About the Course in General: American History I and II are required courses for Graduation in North Carolina. Students must also take and pass the state-written End of Course exam with a “Proficient” score. In order to prepare your child for this circumstance, these courses will emphasize reading comprehension, writing, vocabulary, and graphics skills because they are necessary in making exam success possible. The State curriculum for this course is extremely large, requiring students to become familiar with a vast amount of material in a single Semester for each course. The homework responsibilities for this course will be, accordingly, unusually high. I strongly encourage students to spend at least a ½ an hour each day tending to their homework responsibilities for this course. Indeed, I also encourage students to work ahead, and I will always accept work early and store it until due dates arise.
Scheduling and Updates: When students arrive at the beginning of each week, they will find on the side board a schedule of activities to take place on each day. They will also find posted due dates for any piece of work required for submission.
Course Binder: Students have been issued a considerable amount of materials which will be used throughout the course. Individual Sections for each type of material are to be strictly organized as students will be asked to produce documents frequently for in-class activities.
Lecture Classes: Throughout the course, some of the material presented to students will be delivered via lecture. Students will be encouraged to develop and refine the listening and questioning skills needed for more interactive lecture settings they may face in the years to come.
Video Records: Students will be presented with a series of documentaries that will challenge not only their listening and recording skills, but will also provide them with an opportunity to develop and refine their note-taking skills. This feature of the course is also designed to allow students to practice their skills in less interactive lecture settings.
The Homework Log: The most fundamental type of work in this course is the Homework Log. Rather than answering questions drawn from a Textbook, Homework Logs ask students to analyze readings and then categorize information using Thinking Map organizers. Students who have athletic, employment, or other time commitments should work ahead anytime they can. Early work is always accepted. Parents can assume that there is always homework for this particular course. Homework Logs will be used on Tests, and so students serve themselves well by ensuring that their work has an appropriate level of detail.
Tests: The testing strategies used at the university level are rarely used at the High School level. Students will gain a valuable introduction to the new environment they are about to enter through exposure to the testing strategies employed in major 4-year schools. In particular, this course will emphasize the skills needed to address essay-answer tests.
Term Paper: Students will compose a minimum 12-page research paper during this course. The purpose of this requirement is to develop research skills that will allow students to write extended essays required in most social science courses. As well, students will gain valuable experience in the essay writing process and format they will encounter from now on.
Presentation: Based on the Term Paper, students will prepare a short 10-minute presentation which will then be analyzed and critiqued by course members. This requirement is designed to give students exposure to the dynamics of Seminar classes.
End of Course Exam: Students are eligible to be exempted from the Exam in this course. In Section 1 of the Course Binder, you will find a course Syllabus which explains the Exam Exemption policy in detail. Students who fail to meet the requirements of the West Stokes exam exemption policy must take an End-of-Course test that will cover the full range of material covered during the course. Students will be given adequate guidelines and in-class preparation opportunities. This requirement will be worth 25% of the Final Grade.
Study Hall: Each week, students will find on the front board a list of days on which I plan to stay after school to conduct Study Hall. Students may use this time to seek assistance with a particular course requirement, or they may choose simply to use this time to complete assignments for my course. During a typical week, I plan to stay at least 2 or 3 days, though I am usually here more often.
GOAL: ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS
Students will be expected to maintain course materials in an orderly fashion so that they can be accessed easily and reliably.
GOAL: NOTE TAKING SKILLS
Students will develop the ability to listen to a lecture while at the same time composing lecture notes. Students will learn to process raw lecture notes into a refined, reusable resource.
GOAL: USING MULTIPLE SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Students should be prepared for a 2-track approach to learning in university. This course will make use of both in-class material and out-of-class independently experienced material.
GOAL: TAKING TESTS/EXAMS IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
Students will learn to prepare for the questioning style frequently employed in colleges and universities. (take-home exams, first-sight questions)
GOAL: RESEARCHING AND WRITING ESSAYS IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
Students will develop information-gathering skills. Students will also learn the essay format employed in the social sciences at the university level. A special emphasis will be placed on both the documentation process and avoidance of plagiarism.
