Advanced Placement U.S. History
Ms. DesRosiers 2015-2016
Welcome to APUSH! For some of you this will be the most challenging course you have taken in your high
school career. It will also be rewarding because by the end of the year, you will more prepared to handle college
level material. Please feel free to see me any time you have questions or concerns.
Teacher contact information
Free hours:
Last 20 minutes of 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 8th hours
I will usually be available after school in North Campus room 195, before school by
appointment
E-mail: DesRosiers@arrowheadschools.org
Phone: 369-3612, voice mailbox 3661
Website: www.arrowheadschools.org /departments/socialstudies/desrosiers
Why take A.P. U.S. History?
1) You will gain an appreciation for the complex interwoven threads that created our
American story and that still continue to influence it today.
2) You will become more educated voters who will make full use of the freedoms and
responsibilities inherent in citizenship.
3) In this class you will be required to read extensively, analyze primary source documents,
and think and write critically. These are all important skills you will need at the
university level, and I guarantee your ability to do all of these will improve.
4) Finally, a primary benefit of this course is the opportunity to earn college credit by taking
the advanced placement test given in May.
Course Description and Power Standards
Advanced Placement U.S. History is a college level class that involves an in depth
study of U.S. History requiring an extremely high level of reading, writing, and
analysis. The following Power Standards outline what students should be able to do
by the end of the course.
1. Analyze the influence of the relationship between the states and the federal government on
the development of American political history.
2. Assess the influence of the civil war on the development of American history in the nineteenth
history.
3. Assess the influence of the New Deal and World War II on the development of American
history in the twentieth century.
4. Interpret the causes and effects of the struggle for equality for all groups of Americans
throughout American history.
5. Judge the impact of the various interpretations of the constitution in generating the
parameters of American political struggle.
6. Determine the influence of the development and evolution of political parties in creating the
uniqueness of American democracy.
7. Interpret the influence of various political figures on American history.
8. Contrast the influence of various eras on the development of American history.
9. Analyze the impact of technology, transportation and manufacturing/ industrialization on
various economic developments.
Materials
Text – Experience History by J.W. Davidson. The text has a website with review
materials at www.mhhe.com/eh7
Numerous review materials and helpful websites are posted on my website linked above.
A three ring binder is highly recommended with loose-leaf paper or a spiral notebook for
notes. Numerous outside readings and primary source documents will be distributed in class.
Recommended Binder Organization:
Section 1:
1) Syllabus
2) Stars and Stripes Partners
3) Writing instruction packets (also distributed later)
4) Timelines
Section 2:
1) Gold Unit Syllabus for current unit
2) Chapter Study guides
3) Daily class note sheets
Google Documents and Google Classroom: I will share all powerpoints and some
assignments through Google classroom. When you submit an assignment as a Google doc,
you must submit it through Google classroom. To do this, open your Arrowhead google
email, go to your drive and create a document. Go to Google classroom, add and turn in. In
other words, don’t just share it with me. This will help me keep my drive organized.
Moodle Some assignments, handouts, and class notes will be posted on Moodle. Go to
http://moodle.arrowheadschools.org to view. Your login name is the same as for server
access BUT the password is your student ID #. The course is listed under social studies
then U.S. History, and the enrollment key is APUSH
Electronic Devices: Bring your Arrowhead approved device daily. If you do not have a
device for any reason, laptops are available to check out from the library. Devices will be
used to enhance the classroom learning environment and must be used respectfully,
responsibly, and appropriately. You are responsible for maintaining your device including
making sure it is charged. Use the charging stations in the library instead of classroom outlets.
Some examples of acceptable use behaviors include: recording notes on the device, looking
up the definition of a word, completing work for this class, research etc. If you aren’t sure, ask
me first.
Some examples of behaviors that would be unacceptable include: texting, game playing,
personal chats, work for another class, anything that does not enhance the classroom
learning environment, etc.
Cell phones are not Arrowhead approved devices. While I recognize that many of you may
use them as an assignment notebook/calendar, studying device, or for other appropriate
educational purposes, they should definitely be put away during instructional time. If it
becomes a problem, they will be confiscated.
Semester One units
The title of each unit, corresponding textbook chapters, and approximate class time
to complete is listed below. Approximately 20 percent of the multiple choice
questions on the A.P. exam deal with the period from the first European explorations
through 1789 (Units 1 and 2), 45 percent with the period 1790 through 1914, and
35 percent with the period 1915 to the present.
