AP U.S. HISTORY COURSE SYLLABUS 2014-15 / MR. LIPMAN
This course is intended to be an intensive study, at the college level, of American History. It is
also designed to prepare students for the Advanced Placement exam which will be given on
Friday May 8th, 2015. It is a reading and writing intensive course that will require dedication and
time on the part of the student who seeks to master it and will be academically rigorous. It is
also a dual credit course that is run in conjunction with Monmouth University. All eligible
students who pay the tuition fee of ($180.00) to Monmouth University will earn college credits,
transferable to almost all colleges in America, as long as they maintain an 85 average or higher
for the year. These credits are earned regardless of your score on the AP exam itself.
This syllabus and many of the class assignments will be available on line on my teacher class
web page and you should check the web page listings daily. You may email me at
nlipman@longbranch.k12.nj.us. In addition, you are probably aware of the rumor that I have no
life outside of school. While the rumor is exaggerated, I am available for extra help every day
before school starting at 7:00 am, and after school every day. Do not hesitate to speak to me if
you find that you need help. You must also register your cell phone number and name on the
Remind.com web site by texting to the number (732) 923-3208 and putting in the code
@lbapus14.
Course Readings will include the following:
1. American Pageant, 13th edition: Kennedy, Cohen and Bailey
2. A Short History of the United States by Robert Remini
2. The American Spirit, (volumes 1&2), Kennedy and Bailey
3. U.S. History, Preparing for the Advanced Placement Examination, Newman & Schmalbach
4. Selected Supreme Court case summaries
5. Selected readings from other related materials that will be handed out as the course proceeds.
Arrangement of the Course:
This is a yearlong course which will be divided into nine (9) major time periods that will be
covered in approximately 135 school days. The remaining time will be utilized in reviewing for
the Advanced Placement exam and subsequent writing and research assignments to be
announced following the AP exam. These overlapping time periods of study are comprised of
the following:
Period 1: 1491–1607
Period 2: 1607–1754
Period 3: 1754–1800
Period 4: 1800–1848
Period 5: 1844–1877
Period 6: 1865–1898
Period 7: 1890–1945
Period 8: 1945–1980
Period 9: 1980–Present
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While the ultimate aim of this course is to learn and understand American history, an equally
important component of the course is to ready each student for college level studies. Towards
that goal there will be extensive emphasis placed on writing skills and note taking. In addition,
there will be “voluntary” writing exam sessions after school each month beginning in October.
Extra credit on exams will be given to those students who “voluntarily” attend. These sessions
are designed to improve each student’s writing skills and to prepare for the Advanced Placement
exam short answer and essay questions.
Grading: Each unit will contain several chapter quizzes, a unit test, essay writing, projects and
homework assignments. Attendance and class participation will also count towards your overall
grade. While all students must prepare for and take the AP exam, your school grade will not be
based upon the score you receive on the exam.
Course Requirements: Students are expected to maintain a three ring notebook since numerous
handouts will be provided. You are to maintain notes for each day’s class. In addition, this
notebook should also contain your homework assignments. Many of your assignments will be
quizzes that are taken on line at quia.com. There are date and time limits on these quizzes and
failure to adhere to the limits will result in a zero grade for that quiz. All assignments are due on
their announced date. In order for me to consider excusing your absence to extend a due date
there must be a note from a parent or guardian explaining that absence. Assignments handed in
late will lose credit as follows: 1 day late 25%; 2 days late 50%. No assignments will be
accepted more than two days late. If you miss a scheduled exam you must make it up the next
day you attend school. Thereafter you will lose 10% credit for each day the exam is not taken.
THE ADVANCED PLACEMENT EXAM: The exam will be using a brand new format this
year. Part A of the exam will consist of 55 multiple choice questions which must be answered in
55 minutes. Every correct answer receives a point. In addition, Part A will also include 4 short
answer questions (brand new this year) in which the student will have 45 minutes to answer the
questions and the length of each answer will be limited to one page. There will then be a 10
minute break followed by Part B of the exam. Part B consists of a Data Based Question (DBQ)
which the student will have 1 hour to review and answer. Then the student will be given a
choice of two long essay questions and will have 35 minutes to answer one of the questions.
Both the DBQ and the Long Essay question will be scored on a rubric having a top score of 7.
(New this year) The test is graded on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 representing the highest score
possible. A score of 3 is considered passing. Those students who receive a score of 3, 4 or 5
(depending on the school), are eligible to receive college credits at many universities throughout
the nation.
You may find the following internet sites helpful in reviewing our material during the year:
1. course-notes.org (outlines for Pageant textbook)
2. historyteacher.net
3. apnotes.net
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