American History

Welcome to Mr. O'Brien's 7th grade American History class!

This is my 2nd year at Cranberry Jr/Sr High School and I am very proud to be a part of such an amazing district. I plan to make the best of my opportunity to help you succeed and reach those unexpected expectations.

A little bit about myself: I attended Clarion University for my bachelor in Secondary Education and have 6 teaching certifications that include Social Studies, Biology, Earth and Space Science, General Science, Technology Education and Business and Computer Education. I am married and have a wonderful wife and daughter. We live in Franklin and have been a large part of our local communities of Cranberry, Franklin and Oil City throughout our lives.

My goal is to help you learn and succeed in my class. I am here to teach you, and to make a positive difference in your life.

Note to the parents: Please feel free to contact me at any point if you have any questions. Email is the best way to contact me as I check it everyday.

dobrien@cranberrysd.org

Thank You and Good Luck to all of my students!

Classroom Policy:

  • It is our goal to study the beginnings of our nation to develop a solid foundation of knowledge about the people, places and events that are important to the development of our country.
  • A text book is available and we may use it on occasion. However, materials used in the class will be accessible on my Google Classroom (this will be updated frequently).
  • I give little homework, so in return I expect to use our classroom time wisely. This means being prepared and ready to learn as soon as you walk into my room.
  • I expect class assignments to be completed on time, however any homework assigned during the week can be turned in by the end of that week on Friday for partial credit if it is late. The amount of credit given depends on how late the assignment is.
  • Classroom Rules:
    1. Be respectful. Respect other students feelings, space and personal belongings.
    2. Be on time.
    3. Be prepared. (notes, homework and something to write with)
    4. Be responsible. Complete your assignments to the best of your ability. I expect hard work.
    5. Be present. If you are absent, you are not learning, you cannot complete assignments and this will affect your grade.
  • I will keep CSIU updated. Some large assignments or projects may take longer to grade and they will be updated in CSIU as soon as grading is complete.

Many PA Standards will be implicated throughout this course. Some of which include:

Principles and Documents of Government

Basic Geographic Literacy

Historical Analysis and Skills Development

Pennsylvania History

United States History


You can find more information about PA Standards at this link:

https://www.pdesas.org/Standard