II. Course Textbook: (available online - limited hard copies available upon request)

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1 I. Course Overview: Advanced Placement World History is a challenging year-long course that is structured around the investigation of selected themes (5) woven into key concepts (19) covering distinct chronological periods (6). AP World History is equivalent to an introductory college survey course. This course has a three-fold purpose. First, it is designed to prepare students for successful placement into higherlevel college and university history courses. Second, it is designed to develop skills of analysis and thinking in order to prepare students for success in the twenty-first century. Finally, it is the intent of this class to make the learning of world history an enjoyable experience. Students will be able to show their mastery of the course goals by taking part in the College Board AP World History Exam in May. This course is designed to empower students to master a broad body of historical knowledge, to demonstrate an understanding of historical chronology, to use historical data to support an argument or position, understand historiography and differing schools of opinion, interpret and apply data from original documents, including cartoons, graphs, laws, and letters to name a few, to effectively use analytical tools for evaluation, to understand cause and effect and compare and contrast. Rigorous preparation is a vital and necessary part of the AP curriculum. Extensive amounts of reading, writing, and critical thinking will be required. One of the most challenging changes for many sophomores in AP World History is the quantity of reading that will be assigned and must be completed. It is imperative that students keep up with the reading! II. Course Textbook: (available online - limited hard copies available upon request) Bentley and Ziegler. Traditions and Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past. 5th Edition. McGraw-Hill Companies, A. Additional Resources: Mandatory for every student (Need to purchase or download pdf available) Christian, David. This Fleeting World: A Short History of Humanity. Great Barrington: Berkshire Publishing Group, (for pdf copy of book - ) Chua, Amy. Day of Empire: How Hyperpowers Rise to Global Dominance and Why They Fall. Anchor, reprint edition, B. Additional Resources: (You DO NOT need to purchase any of the following) MacGregor, Neil. A History of the World in 100 Objects. New York: Penguin Group, Pomeranz, Kenneth & Topik, Steven. World That Trade Created. New York, M.E. Sharpe: 2 nd ed., Reilly, Kevin. Worlds of History, a Comparative Reader. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin s; 2 nd ed., Stearns, Peter. World History in Brief: Major Patterns of Change and Continuity. White Plains: Longman Publishing; 6 th ed., Strayer, Robert. Ways of the World. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin s, 2011.

2 III. Course Assignments: 1. Writing Assignments: Each unit includes writing assignments designed to develop the skills necessary for creating well-evidenced essays on historical topics highlighting clarity and precision. a. Comparative Essay (CC): Students compare historical developments across or within societies in various chronological and/or geographical contexts. Students will also synthesize information by connecting insights from one historical context to another, including the present. b. Document Based Question (DBQ): Students analyze evidence from a variety of sources in order to develop a coherent written argument that has a thesis supported by relevant historical evidence. Students will apply multiple historical thinking skills as they examine a particular historical problem or question. c. Change and Continuity Over Time (CCOT): Students identify and analyze patterns of continuity and change over time and across geographic regions. They will also connect these historical developments to specific circumstances of time and place, and to broader regional, national, or global processes. 2. Quizzes: There will be weekly quizzes based on reading, lectures, discussions and activities. Most quizzes will consist of multiple choice AND long answer (thesis paragraph). 3. Quickwrites: Students will often be asked to summarize readings, historical concepts, and/or primary sources via short writing assignments at the beginning (bellringers) and/or at the end of each class period (ticket out). Quickwrites (similar to introductory paragraphs) should be 3 5 sentences long, should always include a thesis, and should answer the prompt completely. 4. Discussion posts: Students will be required to complete a thorough discussion post (essay) weekly reflecting on the week s concepts (original post) as well as edit another student s post with opinions, comments and questions (editing post). Prompts will be provided at beginning of each week. Students should complete this on Schoology BEFORE each Friday at midnight. 5. Analyzing Primary Source Documents: A very important part of this AP course will be analyzing primary documents including photographs, essays, letters, cartoons, texts and more. 6. Homework: Homework generally consists of (1) reading from the textbook, and/or additional text material as well as (2) completing vocabulary. (3) Summarizing readings and lecture notes in graphic organizers and/or Cornell Notes (to be placed in your notebook - no typed notes will be accepted!). (4) Discussion posts will be due weekly (Fridays BY midnight). Essays will also be assigned as homework when necessary. Again, there will be a lot of reading, students must keep up. Be prepared for minutes of homework a night (or more). 7. Cornell Notes: Cornell Notes and/or graphic organizers are expected to be completed for every chapter. This can be done while reading, during class lectures, using lecture powerpoints (available on Schoology) or textbook website - These will be randomly checked through notebook checks. A PowerPoint presentation on how to complete Cornell Notes correctly is on Schoology under General Course Documents. 8. Projects: Projects expand student knowledge and skills. There will be some projects throughout the course. Rubrics will be provided.

