Course Description
Welcome to Hist/SocSci 8! Students in grade eight study the major turning points in American history from the framing of the Constitution through the conclusion of the Civil War. By the end of the course students are expected to understand and be able to explain:
Lastly, in line with the district’s ongoing initiative to promote equity and inclusion, there will be social emotional learning lessons and activities to help foster a learning environment in which ALL students feel safe, respected, and valued, as well to help students better understand the various groups of Americans we’ll be studying this year.
- the major events preceding the founding of the nation and relate their significance to the development of American constitutional democracy;
- the political principles underlying the U.S. Constitution and compare the enumerated and implied powers of the federal government;
- the foundation of the American political system and the ways in which citizens participate in it;
- U.S. foreign policy in the early Republic;
- the divergent paths of the American people in the Northeast, South, and West from 1800 to the mid-1800s and the challenges they faced;
- the early and steady attempts to abolish slavery and to realize the ideals of the Declaration of Independence; and
- the multiple causes, key events, and complex consequences of the Civil War.
Lastly, in line with the district’s ongoing initiative to promote equity and inclusion, there will be social emotional learning lessons and activities to help foster a learning environment in which ALL students feel safe, respected, and valued, as well to help students better understand the various groups of Americans we’ll be studying this year.
Textbook
Our textbook is McGraw Hill’s United States History & Geography: Growth & Conflict (2019). The textbook is, however, merely a starting point and I will supplement the textbook whenever possible with scholarly primary sources and related news articles in line with the Common Core standards. Students may leave their school-issued textbooks at home as we have a set of textbooks in the classroom for daily use.
Required Daily Materials
Students will need to bring the following materials to EVERY class meeting:
Chromebooks are the ONLY devices supported and allowed in LCUSD classrooms. This is due to a number of reasons, but primarily LCUSD chose Chromebooks for their simplicity for classroom tasks and our ability to manage the devices from the school: we can push out new software, provide internet filtering and screen monitoring at school, and manage online testing, which is currently something we use for test security. Without these tools available only on Chrome devices, we’d lose a lot of oversight that allows us to focus on instruction. Macs are excellent, but the management of multiple systems isn’t something LCHS can take on right now.
As part of the Technology Use Agreement that you signed at Registration, we ask that you respect this rule and use only a school-managed chromebook during the school day.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
In line with the district’s ongoing initiative to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, there will be social-emotional learning lessons and activities to help foster a learning environment in which all students feel safe, respected, and valued. These lessons will also help students understand the various protagonists we will read and learn about this year. Lastly, in the classroom, students will have a learning environment that supports a diversity of thoughts, perspectives, and acceptance of all backgrounds (including race, gender, socioeconomic status, disability, culture, sexuality, religion, ability, etc.).
- A fully-charged chromebook managed by LCUSD (no PC or Mac laptops allowed)
- Wired headphones or earbuds--Per district policy, bluetooth and wireless earbuds/headphones are not allowed!
- A dedicated/labeled space in a 3-ring binder for storing notes and handouts
- A pen or pencil
- A highlighter
- Basic art supplies (markers or colored pencils)
Chromebooks are the ONLY devices supported and allowed in LCUSD classrooms. This is due to a number of reasons, but primarily LCUSD chose Chromebooks for their simplicity for classroom tasks and our ability to manage the devices from the school: we can push out new software, provide internet filtering and screen monitoring at school, and manage online testing, which is currently something we use for test security. Without these tools available only on Chrome devices, we’d lose a lot of oversight that allows us to focus on instruction. Macs are excellent, but the management of multiple systems isn’t something LCHS can take on right now.
As part of the Technology Use Agreement that you signed at Registration, we ask that you respect this rule and use only a school-managed chromebook during the school day.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
In line with the district’s ongoing initiative to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, there will be social-emotional learning lessons and activities to help foster a learning environment in which all students feel safe, respected, and valued. These lessons will also help students understand the various protagonists we will read and learn about this year. Lastly, in the classroom, students will have a learning environment that supports a diversity of thoughts, perspectives, and acceptance of all backgrounds (including race, gender, socioeconomic status, disability, culture, sexuality, religion, ability, etc.).
