Class
Expectations and Requirements
World HistoryAP
Mr. Snyder (Room 201; Sonken) ds1968@nova.edu
Extra Help: Tuesdays before school (7:45-8:30PM) and Thursdays after school (3:35-4:00PM)
Text: Ways of the World, Third Edition; Bedford; a plethora of primary and secondary sources are utilized to witness history through multiple voices and perspectives.
Course Description: The AP World History: Modern course (WHAP) reflects a commitment to what history teachers, professors, and researchers have agreed is the main goal of a college-level world history survey course: learning to analyze and interpret historical facts and evidence to achieve understanding of major developments in world history (from the dawn of mankind to the present).
Rationale: Specific concepts, skills, and understandings are taught and practiced, which are required by representative colleges and universities for granting college credit and placement. Students practice the reasoning skills used by historians by studying primary and secondary source evidence, analyzing a wide array of historical facts and perspectives, and expressing historical arguments in writing. Students study the patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding over time and space, as well as the use and alteration of the Earth’s surface. They employ temporal and spatial concepts, as well as landscape analysis, to analyze human social organization and its environmental consequences.
*In addition to complying with the NSU University School Student Handbook, the following rules apply in this class.
1. Every student will treat the other students with respect, will do their best, will do what is right, and will establish sound goals and work habits.
2. Come to class on time, dressed appropriately, with all necessary materials.
3. Listen attentively during lessons, activities, projects, and discussions.
4. Complete assignments on time and be prepared to take tests on scheduled dates.
5. Participate in class discussions.
1. Students will act appropriately at all times.
2. Respect yourself and come to class abiding by the dress code.
3. Respect others by avoiding derogatory statements; use appropriate language at all times.
4. Refrain from insulting other students. This will not be tolerated and may result in the issuance of a progress report, or a more severe deterrent.
5. Prevent interrupting the speaker by confining conversations to appropriate times and forms.
6. Turn off phones. They may be confiscated if seen or heard.
7. Contribute your share of effort to group work.
1. Be on time and bring your tools (notebook, pen or pencil, laptop,...).
2. Enter quietly if you arrive late. Show your pass to the teacher, then go quietly to your seat and, if necessary, quietly ask someone sitting near you to point out what the class is doing.
3. Sit in your regular seat. You may choose your seat within the first week of class. Do so in light of any particular needs you may have (e.g., due to a learning or physical disability). Periodically throughout the year, the teacher may change the seating arrangement as appropriate to improve the learning environment.
4. You may submit a written request for a different seat any time during the year.
IV. Use computers and phones for coursework only.
1. Unless instructed otherwise, you may use computers for in-class assignments, but not for note-taking.
2. No student will be allowed to use another student’s laptop or phone unless specifically instructed to do so.
3. Resist the temptation to play games, read and write email, surf the web, or engage in any activity other than the assigned task.
V. Treat all property with respect.
1. Ensure that school furniture and facilities are not abused.
2. Use other students' materials and equipment only as expressly permitted.
3. Clear the area around your desk before you leave.
CLASS PROCEDURES
1. All assignments are due at the beginning of the class on assigned dates unless the teacher is notified prior to the due date. Work completed during class will not be accepted. If you leave school early for an appointment, sports or illness, please email your work, send it to class with a classmate, or have the Upper School Office place it in the teacher's mailbox. It is YOUR responsibility to ask the teacher for missed work.
2. Every student must have a notebook or binder, in addition to their laptop, which they must keep up to date and organized. The binder does not need to be exclusive to WHAP (it may be shared with other courses if desired). This recommendation is necessary to foster the student's organizational habits as well as their overall understanding of the course material.
3. Every student should maintain a minimum of a 70 average to remain in good standing. Should a student score below an 70 on a test or major assignment, an email will be sent home. Any student failing at the first four-weeks, and especially by the end of the first quarter, may be asked to strongly consider choosing another course.
4. If you will be absent (field trip, sports, family trip,…) assigned work is recommended to be handed in the day before you leave, or the work may be submitted the day you return. If there are extenuating circumstances, these need to be discussed with the teacher before you leave.
5. Students are not permitted to work on assignments for other subjects during class time. The same goes for studying for tests, quizzes, and the like.
6. Any questions, concerns, or arguments for major point opportunities such as tests, projects, or papers can be submitted in writing for the teachers’ review. Class time will not be used to discuss points earned (or not earned).
7. It is strongly recommended that every student develop a new portfolio -- or add to an already existing one. The portfolio may include quality papers, projects, tests, pictures… Be sure to include materials from other classes, past and present.
8. Read the chapters under discussion. Checkpoints (quizzes) are given at appropriate times to assure you keep yourself up to date, and all formative assessments are re-assessable. Quizzes will generally address what was discussed during the previous class or what is due for that particular day (within a 24 hour period). If a student achieves a 70% or greater on a formative assessment, the grade will automatically be scored as 100% (this is similar to how the AP exam is curved).
* If a student scores lower than 70%, they may complete a relearning process:
(1) Quiz
corrections:
look up the correct answer in the textbook, or from otherreputable sources.
(2) Provide
a
page number or reference, and a minimum 2-sentence explanation:
a.
1-2
sentences why your answer was wrong.
b.
1-2
sentences why the right answer is correct.
(3) Write
3-5
original sentences summarizing the main points of the chapter.
(4) Write an additional 3-5 sentences explaining what steps will be taken to avoidreassessing on the next quiz.
9. A Study Guide assignment is optional for each unit. Fully and originally answer each of the Learning Objectives to the best of your ability. Work on synthesizing the detailed information into a coherent summary that addresses all the main ideas. It is important to include any of the important terms and concepts under the Essential Knowledge, but they do not necessarily need to be defined themselves, nor do they need to be in the order listed. All important terms and concepts must be underlined. Different tenses may be used (e.g., voluntary migration or voluntarily migrated …). Full sentences are not required, but full concepts are. This list should function as part of a review guide for the unit.
