Instructor: Jim Moore
Room: 703
Planning Times: 8:45 - 10:25
Available Conference Times: During planning times
E-Mail: jamoore@greenville.k12.sc.us
School Telephone: (864) 355-1438
Course Title: 8th Grade Social Studies: South Carolina History
Course Description (Focus and Purpose):
Eighth-grade social studies focus on the history of South Carolina and the role of our state and its people in the development of the United States as a nation. We will learn about our state’s development during colonial times, the growth of the American ideal which led to the American Revolution, the rising controversy over slavery, and the Civil War. We will continue our study of South Carolina from Reconstruction to the present time, with a focus on the struggle for social justice and economic diversity. Instruction will include many social studies literacy skills for twenty-first-century learners, which are outlined at the end of this syllabus.
Learning Levels:
In social studies, we function with a heterogeneous concept. Realizing that all students do not learn at the same rate or the same way, class instruction will be differentiated to better suit all learners.
Goals:
My mission is to motivate my students to become life-long, enthusiastic learners and effective communicators. I want them to become proficient and engaged disseminators of history. Instruction will be based on the Greenville County Schools curriculum guide and the South Carolina Social Studies Curriculum Standards. These standards can be accessed on the SC Department of Education website: www.state.sc.us/sde/educators/standards.
Required Materials
Composition notebook
#2 pencils
Highlighters
colored pencils
Online Textbook
Gibbs Smith Education Textbook: South Carolina Journey
The district-wide grading scale is as follows:
100-90 A
89-80 B
79-70 C
69-60 D
59-50 F
Grading Policies:
All assignments should be turned in on time.
Students who have been absent have 5 school days upon returning to school to turn in missing assignments that were given during the student’s absence. Previously assigned work should be turned in when the student returns to school.
All daily work will comprise 50% of the nine-week grade and are referred to as minor assessments.
Unit assessments will be comprehensive and contain all levels of critical thinking skills. Each assessment will include a combination of multiple-choice, matching, true-false, and written response questions. Unit assessments are majors (50% of the overall grade). Major assignments are common to the grade/content PLC.
Students will have the opportunity to work together and alone in creating projects every nine weeks. Projects are also major assessments. Unit tests and projects combined will comprise 50% of the nine-week grade.
Each quarter will have a minimum of 3 major assignments and 8 minimum assignments
Missing Work Policy:
NHI is marked in PowerSchool. (Floored at 50). All late work must be turned in one week before the end of the grading period.
Makeup Work Policy:
Students have 5 days to make up missed work from the return date to turn in makeup work without penalty. ABS is marked in Powerschool (Floored at a 50).
Late Work Policy:
Students may submit make-up work within five days of the original due date with no penalty. After the initial five days, a deduction of 5 points per day will be applied for up to five additional days. Assignments submitted more than 10 days late will be marked as GFA (Grade Failing Assignment), and the work will no longer be accepted.
Retake Policy:
No retakes on minor assessments. Test retakes are allowed for major assessments, the highest grade will be recorded. No minimum grade requirement for test retakes. Students will be given a remediation assignment and/or all missing assignments will be completed before assessment is completed. Students are expected to notify the teacher of their desire to retake the assessment and the assessment must be retaken within five school days.
Classroom Expectations
Students are expected to be respectful of each other at all times. There are several required expectations:
ALL students must wear an ID badge.
ALL students must abide by the dress code.
ALL students must practice the 3 R's: Rights of others, Respect for others, and Responsibility for learning
Class Expectations:
Come to class prepared with supplies and materials every day
Always treat each other with respect
Raise your hand and wait to be recognized before speaking
Stay in your seat during instructional time or unless otherwise instructed
Follow instructions given to you by the teacher
Listen to all instructions before asking questions or working
School-Wide Discipline Plan:
Specific rules and policies regarding discipline can be found on the school website and in our student planner. Our school-wide discipline plan regarding minor rule violations consists of a step plan designed to give parents the opportunity to assist with discipline whenever possible. The steps are:
1. Warning
2. Parent phone call
3. After-school detention
4. After-school detention
5. Office referral
Additional student behavior guidelines may be found in the student handbook.
