Essentials U.S. History A

Course Description:

This is a survey course of United States history focusing on the period from the Civil War through the present. The United States began as an experiment in freedom and democracy. Since its establishment, the country and its people have endured social, political and economic revolutions. In this course, students will investigate the people, events and ideas that have shaped the United States. Students are asked to analyze and evaluate decisions made by political, business, and military leaders. Emphasis is placed on connections between events of the past and present.

Course Details:

Course Title (District): Essentials U.S. History A
Course Title (NCES SCED) : Modern U.S. History
Course Provider : Michigan Virtual
Content Provided By : Florida Virtual School
Online Instructor Provided By : Michigan Virtual
Standards Addressed : Michigan Merit Curriculum, Michigan High School Content Expectations
Alignment Document : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LX6FqUtg5gmvSmCyp-5RkmqZnoeLLgAhNTfCl7Fg78E/edit?usp=sharing
Academic Terms : Accelerated, Open Entry / Open Exit, Semester
NCES SCED Code :
Subject Area : Social Sciences and History
Course Identifier : Modern U.S. History
Course Level : High School (Secondary)
Available Credit : 0.5
Sequence : 1 of 2

How To Enroll:

Enrollment Website : https://slp.michiganvirtual.org/
Email : [email protected]
Phone : (888) 889-2840

Students and Parents: It is important to work closely with your local school counselor or registrar to follow the school's enrollment procedures. By clicking the "Start Registration Request" button below, you will be able to notify the school of your interest in registering for the online course. However, it is the responsibility of the district or school to review the registration request and approve or deny the request. Please make a note to follow up with your school after submitting a registration request.

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Additional Course Information:

Additional Cost: $0.0

Additional Cost Description:

None

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to... 

 

  • Describe a location using appropriate geographic terms
  • Identify causes and consequences of the Civil War, including economic, social, and political consequences
  • Describe issues that divided Republicans during the early Reconstruction era
  • Distinguish and analyze the freedoms guaranteed to African Americans in the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution
  • Analyze Reconstruction policy on Southern life through primary source material
  • Describe efforts by the U.S. government to assimilate Native Americans into American culture and identify settlement patterns in the American West, the reservation system, and the difficulties facing the Native Americans from 1865–1890
  • Explain the causes and discuss major events of the second Industrial Revolution in the U.S.
  • Analyze the economic challenges to American farmers and farmers' responses to these challenges in the mid to late 1800s.
  • Identify the different immigrant groups that arrived in the United States during the Industrial Revolution and explain the reasons why they immigrated to the United States
  • Explain the concept of a political machine and identify significant players
  • Explain the need for labor unions and assess their success or failure
  • Explain how industrialization led to imperialism
  • Explain the causes and effects of the Spanish American War.
  • Analyze the economic, military, and security motivations of the United States to complete the Panama Canal as well as major obstacles involved in its construction
  • Identify and explain the causes of World War I, analyze the effect World War I had on U.S. social, economic, foreign policy, and on the attitudes of the American citizens.
  • Identify and state the impact of the new technological developments of weaponry during World War I
  • Explain the purpose, benefits, and risks of the League of Nations
  • Explain the causes and consequences of the Red Scare
  • Recognize the cause-and-effect relationships of economic trends as they relate to society in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s
  • Identify and/or evaluate the decisions made by national and state governments related to immigration and other civil rights issues
  • Identify and/or evaluate the impact of business practices, consumer patterns, and government policies of the 1920s and 1930s as they relate to the Great Depression
  • identify the impact of business practices, consumer patterns, and government policies of the 1930s as they relate to the New Deal

