United States History - Honors

Recommend Prerequisite: Early U.S. History

Grade offered: 11

Credit: ½-1

SDE Course Code: 3405

MNPS Course Code: SST5305

Course Description

This is a more intensive approach to the standard U.S. History course which emphasizes the history of the United States from Reconstruction to the present. Students will explore the culture, economics, geography, governance and civics, history, and individuals, groups and interactions of each major period. Students will be administered an end-of -course exam which counts a percentage of the student’s grade. U.S. History, Honors U.S. History or AP U.S. History is required for graduation.

Framework of Standards for Honors Courses: All honors courses must include multiple assessments exemplifying coursework (such as short answer, constructed-response prompts, performance-based tasks, open-ended questions, essays, original or creative interpretations, authentic products, portfolios, and analytical writing). Additionally an Honors course shall include a minimum of five of the following components:

1. Extended reading assignments that connect with the specified curriculum.

2. Research based writing assignments that address and extend the course curriculum.

3. Projects that apply course curriculum to relevant or real-world situations.

4. Open-ended investigations in which the student selects the questions and designs the research.

5. Writing assignments that demonstrate a variety of modes, purposes and styles.

6. Deeper exploration of the culture, values and history of the discipline.

7. Extensive opportunities for problem solving experiences through imagination, critical analysis, and application.

Reading: Honors history courses are those courses, along with advanced placement, that can be used to fulfill the requirements of the Scholars program. These types of courses should be midway in difficulty between standard courses and AP courses. Students must read and study to gain the wealth of knowledge necessary to meet the requirements for an honors diploma. Students should be tested weekly on class assignments and/or projects. In addition, teachers should carefully select extended reading assignments that connect with the curriculum. Students are expected to read from a variety of sources including essays, articles, biographies, primary sources, and documents. They will also study and interpret maps, charts, graphs, political cartoons, broadsides, posters, etc. Students are expected to interpret, analyze and evaluate information from the readings.

Writing: Honors courses should include researched based writing assignments that address and extend the course curriculum and demonstrate a variety of modes, purposes, and styles. Students are expected to write regularly and effectively, particularly the writing of essays using a thesis. Writing assignments might include essays, book reviews, document based questions, journals and research papers. All writing assignments should incorporate the historical research process including the development of research questions, the gathering of data and information (research), the formulation of a hypothesis, the collection of evidence, analyzing and interpreting evidence, and writing conclusions in narrative form.

Projects/Open-ended Investigations and Problem Solving: Honors courses in history should incorporate project-based learning opportunities. Honors students will be encouraged to develop projects that allow for the deeper investigation and exploration of cultures, values, and history. Such projects should follow the guidelines of National History Day competition which allows students to compete on the regional, state, and national levels. Each year’s competition follows a theme and encourages students to employ the historical research process during the development of the project. These projects may fall in one of the following categories: table-top exhibits, documentaries which incorporate various media and technology, performances, or research papers.