Modern World History Mr. Maisel & Mr. Gutierrez
Office hours: lunch, 3th block, after school (by appt) Email: mrmaisel@yahoo.com
Phone message: 408.522.2400 ext. 3864
Green Sheet & Syllabus
The main objectives of this course are:
1. To provide you with general knowledge of how the last 200 years of history have shaped the world today.
2 To expose you to history as an engaging and interactive subject with different perspectives and interpretations.
3. Skills necessary to participate as an active member in the world community.
INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOK: The notebook will be a central part of class and students must bring it to every class. You must also bring colored pens and other supplies with you. See the Interactive Notebook Guidelines handout for details.
TEXTBOOK: ÒWorld History: Connections to Today.Ó Prentice Hall, 1999.
The textbook will be one of many sources of information that we will use throughout the course. Students can leave textbook at home unless told otherwise.
LISTEN ACTIVELY Ð you canÕt learn anything without listening to others.
RESPECT OTHERS. Put downs or derogatory comments based on gender, race, religion, culture and sexuality are prohibited.
BE HONEST Ð Lying usually turns small problems into bigger ones.
We will discuss and make decisions on specific rules as a class. Most importantly, if you behave in a way that I feel is disrupting the learning experience of others, I will discuss it with you in a private meeting outside of class.
TAKE RESPONSIBILITY Ð Take responsibility for yourself and for your own learning by not making excuses or blaming factors beyond your control.
My evaluation system has two main goals.
In order to give students specific feedback, I use a ÒrubricÓ based system for projects. A rubric is a grid that displays specific standards and allows the instructor to place each student on the continuum from Òno creditÓ to Òexceeds standards.Ó The rubric includes various academic skills. You can improve your score by demonstrating that you have mastered a particular skill. You can always do extra assignments to improve your score in any skill area.
The final grade for each nine-week semester will be the total points for all assignments weighted by the following categories:
Notebook: 25% Grading Scale
Skills (Projects) 25% A 89.5-100
Habits: 20% B 79.5-89.4
Quizzes: 5% C 69.5-79.4
Exams: 15% D 59.5-69.4
Midterm/Final: 10% F less than 59.5
EXAMS - Any score lower than a 70% can be made up to a 70% through an oral retest. The student must take a retest within one week of the graded exam being returned. The ÒSkillÓ category can be improved by doing extra assignments that show improvement in the skill. Ask me for an appropriate assignment.
No makeup assignments will be accepted during the final week of a grading period.
Habits, Quizzes, and Notebooks are the three areas that cannot be made up.
Cheating takes on various forms and is a major problem at school of all levels. I do everything in my power to limit the temptation to cheat. Every test will have various forms to make copying answers impossible. Most homework assignments require unique products that canÕt be the same for two students. The biggest problem that I have found with cheating has been plagiarism on papers. We will discuss as a class how to avoid plagiarism and write good original papers. I strictly follow the school policy on cheating. For the first offense, I give a 0 on the assignment and contact your parents. On the second offense, you will receive an F and be dropped from the course.
* CUT CLASS = Ò0Ó in attendance for the entire unit.
* If you cut class on the day of an exam other assignment, you get a Ò0Ó.
* Many problems arise when students are absent on the day of group presentations. Therefore, if you do not tell me ahead of time, and you have an excused absence on the day of the presentation, you will do the entire presentation by yourself after school. If you let me know ahead of time, by email or phone, we will work out a more favorable arrangement.
* On the day you return from an absence, it is your responsibility to pick up handouts or assignments from the assignments folder. I will be happy to discuss missed work, but not during class. It is also your responsibility to get class notes from another student. * * You will be responsible for all information discussed in class.
* The details of attendance grading are on the ÒHabitsÓ rubric. The indicators include: bringing materials to class, going to the bathroom infrequently, being quiet at the beginning of class, and not packing up before the end of class.
The course is made up of five independent, yet connected thematic units. Rather than following a timeline, we will explore the entire span of modern history through each theme. Each unit will revolve around one or two unit questions, which will connect the content material to the essential questions of the course. The following are brief descriptions of each unit:
Unit Questions: Why do we have government?
In this unit, we consider the ways in which people have organized society, analyzing the pros and cons of each system. We will study the philosophers who expressed the ideas that led to the development of each system. We will conclude with group posters that reveal the types of governments in different countries throughout the world.
Unit Two: Industrialization and the Global Economy
This unit traces the effects that factories and industrial development have had on people throughout the last two centuries. From the first textile factories in England to modern-day cities and factories in developing countries, we will examine how they have changed life as we know it. The final project will be a research paper that discusses the effects of globalization and industrialization on a particular country
Unit Three: Revolutions
Throughout history, people have come together to revolt against powers that control them. This unit will look at common trends in revolutions, and look closely at 4 case studies: the American, French, Cuban, and Iranian revolutions. The class will use these case studies to draw conclusions about why and how people call for change, and the effects that these changes society. The final project will be a newscast video or online newspaper that looks at a more modern revolution.
-- End of Semester 1 --
Unit Four: The Rise and Fall of Empires
Imperialism is the domination by one country of the political, economic, and cultural life of another country or region. Throughout history, different societies have gained control over others. However, with each rise of empire has come the inevitable fall. The unit starts with a look at the British Empire and the European ÒNew ImperialismÓ in Africa and Asia. To conclude, the students will study the current American Empire and write a research paper about the US and its place in the modern world.
Unit Five: World Wars
This unit explores causes of World War I, the way that modern technology created the Modern War, the rise of dictators like Hitler and Stalin, and finally the response of the Allies to the aggression of the Axis Powers in World War II.
We have read and understand the requirements of this World History class.
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