Advanced Placement United States History
Teacher: Jeff Hromadka
• Who am I?
– I have been teaching at Leuzinger for over 15 years
– Graduated from USC in American Studies
– Married (my wife is English) with 2 sons age 13 and 10 years
old, live in Hermosa Beach
– I surf! For over 30 years, LOVE BIG WAVES, paddleboard
(paddled f. Catalina to coast twice) I love the ocean!
– I love to travel (esp. to surf) (I have been to over 30
countries- Europe, Latin America, Africa, Thailand, Tonga)
• Berlin Wall, Soviet Union under Communism, Kenya when Nairobi
was bombed by Al Qaeda, El Salvador after the Civil War ended),
Baja to surf every summer at Scorpion Bay
• Driven extensively around US in (25+ states)
Welcome to AP US History
• college level survey- This class is designed to prepare each student
for the rigors of college
• You will be expected to read the textbook, as well as, additional
primary and secondary materials.
• You will learn to analyze, read , develop your own conclusions, and
support those conclusions based on events in US History.
• You will look at trends and cycles over time and see how they relate
to today.
• This course is meant to challenge your thinking about the history of
this nation.
– The United States is known as the “Land of the Free” and by
nationalists considered the greatest country ever.
• Can you identify several examples where the United States has
fulfilled it’s mission of being a beacon of hope and freedom?
• Can you identify several examples where the US has fallen
short of fulfilling those ideals?
Course Content
What is it that we will learn this year?
• APUSH surveys the period beginning with the first European
settlement of the New World and ending with international and
domestic affairs in the post-1945 period to the present.
• Provide students with analytical skills and factual knowledge
necessary to deal critically with problems and challenges in US
History.
• Students learn to assess historical materials- their relevance to a
given interpretive problem, their reliability, and their importanceand to weigh the evidence and interpretations presents in
historical scholarship
• The APUSH course develops the skills necessary to reach
conclusions on the basis of informed judgment, and to present
reasons and evidence clearly and persuasively in essay form.
• This is a class designed to help students think and create their
own informed opinions!
– You are camping with your friends and a bear enters the camp and starts
chasing all of you. How fast do you have to run to live?
Class Rules
• Be in your seat ready to work when the bell rings! (Be
prompt, prepared, and on time)
• Do not talk while the teacher or another student who
has been called on is talking! (Raise your hand)
• Respect the opinions and space of others! (No
touching, no hating)
• All school rules are enforced! No food, drinks, IPODs,
mobile phones, texting, hats! (Backpacks and bags off
desk)
• Do not put you head down during videos! (No
sleeping)
– Please expect to engaged from bell to bell
– Teacher’s rule- everyday I hope to keep you engaged,
interested, and learning (something new and of interest),
as well as, the skills that you will need for college and to
help to think for yourself!
Homework:
Those who are counting on doing little work outside of this class will
most likely not pass this class.
• APUSH is a demanding course requiring daily
homework. Students planning on earning an “A’ or
“B” will discover that 5-10 hours of reading,
homework, and studying is expected and necessary
• http://www.leuzinger.org/ go to the school website
to look up the agenda of what we did in class, what
homework has been assigned, attachments that
include the homework ,and power points to help
correct the homework or prepare for the exam
Chapter Insights are the standard assignment with one
chapter assigned each week.
– The students are expected to read and analyze most of
the chapter, and answer the accompanying questions
– Work is expected to be turned in on time. Late work is
minus 1 grade everyday late.
– . Students can improve their original assignment grade
one grade by correcting incorrect answers while class
reviews answers to the insights and adding additional
information from class discussions.
• Students who never turned in the assignment can still write
down answers reviewed in class for a partial grade for 50% of
the original credit.
Quizzes and Tests
• Quizzes are given in a variety of ways. Quizzes can
be open note based on insights, closed note,
individual, or taken as a group. The students are
expected to be prepared for each quiz, which are
given once or twice a week.
– Quizzes cannot be made up! If you miss a quiz, your
next test grade will count for the missing test grade.
• Tests are given at the end of each unit and are
always closed note and taken individually.
– If you are absent the day of the test, the student must
come up to me and ask to take the exam.
Participation
• ALL STUDENTS WILL PARTICPATE IN CLASS. Don’t
worry; you will be called on at any moment,
everyday!
• I make a note of how many correct and incorrect
answers a student gives throughout the semester,
and voluntary answers (which I do not penalize
if you give a wrong answer.)
• Students will be in small groups and will often be
able to discuss what the answer is with their
group before I randomly select a student to
provide the answer.
Essays and Cheating
• Students will write extensively in class. There is a
certain way to write for a history class and I will review
every step of the writing process throughout the
class.
– In order to pass this class you must write! With all essays,
students will have time to develop, prepare, write, and
edit. Also, students will have the opportunity to replace an
essay grade with a makeup if they felt they earned a low
grade and want to replace the previous grade. What is
important to learn is the process of writing and students
will not improve their writing if they do not write.
• Cheating- DO NOT DO IT!!! If a student is caught
cheating they will receive a zero on the assignment,
minus the value of the assignment, and ZERO
participation points on the next report card
Grades
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A= 100-90%
B= 89-80%
C= 79-70%
D= 69-60%
F= 59% and below
• Tests- 40% (25 pts)
• Quizzes- 15% (5 pts
group/open note, 10 pts solo)
• CW/HW/Short Answer- 15%
(6 pts per insight(5 for insight
w. 1 pt added for corrections)
– 5-4-3-2-1 scale
• Essays/Debates- 15% (20 pts
each)
– 5-4-3-2-1 scale
• Participation- 15% (20 pts per
5 weeks)
1st Assignment- Test #1 on Monday on
Chapters 2-6
• Chapters 2-6 are at Leuzinger.org
– Look at power points . Answer italicized questions
for each chapter for summer HW credit.
• Those who did the summer assignments will have their own
grading scale inputted, but it will only help, not hurt your
grade.
• Study Guide will be handed out on Thursday and
Friday to help students focus on what they need
to know for the test.
– Study Guide (5 pts)and Italicized questions (5 pts.)
are due on Monday.