3 9. Examinations: 2 Exams are given for each unit (every 9 weeks), each will focus on about 4 6 chapters, but will also always include previous chapters. Exams (tests) consist of multiple choice questions and essay questions (most unit exams will be timed!). There will be 8 exams this year. This will prepare you for AP Exam on Thursday, May 12, IV. Course Expectations: RESPONSIBILITY: You are expected to complete college level work on a consistent basis. The AP course and exam is very challenging. Class activities will be designed to prepare students to think critically. Attending class, good organizational and writing skills, are important for success. o LATE WORK: Work not turned in at the beginning of class is considered late! Late work is not acceptable nor up to AP standards. I will not accept ANY late work, with the exception of long-term assignments, which will be subject to penalties for each day late. ABSENCES / FIELD TRIPS: The reality is when you miss a 90-minute class; you miss an abundance of information and learning experiences that likely cannot be completely made up. If you are not here for an excused absence, you are responsible for looking on the Schoology schedule and/or class calendar and making up ALL missed work within 5 days (school days not class days.) Students should see me for any clarifications necessary. Any assignments or tests scheduled on a field trip day must be handed in and/or made up before the trip unless preapproved by Mrs. Kovacsev. Students who fail to follow these guidelines will receive a grade of zero. o AFTER SCHOOL SUPPORT: Tuesday and Thursday from 2:30 3:00 p.m. If you need to see me at another time, just let me know. Please don t hesitate to come see me! READING: Students will be required to spend a substantial amount of time each week reading from their course text, along with a large number of additional primary and secondary sources, and formally discuss these readings in class on a weekly basis as part of their overall grade. Readings MUST be completed as scheduled so students can participate in class discussions and activities. WRITING: Students will be required to analyze readings, and write essays and Cornell notes each week as part of their homework grade. Due to the volume of written work, commentary will be restricted to a rubric. Some essays will be discussed individually in class or via Schoology (dialogue). ANALYSIS: Students will utilize various thinking maps (graphic organizers) each week to thematically organize and compare cultures, civilizations, nations, and empires. Additionally, students will be expected to analyze large amounts of historical information in a comparative and thematically organized way. EVALUATE: Students will be expected to evaluate bias and perspective in all source material. INTEGRITY: Students are expected to abide by Lake County Public Schools and Lake Minneola High School student code of conduct. Plagiarism of any kind will automatically result in a zero for the student who copied the work from another student as well as the student who gave material to be copied. Please remember this may result in an administrative referral. RESPECT: Class discussions are an integral part of this course. Respect the free flow of ideas and opinions of your classmates at all times. Be critical of ideas, not people.

4 V. AP World History Exam: It is school policy that all students are required to take the AP World History Exam in May. The AP World History Exam is approximately three hours and five minutes long and includes both a 55-minute multiple-choice section that will contain 70 questions and a 130-minute free-response section that will include three essays (DBQ, CC and CCOT.) The exam will be administered on Thursday May 12, VI. Materials 3-ring binder (preferably with pockets) REQUIRED! Charged ipad REQUIRED! Pens/pencils Highlighter(s) Glue stick(s) Sticky notes Most materials listed above will be available in class, but it will be beneficial for students to have at all times. VII. Grading Policy: Students and parents should not be discouraged if grades seem low at first. This is normal as students adjust to the rigors and demands of college-level work. The key to success in AP World History is consistent effort and improvement. Students grades are based on a point-system, based on a variety of evaluations, and weighted according to the scale below. Exams 25% Quizzes - 20% Writing - 20% Homework/Assignments - 15% Notebook Checks 10% Participation - 10% Late work is not up to AP standards and will NOT be accepted. Late work includes everything that is not in the basket on the day it was due (no later than the end of the school day), this includes but is not limited to: I left it in my car, locker, another classroom, my house; I didn t have ink in my printer, my computer froze, I was working, I had a problem with my ipad, I had a problem with Schoology, etc For long-term assignments (more than 1 week), 10% will be taken from the earned grade per day late.

5 VIII. Student and Parent Commitment Pledge Please fill out this page, sign it and turn it into Ms. Whittie no later than Friday, September 4, 2015 Student Name (please print): Period: 1. Student Pledge I understand and accept ALL the responsibilities of participating in the AP World History course, and will do my best to succeed by following all instructions and completing all work in a timely manner. Student Signature 2. Parent Pledge I understand all the requirements of the AP World History course syllabus, and will make a commitment to ensure my student s success in this course. Parent Signature 3. Contact Information (Please print!) Parent Name(s): Phone (best to reach you between 8 a.m. 4 p.m.): 4. Questionnaire Do you have dependable internet access at home? YES NO Do you have a computer besides LMHS ipad? YES NO If you feel there is any other relevant information I need to be able to teach your student, please let me know:

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