What to expect - January
American Studies I
1. What are the upcoming topics and objectives for the next month?
Continuation of Unit 3 – “What does it mean to be an American?”. This Unit will focus on the ways the young republic changed and evolved as Americans built their unique identity. We are now starting to encounter the values of Manifest Destiny that inspired and influenced Westward expansion and the various groups who moved Westward as a result in the early 1800s. We will discuss the territory incorporated through sometimes contentious strategies. We will then move onto the 1st Industrial Revolution and the immense changes it brought to the economy, slavery’s growth, and the individual American relationship with work and access to goods. Lastly, we will begin addressing how the 2nd Great Awakening’s religious revival led to larger reassessments of the individual’s and government’s role in reforming social ills, like poverty and women’s rights. We will then connect these constantly debated topics to modern parallels.
2. What major tests, assignments, or projects are due over the next month?
Semester Test! Which will focus on the (1) perfection of an individual Annotation strategy, (2) reading a complex primary source text to extract essential ideas & (3) infer vocabulary and pull (4) specific evidence & (5) articulate strong analysis to (6) link to an overall thesis.
Students should expect a formative check Quiz on the process of historical analysis and the conclusion -> Thesis building process over Industrialization’s impacts and on the rise of slavery.
3. How can parents engage with their child at home on what they are learning in class? a. Students will be discussing the modern American identity, the methods/ideology behind Westward expansion, the changes associated with Industrialization and the role of government on addressing social issues during the Reform Era. So, discuss the following with your student:
- Westward Expansion – How did American grow? Think where, conflicts, different groups, policy/actions, and ideologies.
- Industrialization – What was life like before Industrialization? What about after in terms of the overall economy, one’s relationship with work, access to goods, and the prevalence of slavery?
- Reform Era – What is the role of government and the individual on addressing social ills like poverty, inequality, and drug use? Are these issues resolved in modern society, or have they evolved? How so?
AP US History
1. What are the upcoming topics or units that you will be covering in class this month/wrapping up the semester?
This month we will be concluding Unit 5 (1844-1877) and beginning Unit 6 (1865-1898). Major areas of focus will be the events leading to the Civil War, significant events and developments of the Civil War, and finally the Era of Reconstruction. The beginning of Unit 6 primarily focuses on the settlement of the Western United States and the establishment of American industry.
2. What major tests or projects do students need to prepare for? Semester tests?
Prior to the semester test students will have one more writing assignment that will be conducted in class during the week of January 12th. This will act as my mid-year writing assignment. Students will take their Semester exams. The test is a comprehensive assessment that students will need to prepare for in their own time. We will spend a couple days in class, but the test covers content from the entire semester. Before the end of the month students will also be expected to read a case study that discusses Reconstruction.
3. How can parents engage at home with their student on what they are learning in your class?
Leading up to the week of semester tests, check in with your students on what they thought of the recent case study we discussed during class. One specific question might be about whether the breakdown in democracy (the Civil War) was inevitable? You might also ask how Lincoln should have handled Ft. Sumter?
Check in with how they are feeling about the semester exam and if they have an idea of how to best prepare. Some of the students get overwhelmed with all the information and find it difficult to just get started. I give them some ideas to help them with their studying, but some may still struggle. If this is the case, please reach out to talk to me about this.
