Historical Thinking Model

As a department we utilize the Historical Thinking Matters Model , as developed by the Stanford History Education Group, to teach our students the skills necessary to analyze and draw informed conclusions about documents and their connections to each other.

Sourcing: Consider the document’s author and its creation

Contextualizing: Situate the document in place and time.

Close Reading: Read carefully to consider what the source says and the language used to say it.

Corroborating: Check important details across multiple sources to determine points of agreement and disagreement.

Grading Policy

A grade is something that a student earns, so as of the first day of school students do not have a grade. If they do “A” work they will get an “A”, if they do “C” work they will get a “C”. An “A” means that their work is exceptional, and by exceptional, we mean nearly everything about it goes well above our expectations. A “C” means that students are performing and learning at the level that someone of their age should be. It also means that they do just what is expected. It is important to remember that teachers are the ones that decides grades, not students, not friends, not parents, not the principal, not the superintendent, and certainly not the school committee. We ask that if a student has a question or an issue about their grade that they speak to their teacher and not attempt to go above their head. We assume that students would prefer we speak with them about an issue instead of calling their parents first, and ask that they show us the same courtesy.

Grades in the Social Studies Department are calculated as follows, all class assignments and homework (collectively known as Assignments) will be worth 30% of a student's grade and all tests, quizzes, essays, DBQ’s and formal discussions (collectively known as Assessments) will be worth 70% of a student's grade.

Plagiarism Policy

Using the words or ideas of another and passing them off as one's own, as well as quoting from a published work without the use of quotation marks and identification of the author is plagiarism. The use of ideas and information in another person's work, even if that person's exact words are not copied, is also plagiarism, unless documented properly. Individual student assignments require students to submit their own individual work even if they could work together during the process. If caught plagiarizing, students will be required to redo the original assignment for no more than 50% credit. On the second and subsequent offenses students will receive zero credit.

Copying other's work

Students are expected to do your own work. Copying from another student's responses on an examination, from another student's project, essay, or another student's homework is dishonest and unacceptable. If the other student is an accomplice in your act, that student is equally guilty of academic dishonesty. If caught students will be required to redo the original assignment for no more than 50% credit. On the second and subsequent offenses students will receive zero credit.