Syllabus

8th Grade Social Studies Syllabus

Desert Shadows Middle School


Instructor: Mrs. Green

Room: E-23

E-mail: mgreen@pvschools.net

Website: https://sites.google.com/a/pvlearners.net/agreen/


Textbook: This course will include a wide range of primary and secondary sources in addition to the use of the online techbook provided by - Discovery Education. This online only resource can be accessed in Mrs. Green’s Clever page through the PVSchools Authentication Portal, click on the Clever App, sign in with your PVSchools account, and select the corresponding resource.

Scope of Content: Citizenship and Civic Engagement in Today’s Society

The content focus will be viewed through civic and economic lenses. Citizenship and civic engagement will be taught through inquiry. Eighth grade students will make connections between historical and current/contemporary issues as a base for implementing change in society. Students will recognize and practice their roles and responsibilities as both American and global citizens. United States History will focus on the major events that have their roots in the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and subsequent amendments.


Communication: Email me at mgreen@pvschools.net

Please include your full name and class period in the subject line of your email. I will respond to emails within 24 hours. Emails sent over the weekend will be responded to on the next following school day. Students must email me from their PVlearners account pursuant to district policy.

SS Weekly Agenda will always contain the most up to date information and instructions on current and upcoming assignments.  

Google Classroom All assignments will be posted in Google Classroom. Students can also post a personal comment or a public comment through Google Classroom. If the question is directly related to an assignment, students should post their question through Google Classroom either private or public

Infinite Campus will be used to update and monitor student grades and attendance. I will also be communicating to all parents and students using emails in IC so please make sure they are up to date.


Classroom Supplies: Students will need to have the following materials for class:


Grading Formula Based On







Grading Scale: Percentage of Total Points


Community Service: Desert Shadows Middle School students are required to complete community service hours as 10% of their social studies grade. Eighth  grade students are required to complete 8 hours of service for each semester, for a total of 16 hours of community service for the school year. 8 hours are due on Dec. 8th, 2023, and the other 8 hours are due on May 3rd, 2024. These hours must be recorded on the DSMS community service form which can be found in my classroom, in Google Classroom and on my website. Students may not miss a school day to complete their hours. Parents may not verify community service forms for their own students. Please see my website for a list of possible community service opportunities that will be accepted. If you have questions about what can and cannot be done as community service, please email me.


Classwork/Homework: All classwork and/or homework assignment due dates will be posted on the SS Weekly Agenda and in Google Classroom with any instructions, handouts, or links attached.  For full credit, students MUST represent their best work, answer all questions in complete sentences, and follow all assignment instructions. Any typed assignments must be typed in size 12, Times New Roman, Calibri, Comic Sans, or Arial font. Classwork and/or homework must be marked ‘Turned In’ on Google Classroom by the date and time due as indicated on the assignment instructions. Any assignments that are not marked ‘Turned In’ on Google Classroom by the due date and time will be considered Late.


Late Work: Any work turned in after the Google Classroom due date and time will be accepted as late work. Work turned in late will be accepted for a maximum of 50% credit. No late work for a unit or chapter will be accepted after the end of that unit or chapter. Late work will not be graded until it has been marked ‘Turned In’ on Google Classroom by the student.


Makeup Work/Assessments: If you have an excused absence, you will be given the total number of days missed to turn in missing assignments pursuant to district policy. Homework MUST be turned in electronically in the set number of days following your return for potential full credit. Any work turned in later than this will be considered late work. If you miss a class, you are responsible for getting caught up on any missing assignments by checking Google Classroom for any handouts, assignments, or more. Any make-up assessments must be scheduled within the first two days you have returned to class. It must be made up within one week of the scheduled assessment date. You may email me to schedule the make-up assessment.


Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a serious offense. Plagiarism, or academic dishonesty, is the unacknowledged use of another’s words, ideas, or information. Some common examples of plagiarism are summarizing or paraphrasing source material without documentation, quoting without citations, copying all or parts of another writer’s paper, having another person write the paper,  purchasing another writer’s paper, copy/pasting from the internet or another student, sharing your Google Documents with other students.

To avoid plagiarism, students must give a source credit for any ideas or information they have used in an essay, whether they have paraphrased, summarized, or quoted from the source. (MLA formatting).

In order to avoid accusations of plagiarism, students should never electronically share their Google assignments with other students. The occurrence of plagiarism may result in a zero for that assignment. Multiple instances of plagiarism from the same student may result in a conference with school administrators.