iNACOL National Standards for Quality Online Courses

Academic Content Standards and Assessments Rating Comments
The goals and objectives clearly state what the participants will know or be able to do at the end of the course. The goals and objectives are measurable in multiple ways. Fully Met
The course content and assignments are aligned with the state’s content standards, Common Core curriculum, or other accepted content standards set for Advanced Placement® courses, technology, computer science, or other courses whose content is not included in the state standards. Fully Met
The course content and assignments are of sufficient rigor, depth and breadth to teach the standards being addressed. Fully Met
Information literacy and communication skills are incorporated and taught as an integral part of the curriculum. Fully Met
Multiple learning resources and materials to increase student success are available to students before the course begins. Fully Met
Course Overview and Introduction Rating Comments
Clear, complete course overview and syllabus are included in the course. Fully Met
Course requirements are consistent with course goals, are representative of the scope of the course and are clearly stated. Fully Met
Information is provided to students, parents and mentors on how to communicate with the online instructor and course provider. Fully Met Provided in the Michigan Virtual Blackboard learning management system (LMS).
Legal and Acceptable Use Policies Rating Comments
The course reflects multi-cultural education, and the content is accurate, current and free of bias or advertising. Fully Met
Expectations for academic integrity, use of copyrighted materials, plagiarism and netiquette (Internet etiquette) regarding lesson activities, discussions, and e-mail communications are clearly stated. Fully Met Provided in the Michigan Virtual Blackboard learning management system (LMS).
Privacy policies are clearly stated. Fully Met Provided in the Michigan Virtual Blackboard learning management system (LMS).
Instructor Resources Rating Comments
Online instructor resources and notes are included. Fully Met There is a provided eteacher guide in the "Instructors Only" area in Blackboard.
Assessment and assignment answers and explanations are included. Fully Met
Accessing Course Effectiveness Rating Comments
The course provider uses multiple ways of assessing course effectiveness. Fully Met Students have the ability to rate the lesson as completed and provide an evaluation of the course experience and support in an end-of-course survey. Michigan Virtual also has access to additional data regarding student success and satisfaction with courses.
The course is evaluated using a continuous improvement cycle for effectiveness and the findings used as a basis for improvement. Fully Met
Course Updates Rating Comments
The course is updated periodically to ensure that the content is current. Fully Met
Certification Rating Comments
Course instructors, whether faceto-face or virtual, are certificated and “highly qualified.” The online course teacher possesses a teaching credential from a state-licensing agency and is “highly qualified” as defined under ESEA. Fully Met All Michigan Virtual instructors are certified in the state of Michigan, endorsed within their assigned content areas and grade levels, and highly qualified under state and federal guidelines.
Instructor and Student Support Rating Comments
Professional development about the online course delivery system is offered by the provider to assure effective use of the courseware and various instructional media available. Fully Met Michigan Virtual instructors complete an onboarding course prior to teaching, annual professional development and conference attendance, participate in monthly department meetings, and are provided online resources for various instructional media.
The course provider offers technical support and course management assistance to students, the course instructor, and the school coordinator. Fully Met Michigan Virtual instructors have access to the Michigan Virtual Knowledge Base with tutorials to assist them as well as a technical support ticketing system to request additional support for technical issues in a course. Students also have a Customer Care center that offers technical support and course management assistance.
Course instructors, whether face-to-face or virtual, have been provided professional development in the behavioral, social, and when necessary, emotional, aspects of the learning environment. Fully Met
Course instructors, whether face-to-face or virtual, receive instructor professional development, which includes the support and use of a variety of communication modes to stimulate student engagement online. Fully Met
The provider assures that course instructors, whether face-to-face or virtual, are provided support, as needed, to ensure their effectiveness and success in meeting the needs of online students. Fully Met
Students are offered an orientation for taking an online course before starting the coursework. Fully Met Students are offered Michigan Virtual-specific orientation lessons and activites within all courses in addition to the Online Learning Orientation Tool (OLOT) located on the LMS homepage for students with no prior experience in taking an online course.
Instructional and Audience Analysis Rating Comments
Course design reflects a clear understanding of all students’ needs and incorporates varied ways to learn and master the curriculum. Fully Met
Course, Unit and Lesson Design Rating Comments
The course is organized by units and lessons that fall into a logical sequence. Each unit and lesson includes an overview describing objectives, activities, assignments, assessments, and resources to provide multiple learning opportunities for students to master the content. Fully Met
Instructional Strategies and Activities Rating Comments
The course instruction includes activities that engage students in active learning. Fully Met
