Download 7th Grade - Beechwood Independent Schools

Beechwood High School
7th Grade Social Studies
2016-2017
Contact Information
Mrs. Jenny J. Tompkins
[email protected]
859.331.1220, ext. 6303—leave a message during the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Daytime availability (planning) 10:15 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. and after 3:00 p.m.
Room 303
Seventh Grade Contextual Theme: Introductory World Studies
Ancient civilizations of the Fertile Crescent, Egypt, Indus Valley, China, Greece and Rome prior to 1500 C.E. (A.D.)
Content
Welcome to the 7th grade! I am delighted to serve as your social studies teacher! Seventh grade social studies students
will be studying ancient societies and civilizations. In this course, we will look not only at how people lived in the past,
but how they progressed from rather primitive beginnings thousands of years ago to the creation of civilizations. Before
we are finished with this study, we will look closely at the adventure of human history, discover our past and, hopefully,
develop a clearer understanding of the world in which we live today.
Course and Grading Components
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Research—throughout the year, my students and I work in collaboration with Ms. Elicker, our school’s library
and media specialist, to complete quarterly creative/research projects. Students learn how to appropriately
cite sources according to MLA current edition, discern appropriate and useful websites, and create a formal
works cited page. These skills will follow them through their high school career.
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading—reading is critical to acquiring knowledge in
history/social studies. In history/social studies, students will need to be able to analyze, evaluate, and
differentiate primary and secondary sources. When reading primary sources, students will assess how point of
view shapes the content of the text. Students will learn to read complex informational text independently and
make sense of challenging nonfiction.
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing—for students, writing is a very important way to
communicate what they know about an event or topic. Writing allows for students to connect with history by
describing what is imagined, experienced, thought, and felt. Students will gather information, evaluate sources
for relevance and validity, and write to convey an understanding of the subject under investigation. In addition
to research-based writing, students will master the five paragraph essay which is so necessary during their later
academic years.
As a way to organize the required content for this course, students will refer to the framework that I call
GRAPES. Students will explore ancient societies, apply the GRAPES framework within each unit, and
differentiate between the contributions of these first civilizations.
Geography
Religion
Achievements Political
Structure
Economic
Social
System
Hierarchy
Course Flow/Timeline
Aug./Sept.
Investigating the Past—
 the Social Sciences—geography, history, and archaeology
 Introduction to Historical Thinking—sourcing, contextualization, corroboration,
inferences
 Prehistory—hominid groups, the Agricultural Revolution
mid-Sept./Oct.
The World’s First Civilization—the Peoples of the Fertile Crescent
 GRAPES: the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and the Neo-Babylonians
 the Phoenicians
mid-Oct.
The Hebrews
 monotheism and Judaism
 the creation of the modern state of Israel
November
The Egyptians and the Nile River Valley
 The Gift of the Nile
 The Old Kingdom and Egyptian Architecture
 The New Kingdom and Egyptian Expansion
December
Semester Review and Exam
January
Ancient India
 Indus River Valley and the Harappans
 The Vedic Age and the Aryans
 Hinduism
 Buddhism
February
Ancient China
 Achievements of the Shang through the Han Dynasties
 The Three Philosophies—Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism
 The Silk Road and diffusion (goods, ideas, and religion)
March
Ancient Greece
 Greek contributions to Western civilization—democracy, mythology and literature,
philosophy, science and medicine, art
 The Persian Empire and Greco-Persian Wars
 Greece and the World—Alexander the Great
April
Ancient Rome
 the Republic
 the Roman Empire
May
The Rise of Islam
Semester review and final exam
Summative grade level compelling questions may include, but are not limited to, the following:
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What comparisons can be made between ancient civilizations and the Western Hemisphere?
How were the economies of ancient civilizations organized to meet the needs of society?
What role has geography played in the development of ancient civilizations?
How have ancient civilizations influenced societies over time?
Grading Categories
Homework
Class work
Projects
Summative Assessments
Homework will be collected at the beginning of class; any
homework received after the initial collection will be
counted as late (see late work policy). Homework
assignments will usually range between 5-20 points.
Homework is regularly assigned 1 to 3 nights per week.
Most of the HW assignments require students to read for
information about a specific historic event or person.
