Dear Parents,

Dear Parents,

It is my pleasure to welcome you to my 10th Grade Virginia and United States History Class here at Richmond High School. I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce myself and let you know that it is my privilege to be working with your son or daughter this year. We have a great deal of material to cover and I hope you know that it is my mission to make sure each student in my class will be well prepared for SOL’s and their continued education here at Midlothian. I ask for your assistance and support this year in helping me aid your student in reaching their full potential. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Sincerely,

Mr. Schwab Richmond High School History Department Room 123 Office Phone: 804-555-1234

10th Grade Virginia and U.S. History – Age of Exploration to Present Richmond High School

Instructor:

Mr. Schwab Room: 123 School Phone: 804-555-1234 Email: [email protected] Office Hours: 2:00-2:30pm

Textbook:

Garcia, Jesus. Creating America: A History of the United States. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006.

Classroom Expectations:

Students are expected to arrive to class on time and prepared with the proper materials needed for class. At the beginning of each class period homework will be collected and a daily question will be posted on the front chalk board for students to answer. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class. During instruction students must act in accordance with the student handbook issued by Chesterfield County Public Schools. I expect students and the teacher to act respectfully at all times which means: no talking while someone else is talking, raising your hand to speak, following directions, listening, eye contact, no touching other people or their property, saying please and thank you, no put downs or name calling. *If a student violates any classroom or school policy it will be documented and depending of the severity of the infraction the student will: first offense - receives a warning, second offense – a phone call home, Third offense – a referral to administration.

Beverages in plastic containers are permitted in class. Absolutely NO food is allowed, unless health condition is cited by doctor’s note. Students may use the restrooms at anytime during class without disrupting instruction. Bathroom pass is located on shelf near doorway and the time must be noted. Excessive use of bathroom privileges may result in disciplinary action, unless health condition is cited by doctor’s note.

Substitutes: Disrupting class while a substitute is present will not be tolerated. If students disrupt class the student first gets a verbal warning, upon a second warning the substitute will fill out a referral slip to be shown to the student. If the student requires a third warning the student will be sent to the office with the referral.

Materials: Three ring binder with loose leaf paper, black or blue ink pen and textbook.

Grading Procedure: 50% Unit Tests, Quizzes 25% Critical Thinking Essays 20% Daily Class Work and Homework 5% Participation

Scale: 90-100 - A

80-89 - B 70-79 - C 60-69 - D 59 and Below – F Make up and late work policy – Make up work will be accepted within one week of an excused absents and no later. Unexcused absents will be required to turn in make up work by the following class period and no later. Late assignments may be turned in the following class period at the reduction of one letter grade from the final score and no later. Copies of worksheets, assignments and handouts from the previous week can be found on the front book shelf closest to the door in the folders labeled by class period; contents will be taken out a filed each week. Academic honesty – Violations include the following: *Cheating: This includes seeking or giving unauthorized help on tests, papers, homework and other academic assignments. *Plagiarism: Defined as using another’s words or ideas and representing them as one’s own either knowingly or unknowing. In other words, by not documenting ideas or putting quotations around exact phrasing and documenting the source, one is committing plagiarism. Misconduct in the area of academic honesty is subject to disciplinary action that can include, but is not limited to, parent conference, failure for the assignment and referral to the administration for disciplinary action. Course Outline Overview - The standards for Virginia and United States History include the historical development of American ideas and institutions from the Age of Exploration to the present. While focusing on political and economic history, the standards provide students with a basic knowledge of American culture through a chronological survey of major issues, movements, people, and events in United States and Virginia history. Students should use historical and geographical analysis skills to explore in depth the events, people, and ideas that fostered our national identity and led to our country’s prominence in world affairs. The study of history must emphasize the intellectual skills required for responsible citizenship. Students practice these skills as they extend their understanding of the essential knowledge defined by all of the standards for history and social science.(www.doe.virginia.gov/go/Sols/home.shtml)

1st Quarter -

Unit 1 - Early America: Early Claims, Early Conflicts Unit 2 - Revolution and the New Nation

2nd Quarter -

Unit 3 - Expansion and Reform: 1801 to 1860 Unit 4 - Civil War and Reconstruction: 1860 to 1877

3rd Quarter -

Unit 5 - Reshaping the Nation and the Emergence of Modern America: 1877 to 1930s Unit 6 - Conflict: The World at War: 1939 to 1945

4th Quarter -

Unit 7 - The United States since World War II

Assignments Tests – One per unit Quizzes – One per unit Homework and Daily Activities – worksheets, group work and reading assignments Critical Thinking Essays – One per semester. The student will choose from a list of discussion questions pertaining to topics discussed during the semester and write a minimum five page essay utilizing knowledge gained from lectures, texts, handouts and other classroom sources. All writing assignments are required to be double spaced; 12 point font; New Times Roman with one inch margins and all sources must be cited.

Emergency Plan Students will be instructed on fire drill protocol on the first day of class along with hurricane, intruders and other emergencies as required by the state, county and school regulations found in the student hand book. A map with the emergency route is posted at the door of the classroom and we will exit the building as a class. Attendance will be taken daily and in case of emergency, attendance will be taken after exiting and upon reentry to the class.