Welcome to My American History Class
INTRODUCTION
Here at My History Class you will discover a wealth of resources to enhance your understanding of American History and aid you in your classroom study. As you browse through these pages, you will find it easier to understand the people, places and events we discuss in class and the importance of studying American History. Be sure to visit the class notes for additional insight into America's past. Visit the media library for PowerPoint summaries of each chapter and more! Go to the TAKS page for links to practice tests, Jeopardy PowerPoint reviews, and vocabulary flip cards that will help you pass the TAKS test. You can test your knowledge of American History with quizzes, crossword puzzle and other quiz games on the test and quizzes page. If you want to express yourself or reflect on classroom discussion you can always Blog, and if that is not enough there is the links page where you can visit other American History websites.
PURPOSE
This
website was designed to help my U.S. History students learn more about
American History and become good citizens of the United States and the
world. The capacity for responsible self-governance is especially important
in a free society. This means we must teach young people the qualities of
good
citizenship, such as honesty, respect, responsibility, temperance,
self-control, and self-reliance. The future welfare of our children, our
country, and the type of world we want to leave them depends on this.
Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their
own government. -
Thomas Jefferson
PHILOSOPHY
Confucius once said: Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life. That is why I became a teacher. Another Chinese proverb says: I hear, I forget. I see, I remember. I do, I understand - Lao Tse. There is a lot of diversity in my classes and that is why I use a variety of learning methods that appeal to: the auditory learner, the visual learner, and the bodily-kinesthetic learner. We will be going beyond simple memorization and recall of historical facts, as we interpret, analyze, and explain America’s past and relate it to the present.
EXPECTATIONS and GOALS
The
goal of this class is for students to gain a knowledge and understanding of
American History by examining political, economic, social, and cultural
developments from the post Civil War period to recent times. They will see the
connection between the past and present and better understand current events in
the United States. Students will also be exposed to new ways of thinking about
American history – going beyond memorizing names and dates and figuring out why
things happened the way they did. My expectation is that this will, in turn,
make for more informed and tolerant citizens of our nation and the world
community. If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday.
-
Pearl Buck
ASSESSMENT
I will be emphasizing cooperative learning where students work in small groups to improve each persons interpersonal skills. However, individual work will still be focused on so that I can assess each student’s individual needs and abilities. We will accomplish our goals using various methods such as (1) group activities (2) class discussion (3) guided reading notes (4) short essays (5) oral and visual presentations (7) debates and (8) Internet assignments. Tests will consist of multiple choice, true-false, short answer, and essay questions. Some of the activities and quizzes will be completed online at Quia.com.
COMMUNICATIONS
Emphasis will be placed on building student strengths and remediating
weaknesses. Cooperation between the teacher, student, and parents or
guardians is essential to the success of the learner. You can contact me by
email (best for me), or by calling the high school and leaving a message.
History gives answers only to those who know how to ask questions. ~Hajo Holborn
