Ichabod Crane Central School District

 

Course Outline

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US HISTORY I                                                                                                                                     Mrs. Marotta

Welcome to the Seventh Grade!

Course Outline
      United States History is a two-year course. The course divides the history of our nation into 12 eras. It sounds like an enormous amount of work; doesn’t it? Let me try and simplify it by explaining in great detail the course you’re taking this year.
     US History I includes the following chronological events: Our Global Heritage Prior to 1500, European Exploration and Colonization of the Americas, A Nation Created, Experiments in Government, Life in the New Nation, Division and Reunion. Through the study of the events in history, you will also learn how the influence of culture, morals & values, government structures, economic & foreign policies, and geography play a role in how and why certain events occurred.
      In addition to covering the events that occurred in history, there are many skills you will be learning. The New York State Education Department has designated very specific skills to be learned by the student each year of their social studies educational experience. An example of this is “a student will understand how to develop and use maps and other graphic representations to display geographic issues, problems and questions”. As we get started, you will be amazed at how much you’re learning without feeling overwhelmed. I have taken all of our requirements set forth by the state and created a year’s lesson plan that promises to be entertaining, interesting, thought provoking, involved and personal to your own life.

Student Responsibilities
      Students are required to be in class on time.
      Students will have a “do-now” activity every day when they walk into class. Students are to begin working on the activity the moment they walk into class. For each correct answer or action, the student will receive 1 extra credit point on the class participation part of their grade.
      Students are required to hand in their homework on the due date that is assigned. (Just in case anyone has trouble with this concept, it is only fair to make you aware that each day it is late that student will lose a letter grade.) Your assignments are not busy work. They will help review and analyze the lesson learned in class each day. This is why it is important to do the assignment at the designated time. You will receive weekly homework assignment sheets to help you learn and practice time management. Your homework assignments and projects will also be posted on the Internet at the following address: http://new.schoolnotes.com/xpages/view/182938/2#
Class participation is essential in US History and students will be required to participate in class on a regular basis. Also, on a daily basis, students will keep an organized notebook. The most important responsibility that a student has is to follow the Golden Rule!

Attendance
      Legal absences; homework is due on the date you return. (This is the reason for having your textbooks at home and for me providing you with a weekly homework sheet.) If there are extenuating circumstances, you will need to see me before school, after school or during homeroom to make other arrangements.
      We will be keeping a class notebook. If you have missed a class, it is your responsibility to refer to the notebook for any notes that we took or hand outs that you missed. Good times to check the notebook are before school, after school, during team time or during homeroom.

Grading Policy
Each marking period grade will consist of the following components:

20% Class Participation
30% Homework
50% Assessment (quizzes, tests and projects)

Material list
1” 3 Ring Black Binder
5 Dividers
Labeled: Golden Rule/Paper
                  Guided Notes
                  Weekly Homework Sheets
                  Graded Work
                  Study Packets

Loose-leaf Paper everyday in class
Pen or Pencil everyday in class