Attendance/Expected Behavior
Students are expected to be respectful, responsible, and ready to learn and abide by the conduct guidelines set forth in the Registration Handbook, the District Technology Use Agreement, and the School Honor Code for both distance and on-campus learning.
1) Students should arrive to the classroom on time, with all of the required materials, and ready to work for the ENTIRE class period. Do not expect time to start homework in class.
2) Students who arrive late after the daily attendance has been recorded should check in with me at the end of the period and remind me to correct the attendance record from Absent to Tardy.
3) Students are expected to have all personal electronic devices (except chromebooks) safely stored out of sight and silenced to avoid distractions. As stated previously, bluetooth earbuds and headphones are not allowed in the classroom.
4) No hats of any kind (including sweatshirt hoods) may be worn inside the classroom.
5) No food or drinks are allowed in the classroom, with the exception of a water bottle with a lid.
Failure to abide by the expected behaviors may result in: a verbal warning, a change of seating or timeout (if applicable), an email home to parents, and, if the situation persists, a referral to our principal, Dr. Gold.
1) Students should arrive to the classroom on time, with all of the required materials, and ready to work for the ENTIRE class period. Do not expect time to start homework in class.
2) Students who arrive late after the daily attendance has been recorded should check in with me at the end of the period and remind me to correct the attendance record from Absent to Tardy.
3) Students are expected to have all personal electronic devices (except chromebooks) safely stored out of sight and silenced to avoid distractions. As stated previously, bluetooth earbuds and headphones are not allowed in the classroom.
4) No hats of any kind (including sweatshirt hoods) may be worn inside the classroom.
5) No food or drinks are allowed in the classroom, with the exception of a water bottle with a lid.
Failure to abide by the expected behaviors may result in: a verbal warning, a change of seating or timeout (if applicable), an email home to parents, and, if the situation persists, a referral to our principal, Dr. Gold.
Grading Policy
The course grade is based on the accumulated percentage of all the points earned. All students will be graded using the following point scale, with scores rounded up to the nearest whole percentage point on the report card. In keeping with the school district’s Challenge Success initiative to reduce student competition and stress, there will be no plus or minus grades.
A 89.49 - 100
B 79.49 - 89.48
C 69.49 - 79.48
D 59.49 - 69.48
F 00.00 - 59.48
Additionally, grades will be weighted in the following categories:
Reading (10%)
There will be NO WRITTEN HOMEWORK this year, excluding classwork that was not completed during the course of the regular class meeting and/or ongoing projects. Instead, students will be assigned a weekly textbook reading assignment. Reading completion/comprehension will be assessed at the end of the week via a multiple choice quiz.
All quizzes will be taken online using the Illuminate testing portal and students will receive immediate feedback including notification of which questions were answered incorrectly. The quiz booklet with answer key will be published in Google Classroom once all class members have completed the quiz. We will always review the most commonly missed questions from each quiz before moving on to new content and students may retake any quiz ONE TIME. Note: The retake will be an alternate version of the quiz.
Classwork (25%)
Weekly learning goals, including a rough outline of the week’s assignments which is subject to change, will be posted for students in Google Classroom.
The following are the most common types of assignments:
Lecture Notes
Students will take electronic notes 1-2 times per week that they may use during quizzes. Notes will be typed in the “Notes” section below each Google Presentation Slide. There is no required format for taking notes, so students are encouraged to develop and consistently use a format that best fits their learning style. Notes will be checked at the end of each unit, usually on the day of the unit test, to make sure that supplemental information was added to the majority of the slides.
Class Discussions/Group Activities
Students are expected to participate actively in class discussions and activities, as well as complete certain assignments within the class period. NO CORRECTIONS will be accepted for classwork assignments that are completed collaboratively and/or where the answers were shared with the class prior to submission.
EdPuzzle Videos
At least once a week, students will watch a short online video with a built-in listening comprehension quiz. Because students control the pace at which they watch the video and may rewind as often as necessary prior to answering each question, NO RETAKES will be allowed for EdPuzzle video assignments.
