Welcome Back!

Hello, history students! Happy New Year and welcome back!

To get back into the swing of things, we're going to revisit our policies and procedures that make our classroom the best possible learning environment for everyone.

Additionally, we need to talk about what is on the books for the rest of the school year. June 1st will be here before we know it. And you know what will be here even sooner than that? THE CAMBRIDGE EXAM! We need to make sure we take every moment of class very seriously from here on out -- each minute wasted in class is a minute you're not prepared for you exam in May. My goal is to make sure that each and every one of you feels prepared when going in tho take your Cambridge History exam. I hope you all will do your part to prepare yourselves as well!

Next on the agenda: COURSEWORK! What is coursework, you might ask? Well, I have the answer for you! In the U.S. we often hear the word coursework and think of it in the same way as classwork or homework. Coursework is different; it is a specific assignment each of you must complete in order to finish this class. At Cambridge, they define coursework as an assignment that replaces one of your exams, that you complete in the classroom, with resources at your disposal.

Coursework is structured similarly to your exams, so not only is it an assignment, but it's a pretty neat way to help prepare you for your exam! You will be given a specific topic and specific questions to answer, including sources to analyze, compare/contrast, and explain.

P1M, P2G, & P4G: You will be doing your coursework based on the German Depth Study we just completed.

P2M: You will be doing your coursework based on the Russian Depth Study we will be starting.

We will look per the requirements for coursework as well as examples of student work. This should give you an idea of the quality and depth that these assignments need to be given.

You will be given limited time in class to complete this assignment, but you do not have to limit the amount of time you work on it. I encourage you to work on it outside of class as much as possible!

Here's the catch: I will be grading your coursework assignments, but I will also be sending a handful of them to Cambridge. Cambridge will make sure that I am grading them fairly and appropriately based on their standards. Your work must meet Cambridge standards. Lucky for you I've been grading you like that all year. :)

This is sort of a difficult idea to understand, so please make sure to ask lots of questions. The more we talk about what coursework is, the more you'll understand it, and the easier it will be.

Finally, coursework will be due February 10 for all classes. Mark your calendars, folks. That seems like forever, but I promise you, it is not. Use your time wisely!