East Windsor High School Mission Statement

East Windsor High School is a learning community composed of students, parents, faculty, support staff, and administrators who are in a partnership with caregivers and the community at large. This diverse and changing community will provide a safe and secure learning environment that promotes lifelong learning for all students.  East Windsor High School will facilitate academic achievement and acquisition of knowledge and skills for future endeavors and develop an appreciation of the arts.  Students will respect themselves and others, lead healthy lifestyles, and become responsible citizens, problem solvers, and effective communicators while making positive contributions to society.

We can learn from history how past generations thought and acted, how they responded to the demands of their time and how they solved their problems. We can learn by analogy, not by example, for our circumstances will always be different than theirs were. The main thing history can teach us is that human actions have consequences and that certain choices, once made, cannot be undone.

Gerda Lerner

Summer Assignment Instructions

You have received your United States History review book and chosen a summer reading book from my classroom. Your assignments are as follows:

1. Read the introduction section and complete the first 3 chapters in the United States History review book, including the multiple choice questions and the short essay prompts. For now keep your essays to about 1 page so as to stay focused on the thesis and the answer.

For Chapter 1 also read the Guide to Writing an Essay, write just the first paragraph and thesis statement for an essay chosen from questions 2-5. Ask a partner to critique your work and revise it.

At the end of each chapter is a significant list of names, places and dates. Review the list and make a note to yourself of the ones you don't immediately recognize. This will help you later.

2. Your summer reading selection is to be thought of a pleasure reading, you won't write an essay, but you will be expected to discuss it with other classmates in the fall. A good historian works to consider a variety of viewpoints, this exercise will help you to practice that skill.

3. There is an extra credit assignment found on the Documents for Download page called The Rise of the Rest. If you are interested in the assignment, please email me and I will reply with directions.

Course Description

This course will be structured to help you develop analytical skills and the factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with topics in United States History. You will demonstrate these skills orally and in written expression. The program should challenge you by creating the demands made by a full-year introductory college level course. Your goal will be to prepare yourself for the A.P. exam and to earn college credit. Solid reading and writing skills, combined with a willingness to devote substantial time to homework and study are necessary for success. Short research papers linking American literature and history will be required work.

Textbooks

American History, Brinkley
United States History, Newman and Schmalbach
Decision in Philadelphia, Collier and Collier
Words of Ages, Larbalestier
The Irony of Democracy (7th ed.) Dye and Zeigler