World History Syllabus

Contact Information:

Teacher: Kendra Richardson

Email: kendra.richardson@ankenyschools.org 

School phone: 515-965-9630 ext.56300

Planning periods: 3 and 7

Classroom: 1204

Canvas:

• Most course materials will be accessible to students on Canvas. Students will access Canvas daily for in class work, and should check frequently for reminders and announcements.

Board-Approved Standards - 10th Grade World History:

• SS:WH.01: Students will analyze civic and political institutions.
• SS.WH.02: Students will assess the role of economics on global history.
• SS.WH.03: Students will analyze the connections between groups of people, and between humans and the environment throughout history.
• SS.WH.04: Students will analyze causation, change/continuity and context in world history and justify their analysis.
• SS.WH.05: Students will evaluate a variety of sources based on credibility, context, and author’s point of view.  

Course Scope and Content:

This class will focus on developing critical thinking skills and historical analysis as we study world history from The Renaissance to World War II. The following subjects will be studied during this course:

Semester 1:

• The Middle Ages
• The Renaissance, Reformation and the Scientific Revolution
• The Age of Exploration
• Absolutism
• The Enlightenment
• The French Revolution and the Rise of Napoleon

Semester 2:

• The Industrial Revolution
• Nationalism and Imperialism
• World War I
• Post World War I and the Rise of Totalitarianism
• World War II

How students will be graded on academics:

• Letter grades will continue to be assigned for all courses at the secondary level based on the 0-100 percent scale.
• When utilizing a rubric with four levels of proficiency (Beginning, Progressing, Meeting the Standard, and Advanced), teachers will show the connection between a student’s performance on the rubric to the assigned grade within the 0-100 percent scale. This connection will be communicated at the onset of its use and throughout the learning progression for the purpose of providing feedback.

Proficiency scales:

Grading Scale for Non-weighted Classes:

Letter Grade:         A

Minimum Percent:        92.5

 
Letter Grade:         A-

Minimum Percent:        89.5

Letter Grade:         B+

Minimum Percent:           86.5

Letter Grade:         B

Minimum Percent:           82.5

Letter Grade:                B-

Minimum Percent:           79.5

Letter Grade:                C+

Minimum Percent:           76.5

Letter Grade:         C

Minimum Percent:           72.5

Letter Grade:         C-

Minimum Percent:           69.5

Letter Grade:         D+

Minimum Percent:           66.5

Letter Grade:         D

Minimum Percent:           62.5

Letter Grade:         D-

Minimum Percent:           59.5

Letter Grade:         F

Minimum Percent:           59 and below

Late / Missing Summative Assessments:

• Due dates for long-term assessments (papers, projects, etc.) are firm. Students who do not complete long-term assessments on the due date will be required to submit their completed assessments in a conference with Mrs. Richardson. Late assessments will only be graded with the student present in a conference. Students who have not submitted assessments within two weeks of the due date will be moved to an alternative assessment at Mrs. Richardson’s discretion.
• Students who do not meet the due date may not be eligible for reassessment opportunities.

Formative and Summative Assessment:

Definitions   

• Formative Assessment: Formal and informal processes teachers and students use to gather evidence for the purpose of improving learning.
• Summative Assessment:  Assessments that provide evidence of student achievement for the purpose of making a judgment about student competence or program effectiveness.

Guiding Practices:

Multiple and Varied Assessment Opportunities

All students should have multiple and varied assessment opportunities to demonstrate higher levels of achievement.   Additional opportunities may include being reassessed on only the content/skills not mastered, spiraling assessment of content/skill on subsequent assessments, reassessment of an alternate form of an assessment (e.g., Form B instead of Form A), student revisions of work products based on descriptive feedback, or alternative methods of assessments (e.g., an oral response rather than a written test).  

Guidelines for reassessment opportunities include the following:

• Students will be provided the opportunity to be reassessed - best practice is to provide additional opportunities for students to demonstrate learning during future assessments.
• Teachers determine appropriateness and authentic need for reassessments.
• Reassessment method will be provided at the discretion of the teacher.
• Reassessments will be given within a reasonable time frame that the teacher determines and students will be communicated with in advance.
• Students must have all assignments/daily work turned in to be eligible for reassessment opportunities.

Homework / Independent Practice

Homework is an opportunity for students to practice skills, apply knowledge, review and build on past learning, and extend learning.  Homework is individualized and based on each student’s progress towards established standards.  The purpose of the assignment will determine whether or not a grade is given and will be clearly articulated to students. Through independent learning tasks (homework), students assume more responsibility for their learning and are given opportunities to apply what they have learned to new situations or experiences.

Extra Credit and Bonus Points

To ensure that grades reflect progress toward and achievement of the standards, giving extra credit points or bonus points will not occur in this class.   

Academic Integrity

All students are expected to commit to high standards of personal and academic integrity.  Students are expected to do their own work and document sources appropriately.

Statement on the Use of AI

The fundamental purpose of education is to promote critical thinking skills. The use of generative AI to produce evidence of learning prevents educators from accurately assessing the achievement of learning standards. Thus, the use of generative AI is prohibited in social studies classes unless written permission is granted by the instructor. The use of generative AI in any component of a student’s work will be regarded as plagiarism, which is a direct violation of the academic integrity policy in the student handbook. All work submitted for a grade – projects, assessments, final works, etc. – will be created by the students themselves, working individually or in groups as directed by the teacher.

Behavioral Expectations

The work habits/behavior standards are for grades 6-12 courses in our district. These work habits/behavior standards will be reported throughout the semester and are as follows:

• Organization and Readiness
• Productivity and Accountability
• Collaboration Skills

For those of you accessing this document electronically, the work habits tool can be accessed here. We will be using the following performance levels:

Performance Levels for Work Habits/Behavior Standards:

• MS = Meets Standard
• PM = Partially Meets Standard
• DM = Doesn’t Meet Standard
• NE = No Evidence

These descriptors are intended for feedback and communication and do not impact a student’s GPA.

Cell Phone Policy:

• Per school policy, students will not be allowed to use or have visible wireless (phones, earbuds, etc.) devices in my classroom.

1st Offense: A minor referral will be made to the front office and I will contact the parent/guardian.

2nd Offense: The student will be sent to an administrator for a major referral, the device will be confiscated, and the parent/guardian will be contacted.

3rd & Subsequent Offenses: The student will be required to keep their phones in the office (the administration will contact the parent/guardian).

District Office   306 SW School Street   PO Box 189   Ankeny, IA 50021-0189  

P: 515.965.9600   F: 515.965.4234   W: ankenyschools.org