10. Summative assessments will cover any material addressed in class, the textbook, or additional information presented throughout a particular unit or course of study. Regarding unit test scores, the grades may be curved, but - as a summative assessment - the scores are final.
11. Make-up tests will not be identical to the original test. If you miss the period in which the test was given, but attend school at a later time (e.g., doctor's appointment), you will be expected to make up the test before the end of the school day. Tests missed because of an illness or excused absence will have a seven day grace period in which a makeup test must be taken. If there are extenuating circumstances, these need to be discussed with the teacher immediately. Students who do not complete an assessment by the deadline will receive an "NS" in the gradebook for the assessment, and the
teacher will email parents, counselor, and admin, communicating the missed assessment. Students are not permitted to participate in extracurricular activities until the assessment is complete. Once the assessment is completed, the "NS" will be replaced with the score earned on the assessment. An unexcused absence (e.g., skipping) may result in the test being regarded as "not submitted", meaning it may count as zero credit.
*After the 7th straight day after a missed summative assessment, a student will be asked to leave class to take the summative assessment in a proctored study hall. Any portion of the class a student misses is the student's responsibility to make up. The appropriate administrator, as well as the SH proctor will be emailed a day in advance about the arrangements for the student to take the test with that SH proctor; when possible, a member or admin or counselor will walk the student from class to the SH or proctor the test. If a student refuses to take the summative assessment at this time, an administrator and counselor will call the student's parents and set up a meeting to discuss the matter. The student will be prohibited from participating in any student sponsored activities until the assessment is made up.
Test Days:ACADEMIC HONESTY
For homework and in-class assignments, you are generally free to discuss your work with classmates, parents, tutors, etc. However, you need to exercise discretion in how you do so in order to ensure that everything you submit accurately reflects your work (or that of your group for cooperative assignments).
1. Do not look at any other student’s work and do not show your work to any other student.
2. Take responsibility for your own actions. A student's printer failing to operate properly, or any other excuse barring the most dire circumstances, will not be accepted for any assignment that a student has more than one day to prepare. If you wish to approach the teacher about handing in a late assignment or project, please state what you want first (“I want to get an extension …”), then state your reasons/excuses; not the other way around.
3. Do not plagiarize or take any original ideas from someone else's work. Plagiarism includes copying someone else's presentation/words (this includes your text and other books, encyclopedias, CDs, DVDs, internet sites, etc.) and handed in as YOUR work. This may result in the assignment being regarded as "not submitted", meaning it may count as zero credit. Copying someone else's work, whether written, spoken, or in any other form, is unethical and strictly forbidden. If necessary, your case may be handled by the Upper School Administration.
4. Under most circumstances, do not ask another student how he or she answered a particular question, and do not tell another student how you answered a particular question. For instance, asking another student to clarify a point you are desperately trying to grasp, or seeking other students’ perspectives on a particular topic to educate yourself on various points of view would be acceptable, since your intent is to gain knowledge and not to simply find an easy solution. However, simply asking another student for an answer without concerning yourself with the process (e.g. “What’s the answer to question #4?”) is ethically wrong, and will obviously be considered cheating. Do your own work.
Guidelines:
1. Make sure the use of information from other sources is appropriate for the assignment in question.
2. Make sure that such information is used sparingly and only in support of the main thesis.
3. Clearly designate the information used and accurately document its source.
4. Keep your eyes on your own paper during tests. Completely erase any answer you wish to change on your scantron sheet. If you wish, you may ask for another while the test is still being administered. Barring an obvious problem with your scantron sheet (e.g. the machine marking a correct answer as incorrect with no visible erasures), you will not receive extra points for errors.
5. Demonstrate your commitment to behave honorably by understanding that no student may receive or give work on any assignment
unless expressly permitted by the teacher.
6. In addition to the proper behavior and actions regarding academic honesty described in the Student Handbook, it is recommended that any student who compromises his or her integrity - and is found guilty - NOT ask the teacher to write any letters of recommendation.
MY EXPECTATIONS
While it is impossible to list all means of cheating, lying, plagiarism, etc., I expect all students to act with integrity, and to use common sense. To provide guidance in this regard, if you have done something that you do not want me to know the truth about, you have most likely used poor judgment. If you cannot be forthright with me about the source of your information, you have most likely taken credit for someone else's work. If you have not received specific approval from me for any additional resources for all assessments and lessons, you have most likely compromised your honor by using inappropriate materials.
You begin the year with a clean slate, for I have no reason not to trust you. However, if this trust is violated, it will be dealt with appropriately and immediately. The bottom line is this, do what is right.
GRADING
Students' averages are determined by a point system. Each semester will consist of a summation of a variety of individual grades. Late assignments will be accepted at a lower point total.
Checkpoints ~ 5-20 pts.
Summative assessments (tests) ~
50-100 pts.
Summative assignments ~ 10-20 pts.
Projects ~ 20-100 pts.
¤ Group Projects (graded on work presented, effort, creativity, teamwork, and other)
¤ Verbal presentations
¤ Effort, Attitude, Class Participation, etc.
EXTRA HELP
If you experience unusual difficulty in the assignments, either in general or consistently in a specific area, this is a signal to seek extra help. For best results, attend extra help sessions as needed, rather than only the day before a test or major assignment. Bring in homework to help locate troublesome areas if needed.
I am available for extra help before school on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:00 - 8:30 in Sonken, Room 201. I am available at other times by appointment. Also, I check my email (ds1968@nova.edu) several times a day.