Welcome to Mr. Varga’s US History Class…..

The reasons –

US History is the means through which we will be developing our critical thinking and analysis skills in this class. Critical thinking and analytic abilities are vital for persons living and working in the information age of the 21st century. To that end, all people must learn how to analyze and evaluate information in order to effectively use it.
Traditionally, surveys of History are about learning facts, remembering names, dates and events and then regurgitating them on a test or in an essay. With the explosion of information on the Internet and the increasingly reliable nature of online information sources such as Wikipedia, the “traditional” approach of teaching history is becoming increasingly troubling. The question of, “Why should I memorize this when I could just as easily look it up online and read about it?” is a legitimate question and cannot easily be dismissed simply as a cynic’s attempt to devalue the study of History. Indeed it would be hard not to argue that because of how the Internet has changed information access, studying history on an “as needed” basis would likely be more efficient than sitting in a class listening to a teacher “teach” history (what ever that means).
The study of History remains compelling, however in spite of the many interpretations we have of some of the more notable events, movements and eras in our past. It compels us when we are able to illuminate our understanding through being able to explain WHY and HOW it happened in the way that it did. Seeking to explain the illusive questions of WHY and HOW deemphasizes the who, what, when, and where that are the typical stuff History class is made of.
To this end, we will study why and how important events happened in the ways they did. At times, seemingly small and insignificant happenings, interactions and decisions have come together at the beginning of a chain of events that explode into the type of thing that history books are written about, say the Revolutionary War, for example. Of course we won’t leave all of the facts in the dust as many of these are important in the unfolding of our history’s major events; we just won’t be getting caught up in them.
For this class I consider myself a US History manager. My task is to organize information in a way that will force you to use higher level thinking skills. Because of the mysteries and puzzles that our own history is made up of, US History is one of the best tools we can use for this.

The details –

Basic class rules:

Be on time and prepared for class.
Respect me, respect other.
Follow directions happily.
Give every task your full effort.

Grading:

There are two categories that I use in class; Questions and everything else. The “everything else” category, also known as projects, is exactly that, everything that isn’t part of the Historical Questions requirement of this class. Historical questions will be worth 20% of your quarter grade. Everything else (i.e. quizzes, homework, writing assignments) will be worth 80%. See below for more information.

Assessment Types:

In order to make the class as effective as possible, I like to use a variety of assessments. The following is a general list of what you can expect:

Worksheets based on readings – many

Quizzes based on readings – at least two per week

Writing projects – Several small essays per semester; Two to three large writing projects this year based on a specific research writing program I have been working on. These will in someway be incorporated into a final.

Historical Questions – These are lists of questions that are used specifically to promote critical thinking. They will be answered through the course of class discussion. I will do a question check periodically and randomly to insure that you are paying attention in class as well as spending a little time outside of class reflecting on what we discussed. Remember, this is 20% of your quarter grade. It will be an easy 20% if you just take some notes, get together with some friends and just answer the questions. I am not going to be tricky about this. You will have the questions ahead of time and I will be as clear as I can be during the discussions. With a little reflection the questions should be very answerable.

General Projects – These will involve computer use including the opportunity to do an occasional brief PowerPoint presentation for the class.

Tests – There will be one or two tests this semester but they will likely be taken directly from the Historical Questions you have already answered. Thus once again, if you listen and reflect you should do very well on the tests.

Computer Use:

I firmly believe that computers can effectively be used for instruction and learning. We will do activities each week that require the use of either applications or the Internet. During class students can use their computers to take notes. If they choose to do so they will be asked to show me at the end of class the notes they have taken. If they cannot show that they were using their computer for class purposes their citizenship grade will drop which will effect their participation on Tigers Club. If they continue to misuse their computer during class they will ultimately be given infractions that can lead to detention. They will also loose the opportunity to use the computer anytime during class other than those times that the activity in questions necessitates it.

The rest –

I want this class to be challenging. I could manage it in a way that would emphasize the details, forcing you to memorize endless amounts of facts and data but that would not endear you to history or to me as a teacher. By asking you to consider how and why things happened, our US History will take on a new appearance and you will increase in the ability to think critically.