Course Website: www.samohiapush.com

Course Description:

The course is a chronological and thematic survey course in the United States covering the time period from the Colonial Era (1491) to contemporary America (2012). The ultimate goal of this course is to provide a college-level experience in preparation for the AP Exam on Friday May 11th 2018. Throughout this course students will engage in primary source document analysis, traditional textbook and outside readings, a variety of classroom activities, and critical, analytical and interpretative writing assignments. These lessons will encourage students to think conceptually about the American past and to focus on historical change over time. While this course will be rigorous, through hard work, dedication and collaborative efforts it will also be enjoyable and extremely rewarding.

Essential Concepts/Skills

Students will acquire fundamental and advanced knowledge of United States political, social, economic, constitutional, cultural, and intellectual history.
Students will develop master of the process skills: analysis, synthesis, evaluation and critical reading necessary for the mastery of the content of United States history.
Students will demonstrate an advanced knowledge of the content, concepts and themes unique to United States history.
Students will develop the ability to recognize the significance of change over time and cause and effect.
Students will be able to develop historically accurate interpretations of the events of United States history.
Students will develop the ability to think and reason analytically as demonstrated through essay and expository writing of document based and free response essay questions as well as article reviews, and book reviews.

Fall Semester

Unit 1: Discovery of the New World (1491 – 1607
Unit 2: Colonization (1607 – 1754)
Unit 3: Revolution and Independence (1754 – 1800)
Unit 4: The New Republic (1800 – 1848)
Unit 5: The Civil War and Reconstruction (1844 – 1877)
Unit 6: The Industrial Era (1865 – 1898)

Spring Semester

Unit 7A: The U.S. and the World (1890 – 1919)
Unit 7B: The U.S. and the World (1919 – 1945)
Unit 8: Postwar America (1945 – 1980)
Unit 9: Contemporary America (1980 – today)
REVIEW FOR AP EXAM
Be a Historian Final Project