OUR GOALS
Every student will score a 4 or 5 on the Ohio End-of Course A.I.R test.
Every student will score a 3, 4 or 5 on the College Board’s AP Examination.
Every student will earn an “A” or “B” in this class.
Every student will improve by 25% on the post assessment.
Every student will increase their knowledge about American History and related skills.
Every student will have fun and most importantly will LEARN SOMETHING !!
THE COURSE
This course is designed for the highly motivated student. There will be a great deal of independent
reading, writing, and thinking. Comprehension, analytical evaluation, critical thinking and advanced
writing skills will be emphasized. Since the overall goals are to introduce students to college level
work while preparing for the AP test, the process will be as important as product. All major topics In
American History and appropriate tangent social studies, currents events and political concerns will be
studied in depth. This course will develop a comprehensive base of knowledge about the subject
An AP test, which students will pay (about $90-$95) for, will be given in May.
Once Students decide to take the test, they are responsible for the cost.
Text Books & Supplementals – We will use one main text, and after Thanksgiving a supplemental text.
needs to be updated, needs ot bo updated
Edwards, Wattenberg, & Lineberry. Government in America: People, Politics and Policy.2009
This is our newest AP Government book that we will use most of the time.
Remy, Richard C. United States Government: Democracy in Action. 2002
This is the old Junior level APS text, we will usually have writing assignments and
introductory worksheets based on this book each chapter.
needs to be updated, needs ot bo updated
needs to be updated, needs ot bo updated
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
Be in your seat when the bell starts to ring.
All tardies will be reported to the office
Be respectful of others and their property.
Be knowledgeable, engaged, and inquisitive when in class.
Bring needed and required material to class on time.
No food allowed. Water is the only drink allowed when in bottles with caps.
No phones or earbuds (If I see them, I will take them.)
.
THE CONSEQUENCES
Meeting with me after class.
Possible detention which I will assign.
Possible parental contact
Extreme disruptions may result in immediate removal.
GRADES
A = 92.5%, B = 82.5% - 92.4%, C = 69.5% - 82.4%, D = 59.5% - 69.4%, F = 59.4%
Different categories of work will be weighted as follows:
25%-Review work (homework, class work, projects)
25%-Essays (in-class, take home, DBQs)
25%-Quizzes ( in-class and take home)
25%-Tests
Here’s how a grade would be determined:
Review work
150/160 = 93%
93 x .25 =23.25
Quizzes
126/150 = 84%
84 x .25 =21.0
Essays
98/110 = 89%
89 x .25 =22.25
Tests
156/200 = 78%
78 x .25 =19.5
Your grade =86.0
In-class quizzes and essays falling below the “A” level may be redone.
Take home quizzes, essays, projects, and tests may not be redone.
If an assignment is late – you can not earn an “A” on that assignments.
The highest grade for work that has been redone is 92%.
Work may be redone an unlimited number of times, but only once a day.
YOU MUST PASS AMERICAN HISTORY IN ORDER TO GRADUATE
(APUSH counts as an “American History” credit)
COMMUNICATION / INFORMATION
THE DAILY PLAN FOR CLASS WILL BE ON THE FRONT BOARD
THE UPCOMING ASSIGNMENTS / DUE DATES ARE ON THE BACK BOARD
THE QUARTER SCHEDULE IS ON THE FRONT BOARD & YOU HAVE A COPY
CLASS NOTES ARE ON THE SCHOOL WEBSITE (BROOKVILLESCHOOLS.ORG)
REMINDERS & ONLINE ASSIGNMENTS BY GOOGLE CLASSROOM
REMINDERS & NEWS ITEMS VIA TWITTER (BHS312)
CHAPTER READING
YOU ARE EXPECTED TO READ EVERY CHAPTER WE COVER IN THE TEXT AND
REVIEW EVERY CHAPTER IN ANY SUPPLEMENTAL BOOKS. YES - THERE IS A LOT OF
READING. INDEPENDENT READING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STUDY HABIT YOU
CAN DEVELOP. YES - IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND YES - WHEN YOU
DON’T’ UNDERSTAND SOMETHING YOU ARE EXPECTED TO BRING IT UP FOR CLASS
DISCUSSION.
READING QUIZZES (10 POINTS)
UNANNOUNCED QUIZZES WILL BE GIVEN OCCASIONALLY AT THE START OF
CLASS. THE READING QUIZZES WILL BE OVER THE MATERIAL COVERED IN
PREVIOUS DAYS OR OVER THE ASSIGNED READING FOR THE DAY BEFORE.
CLASSWORK / HOMEWORK (USUALLY 10, 20 AND 30 POINTS)
WORK DONE TO INTRODUCE OR REVIEW SUBJECT MATERIAL WILL BE CHECKED
ON A REGULAR BASIS. ACCURACY OF ANSWERS WILL AFFECT THE GRADE, BUT
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS DOING THE WORK AND TURNING IT IN ON TIME.
LATE WORK WILL EARN PARTIAL CREDIT. THE LONGER OR MORE DIFFICULT THE
ASSIGNMENT, THE MORE POINTS IT WILL BE WORTH.
IN-CLASS WRITING ASSIGNMENTS (USUALLY 10 POINTS)
ONCE A WEEK (OR SO) WE WILL START THE CLASS BY DOING SOME KIND OF ESSAY
/ DBQ WRITING. THE SELECTED WRITING ACTIVITY WILL THEN LAST BETWEEN 10
AND 20 MINUTES. GRADES WILL BE BASED ON EFFORT, ORGANIZATION, AND
ACCURACY.
