Ms Densley
2015-2016
A.P. U.S. History Scholar Syllabus
Course Description
Welcome to AP US History. I want to be upfront with you all when I say that this is a challenging
course. There will be a great deal of both writing and reading involved in this class. We will be covering
all of US history, from pre-Columbian America all the way to the present, and we will be doing it by the
end of April, so that those of you who wish to take the AP exam will be prepared to succeed. This means
we are covering more material, in less time, than two college courses in one high school history course.
That said, the key word here is “we,” you will not be doing this alone, I will be with you every step of
the way and I will do everything in my power to help you be successful. However, I cannot take the
class for you, you’re going to have to meet me half way, which means doing ALL the reading
assignments, and ALL the writing assignments, so that when you are in class, you are prepared to
receive my help. As my part of this deal, I promise to never give you “busy work,” I will try my best to
make sure every assignment is valuable and helpful to you, and if you feel it is not, I request that you
talk to me about it so I can help you be successful in this class and in all your further studies.
If you can agree to work with me in this way, then we will have an awesome year. You will learn so
much about the amazing heritage of the United States, you will learn skills which will help you be
successful not only in this class, but in college, and in life, and we’ll have a lot of fun along the way too.
The A.P. U.S. History Exam
The A.P. U.S. History exam, administered Friday May 6, 2016, is 3 hours and 15 minutes long. The test
is broken into four parts: 55 minutes for 55 multiple choice questions, worth 40% of your score; 45
minutes for 4 short answer questions, worth 20% of your score; 60 minutes for one document based
question, worth 25% of your score; and 35 minutes for a long essay question (chosen from a pair), for
15% of your score.
The A.P. U.S. History exam is graded on a five point scale. Generally, most public universities award
credit or placement to scholars who earn a 3 or higher while many private colleges require a score of 4
or higher. However, since each school is free to set its own policy, scholars need to check the specific
policies of the institutions they are interested in attending.
Scholars enrolled in this class are not required to take the A.P. U.S. History exam, however, you are
encouraged to as it can save you money and provide you with a more advanced placement in college
courses. Each A.P. exam costs about $87. AP exam scores will not be linked to semester grades (the
scores don’t come out until well after the school year has ended).
Academic Objectives
 Scholars will experience history through the study and analysis of classic primary and secondary
sources, as well as the use of classic literature and the support of mentors.
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Scholars will develop an appreciation for our national heritage.
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Scholars will take an active role in their education while maintaining high standards of academic
excellence.
Ms Densley
2015-2016
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Scholars will study historical themes and the context and significance of interpretive questions.
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Scholars will be trained to analyze and interpret primary sources, including documentary material,
maps, statistical tables, and pictorial and graphic evidence of historical events.
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Scholars will learn to take effective notes from both printed materials and lectures.
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Scholars will learn how to approach history critically and be able to analyze and evaluate competing
sources of historical information.
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Scholars will be able to express themselves with clarity and precision, both in writing and in oral
presentation, and know how to cite sources and credit the phrases and ideas of others.
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Scholars will practice developing the following content-driven skills: Crafting Historical Arguments
from Historical Evidence (including Historical Argumentation and Appropriate Use of Relevant
Historical Evidence), Chronological Reasoning (including Historical Causation, Patterns of
Continuity and Change over Time, and Periodization), Comparison and Contextualization, and
Historical Interpretation and Synthesis.
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Scholars will develop the skills needed to succeed in college and life.
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Scholars will be prepared for the Advanced Placement United States History Exam (should they
choose to take it).
Scholar Behavior Expectations
As mentioned before, this is a difficult, college level class, and you will be held to a high standard of
academic and behavioral excellence.
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Rule one in this class will always be RESPECT. I expect you to show respect for yourself, your
peers, your teachers and mentors (me included), your classroom, and your school. This includes
staying on task, following instruction, using appropriate language, and being considerate of your
classmates.
I expect you to complete all of your work, to the best of your ability, and to have your work
turned in on time. With the exception of absence or special circumstances (with prior
permission), late work will not be accepted.
