Class
Expectations
Mrs. Zaganjori
Social Studies
Welcome to Social Studies! In order to ensure that we all perform to our personal bests, it is important that we understand how the class will be organized. The purpose of this paper is to let you know what I expect of you and what you can expect from me as we learn together this year. You will keep it in the Reference section of your Social Studies notebook.
Essential Questions – Everything we learn this year will help us answer these five questionsÉ
1. How do archaeologists and historians piece together the puzzle of the past?
2. How does geography affect the development of civilizations?
3. How do civilizations begin, grow, change and decline?
4. What is the role of religion in civilizations?
5. How have individuals shaped/changed history?
Topics – from the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework
v
Introduction to
Archaeology
v
Early Humans
v
Ancient Mesopotamia
v
Ancient Egypt
v
Ancient Israelites
v
Phoenicia
v
Ancient Greece
v
Ancient Rome
These topics, as well as
topics from the sixth grade curriculum, will be on the 7th grade SS
MCAS in May.
Grading
¯
Summative Assessments
(tests, projects, writing assignments).ÉÉÉ..ÉÉÉÉ.60%
¯
Formative Assessments
(quizzes, classwork, graded homework).ÉÉÉÉ..ÉÉ..20%
¯
Homework (based on
effort)ÉÉÉÉÉ...ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ...........................20%
Homework will usually be assigned 4 nights per week
Arrival
Each
day when you arrive in class you should proceed directly to your seat and begin
working on the Òopener.Ó
Your first task will always be to write your homework in your
agenda. That may be followed by
another task or question to get you ready for the dayÕs lesson. The Òopener may be collected and graded
without warning. Finish any
conversation in the hallway before the bell rings. When you enter class it is time to start working and
everyone should be completing the opener when the bell rings. This does not mean that the bell is an
invitation to enter the room.
Anyone arriving after the bell rings without a pass is late.
What happens if I am late?
First of all, it is important for you to know what it
means to be late for my class. If
you are not in your seat and prepared to begin todayÕs lesson when the bell
rings, you will be considered tardy.
Placing your books on your desk and leaving the room does not indicate
that you were on time. I am here
to teach you, not your belongings.
If
some strange circumstance compels you to enter my room after the bell (without
a pass), you will be asked to sign the tardy log. The tardy log has a place for you to enter your name and the
date that you were late. If you
are tardy three times you will stay after school with me to make up the
precious minutes that you missed being in my presence. If this happens more than once you will
receive an office detention.
If
you enter my class on time, but without proper social studies materials, we
still have a problem. When you ask
to go to your locker, you will miss valuable learning experiences. Since you are missing a portion of the
class, you will also be asked to sign the tardy log.
What do I need in order to ÒBe prepared for class?Ó
I expect you to come to class each day with a writing
utensil, your binder (with homework, proper dividers and loose leaf paper), and
your agenda. Your binder should have five dividers with the following labels:
¯
References (for papers
you will need all year)
¯
Current Unit (openers,
notes, quizzes and homework from the current unit of study)
¯
Vocabulary and
Civilization Charts (you will fill these out for each unit and keep all year)
¯
Geography (maps for each
unit that you will keep all year)
¯
Tests and Study Guides
(for each unit that you will keep all year)
You
do not have to bring your textbook to class. I have a class set that we will be using. This means that you can keep your
Social Studies book at home, to use for assigned homework. If you have study halls, you might want
to keep the book in your locker.
Dismissal
I
am sure that you have all heard the phrase, ÒThe bell does not dismiss you, the
teacher dismisses you.Ó This is
also true in my class. You will be
given a dismissal question at the end of each class. Quietly raise your hand if you know the answer. Once a correct answer has been given, I
will dismiss the class. Dismissal
questions are taken from current events, Brain Quest ¨, and the topic we are
studying.
Classroom Rules
1. Do your best work.
2. Listen to (and follow) directions.
3. Be on time and prepared.
4. BE NICE!
Website
You
can access my web site through the Melican Middle School homepage to find permission slips, webquests and a
link to mygradebook.com.
Mygradebook.com will allow you to check your current grade and homework
assignments. I will post the homework for the following week every Friday.
Homework
Homework is an important part of the learning
process. It allows you to apply
information we have learned in class and to gather critical knowledge for class
discussions. Every assignment that
I give is necessary. Most homework
is graded based on effort, not accuracy.
If you try, you will do well.
If something extreme happens (alien abduction, attacked by pack of
hungry dogs, etc.) and you do not do your homework, your grade will be reduced
according to the following policyÉ
On
time = 100% of earned grade
1
day late = 80% of earned grade
2-5
days late = 50% of earned grade
Over
5 days late = 0
Late
work should be placed in the IN BOX on my desk. Make sure that your name is at the top. Any work that is not in the IN BOX
(e.g. on my chair, on the floor by my desk, lost in another section of the
desk) or has NO NAME will not be graded.
IF
YOU LEAVE YOUR HOMEWORK IN YOUR LOCKER – IT IS LATE!!!
What do I do if I am absent?
In the back of the room there is a sign that says
ÒAbsent?Ó Under that sign you will
find an agenda. The agenda will
tell you the homework that you missed, the classwork that you missed and the
names of any assignments that were turned in for credit. The day that you return to school you should:
1. Bring your agenda to the back of the room and copy the
information from my agenda. You
can also find the homework assignments that you missed on mygradebook.com.
2. Find any papers that you need in the OUT BOX tray with
you section number. Your name will
be on the papers.
3. Missing assignments should be placed on my desk in the
IN BOX. Make sure that your name
is on the top!
4. Ask a classmate to explain what we did in class
yesterday. If you missed notes,
borrow your classmateÕs notebook and copy.
5. It is your responsibility to make up this work. Plan on staying after school with me to
discuss any questions you have or to make up classwork.
6. Absent work must be made up within a week in order to
receive credit.
Paper Returns
If
you turn in a paper in late for any reason, you will find the corrected paper
in the OUT BOX the day after you place it in the IN BOX.
Extra Credit
You
will receive an extra credit paper.
Keep this in the Reference section of your binder. Each time you earn an extra credit
point a stamp or sticker will be added to you paper. You can redeem the stamps at the end of the marking
period. Each stamp will count as
one point on any assignment you choose to improve.
Ways
to earn stampsÉ.
¯
Bringing in articles for
the current events board. Sign up
next to the International Events board at any time during the week to present
your article on the following Friday.
Articles must be on stories outside of the United States or involving
the U.S. and at least one other country.
You must properly locate the countries discussed in the article on the
map and explain what you learned to the class. Articles must be at least 4 paragraphs long to count for
credit. You will receive one stamp
for each article, with a limit of 2 per week. An extra stamp will be given for articles that relate to our
current unit of study.
¯
Winning classroom games.
¯
Other opportunities will
be announced. There will be one
extra credit project per quarter.
If we all follow these rules and procedures, we will have a fun and challenging school year! I look forward to beginning our journey!