period Five: 1844-1877 (13%) Sectionalism & Reconstruction
Period Six: 1865-1898 (13%) Industrialization & Corruption
Period Seven: 1890-1945 (17%) World Power
Period Eight: 1945-1980 (13%) Cold War
Period Nine: 1980-Present (5%) America Today
9 Historical Thinking Skills
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Causation
Continuity & Change Over Time
Periodization
Comparison (to what extent)
Contextualization
Historical Argument
Evidence
Interpretation
Synthesis (most difficult)
Expectations for Writing Assignments in APUSH
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All writing assignments are expected to be typed, single OR double-spaced (preferably
double-spaced), one inch margins and 14 pt font or smaller.
All writing assignments are to be in formal essay format with a clear intro, body and
concluding paragraphs.
A paragraph is 5-7 sentences in length including the concluding paragraph.
A thesis statement must be present in the introductory paragraph and re-stated in the
conclusion.
Any assignments emailed to me must be received BEFORE your class period or it will be
counted as late.
Name, date, assignment name should appear in the upper right-hand corner.
Grammar, typos and general mistakes will count against your score. Proofread
everything!!!
No cover page is required.
One-page (generally) Reflection—10 points possible
Essay (various length depending on assignment)---25 points possible
Summative (5-7 pages usually)---100 points possible
APUSH Exam
The AP College Board has made some slight adjustments to this course effective for the 2015
exam. The exam will be 3 hours and 15 minutes in length with two sections.
Section One: 1 hour and 40 minutes
55 multiple choice
55 minutes (40%)
4 short answer questions
45 minutes (20%)
Section Two: 1 hour and 35 minutes (15 minutes to pre-read the questions)
1 DBQ 60 minutes (25%)
1 long-essay question 35 minutes (15%)