Ms.

Haywoods 8th Grade Social Studies- Humanities Course Overview and Class Syllabus Teacher: Samantha Haywood Contact Information: Phone: 696-6681 Email: hrowe@amphi.com or
sehaywood@email.arizona.edu Please feel free to contact me directly, or through Mr. Rowe if you are having any questions or concerns. When contacting me directly, I ask that you also, please copy Mr. Rowe on all correspondence, if you do not, I will forward all conversations to him so that he is informed.

My Background: I am a Tucson native! I attended private school for my K-8 education and
then Mountain View High School. I have a Bachelors of Science degree in Political Science, with a minor in History, from Northern Arizona University. I am currently attending The University of Arizona pursuing my Masters in Teaching and Teachers Education through a program called Teach Arizona. I have always had a love of history, which increased when I discovered personal connections to my favorite era, World War II. It is my goal to work toward making history personal, by bringing in my family history, as well as the histories of my students families. I encourage students to make history personal for themselves and add to our discussion items with, pictures, facts and stories that tie in their families and personal experiences.

Course Overview: As stated at the beginning of the year this class is taught in conjunction with
Dr. Quarton and Mr. Johnson, and we frequently work together to coordinate our content. My instruction follows the Arizona Social Studies Standards in conjunction with Common Core Standards for English/Language Arts, as well as referring to the National Social Studies and the Arizona and National Gifted Standards. My goal for the students last year at Coronado is to have them intellectually stimulated and academically prepared for the high school Advanced Placement programs. Understanding and using Primary Source Documents will be an integral part of our learning, as well as critical analysis of issues facing our nation today. Our general coverage for the semester is as follows:

3rd Quarter: 4th Quarter:

Great Depression and World War II (1929- 1945) Post War U.S. (1945- 1970) Post War U.S. continued (1945- 1970) Contemporary U.S. (1970- Present) Decades Project This semester we will continue to use Civics Today as well as The American Journey (Glencoe) in the classroom for our primary reference text. However, most of our material will come from additional sources (primary documents, internet, and media, etc). Please note that, each student will still need access to a textbook at home from time-to-time throughout the semester

Those who do not know history are destined to repeat it. Edmund Burke

Specifics: 1. Expectations
I expect that students will: -be respectful of opinions and feelings of others -be on time and ready to learn with their composition book, planner, a folder for handouts, pen/pencil and notebook paper (a flash-drive will also come in handy time-totime) -create a positive learning environment, free of distractions (no talking when it is not appropriate) -complete their work and do their best 100% of the time Throughout the semester there will be consequences, positive and negative: positive for following the above Expectations and negative for not following the Expectations.

Positive:
1. 2. 3. 4. You Beat the Bell A Front of the Line Lunch Pass Extended Due Date with NO Penalties 5 Extra Points on a Test (not to exceed 100%)

Negative:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Verbal Warning Moving of Seat Lunch Meeting to Discuss Behavior Plan Call Home Meeting the Parent and Student

You Beat the Bell:

As the year has progressed an expectation has been put in place for all students to take out their composition book and planner to complete the Bell Work and copy the assignment calendar. This semester I will be starting an incentive program You Beat the Bell! When I see a student meet this expectation before the bell has rung, and without have to be prompted or reminded, they will receive a You beat the Bell card (this will be done randomly). Once a student receives 5 cards there will be an incentive. I want to ensure that these incentives are important to you so we will discuss them in class.

History will be kind to me for I intend to write it. -Winston Churchill

Closures:
Throughout the semester students can expect that there will be a class Closure assignment that must be handed in as they walk out of the door. Each Closure will be worth 5 points, and will have something to do with the topic that is being discussed. Closures will happen randomly, and have certain criteria that will be announced with each Closure. However, students can expect that they will have to include their full name (first and last), date, and class period, which will be worth 2 points total, any part of the heading that is missing will result in a loss of points. The best part about the Closure is that they are easy points and there is no right answer! I just want to get a feel for what you are thinking, understanding or not grasping. If you are absent and a Closure happens, please see me and we will discuss a simple make-up, which will more than likely be a Closure for the day that you come back.

Free Time Bank:

If you want it you have to earn it. At the beginning of each week you will start out with a deposit of 5 minutes of Free Time to your class account that can be used at the end of the week on Fridays or it can be banked to possibly earn a complete class period that is a Free Day (block days, test days, and substitute days and presentation days are exempt). Here is how it will work and I will have a stop watch to help me be as accurate as possible: ! When the bell rings I will start the clock, the longer it takes to get settled the more time you lose from your bank. ! If there is too much talking during announcements or AFT then I will start the clock o Everyone should be able to hear announcements. If I ask a question about announcements all students should be able to answer. o During AFT talking should be at a minimum and all students should be working on something, reading a book, or quietly talking with friends. ! When attention is called for I will start the clock, which will only be stopped when all students are on task. Hold your neighbor accountable. All of that time will then be added up and subtracted from your weekly deposit of 5 minutes, at the end of every class period, and just like a real bank account you can go into the negatives. Towards the end of the week, as a class, you can choose to bank the time that you have left or spend it that week. If you chose to bank then the next week you will have a 5minute deposit made into your class Free Time account. If everyone is on task throughout the lesson and is doing what needs to be done then if I see necessary, I will make another deposit, with the amount of time being at my disgression, to your account. However, I reserve the right to move a pre-determined Free Day or Free Time usage when it becomes apparent that we need to get a couple more things accomplished. Because each class will have their own accounts I want to ensure that neither class is too far ahead or behind.

History is written by the winners. -Napoleon

Lose the Notes:

Dont freak out! But I want to prepare you for high school and one thing that needs to change is using notes on a test. As the semester progresses you will be using less and less notes on tests, your final test of the semester will be closed note. If you take strong notes and study then doing well on tests should be no issue. Remember this will be a gradual change not an all at once change. I will make sure we discuss the changes as they happen so that everyone feels comfortable and not caught off guard when it comes to test time.