Unit Tests/Performance Tasks (35%)
There will be a test at the end of each thematic unit. Unit tests consist of a combination of multiple-choice questions and document based questions. Unit tests are not open-note, but students will receive a study guide at least one week prior to each test that may be annotated and used as a “cheat sheet.”
All unit tests will be taken online using the Illuminate testing portal and students will receive immediate feedback including notification of which questions were answered incorrectly. Students will also receive a printout of their results and the test booklet with answer key will be published in Google Classroom once all class members have completed the test. We will always review the most commonly missed questions from each unit test before moving on to new content and students may retake any unit test ONE TIME. Note: The retake will be an alternate version of the quiz.
In addition to unit tests, we will be completing several performance tasks each semester, including a major research project during the Spring semester, to assess mastery of the content standards. Occasionally, a performance task will be assigned in place of a traditional unit test. Some performance tasks will be individual tasks and some will be collaborative. Performance tasks are NEVER accepted late and NO CORRECTIONS will be accepted for these assignments.
Common Core Writing (15%)
Significant emphasis will be placed this year on the Common Core Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies to help students develop academic and technological research and communication skills that will be essential for success in high school and beyond. At least twice per month, students will be asked to address an essential question writing prompt. These are highly-structured formal writing assignments which require students to develop hypotheses, preview claims, and support claims with evidence synthesized from textbook readings, class discussions, and various activities. Please see the LCHS 7/8 - Social Science Writing Rubric which will be applied to all written coursework including assessments (quizzes/tests/performance tasks).
1.A Introducing Claim(s): Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
1.B Supporting Claims with Evidence: Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
1.C Clarifying Relationships: Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
1.D Formal Style: Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
1.E Conclusion: Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
Semester Exams/Culminating Projects (15%)
A cumulative exam OR culminating project will be given at the end of each semester. Like the unit tests, semester exams will consist of a combination of multiple-choice questions and document based questions and students will receive a study guide at least one week prior to each exam that may be annotated and used as a “cheat sheet.” NO RETAKES will be allowed for semester exams and and NO CORRECTIONS will be accepted for culminating projects.
Culminating projects require students to produce a product demonstrating mastery of the content standards for that particular semester. Culminating projects may be either individual or collaborative depending on the nature of the task.
A 89.49 - 100
B 79.49 - 89.48
C 69.49 - 79.48
D 59.49 - 69.48
F 00.00 - 59.48
Additionally, grades will be weighted in the following categories:
Reading (10%)
There will be NO WRITTEN HOMEWORK this year, excluding classwork that was not completed during the course of the regular class meeting and/or ongoing projects. Instead, students will be assigned a weekly textbook reading assignment. Reading completion/comprehension will be assessed at the end of the week via a multiple choice quiz.
All quizzes will be taken online using the Illuminate testing portal and students will receive immediate feedback including notification of which questions were answered incorrectly. The quiz booklet with answer key will be published in Google Classroom once all class members have completed the quiz. We will always review the most commonly missed questions from each quiz before moving on to new content and students may retake any quiz ONE TIME. Note: The retake will be an alternate version of the quiz.
Classwork (25%)
Weekly learning goals, including a rough outline of the week’s assignments which is subject to change, will be posted for students in Google Classroom.
The following are the most common types of assignments:
Lecture Notes
Students will take electronic notes 1-2 times per week that they may use during quizzes. Notes will be typed in the “Notes” section below each Google Presentation Slide. There is no required format for taking notes, so students are encouraged to develop and consistently use a format that best fits their learning style. Notes will be checked at the end of each unit, usually on the day of the unit test, to make sure that supplemental information was added to the majority of the slides.
Class Discussions/Group Activities
Students are expected to participate actively in class discussions and activities, as well as complete certain assignments within the class period. NO CORRECTIONS will be accepted for classwork assignments that are completed collaboratively and/or where the answers were shared with the class prior to submission.
EdPuzzle Videos
At least once a week, students will watch a short online video with a built-in listening comprehension quiz. Because students control the pace at which they watch the video and may rewind as often as necessary prior to answering each question, NO RETAKES will be allowed for EdPuzzle video assignments.
