My History Class
7th Grade Letter
It is my pleasure to welcome you and your student to our Social Studies class. As citizens of our increasingly global society, few things could be more important than a better understanding of the world in which we live. The Middle School Social Studies curriculum strives to better that understanding for students in many ways.
The Middle School Social Studies class concentrates on American Studies, which this year will include for 7th grade: Geography, Elections, Colonization, Government, Westward Expansion, and the problems that have evolved from the above topics. Students in my class will employ many hands-on techniques to explore the time periods they will study this year. They will also, at times, be expected to read novels, write summaries of topics, and present the information to their classmates.
What to expect from my class: First, students will have a spiral notebook (provided by me) to fill in their Daily Oral Geography/Sponge activity questions, a five minute activity at the beginning of every class. Second, the students will also be given an Lesson packet at the beginning of every unit. This assignment contains both essential questions and vocabulary words for the unit. The assignment is given on the first day of a unit and is due at the end of the unit on the day of the test. If students complete this assignment, their chances for success in the classroom are greatly increased. (My tests are made from the lesson packet.) The objective sheets are not optional; they count as a homework grade. Third, homework is another crucial part of the class. Although students will not be given homework on a nightly basis, it will be included within each unit along with the lesson packets. Fourth, in-class assignments will be given throughout the unit as well. These activities are expected to be completed during class time.
Fifth, TRAP is a competitive in-class game that is played to check previous knowledge of the students. The students move seats throughout the quarter based on their knowledge of a given unit. At the end of the quarter the student’s final TRAP seat is converted to a grade that will affect their overall grade for the quarter. Sixth, quizzes are given every two to three weeks. Quizzes are given during the unit and the tests are given at the end of the unit. This includes spiral notebook quizzes and vocabulary quizzes that are given throughout the unit. Last but not least, projects and essays. During or at the end of every unit the students will have an essay and/or project to take in order to further demonstrate their understanding. If your student is out of school, sick or an excused absence, all missing work is their responsibility. The notes and their missing assignments will be in the back of the room for them to pick up on the day of their return. They will have the amount of days missed to turn in the assignment for full credit. Late work is accepted up to one week after the assigned date for a C or below.
8th Grade Letter
It is my pleasure to welcome you and your student to what promises to be a fun and productive 8th grade Social Studies class. We will begin our year studying the Frontier and Industry. Followed by Immigration, World War I, The Roaring 20’s, The Great Depression, Civil Rights, and World War II. During this year the students will also be part of History Day, where they are to use primary and secondary resources to complete a research based project on a given theme. The year will culminate with “Economics Day.” During this unit the students will learn the economic principals behind creating products and then selling them to their peers. (Using History Bucks) As you can see, the 8th grade curriculum is full of interesting and exciting STUFF (haha)
Students in my class will develop a variety of skills from lessons designed to enable everyone to be successful no matter their strengths and abilities. They will at times, be expected to read for understanding, write summaries of topics and present information to their classmates through discussion. In addition, there will be hands-on projects that afford students opportunities to learn to work together toward a common goal while honing problem solving skills.
Secondly, students are required to keep a 3 Ring notebook as a log of work completed in this class. It is an essential learning tool and will become increasingly useful to your student, as it will hold much of your student’s work and thoughts. It will contain, vocabulary, notes, maps and more. Along with their in class binder the students will continue to add to their 7th grade writing portfolio’s so that they can see their progress over this 2 year stretch.
In conclusion, I look forward to a very rewarding, productive and FUN year working with you and your student. As this is simply a brief overview of this year’s curriculum, should you, at anytime, have questions or concerns as the year progresses, please do not hesitate to contact me. The school phone number is 353-5990 or you can email me at rbarbey@washoeschools.net. Please if you have not signed up for my Remind App, do so and also don’t forget to use my website at www.barbeyshistoryclass.yolasite.com. As it contains helpful tips about how my class works, (video’s) research sites, class lesson packets and team information.
Rick Barbey
US History Teacher
