Course Descriptions for Third Trimester

                          Regular Classes (Periods 1-3)

Third Trimester World History 9

Mr. Rob Morris

Idaho Falls High School 2013

Basic Course Outline

Unit One—     The Middle Ages

Unit Two—     The Renaissance

Unit Three—   The Reformation

Unit Four—    The Enlightenment

Unit Five—     Emergence of Nation-States and Representative Government

Unit Six—       The French Revolution and Napoleon

Unit Seven—  The Industrial Revolution

Required Materials for this Class

1. One composition notebook (pages are sewn in).  This notebook will be worth 100 points per month—50 for notes and 50 for journal/other.
2. Writing utensil/loose leaf paper
3. Colored pencils for maps/projects

Grading

Points are assessed as follows:

ü  Notes and Journal--- 100 points per month

ü  Quizzes—anywhere from ten to sixty points, depending on content

ü  Tests—60-150 points (about every three weeks)

ü  Book Homework—anywhere from 4 to 20 points

ü  Other work as assigned (group work, projects, papers, maps, etc)—varies but usually under 50 points.

ü  Trimester Final Exam—100 points

ü  Trimester Final Project—50 to 100 points

Expectations

My expectations are fair and few

• Be on time.  Tardies will be assessed
• Be prepared.  Bring notebook, writing utensil daily. 
• Golden Rule.  Treat your fellow classmates and teacher the way you would like to be treated.  Other than tardies, all other issues are dealt with on a case-by-case basis, with the object being to help you improve as a student and a young adult. 

Make-up Procedures

Make-up work is accepted for full credit at the rate of one day late per day of excused absence.   After that, student has one week during which to make up an assignment for partial credit. After that, it is a zero.  Tests may be retaken up to ONE WEEK after first test.  After that, there will be no re-tests.

Staple this syllabus into your notebook. It is worth ten points.  If it is loose in the notebook, it will be a zero. 

                                  Honors Classes  (Periods 4-5)

Honors World History 9

Mr. Rob Morris

Idaho Falls High School

Third Trimester 2013

In third trimester Honors World History we will be covering the High Middle Ages, Renaissance, Reformation, Enlightenment, Emergence of Nation-States, the French Revolution, and the Industrial Revolution.  We will explore how the western world developed into the late nineteenth century.

Honors students will be expected to master all content contained in the regular curriculum, but to demonstrate a deeper mastery through extensive discussion, tests that require more synthesis of learned material, challenging writing assignments, and a reading project during the course of the year (see Reading List on back)

Basic Course Outline

Unit One—     The Middle Ages

Unit Two—     The Renaissance

Unit Three—   The Reformation

Unit Four—    The Enlightenment

Unit Five—     Emergence of Nation-States and Representative Government

Unit Six—       The French Revolution and Napoleon

Unit Seven—  The Industrial Revolution

Required Materials for this Class

1. One composition notebook (pages are sewn in).  This book will be used for all journals, notes, and other writing assignments and will be graded at least once a month.   This notebook will be worth 100 points per week—50 for notes and 50 for journal/other. 
2. Writing utensil/planner.  No-brainer on these.
3. Loose leaf paper
4. Colored pencils for maps/projects

Grading

Students must receive a score of 70% to pass the class.

Points are assessed as follows:

ü  Notes and Journal--- 100 points per month

ü  Quizzes—anywhere from ten to 50 points, depending on content

ü  Tests—60-150 points (about every three weeks)

ü  Book Homework—anywhere from 4 to 20 points

ü  Other work as assigned (group work, projects, papers, maps, etc)—varies but usually under 50 points.

ü  Trimester Final Exam—100 points

ü  Trimester Final Project—50 to 200 points

ü  Book Project due by end of third trimester

Expectations

My expectations are fair and few

• Be on time.  Tardies will be assessed
• Be prepared.  Bring notebook, writing utensil daily. 
• Golden Rule.  Treat your fellow classmates and teacher the way you would like to be treated.  Participate in discussions in a way that adds to the discourse.
• This is an Honors-level class.  Maturity is expected.  Grades of A or B are also expected.  Students who do C or below work will be expected to sign a contract stating how they will raise their grade in a specific time period.  This will be signed by a parent/guardian, the student, the teacher and an administrator.  Improper behavior will also result in a Behavior Contract being written and agreed to by the student, parent/guardian, teacher and an administrator. 

Success

Our common goal is your success.  I will do my part to prepare you to succeed by being prepared every day myself.  Note taking will help you learn the material and also give you a study tool.  Class discussion and other in-class activities will help make the material relevant.  Before tests, a review sheet containing all information on test will be given to students.  Review Jeopardy will be played the day before a test to firmly set the material in your brain.  Students are allowed to retake quizzes and tests UP TO ONE WEEK after their first attempt.  The grades of the original and re-test will be averaged.  Students may make up work up to ONE WEEK after it is due for half credit.  Then all work becomes a zero.    You can also check your grade any time from home on Powerschool. 

·         Staple this syllabus into your notebook. It is worth ten points.  If it is loose in the notebook, it will be a zero. 

·         Keep this and the Reading List in your flap in notebook.  They are both part of your grade.