Unit Tests/Performance Tasks (35%)
There will be a test at the end of each thematic unit. Unit tests consist of a combination of multiple-choice questions and document based questions. Unit tests are not open-note, but students will receive a study guide at least one week prior to each test that may be annotated and used as a “cheat sheet.”
All unit tests will be taken online using the Illuminate testing portal and students will receive immediate feedback including notification of which questions were answered incorrectly. Students will also receive a printout of their results and the test booklet with answer key will be published in Google Classroom once all class members have completed the test. We will always review the most commonly missed questions from each unit test before moving on to new content and students may retake any unit test ONE TIME. Note: The retake will be an alternate version of the quiz.
In addition to unit tests, we will be completing several performance tasks each semester, including a major research project during the Spring semester, to assess mastery of the content standards. Occasionally, a performance task will be assigned in place of a traditional unit test. Some performance tasks will be individual tasks and some will be collaborative. Performance tasks are NEVER accepted late and NO CORRECTIONS will be accepted for these assignments.
Common Core Writing (15%)
Significant emphasis will be placed this year on the Common Core Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies to help students develop academic and technological research and communication skills that will be essential for success in high school and beyond. At least twice per month, students will be asked to address an essential question writing prompt. These are highly-structured formal writing assignments which require students to develop hypotheses, preview claims, and support claims with evidence synthesized from textbook readings, class discussions, and various activities. Please see the LCHS 7/8 - Social Science Writing Rubric which will be applied to all written coursework including assessments (quizzes/tests/performance tasks).
1.A Introducing Claim(s): Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
1.B Supporting Claims with Evidence: Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
1.C Clarifying Relationships: Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
1.D Formal Style: Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
1.E Conclusion: Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
Semester Exams/Culminating Projects (15%)
A cumulative exam OR culminating project will be given at the end of each semester. Like the unit tests, semester exams will consist of a combination of multiple-choice questions and document based questions and students will receive a study guide at least one week prior to each exam that may be annotated and used as a “cheat sheet.” NO RETAKES will be allowed for semester exams and and NO CORRECTIONS will be accepted for culminating projects.
Culminating projects require students to produce a product demonstrating mastery of the content standards for that particular semester. Culminating projects may be either individual or collaborative depending on the nature of the task.
Late/Missing Work
All late work will be accepted up until the end of the current grading period for up to full credit. No late work will be accepted from previous grading periods. Students submitting late work to Google Classroom should also send me an email letting me know that an assignment has been submitted late and is ready to grade.
Instead of receiving a zero for missing assignments, students receive a score of 50%. Because 50% is still an F and will significantly affect the overall course grade, students are strongly encouraged to make up missing work as soon as possible.
If a quiz or test is missed due to an absence, the student must contact the teacher IMMEDIATELY (via email or through a private message in Google Classroom) upon his/her return to schedule a makeup appointment.
MOST IMPORTANT:
If you are absent DO NOT email me or have your parent(s) email asking what you missed! Just check Google Classroom and complete the scheduled assignment(s) or, if it’s a lecture day, make arrangements to get the notes from a classmate.
CITIZENSHIP
In addition to the academic course grade, each quarter students will receive a grade for classroom citizenship based on the following district-approved rubric which emphasizes attendance, respect, inclusivity, integrity, and adherence to classroom and campus rules and norms.
Outstanding - O
(Exceeds)
Satisfactory - S
(Meets)
Needs Improvement - N
(Approaching)
Unsatisfactory - U
(Not Meeting)
In order to earn a citizenship grade of “O,” students must meet 4 of the 6 criteria. If not, the teacher will move to the Satisfactory level. In order to earn an “S,” students must meet at least 4 of the 6 criteria for that level, and so on.
Students MUST maintain a 2.5 in Citizenship to NOT be placed on the No-Go list for school activities.
Additionally, the teacher reserves the right to give a “U” for one a specific egregious act. If this were to occur the teacher will contact the parent directly.
Note: Absences and tardies MAY have discretion per the teacher for the first period of the day.
INTELLECTUAL HONESTY
Intellectual Honesty is vital to an academic community and for my fair evaluation of your work. All work submitted in this course must be your own, completed in accordance with this school’s academic regulations. Students who plagiarize will receive a zero on the assignment along with disciplinary action. This includes the student who gave their work to another student to copy. Lastly, remember to always cite your source.
