8-2 Social Studies

Goals for the Year

During social studies this year we will be making historical connections about the past of both the United States as well as other countries. Throughout the year you will master historical thinking skills, analyze individuals’ roles in society, and study the impact of geography, as well as looking at how the United States formed from a fledgling republic to a country that would impact not only the people who live in these United States but also the rest of the world. My goal for students is for them to be reading, writing and thinking like a historian by the end of this year while preparing them for high school. 

Classroom Expectations

• Participate in the creation and maintenance of a comfortable, welcoming, encouraging and supportive classroom environment.

• Please take chances, make guesses, and break barriers of confusion by asking questions.

• Be an active member of our classroom.

Homework and Assignment Policies

• Check Google Classroom for work due.

• All assignments must be completed.

• Missing work should be made up as soon as possible.

• Absences: It is up to the student to discover what they have missed and to get the work completed in a timely manner.

• Please check Google Classroom and Teacher Ease to ensure that students are caught up with their assignments.  There is a window of opportunity where assignments can be fixed for better grades. 

Competencies and Assessment of Knowledge

Students will use three important competencies to guide them through each unit of study this year. These are essential understandings and skills,  everything that we learn about this year will encompass these three competencies.

1. Students will understand, analyze, and communicate how historical events have shaped past and present civilizations. 

2. Students will understand and evaluate the role and expectations of citizens in various civilizations in order to compare and contrast how the role of citizenship has changed historically.

3. Students will understand and apply the principles of geography in order to interpret the impact of Geography on the development of civilizations

For each assignment and assessment, students will be given a rubric and graded based on how skilled they are at the competency being assessed for that assignment. Classwork and homework assignments are considered practice and should be revised until the student has hit the target and adequate competency is demonstrated.

General Information

• Students will need to bring their pencils, their notebook and pocketed folder to class everyday. They should be ready with pencils sharpened before class begins.

• Most of the classroom activities involve group work. Students are expected to participate in these. Their input is important to making decisions, becoming fluent  communicators, and the learning of the group.

• Student behavior is expected to reflect respect for themselves, their classmates, all staff, class materials and their school.