CHAPTER QUIZZES (USUALLY 30 POINTS)
EVERY TWO OR THREE CHAPTERS A QUIZ WILL BE GIVEN. THE QUIZ MAY BE MADE
UP OF MULTIPLE CHOICE AND ESSAY QUESTIONS. CHAPTER QUIZZES WILL
INCLUDE INFORMATION FROM THE KENNEDY TEXT, LECTURE NOTES, OUTSIDE
READINGS, AND/OR CLASS DISCUSSION. THE CHAPTER QUIZZES MAY BE RETAKEN
FOR A HIGHER GRADE.
UNIT TESTS (USUALLY 200 POINTS)
UNIT TEST WILL BE SET UP LIKE HALF OF AN AP EXAM. YOU WILL HAVE 25
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (25 MINUTES) WORTH 40% OF YOUR GRADE, 2
SHORT ANSWER QUESTION (25 MINUTES) WORTH 20% OF YOUR GRADE, 1 DBQ
QUESTION (25 MINUTES) AND 1 ESSAY QUESTIONS (20 MINUTES) WORTH 20% OF
YOUR GRADE. UNIT TESTS MAY NOT BE RETAKEN FOR A HIGHER GRADE. THE
TEST WILL TAKE 2 DAYS AND WILL BE GIVEN EVERYEVERY 4 TO 6 WEEKS.
NOTEBOOK (30 POINTS)
IT IS EXPECTED THAT YOU WILL HAVE A NOTEBOOK EXCLUSIVELY FOR AP
GOVERNMENT. THE NOTES ARE ON THE SCHOOL WEBSITE AND YOU ARE
ENCOURAGED TO COPY THE NOTES BEFORE CLASS. WHEN THERE IS A
LECTURE YOU SHOULD TAKE NOTES. THERE WILL BE A NOTEBOOK CHECK AT
LEAST ONCE EACH QUARTER. THE GRADE WILL BE BASED ON COMPLETENESS
AND ORGANIZATION. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN
(THERE IS A LOT), BUT WRITE DOWN THE MOST IMPORTANT TERMS AND IDEAS.
EXTRA-CREDIT
EXTRA-CREDIT WILL OCCASSIONALLY BE GIVEN TO THE CLASS. ON SOME
DAYS WE MAY ‘COMPETE’ (AS AN NDIVIDUAL OR IN GROUPS) FOR A CHANCE
TO EARN EXTRA-CREDIT. DO NOT COUNT ON EXTRA-CREDIT TO RAISE YOUR
GRADE.
“TYPICAL” DAILY CLASSROOM PROCEDURE
ATTENDENCE / CURRENT EVENTS / READING Q & A (1 – 10 MINUTES)
IN-CLASS WRITING / DBQ ASSIGNMENT, HOMEWORK REVIEW (5 - 10 MINUTES)
LECTURE / DISCUSSION OVER SUBJECT MATERIAL (25 - 35 MINUTES)
STUDENT TIME TO COMPLETE ASSIGNED WORK* (0 - 10 MINUTES)
* THIS MAY BE ELIMINATED IF NOT USED PROPERLY
Dear Parent,
This introductory letter is designed to open the lines of communication between us. I
believe that communication between student, parent, and teacher is crucial for a positive
educational experience. Therefore, I encourage you to contact me about any issue
concerning your child or their education. I can be reached by email
BVHSMBROWN@MDEAC.ORG (school) or by phone 833-6761 (school) or 716-7162 (cell).
The second purpose of this letter is to emphasize the importance of American History and the
unique nature of an Advance Placement (AP) course. Successful completion of American History
is required for graduation. Also, this AP American History class is design to allowed the student to pass
the College Board AP examination in May. Successful completion of this test may result in
college credit being awarded to the student. The test cost about $100 and must be paid to Brookville High
School. Because the test is extremely difficult, there will be an extraordinary amount of reading, writing,
and possibly frustration. This is also a part of Ohio’s new College Credit Plus program (CCP). This allows students
to earn both high school and college credit at the same time in this class. Basically, the goal of this class is not only to
prepare students for the College Board test, but to prepare them for a higher level of scholarship by having
them face more demanding academic challenges on a daily basis. Because American History is required for
graduation and the AP test is costly I feel that this course should have priority over many other activities.
The final reason for this letter is to make sure you know my classroom rules and expectations. A syllabus was
handed out in class which contains my objectives, rules, consequences, assignments, grading policy, and online
instruction and communication options. In summary, there will be nightly reading and writing assignments,
regular chapter quizzes, “pop quizzes” and essays each week and unit tests every 4 to 6 weeks.
There may even be extra meetings or assignments before school or during breaks to review material. Each
student will receive multiple textbooks which will be turned in at the end of the school year. Students may also be
given other books temporarily to better focus on a specific topic or assignment.
The development of AP and CCP courses at Brookville High School is another step in the on-going challenge
to improve as a school and to maintain our “excellent” rating by the State of Ohio. Personally, I am grateful for
the opportunity to work with students who are willing to push themselves well beyond the norm. Hopefully, this
AP course will be a demanding and rewarding academic experience for all involved. Thank you for your time
and energy.
Sincerely,
Mark A. Brown
This page is an ASSIGNMENT ! Thank you for returning THIS COMPLETED PAGE as soon as possible.
We have read and understand the syllabus which includes class goals, class rules, class attendance
and grading policy and the letter of introduction.
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