GOAL: ORAL PRESENTATIONS IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
Students will develop the small-group presentation skills that many university courses will demand.
GOAL: CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS
Students will learn to analyze issues and situations through the use of a group of categories. The use of a rubric (group of categories) will enhance analytical skills and allow students to be more effective when communicating their ideas.
Scheduling and Updates: When students arrive at the beginning of each week, they will find on the side board a schedule of activities to take place on each day. They will also find posted due dates for any piece of work required for submission.
Course Binder: Students have been issued a considerable amount of materials which will be used throughout the course. Individual Sections for each type of material are to be strictly organized as students will be asked to produce documents frequently for in-class activities.
Lecture Classes: Throughout the course, some of the material presented to students will be delivered via lecture. Students will be encouraged to develop and refine the listening and questioning skills needed for more interactive lecture settings they may face in the years to come.
Video Records: Students will be presented with a series of documentaries that will challenge not only their listening and recording skills, but will also provide them with an opportunity to develop and refine their note-taking skills. This feature of the course is also designed to allow students to practice their skills in less interactive lecture settings.
The Homework Log: The most fundamental type of work in this course is the Homework Log. Rather than answering questions drawn from a Textbook, Homework Logs ask students to analyze readings and then categorize information using Thinking Map organizers. Students who have athletic, employment, or other time commitments should work ahead anytime they can. Early work is always accepted. Parents can assume that there is always homework for this particular course. Homework Logs will be used on Tests, and so students serve themselves well by ensuring that their work has an appropriate level of detail.
Tests: The testing strategies used at the university level are rarely used at the High School level. Students will gain a valuable introduction to the new environment they are about to enter through exposure to the testing strategies employed in major 4-year schools. In particular, this course will emphasize the skills needed to address essay-answer tests.
Term Paper: Students will compose a minimum 12-page research paper during this course. The purpose of this requirement is to develop research skills that will allow students to write extended essays required in most social science courses. As well, students will gain valuable experience in the essay writing process and format they will encounter from now on.
Presentation: Based on the Term Paper, students will prepare a short 10-minute presentation which will then be analyzed and critiqued by course members. This requirement is designed to give students exposure to the dynamics of Seminar classes.
End of Course Exam: Students are eligible to be exempted from the Exam in this course. In Section 1 of the Course Binder, you will find a course Syllabus which explains the Exam Exemption policy in detail. Students who fail to meet the requirements of the West Stokes exam exemption policy must take an End-of-Course test that will cover the full range of material covered during the course. Students will be given adequate guidelines and in-class preparation opportunities. This requirement will be worth 25% of the Final Grade.
Study Hall: Each week, students will find on the front board a list of days on which I plan to stay after school to conduct Study Hall. Students may use this time to seek assistance with a particular course requirement, or they may choose simply to use this time to complete assignments for my course. During a typical week, I plan to stay at least 2 or 3 days, though I am usually here more often.
GOAL: ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS
Students will be expected to maintain course materials in an orderly fashion so that they can be accessed easily and reliably.
GOAL: NOTE TAKING SKILLS
Students will develop the ability to listen to a lecture while at the same time composing lecture notes. Students will learn to process raw lecture notes into a refined, reusable resource.
GOAL: USING MULTIPLE SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Students should be prepared for a 2-track approach to learning in university. This course will make use of both in-class material and out-of-class independently experienced material.
GOAL: TAKING TESTS/EXAMS IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
Students will learn to prepare for the questioning style frequently employed in colleges and universities. (take-home exams, first-sight questions)
GOAL: RESEARCHING AND WRITING ESSAYS IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
Students will develop information-gathering skills. Students will also learn the essay format employed in the social sciences at the university level. A special emphasis will be placed on both the documentation process and avoidance of plagiarism.
GOAL: ORAL PRESENTATIONS IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
Students will develop the small-group presentation skills that many university courses will demand.
GOAL: CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS
Students will learn to analyze issues and situations through the use of a group of categories. The use of a rubric (group of categories) will enhance analytical skills and allow students to be more effective when communicating their ideas.