Author: Tina Lyons

Current Issues

Ms. Melara Room 2215 Freshmen Academy Teresa.Melara@cobbk12.org
http://tmelara.edublogs.org

Spring 2020

North Cobb High School

Tutoring Schedule
Melara—2215 [Mornings 7:45 or by appointment]
Mercer—2218 [Mornings 7:45 or by appointment]
Porbandarwala—2212 [Mornings 7;45 or by appointment]

Grade / Category	%
Formative	40
Summative	45
Final	15
Total	100%

Course Description

Current Issues is a nine week course which will help prepare the student for future Social Studies courses. Students will begin a rigorous study of American history from 1945 to present to gain an understanding of current events in American society. Students will develop skills to think more critically, as they increase their knowledge of the world around us.
The course is important as a survey of modern American history which will help students interpret data involving the world we live in.
In this course the students will also complete Document Based Questions (DBQ) with which they will learn to interpret information from many sources. Students will utilize their problem solving skills with maps, graphs and charts.
A variety of tutorial sessions will be made available throughout the semester. Dates will be announced after second week.

Late Assignments:
Late work is one of the number one issues of low grades. The highest grade possible on any late assignment is a 70.

What else do I need to know to be successful

Come to class with all tools
Be on time; not only to class, but with all graded assignments
Be prepared by using a calendar.
Get every point possible. Extra credit points are almost always available by completing study guide for test
Attend test corrections to gain some points and reinforce your knowledge
Pay attention-no texting
You cannot learn while you are not in class
Not everything is graded, but all is worth a grade
Take PSAT

U.S History Current Issues Standards
SSUSHCE 1: 1942-1945: Examine the origins, developments and domestic impact of World War II.
a. Explain the lend-lease program.
b. Explain the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
c. Describe war mobilization, as indicated by rationing, war-time conversion.
d. Describe and the role of women in war industries.
e. Explain the importance of President Truman’s order to integrate the U.S. military and the federal government.
f. Explain the internment of Japanese- Americans.
g. Describe the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos and the scientific, overarching implications of developing the atomic bomb.
h. Explain the impact of the Tehran, Yalta, and Potsdam conferences on Eastern Europe.
i. Describe the baby boom and its impact as shown by Levittown and the Interstate Highway Act.
SSUSHCE 2: 1956 – 1961: Examine US international and domestic policies in Europe and Asia during the Cold War.
a. Describe the creation of the Marshall Plan, U.S. commitment to Europe, the Truman Doctrine, and the origins and implications of the containment policy.
b. Explain the impact of the new communist regime in China and the outbreak of the Korean War.
c. Describe the impact of competition with the USSR as evidenced by the launch of Sputnik I and President Eisenhower’s actions including the arms race.
d. Describe the presidential debates (Kennedy/Nixon, 1960).
e. Describe the communist regime in Cuba and analyze its impact on the relationship with United States.
f. Identify social movements that protest American military involvement, beginning with the war in Vietnam.
SSUSHCE 3: 1962 – 1970: Examine US domestic policies and social movements of the 1960s.
a. Identify Jackie Robinson and the integration of baseball.
b. Explain Brown v. Board of Education and efforts to resist the decision.
c. Describe the impact of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy; include the impact on civil rights legislation. Include the introduction of modern day affirmative action policies.
d. Describe the Warren Court and the expansion of individual rights as seen in the Miranda decision.
e. Explain Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society; include the establishment of Medicare.
f. Describe the causes and consequences of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).
g. Describe the significance of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail and his I Have a Dream Speech.
h. Describe the turmoil of 1968; include the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, and the events surrounding the Democratic National Convention.
i. Describe the impact television has had on American culture including the news coverage of the Civil
Rights Movement.
SSUSHCE 4: 1970 – Present Day: Examine the conclusion of the Cold War and the development of a new enemy.
a. Describe President Richard M. Nixon’s opening of China.
b. Analyze the formation of the State of Israel; explain the Camp David Accords, the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the Iranian hostage crisis, and the Iran-contra scandal.
c. Describe Reaganomics.
d. Analyze the reforms of Gorbachev with lead to the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.
e. Analyze the 2000 presidential election and its outcome, emphasizing the role of the Electoral College.
f. Analyze the response of President George W. Bush to the attacks of September 11, 2001, on the United States, the war against terrorism, and the subsequent American interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq.
g. Analyze the impact of technology on American life; include the development of the personal computer and the expanded use of air conditioning.