If you are absent, I expect you to be responsible for making up your missed assignments. You
will need to talk to me or to a classmate to find what you missed and to get it turned in within the
amount of time you were absent plus one day. That said, if you expect to be gone for a prolonged
period of time (more than 2 days) it’s best to see me about the make up work in advanced
because it will be very difficult to catch up again if you fall behind.
I expect you to be in class on time, this means in your seat and ready to work when the bell rings.
Repeated tardiness will result in disciplinary action
I expect you to be prepared for class every day. You need to have your textbook, your
homework, your document book, writing utensils, your binder, etc… with you, I can’t help you
build your knowledge of history if you don’t bring your tools with you.
I expect you to show academic integrity. This is your education, take ownership of it, don’t cheat
yourself by cheating in class. Any student caught cheating will be referred to the Principal.
o Academic honesty is essential in developing the core values necessary to fulfill our
Ms Densley
2015-2016
mission of developing servant leaders. Such moral integrity is just as important as our
scholars’ academic development. Academic dishonesty includes both cheating and
plagiarism. Cheating is using the knowledge or work of any other person to answer
questions or complete assignments that are to represent your own knowledge or effort.
o Plagiarism is representing the ideas, words, or work of as another as if it were your own.
This does not mean that scholar cannot use other person’s ideas or work in their papers.
Rather it means that scholars must properly give credit when using ideas, words, or work
of another person. One does this by properly citing sources from which they borrow
others words, work, or ideas. When citing sources, scholars are to follow the format
required by the teacher of their class.
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You may not eat or drink (except water) in class without my permission. A side note to that, No
Mint. No mint gum, tictacs, candy canes, altoids, minty scented hand lotion, etc… I am quite
allergic to mint and I’ve developed this fondness for breathing, so leave the mints in their
wrappers when you’re in my class please.
If you choose not to follow these expectations, you can expect fair, consistent, and natural
disciplinary consequences for your inappropriate actions or attitudes. Typical consequences include
but are not limited to warnings, refocus, parent phone calls, parent conferences, behavior contracts,
detentions, and referrals. Consequences may also be remedial, such as washing all the desks in the
classroom if caught writing on one desk.
Grading
Grading in this class will be based primarily on mastery. There are certain key concepts and ideas about
each time period in history that I expect you to prove a sufficient understanding of if you wish to pass
this class. I also expect you to master certain skills, such as Crafting Historical Arguments from
Historical Evidence (including Historical Argumentation and Appropriate Use of Relevant Historical
Evidence), Chronological Reasoning (including Historical Causation, Patterns of Continuity and Change
over Time, and Periodization), Comparison and Contextualization, and Historical Interpretation and
Synthesis. As such, grades will be divided into several categories:
Exams/tests: 30%, Essays/writing: 30%, Homework/classwork: 20%, Projects/presentations: 20%
I am always happy to discuss grades with you, but in the end, you are responsible for your own
education and your own grade, so do not come to me at the last minute begging to make up work, I will
be unsympathetic. Be proactive about your grade and I will be much more willing to work with you to
prevent it from becoming a problem.
Unit Exams— There will be an exam on every unit, this exam will include multiple choice questions,
short answer questions, and at least one essay question. The point of the multiple choice questions is two
fold, it will test your knowledge of the facts and skills we’ve studied in class, but it will also familiarize
you and give you practice with the kinds of multiple choice questions you can expect to see on the AP
exam. The essay questions will also help you prepare for the AP exam (the essay portion is the largest
part of the exam) but they have the added benefit of preparing you for college and life in general. They
will be helping you to improve your skills in gathering and assimilating information and then using that
Ms Densley
2015-2016
information to come to conclusions and develop informed opinions and positions on any topic, but
especially history. Class essays will be similar to those given on the A.P. U.S. History exam and will be
graded on the same 6-7 point scale. We will be practicing this type of historical essay writing
continuously throughout the year.
Geography Quizzes: There will be a geography quiz given at the end of each week where you will
identify several locations on a map, you will have time to prepare practice maps early in the year, and
will be expected to identify both US and world locations which will aid them in their understanding of
history and the modern world.
Textbook Homework—As mentioned before, there will be regular homework for this class. A good
portion of this homework will be weekly reading assignments in your “textbook.” We will not be using a
traditional textbook in this class, as primary source documents will be our main source of information.
