AP World History General Course Expectations & Guidelines

Grades are important. But what you learn is more important.

Mrs. Calkins

ltcalkins@interact.ccsd.net

Course Grading
I utilize a multiplicity of formal and informal assessment techniques as a way of monitoring student progress and development. I
am a strong advocate of using varied forms of assessment to stimulate growth and deter learning stagnation. All assessments
(including the quarter and semester finals) will be based on preparation for the AP World History Exam on May 15 th.
Each assignment will be graded according to the following:
100 to 90%= A
89 to 80%= B
79 to 70%= C
Grading Breakdown by percentage
Quarterly Grade
Tests/Quizzes/In-class essays
Projects/Notecards
Homework/Classwork

50%
25%
25%

69 to 60%= D
Semester Grade
Midterm/ Final Exam
1st or 3rd Quarter
2nd or 4th Quarter

59% to 0%= F

10%
45%
45%

Extra Credit
There will be a few opportunities to earn extra credit during each quarter. One form of extra credit will be to stay after school
and watch documentaries. I will ensure that you know ahead of time when they will be shown. Extra credit is an incentive for
conscientious students, not a lifesaver for those who do not complete their work.
Student Participation
Students are expected to be seated and ready for class to begin, when the bell rings. Being ready for class means: all
assignments due for that day are ready to be turned in and their books and notebooks are open to the appropriate pages. Students
are expected to join class discussions with appropriate questions, comments and answers.
Participation is expected and can affect your grade.
No student will earn a failing grade for this class if they do the following:
1)
Attend every class and be on time (On time consists of being completely in the classroom and seated)
2)
Complete all the assigned work for the class
3)
Give me their very best effort (as determined by the instructor, not the student)
Late Work
This is a college level course and must be treated as such; therefore, you are expected to do all work on time. In case of an
unforeseen situation, the late work policy is as follows:
For the first three days that an assignment is late, 10% will be deducted for each day
As of the fourth late day, the assignment will receive a 0 and cannot be made up.
All projects must be turned in on their due dates. Even if you are absent, you must find a way to get the project to
school.
Any chapter quizzes that are missed, due to an absence, the grade received on that portion of your Friday test, will make
up your quiz grade as well.
For any tests that are missed, you will have until the following Thursday to make it up. This must be set up with the
teacher and taken before or after school.
Make up Work
If you are absent, it is imperative that you ask the teacher for your make-up work. Getting make-up work is your responsibility.
Academic Dishonesty
Students must complete all of their assignments on their own, unless otherwise told by me. Any assignments that are turned in
which have been copied or plagiarized from any source will automatically receive a zero. In cases where students have copied

from one another, all students involved will receive a zero. Any plagiarized assignment will not be allowed to be made up,
including tests and quizzes. In addition, any academic dishonesty will result in a U for citizenship.
Electronically Submitted Items
Due to the fact that items can get lost in cyber-space, no assignment is to be submitted via email. If you do not have ink or a
printer, I do accept items shared with me via Google Drive. If you do not have a Google Drive account, please feel free to see me
and I will help you set one up. My email address associated with Google Drive is ltcalkins@interact.ccsd.net
If you do not wish to use Google Drive then I highly recommended you utilize the Durango High School library for any
computer and printer needs.
Required Items
The following is a list of materials that are required for class:
Binder (minimum 2 inches)Binders will be periodically checked throughout the year
Spiral Notebook (1-2 per semester, depending on your writing); or several packages of notebook paper
Binder Dividers (minimum 6-7)
3x5 Notecards (about 1000)
5 different color highlighters (Orange, Blue, Green, Pink, Yellow)
Blue or Black pensno assignment will be accepted in other colors
1 colored pen for grading
Pencils
Ethel Woods AP World History: An Essential Course book 2nd Edition
Unit Expectations
AP World History is broken into 6 units. For our class, units 1 & 2 will be combined. For each unit, you will be required to
complete several assignments. These assignments will only change in content; all requirements will remain the same. The
assignments are as followed:
Chapter notes
o Notes will be due the day of the chapter quiz
o You will always be reading ahead of class lectures and discussions
Notecardschapter notecards are due on the day of the chapter test
Chapter quizzes & tests
Vocabulary Quizzes
Chapter Quizzes & Tests
Chapter quizzes & tests are weekly. Quizzes will be given usually on Tuesday, unless there is no school on Tuesday then quizzes
will take place on Wednesday. Chapter tests will be on that same Friday. If you score an 80% or better on the chapter quiz, you
will not need to take the multiple choice questions on Friday and will receive a 100% on that portion of the test. You will have
the choice to answer any new multiple choice questions for extra credit. All other parts of the test must be completed, regardless
of your quiz grade. In addition, because this is a college level course, there will be no quiz or test re-dos. It is essential that you
prepare for all of your tests ahead of time.
Unit Tests
Unit tests will be given at the end of each unit. Because of the amount of material covered on each unit test, and the concept that
you learn from mistakes, you will be able to earn some lost credit back for unit tests. Directions will be given at a later date.
In Class Essays
Most of our essays are written in class and are timed. Due to the fact that you are still learning how to write AP level and
formatted essays, you will have the opportunity to rewrite all of your in class essays, on your own time, with the possibility of
earning up to a 100% on them (with the exception of the semester exams).