 

Honors Reading List for Third Trimester

Reading Assignment

Honors History

Morris—2013

Third Trimester

Select one of the following books from the list below and read it before the end of May.  You must then do one of the following about the book:

1.        Present a Powerpoint telling the basic plot, theme, and premise of the book, as well as a brief biography of the author, and tell how the book affected the development of Western Civilization.  If the book is a biography, tell how the individual affected the history of Western Civilization from both the author’s point of view and your own.

2.       Create a tri-fold display about the book, showing illustrations and listing the main points and ideas of the book, as well as why the book was/is important to Western Civilization.

3.       Make a movie about the book, in which you pretend to be the author and you explain the book to the class, telling why you wrote it, and why you feel it is still important.  Include at least one scene from the book, either illustrated with images or acted out.

4.       Select your own method of presenting, and get it approved by Mr. Morris

Books to Choose From:

Nonfiction

Dante, The Divine Comedy.  Allegorical trip through hell, purgatory and heaven.  First great book in the Italian vernacular.  (150 points)

Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales.  Stories of everyday people on a pilgrimage to Canterbury.  The first great work in the English vernacular.  (150 points)

Voltaire, Candide.  Great Renaissance work by the brilliant French satirist.  (100 points)

Cervantes, Don Quixote.  First great novel written in the Spanish vernacular.  (200 points)

Unknown Saxon author, Beowulf (translation by Chickering, Liuzza, or Heaney)  An epic saga that forms some of the origins of Tolkien’s work. (100 points)

Unknown German Author, Nibelungenlied. An epic poem from Germany. (100 points)

Unknown Author, Song of Roland.  Oldest surviving French work.  Knights and warfare. (75 points)

St. Augustine, Confessions.  The most famous Catholic apologist of the early church tells of his path to spirituality.  (100 points)

Leonardo da Vinci, Complete Notebooks.  The ideal Renaissance Man reflects on all things. (150 points)

Unknown Author, Dukus Horant, the first extended work in Yiddish. 14^th century. (100 points)

William Langland, Piers Plowman, very early tale about life in the Feudal Middle Ages.  (100 points)

Fiction

White, T.H.   The Once and Future King.  King Arthur Legend.  (100 points)

Louis L’Amour.  The Walking Drum.  Crusades.  (100 points)

Any teacher-approved book about the Middle Ages or the Renaissance.

Honesty and Ethics

Reading a synopsis or watching a movie of the book is a form of academic dishonesty.  As Honors students, you are expected to conduct yourself with honor and integrity.  You are expected to read the book chosen in its entirety, beginning to end.  Any plagiarism or shortcutting will result in a zero.

Strategy

Because many of the books are long, you need to start right away. 

Grading

150 points Total:

·         Book difficulty  (50-125 points)

                Standard length book 50 points, longer and/or more difficult book:  an additional 25-75 points

·         Presentation:  50 points.  Extra credit for additional elements or extraordinary effort.

·         Reading Log:  50 points.  A summary of the main ideas in each chapter, with dates each chapter read. 

Detach and return the bottom portion to Mr. Morris.

I understand there is a reading project in Mr. Morris’s Honors World History class and that it is due by the end of Third Trimester.

________________________________          ____________________________________

Student                                                                         Parent/Guardian

Third Trimester Project Guidelines

Trimester Project

Morris World History 9—Third Trimester—2013

Every student in both Honors and Regular World History must do a Trimester Project third trimester.   This is a variable-point project, and also an open-option project, meaning that the more difficult or involved the project, the more points it is worth, and that any project that a student suggests that meets with approval from the teacher will be allowed.  This allows each student to decide how many points he/she wants to earn on a project, and also to chose what type of project he/she wants to do.  All projects are subject to approval by Mr. Morris, but no reasonable project will be turned down.

All projects must relate to the content being learned in the class. For example, a project about airplanes would not work unless it focused on Leonardo da Vinci’s early designs, since he lived in the Renaissance.  A project about nuclear weapons,  or China, or Chinese nuclear weapons would not work because it has nothing to do with the content being taught third trimester.

Here are some ideas, taken from projects that have been done by students in the past:

·         Write a short story about a specific time period studied in the class

·         Make a piece of art about one of the time periods, or do a Powerpoint about an artist

·         Research a composer, an instrument, or a piece of music from a specific time period studied

·         Make a medieval weapon, helmet, piece of armor, or piece of clothing

·         Research one of the above and present a Powerpoint on it.

·         Make trading cards of medieval, Renaissance, or Revolutionary characters

·         Make a movie, complete with costuming, music, titles, and scripting

·         Make a clay-mation movie

·         Make a comic book about something we learned

·         Make a scale model of a medieval manor, a castle, or something else we learn about

·         Make a chess set with medieval-style pieces, or using actual historical figures

·         Make a board game about a period we study

·         ETC…

Sign below, have a parent/guardian sign below, and return.  This states that you are both aware of the project.   Save the top portion in your composition book flap.  The signed form is worth ten points, and the form will be part of your notebook grade as well.

________________________ ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­__________________________________________

We have read the above and understand that this class requires a Trimester project, due by the end of the trimester.  

____________________________                             ______________________________

            Student                                                                                Parent/Guardian