Our “textbook” will not drive our course but will provide the background information we need to clarify
our understanding of key historical documents, speeches, novels, recordings, etc. As such, our textbook
is actually AMSCO’s A.P. United States History review book. This book provides excellent chapters
filled with plenty of background information for our purposes without going overboard on excessive
detail about minute events, as such the chapters are a bit shorter, which allows us to spend less time
reading a boring old textbook and more time reading fascinating classic documents and primary source
accounts of events. Each week reading from 1-2 chapters from the AMSCO book will be assigned with
accompanying notes assignments and study questions. It is absolutely essential that you complete these
assignments, as they will prepare you for the lectures, readings, and class discussions we will complete
the following week. In class, we will go back over some of the big ideas and key developments, in
addition to our primary source and classics studies, but what I need you to understand is that everything
in the AMSCO book is fair game when it comes to both in class exams and the AP exam. We will cover
everything we can, but we cannot cover everything in existence, so the more seriously you take your
studies outside of class, the better you’ll be able to do on the A.P. Exam. You will have to take
responsibility for your own education, our core value of “scholar-empowered learning” is coming into
play here, and I am giving you tools to help you, but you will still be primarily accountable for your own
learning.
Assigned Classics—In addition to your short assigned textbook readings, you will also be expected to
read a few classic history books throughout the year that will add to and help build your understanding
of US history in certain time periods. These books include JFK’s Profiles in Courage, Harriet Beecher
Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle. Each book will be coupled with
assignments and discussions. I expect you to complete the reading for these books outside of class.
Please note, the policy of academic honesty applies to your reading as well, relying on things like
Sparknotes instead of reading the assignment yourself counts as academic dishonesty, it is cheating.
Please do not do yourself the disservice of missing out on these wonderful books and relying on the
(often subpar) opinions of others, do the reading yourself, and form your own opinion.
Classic Book Presentations—Each semester you will read a classic book that deals with the era’s we
are studying (fall: 1600-1900, spring: 1901-present), I will provide you with a short list of suggestions,
from which you will be allowed to choose. Each semester you will complete several assignments
associated with your chosen book followed by a presentation on your book, the details of which will be
provided later.
Ms Densley
2015-2016
Assignments: homework and classwork—You will receive various other assignments, such as,
secondary readings, maps, primary source materials, work sheets, paideia seminars, etc... Participation
points may also be included in this category. Any assignments not completed in class become homework
automatically, so use your time in class wisely to reduce your homework load.
DBQs, Short Answers, and Long Essays—Writing for history is a bit different than writing for
English, there are some similar elements, but the process is not quite the same and takes a different kind
of analytical focus. We will be discussing these differences at length and working hard throughout the
duration of this course to become more eloquent and analytical in our writing for history. As mentioned
before, a big part of the AP exam is the essays; there are three types of essays on the APUSH exam, the
Document Based Questions (DBQs), the Long Essay Questions (LEQs), and the Short Answer
Questions (SAQs). We will be practicing all three types of questions both in class and as homework
assignments. The test is timed, so it is very important that you watch the clock as you work on your
essays.
Major Projects—There will be a few larger projects over the course of the year, from formal debates on
historical issues, to creative projects. Each of these projects will require research and preparation outside
of class, however adequate time will be given if you plan carefully and do not procrastinate. You will
also be given rubrics for these assignments so you know how you will be graded.
Essential Events—At the beginning of the year you will be given a list of 40 Essential Events and the
dates on which these events took place. You will be expected to memorize the list gradually as we come
to each term in our reading and lectures, and will then have occasional quizzes (both oral and written) to
ensure long term memorization of these events. As a general rule, wrote memorization of dates is not the
key to understanding history and will not be the norm, however, having a handful of crucial dates
memorized will aid you in your overall understanding of history by improving your ability to use
Chronological Reasoning and providing better historical context.
Additional Study Time— This class will be very difficult, but it is manageable. One of the things that
will vastly help you improve your understanding of the history we’re covering (not to mention your
scores on the exam) is to attend additional study sessions. While I cannot require it of you, I highly
recommend you attend these sessions, especially if you intend to take the APUSH exam. We will
determine as a class which days and times work best for everyone, but at a minimum I will be offering
one day a week after school with study games and review sessions to help improve your retention and
understanding. I also expect you to spend at least 20 minutes a night, 5 nights a week reviewing on your
own. 20 minutes is the minimum, some nights may require more time. This can include your time spent
working on assignments for the class, however on nights we don’t have a specific assignment, your
assignment is to review key ideas and concepts for 20 minutes.
