US History 2014 2015: History for Future Presidents

What Every World Leader Needs to Know

Melissa Ng
832-291-8809
melissa.ng@yesprep.org

Why should you take this class?
The story of this country is something that has and will
continue to shape the future of our country including,
but not limited to, laws and policies that will affect
you and yours.
As the future of our country, you must know why
leaders have made the decisions that they have made.
Who knows, one day, you might have to make similar
decisions based off your own exposure to what youve
learned in your history courses.
Afraid of reading?
The texts that we
will read will
sometimes be hard
and difficult to
understand, but just because something is hard simply means that
we only have to work harder to understand.
The words we will read have led people to action and do more! We
must understand these words in order to understand what and why
something has happened in history. Plus, by reading more, it will help
you understand each other and new people you will eventually meet.





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Hate history?
History is obviously very important, not only because it dictates where we will go as a country, but also
because it will shape what others think of you especially within a collegiate environment.

Not good at it?
Thats okay! Its a new school year and a new beginning! I am here to help, but you must learn to ask for
it. I can check your grades and remind you when grades have been posted, but you are just two years
away from being college freshmen! I will have routine office hours which I will notify you of. In the past,
I usually sit along grading because no one come to visit me or wants to talk about stuff so even if
youre just looking for a friend/adult (eww, I cant believe I am one, already :/) to talk to come by, lets
chat!
I still dont care..
If you still dont care I am not sure what else to
say, except that if you dont care, then you lose
the right to complain. If you think that the world
is messed up, or unfair, or wrong you must do
something to fix it! If you just sit by and wait for
change to happen, well youre going to be stuck
waiting a long time.
Plus, you need to pass this class in order to
graduate. You will need to pass the STAAR exam
in order to walk. You only have three chances to
pass before graduation: (1) May 2015, (2)
Summer 2015 and, (3) Fall 2015. If you dont pass the exam
in Fall 2015, well then you wont get to walk.
Expectations
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You are the leaders of this campus. You may not notice it, but there are literally hundreds of little ones
that look up to you all over our campus. My expectations for your behavior in my classroom is the same
expectations I have for you whenever you are on campus. As members of the Class of 2015 you must
be
H elpful
E ngaged
R espectful
O pen Minded



Materials
1-2 inch Binder
5 Tabs
3-5 Subject Notebook
Tissue Box
Germ-X/Antibacterial
Blue/Black ink pen
#2 Pencil
Maybe Later
Flashcards
Markers
Art Supplies
These will be due Friday, August 15, 2014
Absences
If you are absent, you must check the absent box for the work you missed. I will try to make sure to
have you name written on the hand-out your missing so be sure to find the hand-out with your name
on it.
If you are absent on a TEST/QUIZ day, you must provide me with a note if you would like to make up the
exam. If you do not have a note, you will have to use a retake pass in order to make up the exam. You
must take the exam after school, and you are responsible for arranging a time when I will be available
for the retakes. If you do not take the exam within one week of the original test day, you will receive a
missing grade for the test/quiz.
If you are missing notes, you may also see me after school during office hours, you may make an
appointment, or you may copy the notes from a friend.
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Standing Up/Throwing Away
Trash/Bathroom
I know that you are grown, but I
can get very easily distracted. If you
have trash that you feel like you
MUST throw away right this moment,
please just leave it in a corner of
your desk and throw it away at the
end of class. If you stand up to throw
something away in the middle of
class, it just distracts me, Ill have to
stop.etc.
If you feel sleepy, and want to stand
up so that you will stay awake, let me
know, I will be more than happy to
give you permission to stand up and I wont be distracted.
If you need to use the bathroom, please wait for a natural lull and let me know. If you have a bathroom
pass, and its an emergency you may go. But if you do not have a pass, then I can take a demerit. And
before you even ask, no you may not borrow a friends bathroom pass.
Retakes
1. You may not retake entrance tickets/exit tickets.
2. You may not retake unit exams.
3. Quizzes are the only thing you may retake.
There will be more details about the retake policy details to come that the whole grade level will agree
to. Once I have more details, Ill be sure to pass it on to you, too.
Cheating, Copying, and Plagiarism
Cheating, copying and plagiarism are serious acts of academic dishonesty that are not tolerated. All
team teachers, family members of students involved and the program coordinator will be informed of
such behavior.
Students who cheat receive an
honor code violation, which will
result in serious consequences
pending an investigation. For
more information about
consequences about the honor
code, please refer to your
handbook.