2. Procedures Backpacks:
Being able to walk up and down in-between the rows of desks is very important. In order to do it safely, I am going to ask that everyday when you come into class that you please insure that your bag is under your desk (in front of your legs) or in the back of the room. This will also be much safer for fire drills.

Arriving Tardy:
If you are tardy, please quietly hand your pass to me and take a seat. It is distracting that you are coming in late, so being quiet and getting straight to work will help all of your fellow students to keep working. It is completely acceptable to talk to you partner so that you can catch-up, but please try to be as non-distracting as possible.

Absences:
By now you should know the drill. If you are absent please check with your study buddy to see what you missed and ensure that you Composition Book is up-to-date. Also, please let me know when you are back so that we have the opportunity to chat about any assignments missed and how those will be made-up and so that we can work together on due dates.

Headings:
On anything that is being turned into me there are a few important items that need to be included: 1. Name (First and Last) 2. Period 3. Date 4. Name of Assignment Doing this will help me to keep organized which means you will get faster feedback on assignments. As of now this will not be worth points, but if I notice that I am consistently not getting the heading that I have asked for then I will start to mark points off. Headings are important as you progress academically, and should be second nature by now.

History is written by the winners. -Napoleon

3. Homework
Assignments and activities for the day will be written on the board at the beginning of each class meeting, and should be recorded in your planner. While I generally will not have nightly homework directly from the textbook, there are regular assignments that will generally need to be completed in their composition books. If circumstances are known that will cause work to not be turned in on time, please discuss this with me in advance.

4. Late Work
Unless otherwise communicated with me or in the case of excused absences, I will offer a two class meeting grace period for late work. After that grace period, 5 points will be deducted from the assignment for each day past the grace period. Any assignments that are turned in after a test will receive a zero. For example: an assignment was due on a Monday and it was not turned in because the student forgot it, the assignment must be turned in no later than Thursday at the beginning of class to me, as it is the second meeting of class since the assignment due date. The grace period for Thursday and Friday will be Monday, due to the weekend, which is plenty of time to complete the assignment.

Due Date:
Monday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Grace Period Due Date:

Thursday Friday Monday Monday

If you forget to turn in an assignment on its due date, I encourage you to turn it in any time before the end of the two class meeting grace period. If I begin to notice a pattern with particular students, this policy may change on a case-bycase basis, and there will also be a phone call/e-mail home and a conversation with the student.

No Name Papers/ Assignments

When I come across a No Name Papers/Assignments, 5 points will be taken off the score. This policy may seem strict, but you are fast approaching high school where policies will be much stricter and some teachers may not accept late work or give zero credit for no name papers. By now your name should be the first thing you write on an assignment.

You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right. -Rosa Parks

5. Grading
Grading for this semester will be the same as the last. For all project and papers, you will receive guidelines to follow and you will know up-front how much the projects and paper are worth. The grade is based on total points out of the total points possible each quarter. The following percentage scale will apply: Above and beyond (100-90%) = A Basically fine (89-80%) = B Could have done better (79-70%) = C Did not try (69-60%) = D In Progress/incomplete 50% Forgot about it =F

While a final grade in my class is based on total points out of total possible, on a variety of assignments and activities, much of this work will be completed in their composition book encouraging more independent organization and learning to take place. Because this strays from the daily assign and collect format, students work will carry a higher weight in the total grade. I will be utilizing regular check-in and collecting composition books regularly to monitor student understanding. Thorough and complete work will get full credit. "Average" work will be just that around 75%. Anything below (i.e.: last minute work) will be returned as incomplete. I aim to post grades at least bi-weekly in the class for students and also on the Parent Portal (Please contact me and Mr. Rowe if you are having difficulty accessing).

Extra Credit is limited to a cap of 5% of your total grade allowed within a quarter. See me
to discuss options; however, Extra Credit must be something that everyone has the opportunity to receive, therefore it will rarely be on an individual basis.

6. Make-up Work
The school policy for making up work for an excused absence will apply. If any assignments are missed due to an excused absence, it is the students responsibility to find out what was missed and make it up (study buddy or ask). This is especially important, as much of our daily work will be placed in students composition books. Academic Focus Time (AFT) period on Wednesdays can also be used to schedule make-up work. The Offices Hours that have been established by Mr. Rowe (Monday and Wednesday until approximately 4pm) will still be in effect. Due to my class schedule at the U of A, my after school Office Hours are still to be determined, and I will let everyone know as soon as possible what they are. Therefore, the best time to meet with me will be before school and during AFT.

Last Word
I want this semester to be fun for both you and me. Your input is extremely helpful and will only make me a better teacher. Also, I am here to help you and I want you to feel comfortable in talking with me about questions you have on content, and anything else class related. You all blew me away last semester and I know that we can make your last semester of 8th grade even better. I want you all to show me what you got!

If everyone is thinking alike, then someone isnt thinking. -General George S. Patton

Here is you FIRST assignment, which is due Friday and worth 25 points! NAME: PERIOD:
Because of the changes that are happening this semester, it is important that your parents/guardians are kept in the loop and understand the changes that are happening. Please take this to you parents/guardian and make sure that they have read it and sign that they have. I also want to make sure that you understand the changes that are being made. Therefore, I want you to sign, as well, stating that you understand what will be happening this semester. By signing below I acknowledge that I have read and understand the changes that are being made this semester, especially the changes to the late work policy.

Student Signature:

Parent/Guardian Signature:

Each one of us has a fire in our heart for something. Its our goal in lie to find it and to keep it lit. -Mary Lou Retton