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Welcome to 7th Grade Social Studies!
Hi all, welcome to the 2020/2021 school year. This has been an interesting start but the kids have been great, and we all can't wait until we are back in the classroom. Until then we are working diligently online. Here is a little bit about me before we get to the expectations, curriculum and a typical Social Studies in school class.
This is my 29th year of teaching Social Studies, all within Dublin City Schools, and I have been at Grizzell Middle School since it opened in 1994. Besides teaching I also coach 8th grade girls’ volleyball in the fall and 8th grade boys’ basketball in the winter. I have been married to my wife Julie for over 31 years and we have three kids: Nicholas who is 30, Zach who is 27 and Laurel who is 24. They all have jobs supporting themselves, but they all decided to move back home (two with significant others and each with a big dog) to save up for their own place sooner than later. I will enjoy the craziness while it lasts! In what little time I am not spending with my family, I like to play and watch sports, run or bike, play board games or read.
7TH GRADE HISTORY UNITS
This is the Dublin City Schools Curriculum, which follows the Ohio Academic Content Standards.
The year begins with a few intro history activities and a review of map skills and ancient civilizations.
We then move to a longer unit on Ancient Greece.
Next up the focus is on the Roman Republic and Roman Empire. (End of First Semester)
The 3rd quarter begins with the beginnings of Islam, then moves to early African civilizations.
Next up are units covering the European Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation.
We finish up our time in Social Studies with explorers, and have moved all the way up to the 1750s.
We also try to discuss current events, themes, topics and presidential elections when appropriate.
RULES AND EXPECTATIONS
My rules and expectations for 7th grade Social Studies are simple, I expect students to try their best and be nice to one another. While we are focused and serious at times, I do try to make your child laugh or at least smile every day. I also expect every student to come to school prepared and ready to work towards his or her potential, which obviously can be different for each child. If your student is underachieving (missing two assignments, poor tests or projects, or constantly off task or misbehaving), you will be notified. If you ever have a question or concern, feel free to contact me, especially if your child had a busy night or is stressed about something.
A TYPICAL SOCIAL STUDIES CLASS (in school)
A typical Social Studies class is about 40 minutes long and consists of multiple activities.
The students typically begin class by looking at the agenda and sometimes going over the homework.
After that I give them a short lesson or a few notes or some directions. Then, either individually or in small groups, the kids usually work for most of the rest of the class on some sort of map or in-class project that relates to the early mini-lesson.
The remaining time in class is then used to read historical info and stories, try puzzlers, have discussions, begin homework and briefly wrap up.
Students will typically have some homework most nights, to preview or review the information they will be tested on at the end of the unit. They almost always get a chance to start it in class and it should not take them more than a 20 minutes per night.
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