World History 9 Honors
Welcome to ninth grade World History Honors! The goal of this exploratory course is to introduce students to the rigorous curriculum they can expect to find in the Honors and AP courses at Tappan Zee High School. A major goal is for students to become independent thinkers and active learners, while developing the advanced skills of historical analysis and critical writing necessary for success in a challenging academic environment. While all ninth grade classes will cover the period of World History up to 1650, in the honors course special attention will be paid to developing historical connections and an understanding of World History in its entirety.
One of the most important goals of the course is to provide students with reading and writing skills and strategies that enable them to move beyond basic comprehension. Students will learn how to gather information to support conclusions as well as create them. A wide variety of resources will be utilized to meet this challenge including textbooks, primary sources, and secondary historical sources. In addition to critical and active reading, students will learn to construct cohesive and thoughtful historical arguments by focusing on a multitude of sources and essay writing.
A key expectation of the course will be active student involvement on multiple levels. Study skills will focus on organization, test-preparation, and the formulation of questions to drive individual learning. Individual assignments will be vital to creating an academic environment in which every student is expected to participate in meaningful class discussions and group activities. This important component is therefore reflected in the grading policy.
One of the most important goals of the course is to provide students with reading and writing skills and strategies that enable them to move beyond basic comprehension. Students will learn how to gather information to support conclusions as well as create them. A wide variety of resources will be utilized to meet this challenge including textbooks, primary sources, and secondary historical sources. In addition to critical and active reading, students will learn to construct cohesive and thoughtful historical arguments by focusing on a multitude of sources and essay writing.
A key expectation of the course will be active student involvement on multiple levels. Study skills will focus on organization, test-preparation, and the formulation of questions to drive individual learning. Individual assignments will be vital to creating an academic environment in which every student is expected to participate in meaningful class discussions and group activities. This important component is therefore reflected in the grading policy.