United
States History Basic SkillsUnited
States History Basic SkillsCourse Content
This course will discuss the events in U.S. History form the Age of Exploration to the early 1840s. Other units of study will include the Colonial Era, Revolutionary War, Early Government, Expansionism, Sectionalism, and the events that led to the Civil War. This course is designed for improving your social studies skills. Reading, writing, outlining, and speaking will be the major skills targeted. We will gradually build upon these and other skills throughout the semester.
Text
Your primary text is Why We Remember. These books are relatively new. They are a major improvement over the 1982 texts we used to use. Students are responsible for returning the SAME book they are issued. Hefty fines will result for lost or damaged books. Book covers are required to preserve these books.
Other Resources
Students will be expected to make use of other resources available to them. Included in these resources are supplemental texts, magazines, newspapers, community and family members, and various forms of A.V. material.
Everyday Items
Always bring your books, a 3 ring binder, notebook, pen a folder, and anything extra we may ask.
You will be graded on everything you do. We always expect you to strive to do your best in and out of the classroom. Your grade will be determined by a cumulative amount of points in the following categories:
Notes
You will be required to maintain a spiral notebook with all your class notes. You will also receive a grade for your notes at the end of each unit. It will be approximately 10% of your grade. This is a great tool to boost your grade as well as help you prepare for tests.
Homework
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we will be having homework assignments. They can be an excellent way to make up for low exam scores. You will be receiving approximately 2-3 assignments each week. Assignments are generally short and some will be completed in class. Work that is completed on the due date will receive a stamp denoting full-credit. I will not collect these individual assignments. We will collect all the homework for each unit in a packet that will be due on the day of your test. There will also be numerous activities in class that will be worth points. It is important for you to save all of your work. Late work can receive 50% credit if completed and included in your packet. Incomplete, late homework will receive no credit. Late packets will lose 10% per day late.
Quizzes
Pop quizzes will be frequent and unannounced.
Tests are given about every two weeks. They are short answer essay tests. The material will be taken from notes, discussions, homework, films, and just about everything we do in class.
The Final
There will be a big and nasty final in December before winter break. It will make up 10% of your semester grade.
90=A 80=B 70=C 60=D 59=F
Semester Cumulative Semester Average = 90% Final =10%
Your Grades online in IParent are always available to you and your parents. The averages are not rounded up by the program, we reserve the right to do this. Just a small reminder.... This class is required for graduation.
ATTENDANCE
School policies regarding attendance apply in this class. Daily attendance for any class is essential for success. We hope and expect that my students make every effort to attend class. IT IS THE STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO ASK US, WHAT WAS COVERED, WHAT ASSIGNMENTS THEY HAVE MISSED, AND TO GET THE PREVIOUS HOMEWORK STAMPED. YOU HAVE 2 DAYS FROM YOUR RETURN TO MAKE UP ANY HOMEWORK, TESTS OR QUIZZES, OR THEY WILL BE RECORDED AS ZEROS. (This includes your first day back) It is the responsibility of the student to schedule an appointment with the instructor. Please alert the instructors 3-4 days in advance of a preplanned absence.
TARDIES
Tardies are a nuisance so if you get three of them you will serve a 1-hour detention after school. Every subsequent tardy will result in a ½ hour detention. If tardies become chronic, your dean will become involved.
CLASS PARTICIPATION
I expect ALL students to be ACTIVE learners in our classroom. It is up to you to make a positive mark on your teacher and your classmates. Come to class with a positive attitude, ready to learn. All put-downs, disruptive behavior, and negatives in general are not welcome in our classroom.
STUDENT CONDUCT
All school rules apply in this class. We don’t anticipate any problems, however we would like to remind all of you to read dress code policy in the Red Book and remind you to turn off your cell phones in school. Cheating of any kind on homework, quizzes or tests will result in an automatic zero for that grade. No food or drinks other than water will tolerated. All personal music equipment or phones must be turned off and not be visible in class. Our desks are brand new, so any writing on them will result in a detention where you will clean all 32 desks in the room.
STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY
Your job as a member of our class is that of an open-minded learner. Your energies will be spent becoming more aware and educated about the world in which you live.
TEACHERS’ RESPONSIBILITY
Our responsibility to you is to provide a safe, freethinking atmosphere to learn and to provide learning activities that will challenge you to become better citizens of the world. If you need extra help,
Our email addresses are gzimmermann@naperville203.org and tholmberg@naperville203.org. This is the best way to get a hold of us. Mr. Holmberg’s office # is 420-6456 and his voice mail is 369-8466.
Mr. Zimmermann’s voice mail is 420-6447. Class information such as this syllabus, the course schedule, notes and daily homework is available at my web page. The Basic Skills U.S. History site is below. It is updated several times a week.
http://www.ncusd203.org/central/html/what/humanities/holmberg/bspage.html
Click Here to see Student Rights and Mr. Holmberg's Non-Negotiable Rules