Q2 World History Syllabus

World History

Trillium Charter School

2006/7 Quarters 1-4

Instructor: Ken Gadbow

Email: Ken@TrilliumCharterSchool.org

Phone: 503-348-9849

Blog: http://ken-trillium.blogspot.com

Course Structure:

Small group discussions dominate this course, supported by short lectures, reading, and writing assignments. We will have weekly mini-presentations about certain aspects of world history as well as brief readings and discussion activities.

Course Objectives:

Students will be able to identify key figures and events from world history and describe how they are important. Students will develop their writing abilities by creating concise arguments in several short essay assignments. Students will develop their skills as researchers, improving their ability to identify quality resources. Students will improve their ability to summarize information in order to be more efficient note-takers and paper writers.

Course Overview:

This four-quarter survey course covers the span of human civilization from our ancestral, nomadic roots in Africa to the short attention span of the information highway. Through our theme, Transportation and Domination, students will explore the impact of technological developments in the way we move goods, people, and ideas, and how that movement has impacted the development of civilization. This broad course will look at many pivotal events in global history including: the development of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent; the movement of food and trade goods in the Americas; the spread of disease in Europe; aspirations and limitations of ocean exploration for Chinese, Japanese, and European sailors. This course runs all year and will be most effective if students commit to taking all four quarters of the course.

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 and papers: 25%

Mid term exam: 10%

Final exam: 15%

Participation will be graded according to the student’s involvement in class discussions and activities, as well as brief assignments or quizzes done in class. Assignments are due at the beginning of the class period. I will papers assignments via email, but prefer a paper copy. Late assignments will lose five percent of the possible credit each day the assignment is past the due date, including weekends and holidays. Rework is gladly accepted. Students may re-submit corrected or rewritten assignments in order to receive full credit. The better of the grades is always the one used.

The midterm and final exams will be over material we cover in class. Therefore, it is important that students take notes during mini-lectures and class discussions in order to be better prepared for the exams. We will review for each exam the day before we take it. The exams will mostly consist of identifying people, places, or events from world history and describing why they are important.

Papers:

There will be multiple, relatively short papers due in this class. Each student must write 3. Ninth and tenth graders are expected to produce 1-2 page papers. Eleventh and twelfth graders are expected to produce 2-3 page papers. There will be a variety of topics about which students may choose to write. We will develop these as the term proceeds. All papers require a bibliography and citation of sources. Plagiarism is not tolerated. Papers found to be plagiarized will receive an automatic zero.

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.