American History Syllabus

Welcome to 7th grade American History! This year will be all about studying the events and people of our country and how they affected the country and the world. We will be beginning with the USA in the late 1800s and finishing with the present time period. Students will actively engage in the work of a historian conducting research, using primary sources, and analyzing a variety of sources to make conclusions about events in history. Aug. Intro to American History Class September Review - Creating timelines and analyzing cause and effect using events from 1800 to 1900 Imperialism, Industrialism, and Progressivism Teddy Roosevelts Presidency Panama Canal Skill - Using the internet and doing keyword searches, choosing a source based on credibility and readability, citing your sources Theme - Government Domestic Rights and Responsibilities October WWI The Roaring Twenties The Great Depression Skill - Using sources to fill out graphic organizers about an event with background, build up, main event, and impact, citing sources (cause and effect, critical thinking) Theme - Individual Rights and Responsibilities November Franklin Delano Roosevelt WWII The Legacy of WWII Skill - Primary and Secondary sources - analyzing a primary source to better understand a topic (speeches, pictures, posters, letters, newspapers, etc.) Theme - Government Foreign Rights and Responsibilities December The Korean War The Cold War The 1950s Skill - Using Drive to share documents, keep a bibliography, save pictures, and write an essay. Theme - The Rights and Responsibilities of Other Nations January

John F. Kennedy - mini project involving stations with info on background, build up, an event (Cuban Missile Crisis), and the impact.....students keep a bibliography identifying primary and secondary sources!!! Skill synthesis of information! Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - practice writing thesis statements NHD February NHD Civil Rights Movement March Vietnam Nixon Carter Iran Hostages Skill - Identifying political, economic, and cultural issues Theme - When Rights and Responsibilities of Various Groups Clash April Minorities, Women, and People with Disabilities Fight for Rights Reagan, Bush, and the Gulf War Skill - Analyzing cause and effect Theme - Rights and Responsibilities of Groups May Clinton NAFTA 9/11 and the War in Iraq Skill - creating and defending an opinion The discipline of history is often said to begin with the advent of the written word, thus, both reading and writing skills will be stressed in this class. You will complete a variety of class work, conduct research for a National History Day project, engage in class discussions, and take lecture notes. Grades will be based on a point system. Assignments will be given a point value and your total will accumulate throughout the quarter. Grades will be given using the standard grade scale issued according to district policy.