Georgia Studies

Stone Mountain, Georgia

MRS.
ESSLINGER
E109
HELP
SESSIONS:
TUES/THURS
8:20 AM
HOPEWELL
MIDDLE
SCHOOL

Course Description and Objectives

In this course we explore
Georgia and U.S. History
from prehistoric cultures to
modern day.
In Georgia Studies, students study
Georgias history, government, geography,
and economics. Students trace the history of
Georgia in the context of the development of
the United States.
This history is also
combined wit h an over view of st at e
government. Students are expected to learn
facts about important people, places, and
events in Georgia and the United States. If
applicable, current events will also be
discussed and related to Georgia.
A
chronological focus includes a geographic

ove r v i ew a n d G e o r g i a s e a r l y
inhabitants, the foundation of Georgia
in the eighteenth century through the
states development in the 20th
century. Students will also examine
the characteristics of state government,
public issues, and citizen rights and
responsibilities.
The Georgia Studies teachers at
Hopewell Middle School use the
curriculum set forth by the Georgia
Performance Standards. To view these
standards online, please visit
georgiastandards.org.
These
standards provide our expectations for
instruction, student work, and all
assessments, including the Georgia
Milestones End of Grade exam to be
taken in April 2016.

Lost or Damaged Textbook Policy

Students are financially responsible for all books
issued by Hopewell Middle School. Textbooks may
not be left in classrooms, and teachers are not
responsible for students books once books have
been issued to the student. The copy issued to the
student must be turned in at the end of the course.
Students will not receive credit for turning in another
students book, and students may not turn in
replacement books. The cost of replacement will be
assigned to any student that fails to turn in the exact
book s/he was issued and/or to any student that
turns in a damaged book. If a student is issued a
damaged book (i.e. broken binding, torn pages,
water damage, writing, etc.), please bring it to the
attention of the teacher immediately in order to
obtain a replacement book or to document the
damage. There is a two-week grace period for
students to document damage before the student
will be held accountable.

Course Details

Course Title: Georgia Studies

Teacher: Mrs. Esslinger

Email: esslinger@fultonschools.org
Web Presence: http://
esslingergeorgiastudies.weebly.com

Textbook: Georgia and the American Experience, Clairmont

Press (2005)
Textbook Replacement Cost: $49.95

course
outline
for the
year

first semester

second semester

grading scheme

Units and Textbook

Correlation

Units and
Textbook
Correlation

80%

Georgias Colonization:
Chapters 4 and 5 (Sections 1,
2)

Developing National
Identities: Chapter 9
(Sections 3, 4) and
Chapter 10

20%

Revolution in Georgia: Chapter

5 (Sections 3,4) and Chapter 6
(Section 1)

Depression and World

Conflict: Chapter 11

Georgias Beginnings:
Chapters 1, 2, and 3

Westward Expansion: Chapter

6 (Sections 2, 3, 4)
Georgia in the Antebellum Era:
Chapter 7 (Sections 2, 3, 4, 5)
Georgia in the Civil War:
Chapter 8

As you may already know, Hopewell

Middle School has a program called
Home Access Center that allows you to
view your childs academic progress and
attendance online. In order to obtain a
password to your account, you must
apply in person with a photo ID in
Hopewells front office.

Help Sessions
Please schedule help sessions with
Mrs. Esslinger as needed. Office hours
are before school beginning at 8:20 AM
on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you need
to meet another day or time, please send
an e-mail or or speak with me before or
after school.

P a r e n t / T e a c h e r
Communication
Parents (and students) may view
assignments and contact me via my
online website at
http://
esslingergeorgiastudies.weebly.com.
Progress reports will be sent home every
four and a half weeks and a semester
report card is sent at the end of each
semester (18 weeks).

Absence
Procedure

Written Assessments: Any and

all types of writing

0%

Societal and Technological

Growth: Chapters 12
and 13
Georgias Government:
Chapters 15 and 16

Georgia and Reconstruction:

Chapter 9 (Sections 1,2)

Home Access Center

Summative Assessments: Endof-unit tests, projects, and final

exams

Homework: Videos, short

readings, and all other
practice work

0%

Formative Assessments (used

as a data collection tool for
teachers): Quizzes, check-ins,
ticket-out-the-door, warm-ups,
and all other mid-unit
evaluations

Make-Up

Students are expected to check my

Weebly daily for any make-up work.
Upon returning to school after an
absence, if a student needs assistance
with an assignment posted online OR if
s/he does not see any assignments
posted online, the student must contact
the teacher (before or after school) to
request make-up work and complete the
work within the same number of days as
his/her absence.

Classroom Procedures and

Expectations
Students are to come to class every
day with the materials necessary to
participate:
paper, pens, pencils,
textbook, and work. They are to act
courteously and respectfully to teachers
and peers.
Please review the HMS
Agenda for additional expectations.

TAG Expectations
Students not maintaining an 80% or
above in a TAG class will face academic
probation for that class. Please contact
your teacher if you have questions about
probation.

This famous Georgia author wrote the novel,

Gone with the Wind, published in June
1936. Her home, at the corner of Peachtree
and 10th Streets, is on the National Register
of Historic Places. She is buried in Atlantas
Oakland Cemetery.

Fulton County
Grading Scale
A = 90 - 100%
B = 80 - 89%
C = 70 - 79%
F = Scores below 70%

Social Studies
Recovery Policies
The 8th grade Social
Studies teachers at
Hopewell Middle
School have a uniform
recovery policy. The
guidelines that allow
students to receive
assessment recovery
are as follows:

The Little White House is located in

Warm Springs, Georgia, where President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt vacationed so
he could swim in the warm springs to
alleviate the symptoms of polio.

1. Late work will be penalized

10% per day late, up to 5 days
late.

Honor Code Plagiarism

Student assignments turned in for grading should be the sole work of that
individual student. To prevent cheating and plagiarism, students may not
collaborate with other students or adults on their assignments unless the
teacher has given specific permission to do so. This includes the giving or
receiving of information in any manner, including electronically. In situations
where collaboration is allowed, the teacher will clearly define what level of
collaboration is appropriate. Under no circumstances is it acceptable for two
students to submit identical work, unless the assignment included a group
component that makes it permissible. Students are encouraged to consult
with their teacher regarding what level of collaboration is acceptable prior to
completing and submitting their work.

2. If a student receives a 75% or

lower on a summative assessment,
s/he will receive a notification that
the following steps needs to be
taken in order to recover the
grade: attend help session(s), test
corrections, and retest.
3. The date for test recovery will
be at the teachers discretion.
4. Students will only be allowed
the same time period for testing,
either before or after school, that
they would be afforded in a
normal class environment.

Hopewell Middle School Plagiarism Statement

A particular kind of honor code violation occurs with plagiarism.
Plagiarism is defined as the use of anothers words or ideas and the
presentation of them as though they are entirely ones own.
Acts of
plagiarism include but are not limited to using words or ideas from a
published source without proper documentation; using the work of another
student (e.g., copying another students homework, composition, or project);
using excessive editing suggestions of another student, teacher, parent, or
paid editor. Unless directly stipulated by the teacher, collaboration on written
work is not acceptable. Students who willingly provide other students with
access to their work are in violation of the Honor Code.

5. In order to keep students

focused on their current material
and to avoid possible failure on
those assessments, students will
only be allowed to retake the most
recent summative assessment.
6. There are no retakes of failed
retakes.

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I have read and understand the requirements for Mrs. Esslingers Georgia Studies class for the 2015 - 2016 school year.
X_________________________________________________
Student Signature

X_________________________________________________
Parent Signature

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Date
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