U.S.

History Syllabus
2017 - 2018
Ms. Franklin
Rm. 803

Hello and welcome to U.S. History! Lets work together to make this a fun and success-
ful year!

Course Description:
In this class, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of American history from the
indigenous tribes of prehistory to the modern present. Our class will blend social and
political history to give you a broad view of Americas past and present. Throughout the
course of this class you will develop and strengthen your skills at interpreting charts,
primary sources, political cartoons, as well as other key historical elements such as mu-
sic. After completing this class your critical thinking skills will improve and prepare you
for the rest of your life!

This years U.S. History class will be divided into 10 units:

I. The Exploration and Colonization of the Americas
II. The Founding and Establishing of a New Nation
III. Westward Expansion, Civil War, and Reconstruction
IV. The Gilded Age
V. Populism and Imperial America
VI. World War I and World War II
VII.The Cold War
VIII.Civil Rights and War Protests
IX. The Collapse of Communism
X. The Age of Terrorism

Classroom Rules and Expectations:

1. Be prepared for class. This means be in your seat on time and ready to go. Have
all homework and materials ready to go when the bell rings and be ready to work.
2. Treat every student and teacher with respect. Treat others the way you wish to
be treated.
3. Be on task. Do not disrupt others in the class. Take class notes or work on the as-
signment or activity as directed.
4. Respect other peoples property with respect. This rule can be considered as the
general rule of camping: leave your area cleaner than when you found it. Students
are expected to keep their desk and classroom as clean as when they entered the
room, pick up any litter they see, and to use classroom and other students belong-
ings respectfully. This means they must receive permission from the appropriate
person before using it.
5. Obey all school rules. This rule encompasses any other school rules not explicitly
stated in class. For example, even though no fighting is not explicitly stated as a
 classroom rule, it is a school rule and will be enforced in the classroom. Other ex-
amples of this rule are anything that a school may implement such as: no chewing
gum, hats off in the classroom, no using phones during class unless specified oth-
erwise, no weapons, no bullying, etc.

Grading Scale:

A 90% 100%
B 80% 89%
C 70% 79%
D 60% 69%
F 0% 59%

Cheating and Plagiarism:

Using someone elses phrasing or words representing those as your own, either on pur-
pose or on accident, is plagiarism. Please see the student handbook for the details of
the consequences for cheating and/or plagiarizing.

Absences and Tardies:

As per Mesa Public Schools, students are limited to 9 absences per semester (10% of
total school days) before they risk losing credit for the class. If you have any questions,
comments, or concerns relating to your childs absences, please contact the attendance
office.

Students are highly discouraged from coming to class late. Not only do you miss out on
important class time, but it can also be disruptive to the rest of the class. The following
consequences will be ascribed to students with multiple tardies:
1st tardy: Verbal warning
2nd tardy: Write up
3rd tardy: Lunch detention
4+ tardies: Parent phone call and lunch detention

Late Work:
Students are expected to have all necessary materials (pencils, paper, weekly agenda,
binder, textbook (if necessary)) ready to go before the final bell. If students do not have
what they need, they may borrow materials from a station that the teacher has provided
in the back of the classroom. Materials like pencils and textbooks are to be returned at
the end of class. Students with late work will receive a 5% deduction to the maximum
number of points to that assignment every day until it is turned in.

Absent Work Policy/Makeup Work:

Homework that is due the the day you are absent needs to be turned in on the day you
return. It will be considered late if it is not turned in the day you return.
Homework assigned the day you are absent will have one day for every day you are
absent to be turned in. For example, if you are absent for two days, you have two days
from the day you return to make up your missing work.

Absences due to school activities (e.g., band, sports, DECA, etc.) still count as ab-
sences. You are still responsible for the work you miss in the same way you would be
responsible for the work if you were absent from school.

Extra Help:
If for any reason you need extra help on an assignment or need extra instruction on a
certain topic, I am available Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays during A Lunch
(11:15 11:55) and after school until 4:30. Please come prepared with specific ques-
tions in mind to save time!

Communication:
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact me by
email or by phone. I check my email daily before school, during my prep period (5th
hour: 1:15 2:05), and after school. Please note, however, that emails received over
the weekend will not be checked until the following Monday. I can also be reached by
phone before school (7:00 7:45), during my prep period (1:15 2:05), and after
school (3:00 4:30). In-person meetings can be scheduled by appointment.

Samantha Franklin
email: srfrank2@asu.edu
phone: (480) 555-1234