U.S. History, APuSH & American Government
overview
Welcome to the Honkers Home for everything regarding U.S. History, APUSH, or American Government! Regardless of which class you are enrolled in, we are going to explore a multitude of facets to our nation's history, our government, historical thinking skills, and national ideals with a constant focus on "what is the lesson to be learned" in order to become a better citizen and contributing member of society.
My goal is to prepare my students to become better thinkers, better writers, and better citizens through a History-Social Science (H-SS) curriculum that follows State and district standards. This curriculum will be rigorous and challenging at times, but I will work to prepare you so that you may see the relevance (i.e. why this matters?) and embrace the beauty of learning.
My promise to you, the student, is that I will treat you with the dignity and respect that you deserve by the very fact that you are human and are choosing to take a positive and active role in your education. In addition, I will work to teach you not only academic content in the courses that you take with me, but also life skills that may ultimately be more rewarding than any grade you'll ever earn.
About me
I chose to become a teacher because first and foremost, I love my country. This love of country has placed me on a journey to realize that, as citizens of both the United States and the World, we are all in this together. What I mean by this is that we all have a duty to share our talents and "pursue our happiness" to give back. Thus, I view teaching as a way for me to give back and help others, especially our youth, as the youth serve the role of being future agents of change, to not only uphold American values but to also (hopefully) "secure our posterity" and to help make the world a better place.
Some of My U.S. History Heroes
Click on image to learn more
Advisor to one of our founding fathers and famously said "Remember the Ladies"
Achieved change through non-violence, inspired generations, and never earned more than $6,000 a year
Saved America from both the Great Depression and totalitarian Fascism
Preserved the Union, abolished the evil sin of slavery, and asked us to appeal to the "better angels of our nature"
Class Expectations
Mutual respect for one another will be the theme of all of my classes. Students will learn not only content and common core concepts, but also life skills such as the “Six P’s” to ensure a positive learning environment. The “Six P’s” are: polite, prompt, positive mental attitude, prepared, participate, and produce. Furthermore, all students must practice good attending skills, group norms, and follow the school-wide expectations.
The 6 P's
(The Foundation)Polite Part 1 Dignity Part 2 Respect
Participate Part 1 Taking a positive and active role
Prepared Part 1 Having your tools fo the trade
Prompt Part 1 On time Part 2 Ready
Produce Part 1 Quality Work Subpart 1 Follow directions Subpart 2 Neat and Clean Subpart 3 Completed and on time Subpart 4 Thoughtful work
Positive Mental Attitude (P.M.A.)
Attending Skills
*Being in the Moment
*Appropriate Body Language
*Appropriate Eye Contact
*Appropriate Feedback/Response
*Ask Questions to Clarity or Validate
Group Rules
Introduce self
Use names
Attending skills
Desks touch
Space between groups
Group Skills for working with others
To be successful in group settings it is vital for one to practice the following skills: negotiating, listening, having empathy, having tolerance, persevering, maintaining work ethic and understanding group dynamics.
*Forming - come together
*Storming - testing the bounds
*Norming - calming = work
*Performing - finishing powerful work
Plagiarism = Cheating
There is a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY for all forms of cheating or copying work from either a classmate, the internet, or verbatim (word for word) from your textbook or other school resources. Any and all cases of plagiarism will be thoroughly investigated and the student's grade will result in an automatic "F" letter grade on the assignment.
Netiquette
We now live in an age when a majority or work and communication is done digitally. Therefore, it will be expected of all students to correspond with both their instructor and peers in a polite and professional manner.
Resources
Here are a few resources and tools to help students and families navigate either Distant Learning or the History-Social Sciences.
Covid-19 Helpful Links
TEACH Act Disclaimer: The materials on this course site are only for the use of students enrolled in either U.S. History, AP U.S. History, or American Government at Willows High School and may not be retained or disseminated to others.