UNITED STATES HISTORY
Eleanor Roosevelt High School
August 31, 2009 – June 17, 2010

Instructor: Mr. Sean Robinson
Room: Room B209
E-mail: srobinson@cnusd.k12.ca.us
Phone: (951) 738 – 2100 ext. 1259
Office Hours: Available for students and parents by appointment

TEXT
Appleby, J. & Brinkley, A. The American Vision: Modern Times . New York: McGraw Hill, 2006.

WELCOME!
Welcome to U.S. History. This class completes the State of California requirements for study of United States History. During the course of this year we will study the major events of this country's history beginning with the American Revolution and continuing to the present day. We will explore these periods through reading, writing, artwork, simulations, projects, movies, literature, acting, and other activities. This class will focus on the human achievements and major turning points in our nation's history that have helped shape today's world. In addition, our study will focus on the identity and role of our nation in world affairs, preparing you for an in-depth study of U.S. Government and Economics. There is much to learn in the coming months, but I'll work together with you to make it both a fun and challenging experience.

U .S. HISTORY
This course follows the California History-Social Science Content Standards for Grade Eleven. You can view the standards at http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/histsocscistnd.pdf .

WEBSITE AND EMAIL
I am available for both students and parents by appointment if you have any questions or need any extra help. E-mail (srobinson@cnusd.k12.ca.us) is the fastest and most effective way to get in contact with me once school is out for the day. I encourage students to email me if they need clarification on an assignment.

I pride myself on being a very technologically savvy teacher. Knowing that students today are generally technologically fluent, I have created a website that is a great resource for my class. On my website, you can check your grade (your student id is your password), take practice tests (very similar to in-class tests) in advance, and play review activities I created which are aligned with my tests. All this can be found at:

www.Mr-Robinson.com

REQUIREMENTS
•  Bring your textbook and spiral notebook to class every day.
•  Try your best.

  CLASSROOM RULES
•  Always follow directions.
•  Be in your seat and ready to work when the bell rings.
•  Respect yourself, your neighbors, your teacher, and your classroom.
•  Listen and stay seated when the teacher or a student is talking.
•  Obey all school rules (no food/drink, gum, iPods, cell phones, etc.).

MEDIA
As the year progresses, we may encounter situations where we view historically relevant movie clips that contain foul language or violence (example: invasion of Normandy in Saving Private Ryan). I will try my best to obtain edited versions of these clips, but that may not always be possible. Please let me know if this is a problem.

CONSEQUENCES
I understand that everyone has their bad days; however, it is very important that the classroom environment is comfortable for everyone, so the following consequences will be administered for unexcused tardies and those acting inappropriately:

•  Warning
•  Detention and parent contact
•  Alternative classroom placement
•  Referral to counselor
*All major offenses (i.e. fighting, throwing objects, extreme defiance, etc.) will result in immediate referral and/or removal from class.

BEHAVIOR AND PARTICIPATION
Behavior and participation are a part of every student's grade, so please keep that in mind as the year progresses. Points will be deducted for speaking out of turn and points will be added for participating.

GRADING POLICY
Most daily assignments and homework are to be completed in your History Spiral Notebook . These spiral notebooks will stay in your possession for about two weeks and will be worked out of continuously. After about two or three weeks, I'll collect the spiral notebooks for grading and you will switch to your second spiral notebook. This process will repeat as the year continues.

The grading scale breaks down roughly as follows:

  CLASSROOM PROCEDURES
•  Name, date, and period will be written in the top right corner of all work.
•  When class is in session, students are not allowed to work on any outside work without the teacher's explicit permission.
•  Work is to be turned in on time. Late work will be either heavily penalized or not accepted.

•  Communication signals:
- Raised hand with index finger only = TALK , answer, respond, suggest, mention, etc.
- Raised hand with index and middle finger = TO MOVE , sharpen pencil, see better, etc.
- Raised hand with index, middle, and ring finger = I NEED HELP , I have a question, etc.

ABSENCES
In the event of an absence, it is the responsibility of the student to determine what assignments need to be completed. Make up work will be given for excused absences. Students will be afforded one day to complete make up work for each day of an excused absence. Assignments submitted after this period of time will be considered late.

Assignments turned in late will not receive full credit. Late work will not be accepted for unexcused absences. Examinations missed during an excused absence must be completed on the first day you return to class.

EXTRA CREDIT
There will be a variety of extra credit opportunities during the course of the school year. Students will be notified of any extra credit opportunities. Extra credit or makeup work (for reasons other than absences) will be given solely at the discretion of the teacher. Students can always receive extra credit by taking practice tests online and scoring above a 50%.

SUPPLY LIST
In the next few days, please obtain these items for use in my class.

- Two Different-Colored, College Ruled, 100+ Page Spiral Notebooks: These notebooks will be used exclusively in U.S. History.

- One glue stick (preferably jumbo) : Please do not bring liquid glue.