If you are looking for Mr. McDermott's website here is the link:   http://www.oncoursesystems.com/school/webpage.aspx?id=11399227


World History

North Paulding High School

World History

Syllabus 2012-2013 

Teacher: Sean McDermott

Room: 1011

E-Mail: smcdermott@paulding.k12.ga.us

Telephone: 770-443-9400

Book Title: World History: Patterns of Interaction (McDougal Littell)

Replacement Cost: $74.95

Attitude – by Charles Swindoll

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. 

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.  It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It’ll make or break a church…a home…a school…a classroom. The remarkable thing, however, is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we’ll embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the way people will act.

We cannot change the inevitable. 

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. 

I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.”

Course Description: The purpose of this World History course is to develop greater understanding of the evolution of global processes and contacts in interaction with different types of human societies. It is the study of those aspects in human experiences that relate to the experiences of the larger grouping of humanity, like whole societies, civilizations, hemispheres, and humanity as a whole. The understanding is advanced through a combination of selective factual knowledge and appropriate analytical skills.  This will be accomplished through a chronological comparative study of cultures from roughly 8000 B.C.E. to present.

What You Will Need

The following is a list of materials you will need for this class.  Please let me know if you will have trouble obtaining any of these items and we can work something out.  Success in this class depends on each student having adequate supplies.

• Loose Leaf Notebook Paper
• Pens and Pencils
• One 1" or 2” three-ringed binder *

Grades

Most assignments are awarded points.  Points will vary depending on the assignment. I will provide a scoring guide/rubric for major assignments and projects.  The scoring guide/rubric will tell you exactly what you need to do in order to earn the maximum points possible.

Through my own discretion I will provide you with a detailed progress report if I feel one should be brought to your attention.  These reports are designed to let you know where you stand and what you may need to do if you are dissatisfied with your grade. Your parent or guardian must sign an acknowledgment stating they have review your progress report. 

Certain assignments are weighted more than others. 

Your overall grade will be calculated using the following grade divisions:

Summative Assignments (Tests, and Projects)  approximately 57% of final grade.

Formative Assignments (Quizzes, Classwork Packets)  approximately 23% of final grade

Final Exam approximately 20% of the final grade**

**If student does not qualify for exemption

The standard grading scale will be used to calculate your letter grade:

 Pacing Guide for World History

The course is broken up into the following units and goes in chronological order:

Unit 1:  SSWH1 - SSWH8 - Early Civilizations throught the Medieval Period 

Unit 2:   SSWH9 & SSWH10 - Renaissance, Reformation and Exploration

Unit 3:  SSWH11 - SSWH15 - Age of Revolutions, Enlightenment and Imperialism

Unit 4:  SSWH16 - SSWH18 - The World at War

Unit 5:  SSWH19 - SSWH21 -  Change, Time and Continuity from 1945 til the Present