Disclosure Doc

Instructor Information:

Jodi Butler

jbutler@utahonline.org

(435) 817-9657‬

Courses Taught by Mrs. Butler:

US History I

🕒 Welcome to the Ultimate Time Machine!

(U.S. History I: Exploration through Reconstruction)

This year, your 8th grader isn't just memorizing boring dates—they are stepping into a time machine. They’ll be exploring everything from the Age of Exploration all the way through the Civil War and Reconstruction (the 18th and 19th centuries).

Historians call these blocks of time "Periods." They are flexible, they overlap, and they help us make sense of the big picture.

🗺️ The Big Map of Topics:

American Indian Life: Understanding the rich cultures here before anyone else arrived.
Colonization & Revolution: How 13 scrappy colonies took on the biggest empire in the world.
Nation Building: How the Founders wrote the Constitution (and the massive arguments they had while doing it).
Expansion & Civil War: Moving west, a nation divided, and the painful process of putting it back together again.

🏛️ More Than Just the Past: Building Future Citizens

We aren't just looking backward; we are looking forward. One of our biggest goals is Civic Preparation. We want to help your child become an active, thoughtful member of America’s democratic republic.

In class, your student will get to:

💬 Talk it out: Engage in polite, respectful, and collaborative debates about big issues
💡 Problem solve: Look at local and global problems, come up with real solutions, and learn how to share them with leaders.
🇺🇸 Explore American Exceptionalism: Look at the unique ideas of personal liberty and freedom that shape our country.
🧠 Grow their character: Practice empathy, resilience, honesty, and cooperation.

🕵️‍♂️ Becoming History Detectives

Instead of just reading a textbook and taking a quiz, students will learn to think like real historians. They will develop superpowers in history, geography, economics, and politics.

The Historian’s Toolkit:

Analyze Evidence: Looking at old letters, maps, and artifacts to find the truth.
Spot the Bias: Checking sources to see who wrote them and why (a fantastic skill for the internet age!).
Argue Like a Pro: Learning how to write strong arguments backed up by real facts.
Decide What Matters: Discussing "Historical Significance"—out of everything that happened, why does this specific event matter to us today?

📋 How It’s Organized (The Utah Blueprint)

When you look at your child's standards, you'll see it's broken down using two main words:

[STRAND: The Big Topic / Era]

└── [STANDARD: The specific skill or knowledge your child will master]

Strands: Think of these as the big chapters of our journey (usually organized by time periods).
Standards: These are the specific check-points. Every single standard is essential for your child to master the material and ace the class.

Getting Started:

If you need help logging in, navigating your course, finding your class, etc. CLICK HERE.

Expectations:

Pacing:

Learning in a flexible online environment provides the wonderful benefit of being able to work at your pace that best fits your needs. However, learning online also requires commitment and discipline in order to maintain good grades and successfully complete the course in a timely manner. Make the commitment now to spend a dedicated amount of time (I suggest 3-4 hours a week) in your course to stay on pace.

CLICK HERE to learn how to find your course pacing guide. This example is with a different class, but information is the same to find your course pacing guide.
NOTE: There is evidence that the first 2-3 weeks in an online learning environment are the most important. If you get behind early chances are you will stay behind. If you get ahead you will stay ahead! Lets get ahead now!

Communication:

I will communicate with you regularly via email and text. It is expected that you regularly check your email and respond to correspondence that requests a response. Additionally, I highly value students and parents that reach out to me with their questions and concerns. My biggest priority is making sure students understand that I am here to help them, they just need to talk to me!

Your mentor will be communicating with you regarding your progress in the class, too! We all just want you to succeed. Please be sure to treat them with respect and remember that they are a resource for you.

When in doubt, reach out!! Please feel free to contact me at any time you have questions or concerns. I am available nearly all day Mon-Fri, and even some weekends. Just email, text, or call to set up an appointment to meet in my online classroom.

Academic Integrity:

Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated. Cutting and pasting (or even just changing a few words) from the internet is cheating. If it is not your own original words or thoughts, give credit and cite your sources. Please take pride in your work and do your best. If you are struggling with understanding content or with an assignment or assessment, please contact me and get help and support instead of finding other means to falsely complete the work.

CLICK HERE to view our expectations for academic integrity as a school.

UOS Commitments & Student Expectations: As your teacher I am committed to providing timely feedback, engaging instructional materials, and support to help you succeed. In turn, students are expected to actively participate, meet deadlines, and communicate any challenges they face. For detailed information on our mutual commitments and expectations, please click HERE.

Makeup Work and Redos

Students can make up any assignments and quizzes for a higher grade at any time. I believe that students should be given as many opportunities as possible to improve their understanding and show their learning. Reach out as soon as you can to ask for a retake- be sure to include your name and the name of the assignment/quiz you need a retake on.

Please be advised that our core curriculum is vetted and approved by Utah Online School. Occasionally there may be a passage or an excerpt of additional materials that is included in the course materials. This does not imply an endorsement or recommendation for the entire source or work.