U.S. History & Government Syllabus
Bronx Engineering and Technology Academy
99 Terrace View Avenue
Bronx, NY 10463
School Year: 2014-2015
Instructor: Mr. Urrico
Email:
jurrico@schools.nyc.gov
Website: MrUrricoHistory.com
BETA Phone Number: 718-563-6678
General Information
Course Description
This course examines the major turning points in American history beginning with the origins of the 13 Colonies, the
American Revolution, the origins of The U.S. Constitution, reform movements, Manifest Destiny & Westward Expansion,
the Civil War and Reconstruction, the changing nature of business and government, U.S. Imperialism, World War I, the
Great Depression, World War II, the growth of the United States as a world power, the Cold War and the struggle to
achieve class, ethnic, racial, and gender equality. The course extends to the modern day. Contemporary world issues such
as globalization, economic interdependence, terrorism and world cultures will also factor into our analysis of
international conflict and cooperation.
Expectations and Goals
You will get as much out of this course as you put into it. Give it your best!
Students are expected to:
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Come to class on time and prepared
Respect themselves, others, and school property
Try everything—even if it’s challenging! That’s often when the best learning takes place.
Work cooperatively with classmates
Help create and maintain a positive classroom environment
By the end of this course, students will be able to…
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Read, write, think, and speak “like a historian”
Critically analyze evidence
Make informed conclusions and write argumentative claims
Support claims with facts and evidence
Draw from a broad foundation of historical knowledge
Become informed citizens of the Unites States, who are capable of electing competent leaders and contributing
positively to the community of this nation.
Behavioral Policies
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All students are expected to follow the school dress code: button down collared shirts.
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According to school dress code the following items are not permitted to be worn in school: headgear (such as
hats, hoodies, etc), sagging clothing, leggings, spandex, nylon tights, leotards, jeans / pants with rips, sleep-wear,
slippers, wind shorts, bicycle shorts, or any apparel that may be considered offensive or risqué.
There is a zero tolerance policy for all bullying, cyber-bullying, fighting, or harassment of any kind.
Students are expected to be respectful of all culture, religion, race, ethnicity, disability, gender, and sexual
orientation.
Discussion Policies
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When in debate and discussion, students are expected to attack ideas but never people.
All group discussions must be relevant and on task.
When in small group discussions, students are expected to communicate with their group members only and
should never shout across to another group.
When in whole-class discussions, there should only be one speaker at a time and hands should be raised or an
item will be passed around in order to decide who will speak next.
Blog posts must be relevant to the task, appropriate, and respectful of all participants.
Attendance Policies
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Student attendance is directly connect to the student’s grade in a class and more importantly, the student’s
ability to learn from that class
Students are expected to be in class EVERY DAY and should miss class only for extreme family or health related
reasons.
ABSENCES: Students are responsible for obtaining missed work when absent. Assignments can be found on our
course website: MrUrricoHistory.com.
An absence can only be excused with a note from a parent, guardian, or doctor.
Students are still responsible for making up missing work regardless of any notes given to excuse their absence.
After two consecutive absences, a note from a parent, guardian, or doctor explaining the reason for absence is
required.
LATENESS: Students are expected to come to class on time. Students are responsible for any work that is
missed due to lateness.
Chronic absence or lateness will result in phone calls home and ultimately an in-school meeting with the
student, parents/guardians of the student, teacher, dean of discipline, and an administrator (Principal or
Assistant Principal).
HOMEWORK:
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Homework will be an important part of this course, as time in the classroom is limited and skills must be
constantly practiced in order to master them.
 Homework will take various forms including but not limited to vocabulary work, reading comprehension, essay
writing, studying for quizzes/ exams, and blogging.
 Students will often be encouraged to submit homework via email or blog post, but homework may be handed in
on paper in certain situations.
 Chronic failure to hand in homework will result in phone calls home and ultimately an in-school meeting with
the teacher.
 Special Note to Parents: You will always be able to check and see what is due for homework and when it is
due on MrUrricoHistory.com, so if you don’t believe your child when he or she says “I don’t have anything for
homework” you can always go on the website and check under the U.S. History & Government tab.
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Course Materials
Required Materials
Please bring the following materials to every class.
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Pens and pencils (at least two of each)
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Loose leaf paper
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3-ring binder
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Composition notebook and folder (optional)
Assessments (Exams & Quizzes)
A major goal of this course is to prepare students for the U.S. History Regents exam. Therefore all exams and quizzes are
geared to help you reach and gauge your progress towards this goal.
Forms of Assessment:
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Regents Multiple Choice
Regents Thematic Essays
Regents Document Based Essays
Midterms and Final Exams (a combination of Regents multiple choice and Regents Essays)
Procedures for Quizzes:
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Short Regents multiple choice quizzes (5-8 questions) will be given several times during each week as a Do-Now
Quiz
All quiz grades will be averaged together and count for a major exam grade (therefore quizzes are a significant
part of a student’s grade)
Students will be told ahead of time when quizzes will be given but pop quizzes (surprise quizzes) may be given
at any time, however there should be no true surprises if students are regularly studying and completing
assignments.
The quizzes will be based on assignments, content covered in class, and PowerPoint presentations provided on
the class website MrUrricoHistory.com under the U.S. History and Government tab.
Students will be expected to read and study the information presented in the PowerPoints on their own time.
 Note: This is a crucial aspect of the class and will result in significantly higher class grades and Regents
grades.
 Note: This is a good way for a student to catch up on what he or she missed from class while being
absent.
 Note: Studying old PowerPoint presentations is an excellent way to prepare for the U.S. History
Regents. All PowerPoint presentations are constructed to focus solely on the most important content
and vocabulary that the students need to know for the Regents.
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Procedures for Exams:
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Each unit will end in an in-class Regents essay exam (Document Based or Thematic)
All in-class essay exams must be hand written.
Students will be allowed to use small note sheets and graphic organizers towards the beginning of the year but
these options will be taken away as the year moves on and the Regents Exam gets closer.
Essay exams are the most heavily weighted portion of each student’s grade, so missing essay exams will
severely impact a student’s ability to pass the class.
Exam dates can be found on MrUrricoHistory.com.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns. I look forward to working together with you
to have a successful and enjoyable school year!
Students: Please have your parent/guardian sign the form below for your first homework grade.
Signature Form:
To the Parent/ Guardian of (Print Student Name)___________________________________________________
By signing this form you indicate that you have read the U.S. History & Government Syllabus and agree to do all you can
to ensure that your child adheres to its guidelines and requirements.
___________________________________________________________
(Print Name)
___________________________________________________________
(Signature)
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