Japan, the West, and the Road to World War – Following the AP exams in early May, we will begin
a historical simulation game in which scholars will take on the roles of Japanese military leaders,
government officials, and economic tycoons, just prior to WWII. The scholars will roll play through a
series of events that will help them understand what led to Japan bombing Pearl Harbor in 1941. This
game will involve several assignments, from reading, to speaking parts, written proposals, and
culminating essays, and will include graded assignments in every grade category for this class. This
Ms Densley
2015-2016
project is a very large portion of the grade, and scholars will be expected to participate fully to earn their
points. More details will be presented in 4th quarter.
Extra Credit— There will be periodic opportunities for extra credit throughout the year, from events
scholars may participate in, to extra work on projects. Scholars are also encouraged to make suggestions
for extra credit assignments they would like to do (though I will maintain the right to refuse those
suggestions if they do not meet certain requirements) The only rule is that extra credit may not exceed
10% of the overall grade of the scholar, and will be applied to the category in which the scholar will
most benefit from it.
30 points of extra credit can also be earned at any point in the year if you bring in an APUSH exam
review book (aside from the AMSCO book we use in class) to show me you have one you plan to use
outside of our regular assignments and studies. You are encouraged to borrow (from the library or a
friend) or purchase a review book for your own studies for the APUSH exam, but please read some
reviews and do some research first to ensure you are getting a good review book, you don’t want to
waste your time and money on a book that is not going to help you (or may even hurt you if the
information is wrong). Please also make sure that the book you get is for the 2015 edition of the exam or
later, the test changed recently so old books will not be very helpful outside of basic content and may
include misleading general study and exam tips.
Disclaimer—I reserve the sole and complete right to modify this syllabus at any time and in anyway I
sees fit. Minor syllabus modifications often happen during the school year. However, any changes will
be made for the good of the class and announced as soon as possible.
Contact—I can be reached at nalina.densley@johnadamsacademy.org I check my emails regularly
and will get back to you within 24-48 hours (if you don’t receive a response in that time, email me again
or come in and talk to me directly). I prefer that you do not call the school number as I am terrible about
checking my messages there. If you do not have access to email, you can also send me a physical note.
You can keep updated on what we’re doing in class and all the homework assignments by checking my
planbook http://planbook.com/student?t=931948&k=densley
You can also check my website at johnadamsacademy.com under the staff directory, simply hit the link
for geography in the side bar.
Our google classroom will also be used regularly for assignments and essays, so be sure to check in to
that.
I am available after school most days, if you ever need help, support, or have any questions, do not
hesitate to come see me. I am always happy to help.
Ms Densley
2015-2016
A.P. U.S. History Syllabus Overview
The following summary is meant to highlight some of the key points from the syllabus
about the course. Please read the entire syllabus for more details about A.P. U.S. History.
 Scholars are expected to behave respectfully and in a manner befitting JAA.
 A.P. U.S. History is as hard as or harder than a typical college survey history class.
 Scholars will have weekly reading and notes assignments from their “textbook,” in
addition to classics and primary source documents, secondary sources, and other
reading.
 Scholars are expected to take responsibility for their learning. This is “studentempowered learning,” there will be a great deal of work expected outside of class.
Scholars will need to be motivated, disciplined, and diligent, to do well.
 Scholars will learn much more in an A.P. class than any regular class.
 Scholars who take A.P. classes usually do much better in college.
 A.P. exam scores will not be factored into grades.
 Scholars will have to complete several large projects outside of class.
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Scholars are highly encouraged to attend additional study sessions after school and
are expected to spend time studying for APUSH for a minimum of 20 minutes 5
days a week (this includes homework for the class).
I have read, understood, and will abide by all of the provisions of the entire A.P. U.S.
History syllabus.
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(parent email)
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Is there anything specific you’d like me to know about your scholar this year (allergies,
concerns, etc.)? ___________________________________________________________