Honor Code Policy and Plagiarism:
I adhere to our school honor code and plagiarism policy. Cheating or copying of work belonging to another person is a violation of school rules as well as personal ethics. Both the lender and borrower will receive zeros on the work, and parents will be notified. Plagiarism is cheating. Examples of plagiarism include:
Copying and pasting from the Internet or copying directly from books or magazines without properly citing the source.
Copying another student’s work, turning in another student’s work, or having another student do the work.
Buying papers on the Internet.
Course Outline:
South Carolina Social Studies Standards: 8th Grade:
http://ed.sc.gov/agency/se/Instructional-Practices-and-Evaluations/SocialStudies.cfm
Introductions to S.C./ U.S History
Standards
Learning Objectives
Unit 1: Natives and Early Interactions (Q1)
8.1 E, 8.1 CC, 8.1 CO
Students will use inquiry and historical thinking to learn about the Native American experiences in South Carolina before and after the arrival of European settlers. They will also explore the early years of European settlement and the development of three distinct colonial regions
Unit 2: Colonial SC/Colonial Development (Q1)
8.1 E, 8.1 CE, 8.1 P, 8.1 CX
Students will use inquiry and historical thinking to analyze the events and institutions that developed in the colony prior to the American Revolution. Students will focus on the social, economic, and political factors that impacted the individuals, events, and institutions within the time period.
Unit 3: The Coming of the American Revolution (Q1)
8.2 C, 8.2 CO, 8.2 CE, 8.2 CX, 8.2 E
Students will use inquiry and historical thinking to analyze the events and institutions that developed in the colony prior to the American Revolution. Students will focus on the social, economic, and political factors that impacted the individuals, events, and institutions within the time period.
Unit 4: American Revolution (Q2)
8.2 P, 8.2 E
Students will use inquiry and historical thinking to explore the impact of the American Revolution on various groups of people.
Unit 5: A New State (Q2)
8.2 P, 8.2 E
As students progress through the unit, they will utilize standards-aligned historical thinking skills and inquiry-based learning to demonstrate their understanding of how and why these governments were created and South Carolina’s role in the development of the new national government.
Unit 6: Sectionalism (Q2)
8.3 CX, 8.3CC, 8.3CO, 8.3 CX
Students will utilize historical thinking skills, inquiry, and content-specific themes to demonstrate their understanding of the multiple causes of the Civil War and how South Carolina came to be at the center of this conflict.
Unit 7: The Civil War (Q3)
8.3 CE, 8.3 P, 8.3 E
Students will utilize standards-based historical thinking skills, inquiry, and content-specific themes to demonstrate their understanding of the events that lead to the Civil War, events of the Civil War, and their impact on South Carolina and the nation.
Unit 8: Reconstruction (Q3)
8..3 CX, 8.3 CC, 8.3 E
Students will utilize standards-aligned historical thinking skills, inquiry, and content-specific themes to understand turning points that defined this period and evaluate the political, economic, and social effects of Reconstruction.
Unit 9: Industrialization (Q3)
8.4 P, 8.4 CO, 8.4 CE
Students will utilize standards-aligned historical thinking skills, inquiry, and content-specific themes to understand South Carolina’s experience as representative of its region and the United States as a whole during this period.
Unit 10: Immigration and Progressives (Q3)
8.4 P, 8.4 CO, 8.4 CE
Students will utilize standards-aligned historical thinking skills, inquiry, and content-specific themes to understand South Carolina’s experience as representative of its region and the United States as a whole during this period.
Unit 11: World War I and the Roaring 20’s (Q4)
8.4 P, 8.4 CO, 8.4 CE
Students will use historical thinking skills to develop an understanding of how these global events impacted our state.
Unit 12: The Great Depression and WWII (Q4)
8.5 P, 8.5 CO, 8.5 E
Students will use historical thinking skills to develop an understanding of how these global events impacted our state.
Unit 13: Civil Rights (Q4)
8.5 CX, 8.5 CE, 8.5 CC, 8.5 E
Finally, students will apply historical thinking skills to develop a narrative on the economic development of our state from the colonial period to the present day.
Unit 14: Modern SC (Q4)
8.5 CX, 8.5 CE, 8.5 CC, 8.5 E
Finally, students will apply historical thinking skills to develop a narrative on the economic development of our state from the colonial period to the present day.