About the Class

World History with Mr. Duez
Click here for Course Information document on Google Docs.


World History
Mr. Duez
Room #2605 Blue 2
Atascocita High School
http://mrduez.com
david.duez@gmail.com
713.724.4103 cell


Course Information: World History is a class that covers the development of the first humans all the way through World War II and the Cold War.  Multiple sources will be used to examine history.  Understanding is advanced through the acquisition and mastery of factual knowledge as well as analytical, writing, test-taking and organizational skills.  Comparison of major civilizations over time is central to the presentation of history. There will also be a healthy focus on current events occurring throughout the world.  

Grading:  The six weeks grade consists of the following:
A. tests/major essays/projects grades    = 60%     
B. daily grades/homework/quiz grades    = 40%                   
The semester grade includes the average of the three six week grades and a final exam.  The final exam accounts for 20% of the final semester average.

Homework:  There is usually only one homework assignment during each chapter/unit.  The students will have the homework questions on the very first day of the chapter/unit.  They are due generally in a week to 10 days.  Homework is due on the date provided in class.  
The due dates for homework, quiz and test are always on the Learning Targets form that I provide each chapter/unit.  There is a Learning Targets board in class that lists what we are going to learn each day, followed by the agenda and assignments for that day.  

Projects:  We will do many small in class projects while studying history this year.  There will also be one major project per semester and it will be assigned in the second six weeks period of each semester.  The project always consists of three parts:  
1) A Research Paper 2) A Presentation to the class & 3) A Product (model, poster, digital video, etc.).  
Why a project each semester?  The projects are related to the skills that we are developing in history.  The skills are aligned with the essential skills that college professors are looking for:
A - Analyzing a prompt (question) S - Selective and purpose driven readingF - Focused note takingI - Integrating sources into a text
Reassessment:  All assignments can be reassessed once for up to a possible grade of 85.  All reassessment needs to be scheduled with Mr. Duez for tutoring times only.  Reassessment will not occur during the normal classroom schedule because that is for instruction time only.  
For tests, students will need to provide notes from the classroom or notes from their textbook to show that they have prepared and studied to have the option to reassess a test.  
Quizzes and homework also need to be completed before reassessment can happen on a test for that chapter.  Homework can be reassessed for a grade up to an 85 through oral questioning by Mr. Duez during tutoring time only.  
Once the next test has been taken the window for reassessment closes (typically a week or two).  For example, you can reassess Ch. 1 test only up to the date that the student takes the Ch. 2 test.

Website:  I take great pride in my website.  It is updated daily with information on the class, including assignments and many download-able documents.  Students can find my power points embedded into the website.  Study guides, project information, videos that extend the learning outside of the classroom and vocabulary lists are all stored here:  http://mrduez.com

Please do not hesitate to contact me directly if you have any questions, comments or concerns.  I value my relationship with my students and their parent/guardians.  We are each on a team that is preparing these young men and women for life.  I take that responsibility very seriously and promise to do all I can to help each student reach their full potential.