Plagiarism is the use of anothers
ideas or expression without
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appropriate acknowledgement of the source. Examples of plagiarism include failure to give
appropriate acknowledgement when repeating anothers phrase, sentence or paragraph; failure to give
appropriate acknowledgement when paraphrasing anothers thesis or argument; failure to give
appropriate acknowledgement when presenting anothers line of thinking; or, turning in a paper for a
current course that was written for another course.

Plagiarism, like cheating and copying, results in serious consequences. If students or family members
have questions about this, please talk to Ms. Ng.
Homework and Preparedness
Ms. Ng will assign daily assignments where students will be expected to read/listen/watch something to
prepare for class the following day. Some days, Ms. Ng may assign a Pop Homework Check to ensure
that you have completed your homework; other days, she may not. Either way, you are expected to do
your homework every night to make sure that you are prepared for class the next day.
There will be no retakes on Homework Checks.
Grade Breakdown
45% Assessments This will be made up of unit exams and projects
35% Quizzes This will be made up of weekly writing samples
20% Exit Ticket This will be made up of classwork, anything we do in class from exit tickets to class
discussions that is graded will be put into this category
Big Goals
100% of students will pass the STAAR EOC exam.
100% of students will receive a qualifying score by CA2.
100% of students will not be retained because of U.S. History.

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Unit Layout
Unit Unit Title/Unit Essential Question
1
Founding Brothers: The Foundation of American Government
Where is legitimate power derived from?
2
A Nation Tested
How does a country preserve legitimacy?
3
Contemporary America
What is the role of the people in a globalized world?
4
Conservative America
What is the role of the United States in a globalized world?
5
Conformity and Conflict: The Children of a Superpower

6
World War II

7
The Years Between the Wars

8
America: The Empire?

9
Populism and Progressivism

10
Industrialized America


Did you notice something unique/special?

This course is about the history of the United States from 1877 to the presentwith a twist. We will be
studying this history backwards, moving from the present to 1877.

Historians have a particular way of thinking about things that can be applied to the present moment as
much as to 1913 or 1863. Our premise is the simple belief that human beings make their futures under
circumstances created by events, human choices, and forces that operated in the past. That is, if you
want to understand why things are the way they are in our world, you cant look just to biology or
psychology or contemporary social and economic arrangementsyou must also look to the past.

Of course historians would believe thatits how we earn our keep! But this course will give you the
opportunity to think historically, too. I invite you to try it out and see whether so thinking helps to
illuminate or answer questions you have about the United States at various moments in its history. I
believe it will, and that it will make you more aware of how the past is remembered and used in the
present.

Research Paper/Campaign Advisor Assignment

This year, you will be participating in two major projects that will help you meet these goals. As your US
History teacher, I, of course, want to see you be successful on your STAAR exam but I also want to see
you understand that these things are important and that they have a real impact on our daily lives.
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It will require you to work together as a group, it will also require you to do a lot of research at home
and independently on your own. I will give you the tools to carry out these assignments, but I will also
need you to do a lot more work outside of the classroom in order for these assignments to be
successful.

This will mean that you will need to have regularly accessibly Internet access and access to a Word
Processing device. If you do not have access to these tools, please let me know and I will do what I can
to help you find the resources you need.












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Student Agreement

I have read and understand the expectations for me in Ms. Ngs classroom.


Student Name (Print): ___________________________________________________________________


Student Signature: _____________________________________________________________________

I have read and understand the expectations for my student in Ms. Ngs classroom.


Parent Signature: ______________________________________________________________________