Teacher Contact Information:
Email: phiggins@farmcards.org
Cell (text messages only, please): 870.582.3720
Phone (voice calls): 479.266.1870
Conference/Plan: A Days, 1st Block; B Days, 3rd Block
Website: https://sites.google.com/a/farmcards.org/mrs-higgins
Course Objectives:
In preparation for the ACT Aspire and their upcoming transition to high school, students will:
examine and imitate ways successful readers think and visualize while reading, interacting with, and examining historical texts and content.
learn to respond to historical texts and content through meaningful, concise short responses, summaries, and comprehension assessments.
produce pieces of narrative, expository, argumentative, and research writing pertaining to historical content.
increase academic vocabularies through word analysis, discovering meaning through context, and integrating new words into writing.
Curriculum:
The curriculum for this course aligns with the Arkansas State Standards for social studies, which are available on the Arkansas Board of Education website, www.arkansased.gov.
In Class Literature:
**Please note: This list is not exhaustive and may be changed through the course of the year.
Assignments/Assessments:
Students will engage in a variety of activities designed to foster their critical thinking and literacy skills. Throughout the course of study, we will engage in reading, document-based questioning and analysis, project creation, cooperative learning, notetaking, writing, research, discovery, and summative assessments.
Homework/Homework Policy:
Although assignments and assessments are designed to be completed in class, any assignment not completed in class is automatically homework. This includes projects, comprehension activities, and writing assignments, as well as any other incomplete activity. Lunch detention will be assigned to students with excessive incomplete/missing assignments in order to provide extra time and help.
Assignments are available through Google Classroom and weekly agendas are available on the home page of our classroom website. In the event of absences, including planned (school-related - athletics, agri, clubs, etc. - or family-related events) and unplanned (due to illness), students should check these sources for makeup work either while out of school during the absence or upon return to class. Missed assignments due to absence should be considered homework.
Grading Policy:
Grades are based on a point system and are updated regularly through the state-mandated HAC online reporting system. District policies governing grading will be followed. Students should monitor progress regularly. Grades are not weighted; however, the following categories will be used for this class:
· Projects
· Classwork
· Writing & Document Analysis
· Participation
· Lesson & Unit Assessments (Quizzes/Tests)
A = 90% – 100% B = 80% – 89% C = 70% – 79% D = 60% – 69% F =59% or below
Required Materials:
1 folder
General supplies to have available:
Highlighter
Pencils
Colored pencils
Classroom Procedures, Rules, Expectations, and Consequences:
District policies governing behavior will be followed. Please see link for classroom expectations.