American History 11th Grade

Mr. Torres

mptorre3@asu.edu

Welcome to 11th Grade American History. First semester we will be

going over Discovery and Settlement, Founding of a Nation,
Expansion and Conflict, Civil War and Reconstruction, and Post
Civil War Reconstruction. Second Semester, we will be going over
A Growing Nation, Early 20th Century, World War II, The Cold War,
America in the 50s, 60s and 70s, and Contemporary Issues.
Movies
As a class, we will be watching historical movies, documentaries,
and video clips that align to the standards. The clips will be pulled
from historical websites and YouTube. The documentaries and
movies will be given to administration for approval. There will be
movies that are Rated R, so there will be a permission slip
attached to the last page of the syllabus. If you are not allowed to
watch any of the movies, you will be allowed to make up the
points.
Movie List

1. The Patriot
2. Glory
3. Saving Private Ryan (Beach Landing)
I will be showing mini-clips that align with the standards on
whatever subject the class will be going over that day.
CLASS EXPECTATIONS

1.

Respect yourself, the teacher & others

Show respect for the teacher, yourself and others at all times.

Respect others property. Avoid touching or writing on anything that does not
belong to you (including desks, textbooks, teachers belongings, walls, white board
etc.). Don't expect that others will clean-up your messes. Please pick-up after
yourself.

Respect yourself and the rest of us by using appropriate language and wearing
appropriate clothing.

Be a kind person.

Put forth your best effort at all times

Always do your own best work.

Put learning ahead of getting good grades.

Put quality ahead of just getting it done.

Follow directions when given

When directions are given, do your best to follow them the first time. If you are
confused or have questions, ask. I would rather have you stop class to clarify than be
off task while everyone else is working.

Pay attention, participate and ask questions

Engage in what is going on in the classroom. If you have a question, ask it!
Otherwise, I might not know until the test that you didnt understand something.
There are no stupid questions, and chances are, if you are wondering about it,
someone else in the class is to. Be proactive about your learning and dont be afraid
to ask for help. If you feel most comfortable waiting until after class, that is okay,
too, but do keep communication open between us.

Preserve a positive learning environment

Student actions that interfere with teaching or learning in the classroom will NOT
be tolerated.

Use class time to learn history/government. Please do not spend your time
grooming, sleeping, talking, writing notes, playing cards, listening to you Ipod, textmessaging friends, or doing work for other classes.

Minimize classroom interruptions by arriving to class on time and not leaving the
classroom during the hour.

CLASS RULES

1.

Turn off cell phones & electronic devices

- Only able to use electronic device if given permission.

2.

No food or drink, except water

You may drink bottled of water in the classroom. If a spill occurs, please clean it up
immediately and inform the teacher. Snacks are acceptable but you need to pick up
your trash.

3.

Arrive to class on time & ready to learn

When the bell rings, you need to be sitting in your assigned seat.

You should immediately begin on the warm up activity or journal entry.

Be physically and mentally present in the classroom.

Do not cheat, plagiarize, or copy work

Cheating is completely unacceptable. If I see you cheating on any assignment

even for another class I will give you a zero and report the incident to the other
teacher as well as your assistant principal and parents.

Plagiarism (copying work from another source without giving proper credit) is
completely unacceptable. If you plagiarize on any assignment you will earn a 0 on
that assignment with no opportunity to re-do the work for credit.

Homework Policy
-

Turn in your homework in the proper file.

Late work will be accepted, but with points marked off. 10% will be marked off
each passing day.

Abscesses- Must have an excused absence.

-

Able to pick up homework and turn in late. You will not be marked off if you
have an excused absence. You must turn in the homework by our second class
meeting.

Test and Quizzes

There will be no Test or Quiz retakes. If you are absent, you have a week to make-up the
quiz or test. I will be available before school, or we can set up an arrangement for you to take it
during lunch. There will be test corrections, but for half a point and you must pick the correct
answer and a two-three sentence explanation (In Your Own Words) on why the answer is
correct. If you use the textbook as a reference, put the page number where you found it.

Grading Scale
A+ = 96 & above

B+ = 86-89%

C+ = 76-79%

D = 60-69%

A = 93-95%

B = 83-85%

C = 70-75%

F= Below 60%

A- = 90-92%

CLASS CONSEQUENCES

B- = 80-82%

1.

Verbal warning

2.

Call home

Movie Permission Slip

I give my child Permission to view the movies detailed in the syllabus.
Signature______________________________________________________