The course and course instructor provide students with multiple learning paths, based on student needs that engage students in a variety of ways. Fully Met
The course provides opportunities for students to engage in higher-order thinking, critical reasoning activities and thinking in increasingly complex ways. Fully Met
The course provides options for the instructor to adapt learning activities to accommodate students’ needs. Fully Met
Readability levels, written language assignments and mathematical requirements are appropriate for the course content and grade-level expectations. Fully Met
Communication and Interaction Rating Comments
The course design provides opportunities for appropriate instructor-student interaction, including opportunities for timely and frequent feedback about student progress. Fully Met
The course design includes explicit communication/activities (both before and during the first week of the course) that confirms whether students are engaged and are progressing through the course. The instructor will follow program guidelines to address non-responsive students. Fully Met Michigan Virtual instructor guidelines ensure such interaction through welcome letters, instructor introductions, and regular progress reporting.
The course provides opportunities for appropriate instructor-student and student-student interaction to foster mastery and application of the material. Partially Met There is limited student/student interaction.
Resources and Materials Rating Comments
Students have access to resources that enrich the course content. Partially Met There are no additional resources within the course content, but instructors typically supplement intructional material.
Evaluation Strategies Rating Comments
Student evaluation strategies are consistent with course goals and objectives, are representative of the scope of the course and are clearly stated. Fully Met
The course structure includes adequate and appropriate methods and procedures to assess students’ mastery of content. Fully Met
Feedback Rating Comments
Ongoing, varied, and frequent assessments are conducted throughout the course to inform instruction. Fully Met
Assessment strategies and tools make the student continuously aware of his/her progress in class and mastery of the content. Fully Met
Assessment Resources and Materials Rating Comments
Assessment materials provide the instructor with the flexibility to assess students in a variety of ways. Fully Met
Grading rubrics are provided to the instructor and may be shared with students. Fully Met
The grading policy and practices are easy to understand. Fully Met
Course Architecture Rating Comments
The course architecture permits the online instructor to add content, activities and assessments to extend learning opportunities. Partially Met Instructors cannot alter content provided by the course vendor, but Michigan Virtual instructors are permitted to add supplemental materials as needed via the Blackboard LMS.
The course accommodates multiple school calendars; e.g., block, 4X4 and traditional schedules. Fully Met The calendar within the learning management system permits adjustments to the pacing guides, though Michigan Virtual has established start and end dates for fall, spring, summer, and trimester enrollment terms.
User Interface Rating Comments
Clear and consistent navigation is present throughout the course. Fully Met
Rich media are provided in multiple formats for ease of use and access in order to address diverse student needs. Fully Met
Technology Requirements and Interoperability Rating Comments
All technology requirements (including hardware, browser, software, etc...) are specified. Fully Met Communicated in the syllabus, the Michigan Virtual website, and the Blackboard LMS.
Prerequisite skills in the use of technology are identified. Fully Met
The course uses content-specific tools and software appropriately. Fully Met
The course is designed to meet internationally recognized interoperability standards. Fully Met
Copyright and licensing status, including permission to share where applicable, is clearly stated and easily found. Fully Met Communicated within the Michigan Virtual Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) through the website and the LMS.
Accessibility Rating Comments
Course materials and activities are designed to provide appropriate access to all students. The course, developed with universal design principles in mind, conforms to the U.S. Section 504 and Section 508 provisions for electronic and information technology as well as the W3C’s Web Content Accessibility guidelines (WCAg 2.0). Fully Met
Data Security Rating Comments
Student information remains confidential, as required by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Fully Met Course is password protected; the privacy policy is communicated in the Blackboard LMS.

Review Conducted By: Michigan Virtual
Date of Review: 08/19/2019

Module 1: Reconstruction p>

Module 2: Industrial Revolution

Module 3: Enter the World Stage

Module 4: Between the Wars

Term Type Enrollment Opens Enrollment Ends Random Draw Date Enrollment Drop Date Course Starts Course Ends # of Seats Course Fee Potential Additional Costs
Drop Policy Completion Policy Term Type Enrollment Opens Enrollment Ends
Students can use email or the private message system within the Student Learning Portal to access highly qualified teachers when they need instructor assistance. Students will also receive feedback on their work inside the learning management system. The Instructor Info area of their course may describe additional communication options.
School Year Enrollment Count Pass Count Completion Rate Notes
22-23 87 54 62.07%
21-22 103 86 83.5%
19-20 38 21 55.26%

Students will require a computer device with headphones, a microphone, webcam, up-to-date Chrome Web Browser, and access to YouTube. It is also recommended that students possess or access a scientific calculator for this course.

 

Please review the Michigan Virtual Technology Requirements: https://michiganvirtual.org/about/support/knowledge-base/technical-requirements/.