Additionally, you must refrain from unauthorized collaboration or using ChapGPT or other AI composition software so I can properly assess your learning needs. Using generative AI for written assignments prevents an accurate assessment of your work. I ask that you schedule time with me for help before turning to AI. Once we develop a common baseline, we may be able to explore how these tools can assist you as a learner through various use cases.
Instead of receiving a zero for missing assignments, students receive a score of 50%. Because 50% is still an F and will significantly affect the overall course grade, students are strongly encouraged to make up missing work as soon as possible.
If a quiz or test is missed due to an absence, the student must contact the teacher IMMEDIATELY (via email or through a private message in Google Classroom) upon his/her return to schedule a makeup appointment.
MOST IMPORTANT:
If you are absent DO NOT email me or have your parent(s) email asking what you missed! Just check Google Classroom and complete the scheduled assignment(s) or, if it’s a lecture day, make arrangements to get the notes from a classmate.
CITIZENSHIP
In addition to the academic course grade, each quarter students will receive a grade for classroom citizenship based on the following district-approved rubric which emphasizes attendance, respect, inclusivity, integrity, and adherence to classroom and campus rules and norms.
Outstanding - O
(Exceeds)
- No unexcused absences, truancies, and/or tardies
- Exhibits multiple examples of a proactive and observable respectful attitude to peers, teacher and subject matter
- Exhibits multiple examples of contributing to a welcoming and inclusive learning environment
- Student always shows integrity by taking ownership for work and ensures that work is an accurate representation of their ability.
- Student always follows classroom and school rules including technology use
- Student is always on task.
Satisfactory - S
(Meets)
- No unexcused absences, truancies, and/or 1-2 tardies
- Exhibits a respectful attitude to peers, teacher and subject matter
- Contributes to a welcoming and inclusive learning environment.
- Exhibits an inclusive attitude
- Student usually shows integrity by taking ownership for work and usually ensures that work is an accurate representation of their ability.
- Student usually follows classroom and school rules which may include technology use
- Students are usually on task.
Needs Improvement - N
(Approaching)
- Unexcused absences, no truancies, and/or 3-4 tardies
- Shows disrespect to peers, teacher and subject matter
- Inhibits a welcoming and inclusive learning environment
- Student inconsistently takes ownership for work and inconsistently ensures that work is an accurate representation of their ability
- Student inconsistently follows classroom and school rules which may include technology use
- Student is inconsistently on task.
Unsatisfactory - U
(Not Meeting)
- Unexcused absences, one or more truancies, and/or 5+ tardies
- Shows frequent disrespect to peers, teacher and subject matter
- Routinely disrupts a welcoming and inclusive learning environment
- Student frequently does not take ownership for work and frequently does not ensure that work is an accurate representation of their ability.
- Student frequently does not follow classroom and school rules which may include technology use
- Student is consistently off task.
- Violation of the Honor Code
In order to earn a citizenship grade of “O,” students must meet 4 of the 6 criteria. If not, the teacher will move to the Satisfactory level. In order to earn an “S,” students must meet at least 4 of the 6 criteria for that level, and so on.
Students MUST maintain a 2.5 in Citizenship to NOT be placed on the No-Go list for school activities.
Additionally, the teacher reserves the right to give a “U” for one a specific egregious act. If this were to occur the teacher will contact the parent directly.
Note: Absences and tardies MAY have discretion per the teacher for the first period of the day.
INTELLECTUAL HONESTY
Intellectual Honesty is vital to an academic community and for my fair evaluation of your work. All work submitted in this course must be your own, completed in accordance with this school’s academic regulations. Students who plagiarize will receive a zero on the assignment along with disciplinary action. This includes the student who gave their work to another student to copy. Lastly, remember to always cite your source.
Additionally, you must refrain from unauthorized collaboration or using ChapGPT or other AI composition software so I can properly assess your learning needs. Using generative AI for written assignments prevents an accurate assessment of your work. I ask that you schedule time with me for help before turning to AI. Once we develop a common baseline, we may be able to explore how these tools can assist you as a learner through various use cases.
