U.S.

History Course Syllabus

8th Grade 2013-2014
Welcome to U.S. History! Here at Christa McAuliffe Middle School our goal is to prepare each student for the future, High School, College, and beyond. The skills learned in every class will help students succeed in all aspects of life. In U.S. History we will focus on skills such as reading for detail, using context clues to make inferences, informational writing, and research. As far as content, we will start in the year 1607 when the first English Settlement was founded in Jamestown, and study up to the end of the Civil War and Reconstruction. Expectations All students must be prepared for class with a 3 ring binder, notebook paper, and a writing utensil. Failure to turn in assignments or make up missing work will result in a zero. Students must arrive on time, 3 tardy marks count as one absent. While in class the students must follow the school rules as well as procedures set by the teacher. Students must be respectful to themselves, their peers, and the teacher. Important Dates - Students will receive report cards every nine weeks. Every three weeks, progress reports are mailed home. If you have any questions about your students progress in their U.S. History class, please contact us. - The FBISD District Assessment will take place March 4 th/5th. - The U.S. History STAAR Assessment will take place April 22nd. Absentee & Late Policy All students are responsible for making up missed assignments. The student must approach the teacher to find out what they missed. Any missed work must be turned in within 5 business or school days. In order to make up a test, or re-do an assignment students must attend tutorials. If a student fails to turn in an assignment on time, the policy is: 1st day late - 10 pt reduction 2nd day late - 20 pt reduction 3rd day late - 30 pt reduction Homework Students will be given homework a few times a week. These assignments are an extension of class and review material covered each day in class, this is an integral part of each students education. These assignments include UNRAAVEL, a reading strategy used to practice test-taking skills, and Online Skyward Assignments. Students will receive one Online Skyward Assignment each week, assigned on Monday and due Thursday at Midnight. Each

quiz will be online through Family Access Skyward and cover material taught the week before. If students need internet access they can work in the library before school or ask to stay after school for tutorials with their teacher. Technology Integration Since technology is such a vital part of the world we live in our U.S. History Team is dedicated to using technology for instruction. As mentioned above, students will have at least one online homework assignment each week. We will also be using Edmodo to communicate with students and use it to complete assignments. Quizlet is an online flashcard website where students can study flashcards and play games to study each vocabulary word and significant person. Our U.S. History blog will be updated to include documents from class and links to useful resources. - www.edmodo.com - www.quizlet.com - www.historyhawks8.weebly.com Online Textbooks Students have access to our U.S. History textbook online, American Nation. Each student has been given instructions on how to set-up an account as well as an access code. Website: http://www.phschool.com/social_studies/ Access Code: 1DA800937EDF713936E8 We are looking forward to an exciting school year! We are committed to helping every student reach their potential. Please do not hesitate to contact us with concerns or comments. Sincerely, The 8th Grade U.S. History Team Contact Information Brittany Bodager (Howell) Brittany.Howell@fortbendisd.com (281) 634-6418 Jeremy Ide Jeremy.Ide@fortbendisd.com (281) 634-6015

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