Welcome to Miss Haskel’s Social Studies Class
United States and New York State History:
General Procedures and Policies
“United States and New York State History” studies the history of the United
States and New York State from the PreColumbian era through present day
beginning in 7th grade and concluding in 8th grade.
Eighth grade students will continue the study of American history beginning with
Reconstruction and concluding with events leading up to the world we live in
today.
As we
look at historic events our concentration will be on developing critical
thinking skills. Students will draw conclusions about the experiences faced by
those people who lived in the past and how those experiences have helped to
create the world we live in today. The purpose of this course is to help
develop the understanding and skills necessary to live as a productive citizen
of this country and to gain an understanding of America’s connection to the
world as a whole.
In
order to assess student achievement of these skills, New York State is
administering a pupil evaluation test for eighth grade students. This test will
cover material from the 7th and 8th grade curriculums.
The 8th grade classes will continue working on the skills and
materials to make students successful on this test. Activities will also be
available to students at the end of the year to review the material tested on
the state exam.
50% Classwork:
The grades in this area include keeping a
notebook, written classwork assignments, special projects, research, and oral
participation during discussions.
30% Assessment:
The grades in this area include brief quizzes,
tests, performance-based assessment, and special projects. Quizzes will be
announced and unannounced. Tests will cover material presented over a longer
period of time and announced at least one week in advance. Performance-based
assessments will usually be given at the end of every unit. Some of these
performance-based assessments will require work outside of class. Assessments
turned in late will lose a letter grade for each day it is not turned in.
20% Homework:
The grades in this area will be for home
assignments used to reinforce learning in the classroom. Homework assignments
will be written and explained in class. Some assignments may require more than
one evening for completion. Students
are expected to record their homework assignments each day.
As most homework assigned ties directly to the
lessons being taught in class, late and missing assignments will interfere with
the student’s understanding of material. As a result NO homework will be
collected more than one day late without a written excuse containing a parent
signature. Students will be allowed to turn in homework one day late with
no penalty two times per quarter. Students will receive a zero for any
assignment not turned in on time. All work is important and will be required to
be completed for their notebook check. In addition, if the assignment is
satisfactorily made up within one week from the day it was due, it will be noted
in my records. Having all assignments completed can only help your grade.
Attendance:
Please keep in mind that attendance is crucial to being successful in school.
When you are absent you miss a great deal of work. It is difficult to make up
class discussions, films, guest speakers and work completed in groups during
class. Students who are absent need to make up all classwork, and any
homework assigned while they were out. They will have as many days as they
have been absent to complete and turn in all missing work. Students may
need to see me at lunch or after school to ensure they have received and
understand all necessary work and information.
The student is responsible for having a 1”
three ring binder for social studies. This binder will be divided into three
sections with a folder in the back and will contain the following divisions:
-
Previews (warm-up questions given at the beginning of
class to review previous lessons or to prepare students for the day’s
lesson).
-
Social Studies Skills/Vocabulary section
-
Unit Notebook
The section containing the unit notebook will contain the following pages:
1.
Table of
Contents
2.
Classwork/Homework
Pages – each should have a page number
and a completed title (name, section, and date).
Unit Notebooks will be collected at the end of each unit or as needed. They
need to be placed in folders (with clips) when collected. By keeping a notebook
students will develop important organization skills. These skills will be
assessed and will be included as part of the student’s final quarter grade.
d.
Folder – A
section to place review activities and other miscellaneous materials
Questions/Problems/Extra Help
-
It is very important to me that students know I am available to help with
any problems they may be having. I am able to provide additional help with
assignments most of the time after school with notice. To ensure that I will be
available, please schedule a time in advance.
-
In addition, students should feel free to
discuss any problems or disagreements they may have with my policies or
procedures. I am always willing to try and work out differences which may arise
during the school year.
| 
