Q2 Civil War Syllabus

The American Civil War

Trillium Charter School

2006/7 Quarter 2

Instructor: Ken Gadbow

Email: Ken@TrilliumCharterSchool.org

Phone: 503-348-9849

Course Structure:

Students will be expected to participate in many ways: through writing, reading, listening, and small group activities. This class is designed to give students as much freedom in their studies as possible. Students will develop Learning Plans that will guide their investigation into the Civil War. Students will be responsible for checking in with their learning plans at the beginning of each class. There will be both an exhibition of individual work and an examination at the end of the quarter. There will be weekly or biweekly mini lectures/workshops on a variety of issues and events surrounding the war.

Course Objectives:

Students will better understand the impact of the history of the American Civil War, events that led up to it, and its impact on the people, places, and land of North America. Students will develop their writing abilities by creating concise arguments about the causes and effects of the war. Students will enhance their abilities to use multiple types of resources for research including primary and secondary source documents, including newspapers, diaries, journals, books, and magazines. Students will become more efficient at working independently: learning to set reasonable deadlines and meet them, and seek out necessary resources to help achieve their goals.

Course Overview:

This course is to be primarily guided by the interests and desires of the students. During class time throughout the term, we will offer information on a variety of topics relevant to the war. We will investigate the causes of the American Civil War beginning with the formation of the Unites States and the debates over slavery and states rights. The political ramifications of key military battles will be discussed, though the primary focus of the course will be to understand the war’s impact on individuals and communities North, South, East, and West. We will highlight some of the major historical actors and events of the era including Harriet Beecher Stowe, John Brown, Dred Scott, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, William Lloyd Garrison, the Second Great Awakening, the draft riots, the Missouri Compromise, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the Sumner-Brooks incident. We will use primary source documents whenever possible including New York Times coverage of slavery and the war as well as readings from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave.

Code of Conduct:

All students are expected to know and uphold the Rights and Responsibilities of the Trillium Constitution. We will use the non-violent conflict resolution process that includes conversations, mediations, and the OVRR system.

Grading:

Participation: 50%

Projects 25%

Mid term exam 10%

Final exam 15%

Participation will be graded according to the student’s involvement in daily class activities, and the ability of the student to use his/her time wisely in the classroom. There will be a significant degree of autonomy in this class. If students use it wisely, it is nearly limitless. If it is used unwisely, the student will lose the privilege of guiding his/her own study. Your learning plan will be evidence of your participation in class. Students are responsible for checking in with, and updating their learning plan every class. All student work, including the learning plans, will be saved and stored in the student’s file.

Attendance Policy:

The majority of your grade in this class comes from your participation. If you are not here, then you cannot participate. If you cannot participate, then you cannot meet the expectations of the class.

§ If a student misses more than 2 classes per term, s/he cannot earn better than a “B”.

§ If a student misses more than 3 classes, s/he cannot earn better than a “C”.

§ If a student misses more than 4 classes, s/he cannot earn better than a “D”.

§ If a student misses more than 5 classes, s/he cannot pass the course.

Quarter 2 Schedule:

Week 1 (Nov. 26 – Dec. 2)

Week 2 (December 3-9)

• Parent-student conferences this week

Week 3 (Dec 10-16)

• Parent-student conferences this week

Winter Break December17 – Jan 1. No School

Week 4 (January 2-6)

Week 5 (January 7-13)

Week 6 (January 14-20)

• Monday – No school – Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Week 7 (January 21-27)

Week 8 (Jan. 28 – Feb. 3)

*Last week of term. All student work due.