Social Studies American History Mr.

Rose 8th Grade- Room 109

First off, let me say welcome to 8th grade U.S. History. This is an important year for you as it prepares you for your transition into high school. My goal as your teacher is to help you learn and understand all of the material, concepts, skills, and ideas that accompany this course in a safe, friendly, and hopefully fun atmosphere. I believe that learning is much more than just memorizing information for tests and quizzes and then simple forgetting about it. The truth of the matter is that the only things you will truly learn are things that you remember, and can take with you once you leave my classroom. However, in order to accomplish this, it needs to be a team effort between everyone involved; this includes me, you, your fellow students, and even your parents. I, as the teacher, cannot make you learn. I can only give you the opportunity to learn by teaching lessons, giving assignments, and helping you understand the material; it is ultimately up to you to do what you want with that material. This packet will outline the classroom rules, procedures, and expected student behavior for the year.

Classroom Rules:
While in this class you are expected to follow these basic rules: 1. Treat yourself and your classmates with respect 2. Be in your seat and ready to work, when the class bell rings 3. Bring all required materials to class 4. Follow instructions the first time they are given 5. Participate responsibly in classroom activities and discussions 6. Come to class with an eagerness to learn! 7. Cell phones are NOT allowed unless told otherwise (or any other electronic devices, this is History I should not see calculators) *Reminder that these rules are expected to stay in your folder, and are posted at the front of the room as well as by the windows, so there is no excuse for not knowing them!

Consequences:
Students who choose to violate these rules will receive one of the following consequences. The nature of the violation will determine which consequence is applied: 1. Warning/reminder (may include confiscation of item for rule 7) 2. Detention after class 3. After school or lunch detention

4. Parental Contact or meeting 5. Office referral I reserve the right to contact your parents at any time regarding any misbehavior I deem necessary to share with them. This was agreed upon in the letter sent home on the first day of school. Note: These are solely the rules within this classroom, any school rules that are not given here Still apply. (Dress code, bullying, Academic dishonesty exc.)

Attendance/Tardiness:
Being promptly on time is an important element to success in any class, job, or other endeavor. Students who miss class or arrive late may not earn all the possible points available for class activities and may also miss important information. I will determine disciplinary actions if tardiness becomes a habit according to the school handbook regarding tardiness and absences. However, if tardiness and absences become regular, you may be subject to extra work to make sure that the material being missed is understood.

Homework:
Homework in this class is intended to practice skills already introduced in class. It is designed to prepare students for the next day's class, to elaborate on ideas introduced in class, or to review material so students have information at hand for tests, quizzes, or other activities. With that said, all homework is DUE at the beginning of class on the assigned due date in the homework bin for full credit. You may turn in assignments after the due date, but anything not turned in by Friday of that week, is no longer eligible to be checked for a grade.

Make-up work:
If you are absent on the day an assignment is due, it is due the day you come back. If an assignment is assigned and you are absent, you have as many days as you were gone to turn in that assignment. Some assignments, such as major projects and papers will be due on the assigned date WHETHER YOU ARE IN CLASS OR NOT.

Assessments/esting:
You will generally have one major test/quiz per chapter of study. I will usually give you a study guide to help you prepare for the test. ALTHOUGH all of the readings, assignments, and homework we have done are what will truly prepare you for a test or quiz. I maintain the right to offer a re-take of a test or quiz if you have received a low grade. This is designed as a privilege and not a right. If you are continuously failing the first test, but passing the retake I will assume you are simple not taking the proper measures to study for the first test and therefore may not

allow you to try it again. Also, if you continuously turn in late or incomplete work, or acting out on a regular basis, you are not eligible for a re-take.

Grading:
Many times students focus on the grading scale more than the material being taught to them. Though grades are an important part of the classroom, as it shows whether you are grasping the material or not, they should NOT be the only thing you care about. Your graded work will be assigned a total point value. Your overall grade for each semester will be determined by the total number of points received divided by the number of overall points possible. Your grades will consist of the following categories: Homework/Classwork, Quizzes/ Tests, projects/papers, and Preparation/ Participation.

GRADING SCALE

A+ 99-100% A 93-98% A- 90-92% B+ 87-89% B 83-86% B- 80-82% C+ 77-79% C 73-76% C- 70-72% D+ 67-69% D 63-66% D- 60-62% F 59%-Below

Classroom Procedures/Operations:
History is a very content dense subject; therefore, to help you prepare for the days lesson, at the beginning of each class there will be a question, picture, phrase exc. up on the screen for you to do when you enter the class. These bell works are to be recorded daily in your notebook and will be turned in on Fridays. The purpose of these are to help dive into the material we will be covering or to give you more insight into something we have discussed in class. Some of these may find their way onto tests and quizzes in the form of extra credit, as a reward for doing them.

Hall/Bathroom Passes:
Always be prepared for class by bringing your required material EVERYDAY! Bring your student handbook / planner every day; which you will need for bathroom passes and to record assignment due dates. I will give one bathroom or water pass at a time! Plan ahead, in other words go to the bathroom and get your drink of water before coming to class. *You MUST have your planner to receive a pass. Only one student at a time is allowed to be at either the pencil sharpener or throw something out at the waste basket at a time. Therefore, if it is being utilized, wait until that person is seated before you go to sharpen your pencil or to throw something away. If this rule is not followed I will assume the workload is to light and will adjust it accordingly.

End of class:
The last few minutes of class should not be a social gathering by the door or time for you to play with your phone; we have a limited amount of time to cover a large amount of material. The bell does not dismiss the class, I will dismiss the class. The class will not be dismissed until every student is seated in their assigned seat! Also, towards the end of class is when all completed and graded assignments will be passed back to you and should be placed into your class binder.

Participation / Expected student Behavior

The best method for learning material is to be engaged in class activities and lectures. So to promote participation, a number of points will be awarded each semester as a participation assignment. Each student will begin the semester with a particular number of points, and on each instance of non-participation, a minimum of five participation points will be subtracted from the non-participating students current participation point total. The idea of this is to motivate you to pay attention and not be afraid to ask a question or make a comment.

Emergency Procedures
Emergency procedures within the class will follow the procedures set forth by the school and district. Emergency procedures such as a tornado or a fire are located on the wall next to the door. The path in BLUE is the path our class is to take to the proper location that has been deemed safe for these emergencies. Other Emergency Procedures such as a lockdown will be available at a further period in time.

Contacting me:
If you have questions or need extra help, PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO COME SEE ME! I cannot express this enough. I am here to help you succeed. I will be available every morning for at least a half hour before the first bell rings. I will also be available most days after school for at least an hour after the last bell, and will stay as long as needed. If you cannot make these times you may reach me at the following: Email: Rose1me1988@gmail.com Phone: Home Phone: (586)258-9695