Course: Advanced Placement American History (APUSH 11)

Teacher: Mrs. Zambito

September 2020-2021

 

Welcome to Advanced Placement American History. This course is designed to prepare you for a college level course in United States History, to prepare you for the AP Examination at the end of the year, and the Regents U.S. exam at the end of the year. I am available at various times throughout the day if you need to see me regarding this course. Here are the expectations for an AP level course:

 

ATTENDANCE: Daily attendance is required for your success in this class. Often times there are activities in class that cannot be replicated at home. Attendance also means participation in classroom activities, and being prepared and on time for each class day.

 

HOMEWORK: Homework assignments will always relate to the topic at hand. Spending time outside class to reinforce or introduce a topic is essential to the course. Homework assignments are due on the due date for full credit. Points will be deducted if the work is late. It is the students responsibility to make up work if absent and should check with me upon returning to class for missed assignments.

 

TEXTBOOKS: Your main text for this course is The American Pageant,12th edition by David Kennedy. In place of chapter outlines, there will be document analysis notes due as we finish each historical period. All documents will be found on ap.gilderlehrman.org. These will be checked weekly to verify that you have been reading. . In addition, we will be completing weekly annotated chapter notes and discussion of Howard Zinn, Voices of a People’s History. The chapters will be printed and provided to you, you are not required to purchase the book.

 

CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS: My classroom expectations are simple; you will be expected to act in a respectful manner. That means that you will treat others with respect, and demand it in return. No one will disrupt the learning process of others.

 

NOTEBOOK and SUPPLIES: I would ask that you have a three ring binder and a spiral notebook (daily writing prompts) for this class as there are often handouts and materials that you will need to keep track of. I also strongly recommend that students keep copies of past tests and assignments to help you study at the end of the course.

 

WORK ETHIC: As an AP student, you will be expected to learn a large portion of the material on your own time. This means reading the textbook and taking notes on the class notes I provided you, studying for exams, and reading extra materials that I provide for you. My job is to facilitate our round table discussions and work with you in developing a thesis, make historical arguments, and interpret historical documents.  These are the expectations in a college level course..

 

GRADING: A students marking period average will be determined by divided the total points earned by the total points assigned. This will be a percentage. Essays will be graded using the rubrics that are used by the national AP College Board.

 

ACADEMIC SUPPORT: I am available during the school day for any additional help with AP American.  Please be assured that I am here to help and support your efforts to succeed. Feel free to email me at any time: vzambito@cheektowagasloan.org