Unit 0- Prelude to English Settlement
Chapters 1 and 2 (4 days)
Unit 1- Colonial America 1492-1763
Chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6 to p. 142 (13 days)
Unit 2- The Nation is Born 1763-1789
Chapters 6, 7, and 8 (10 days)
Unit 3- The Early Republic 1789-1824
Chapter 9 (13 days)
Unit 4- The Nation Develops: Economic and Political Transformation 1815-1840
Chapters 10 and 11 (10 days)
Unit 5- The Era of Reform and Westward Expansion 1820-1850
Chapters 12, 13, 14 (12 days)
Unit 6 - Sectional Crisis and the Civil War 1844-1861
Chapters 15 and 16 (12 days)
Unit 7- Reconstruction and the Post War West 1861-1877
Chapters 17 and 18 (7 days)
Unit 8- Industrialization and Urbanization (1879-1914)
Chapters 19 and 20 (4 days)
Themes and Historical Thinking Skills
The college board has identified seven major themes that are woven throughout U.S.
History. These themes help develop “big picture” connections between major time periods
about how change takes place and how one event influences another. All questions on the
AP U.S. History exam will measure student understand of these themes: Identity; Work,
Exchange and Technology; Peopling; Politics and Power; America in the World;
Environment and Geography; Ideas, Beliefs, and Cultures.
Thinking like a historian involves recognizing that history is not a set of undisputed
facts. Historians ask questions about the past, examine evidence from primary sources,
evaluate those sources, and draw conclusions. Those conclusions may be different
depending on the sources used and the individual’s personal bias. The questions we ask
about history change over time and sometimes new sources are discovered. The college
board has identified nine historical thinking skills that will be measured by each question on
the exam. They are Historical Causation, Patterns of Continuity and Change over Time,
Periodization, Comparison, Contextualization, Historical Argumentation Appropriate
Use of Relevant Historical Evidence, Interpretation, and Synthesis
The AP Test
1) The date for this year's AP U.S. History test is Friday, May 6th. (2015) The
fee for the exam is about $90 (due in March.)
2) The exam consists of
55multiple choice questions which count for 40% of exam score
4 short answer questions which count for 20% of the exam score
1 document based question which counts for 25% of the exam score
1 long essay question which counts 15% of the exam score.
3) Students earn a grade based on a 5-point scale as follows:
5 = extremely well qualified
4 = well qualified
3 = qualified
2 = possibly qualified
1 = no recommendation
Most colleges will give college credit for a 3 or higher, although some have higher
standards.
Assessment: How will I know you have learned it?
Multiple choice tests and quizzes (50% of your grade): A major test will be given at
the end of each unit. It will include multiple choice questions and short answer questions. You
will be given chapter study guides at the beginning of each unit. The study guides are not
required; however, they will need to be completed in order to be eligible for test corrections.
The tests will have AP level questions which are extremely difficult! It is best to begin
studying early and to over prepare.
Writing (40% of your grade) As stated above, 60% of the AP test is writing. You will
have numerous opportunities to practice this. You will be assigned at minimum either a
DBQ or a long essay for each unit, sometimes you will have both. Some of these will be
take home, especially in the beginning; others will be written in class.
Homework (10% of your grade): You will receive a weekly assignment sheet. Most
homework will be in the form of reading. You will be expected to take notes on your reading
or to complete a reading guide. Assignments will be checked for completion and occasionally
for accuracy. You will be permitted to use your notes on reading quizzes which will count as a
homework grade, so it is to your advantage to have complete notes.
Timelines (included in homework grade): History is obviously a chronological study.
Knowing dates is not as important as understanding when events happened in relation to one
another. You will be required to construct a timeline for each unit in which you select a limited
number of important events from that unit. This will be very valuable when reviewing for final
exams and the actual AP test.
Late Work: All assignments and daily work must be turned in on time to receive full credit;
late work (including assignments forgotten in the locker or at home) is counted half off or a
deduction of 10% per day for major projects
Grading Scale:
A
90-100
B
80-89
C
70-79
D
60-69
F
59 and below
Attendance and make-up work
Students can not expect to do well if they do not attend class. Students who miss more than 10
days in a semester will find it very difficult to keep up. It is the student's responsibility to get materials,
notes, worksheets, etc. missed due to absence. Students will have a limited amount of time to make up
work due to absence. After the time limit, the work will be counted late and only receive half credit.
Late work will not be accepted after the test has been taken on that unit. It is the student's
responsibility to make sure that unexcused absences reported in error are cleared up.
Time limit
Excused absence 1-3 days
3 days, after 3 days half credit
Excused absence 4-10 days
5 days, after 5 days half credit
Unexcused absence 1-3 days
3 days at half credit, after 3 days, no credit
Unexcused absence over 3 days
5 days at half credit, after 5 days, no credit
Excused absences over 10 days
Teacher/student plan
The Arrowhead Way
1. Be Respectful to the teacher and to your fellow students
2. Be Responsible: Be in your seat, quiet, and prepared with all materials
when the bell rings.
3. Be Appropriate: Use of Devices must follow the guidelines listed above.
Food and drink other than water are not allowed in class. Restroom trips
should be taken only when necessary and not while the teacher or another
student is presenting material.
Those who have difficulty following the Arrowhead Way (including tardies and
inappropriate cell phone use) will receive the following consequences:
1st and 2nd time: verbal warning
3rd time: after class or after school conference/parent email
4th time: Office referral