Social Studies 2018-2019 Fallon Abel 

Welcome to Social Studies!  

Before we get started, let me just say that I hated social studies when I was growing up. I remember boring 
classes that involved reading textbooks and memorizing lots of dates and names. Let me be clear: this class isn’t 
about that. Rather, we will be thinking about our relationship to society: how the past has shaped us, and how 
what we believe and do now affects others. There will be numerous opportunities for your interests to guide 
your learning – from our bi-weekly current events discussions to choosing topics for research projects. This class 
is about understanding the social forces that have shaped who you are, and considering the role you have in your 
community and world. 

Overview of the Year 

Our guiding question for this year is: ​Who Am I? ​ Across all disciplines, you will investigate the forces that 
shape your identity and personal beliefs. The year is divided into three trimesters, each with a specific area of 
inquiry:   
 
1) Living in Vermont  
a) How has local history and geography shaped my culture? 
b) What commonalities do I have with peers living in other places? What in my experience is 
uniquely “Vermont”? 

2) World Beliefs  
a) What are the central beliefs of various world religions? 
b) How do my own beliefs and values compare? 

3) Immigration and Refugees 

a) What factors led to various groups of people to move to the USA and Vermont? 
b) How do current debates about immigration and refugee issues influence my own views? 

Contact Information 
If you or your family has a question or concern, please do not hesitate to reach out. I will happily respond to 
communication received before 8pm. After that, please expect a response the following day. 
Email​: f​ abel@sharonacademy.net  
Cell phone​: 802-432-8005 
Classroom: 8​02-763-2531, extension 303 
*Please note: Email is generally the best way to reach me, as I do not have cell phone reception at home. If 
talking over the phone is preferable, please email and I’ll be happy to arrange a time.   

1 
Social Studies 2018-2019 Fallon Abel 

Proficiency-Based Assessments 
As our school transitions to a Proficiency-Based Assessment system, I’d like to highlight which standards we will 
focus on this year. A ​standard​is a ​skill​ or c​ ontent area​ that students will strive to meet or exceed by the end of 
their two years at TSA. For each standard, a student will have multiple opportunities -- through written work, 
projects, revisions, etc -- to improve and demonstrate that they are meeting expectations.  

Transferable Skills: TSA’s Gateway Standards 

This year, the TSA middle and high school students are focusing on the following 7 transferable skills: 1) 
Acquire Information, 2) Reason, 3) Design, 4) Communicate, 5) Self-Direct, 6) Engage with Community, 7) 
Sustain one’s well-being. In all classes, students will be generating evidence of their progress in these 7 areas.  
 
Social Studies will offer opportunities to develop the following aspects of the 7 Gateway Standards:  
 
1. ACQUIRE: Acquire Information Critically 
a. Read 
b. Analyze Perspective and Bias 
c. Research 
d. Listen 
 
2. REASON: Think Critically and use Evidence in Arguments 
a. Cause & Effect 
b. Generalization & Specificity 
c. Claim-based Argument 
d. Critique Arguments 
 
3. DESIGN: Perseverance and Creativity in Problem-Solving 
c. Persist 
 
4. COMMUNICATE: Communicate Effectively  
a. Write  
i. Organized and Purposeful 
ii. Use Evidence and Logic 
iii. Sense of Context 
iv. Style 
b. Speak 
i. Interpersonal 
ii. Presentation Skills 
c. Multimedia/Artistic Expression 
 
 

2 
Social Studies 2018-2019 Fallon Abel 

5. SELF-DIRECT: Take Responsibility for Learning and Growth 

c. Take Initiative and Responsibility for Learning 
d. Practice Flexibility 
e. Collaborate Effectively 
f. Reflect 
 
6. ENGAGE: Community and Responsible Citizenship 
c. DIVERSITY 
 
Social Studies Content & Skills 
The content of our social studies class is aligned with the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) standards, 
developed by the National Council for the Social Studies, as well as the Vermont Department of Education 
Grade Level Expectations for History & Social Studies (H&SS). Here are the content standards that we will 
address this year:  
 
● Geography – C3 (D2.Geo.1-12, 6-8) 
○ Geographic Representations: Spatial Views of the World 
○ Human-Environment Interaction: Place, Regions, and Culture 
○ Human Population: Spatial Patterns and Movements 
○ Global Interconnections: Changing Spatial Patterns 
● History – C3 (D2.His.1-11) 
○ Change, Continuity, and Context 
○ Perspectives 
○ Historical Sources and Evidence  
● History (H&SS 8-10) 
● Physical and Cultural Geography (H&SS 11-13) 
 
More detailed information about specific standards within each of these areas will be provided on assignments, 
and I am happy to provide that information in advance to any interested families.  
 

Habits of Work: HEART 

As referenced in the “Welcome Letter,” every middle school class will assess students on their habits of work, 
which are referred to as H.E.A.R.T. Please see the Welcome Letter for the detailed rubric. 
  
Rubrics 
For ​summative​ assessments/projects, students will receive detailed instructions for how to get started and 
succeed. They will also receive a rubric that shows which content standards and transferable skills are being 
assessed, and how they will be assessed. For example, in generating a list of sources for their Religion Research 
Paper, students will be assessed on the transferable skill​ Acquire Information Critically​: Analyze Perspective  

3 
Social Studies 2018-2019 Fallon Abel 

GATEWAY STANDARD:          
(1) ACQUIRE  BEGINNING  APPROACHIN MEETING  EXCEEDING 
INFORMATION  G 
CRITICALLY 
 
PERFORMANCE 
INDICATOR:  
I can  I can  I can  I can 
B. Analyze Perspective  ● Gather a variety ● Compare two ● Gather ​useful​ and ● Justify and
of sources and sources or relevant ​sources, defend my
assess for pieces of data and ​independently decisions
Analyze the usefulness,  reliability using and assess for evaluate their about my
validity, perspective,  the “reliable reliability and reliability. sources using
accuracy, and bias of  sources” usefulness. ● I can detect bias effective
information sources or  checklist and and evaluate criteria
media. teacher input. perspective.

Homework 
There will be several times each week that I ask students to spend time on social studies work outside of class 
time. This may involve finishing up classwork, reading for the next day, preparing for current events class 
discussions, continuing research, studying for a quiz, working on a project, or other meaningful work. 
Homework completion will be tracked, but ultimately will not factor into a student’s final proficiency-based 
assessment. However, repeatedly failing to complete homework inevitably will diminish a student’s ability to be 
successful on summative assessments. My hope is that families will regularly check on their student’s homework 
completion using JumpRope, and engage their student in reflective conversations about how their work habits 
are affecting their learning.  
When I do assign homework, my goal is that it will: 
● Allow for more meaningful use of class time. 
● Not require more than 20 minutes per night. 
● Help students develop time management and organization skills. 
 
If outside time demands impede a student’s ability to complete homework on a particular evening, please let me 
know as soon as possible. I’m happy to work with you to figure out accommodations when there is a legitimate 
need. 

For more on Proficiency, Formative & Summative Assessments, Habits of Work, Late Work, Class 
Participation, and the JumpRope reporting tool, please refer to the ​Middle School Welcome Letter​.  

I look forward to learning with you this year!  

4