These readings introduce new content or go into further
detail than class time allows. These readings are followed
by several MC questions to check comprehension and short
responses. Students are encouraged to interact with the
text and make annotations. These assignments also serve
the purpose of preparing students for state assessments
and the high school AP History classes.
--Any work completed in the classroom—e.g. guided notes,
MIT daily bell work
--Formative Assessments—some units include several
quizzes. Quizzes are worth between 10-20 points.
Class work assignments will usually range between 5-30
points.
Group or individual; research-based
Summative assessments (tests and/or projects) follow each
unit and consist of multiple choice questions and written
responses. These assessments usually range between 4070 points.
BHS Grading Scale
92-100% =A
84-91% = B
83-76%=C
70-75% = D
Below 70% = F
Other than the hall
pass, there are no
extra credit
opportunities. Do
your best!
Social Studies Binders
A large component of the Class Work grading category consists of running, daily entries in the student’s social studies
binder. These entries include vocabulary words (Words of the Day) and MITs (Moments in Time). Notebooks are
collected at least once per grading quarter. It is important for students to keep up with these entries and follow the
appropriate format modeled in class and required. If a student has an excused absence (Student-Parent Handbook), he
or she is to enter the date of the absence in the binder.
Absences
Students are encouraged to communicate with me themselves through email. Absent work will be kept in a file on my
desk. If you are absent, retrieve your assignments and communicate with me (at a time that fits into my teaching
schedule).
 Turn in absent work promptly in accordance with our school’s absentee work policy (see Student-Parent
Handbook). You will receive one additional day per absence if the absence is excused. If the absence is
UNEXCUSED, you will not be able to make up the work. If you are overwhelmed and feel you need additional
time, please speak with me. We will work something out.
 When you are absent, write the word ABSENT in your World History binder in place of the missing MIT/WOD
entry and the date.
World History Required Materials
The following supplies are necessary for 7th grade students:
--a three-spiral binder with tabs to be used ONLY for world history with 4 dividing tabs
--specific writing utensils including a highlighter and a correction pen (red or green ink); students will turn in all
work in pencil
--a flash drive to save student writing and research
--a box of tissues, paper towels, or sanitizing wipes for the common good
--optional: if a student owns a personal electronic device such as an iPad, tablet, laptop, or Smartphone, he/she
is encouraged to bring it to class on specific days as conveyed by the teacher.
Expectations
1. Students are expected to be in their seats and ready to learn when the BELL RINGS. This means that pencils
must be sharpened. Students will be given the cue to “pack up” by the teacher (usually 1 minute before the
dismissal bell rings).
2. Being ready to learn means students should have the following items with them EVERYDAY: 1) World History
binder; 2) writing utensils (pencil; a highlighter; a correction pen in green or red ink); and 3) student planner.
3. Students must turn in all assignments “on-time.” I will; however, accept some late work for half-credit within
one week from the day the assignment is due.
4. Raise your hand to be recognized before speaking or getting out of your seat.
5. Treat everyone in the classroom with great respect.
6. When student work groups are assigned, be a full group participant.
Consequences for not Meeting Classroom Expectations
1st Consequence – Verbal warning and / or parent contact (phone call or e-mail)
2nd Consequence – Detention and / or classroom expulsion. Parent contact will be at least 24 hours prior to scheduled
detention.
3rd Consequence – Referral to the administration
Depending on the severity of the classroom disruption or behavior, the teacher may bypass consequences listed above.
Policies
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10 Minute Rule—the high school’s ten minute rule is strictly enforced in the high school. That means students
will not be permitted to use their hall passes and be in the school’s hallways during the first ten minutes and the
last ten minutes of class.
Students are expected to remain in their seats until dismissed.
Hall Passes—in order to maximize instructional time and minimize distractions, students are expected to remain
in the classroom for the duration of the period. There are five minutes allotted between classes (six minutes
after 2nd and 5th periods) for students to take care of their personal business. However, I do realize emergencies
occur. For this reason, students are given one hall pass per quarter to use at their discretion. These hall passes
may only be used at a time that fits into the teaching schedule. If a student reserves his or her hall pass, I will
collect it on the last day of each quarter and the student shall receive five points added to his or her total points
per quarter grade (total points, not percentage points). Exception: if a student needs to see the nurse, see the
procedures below.
Clinic Passes—passes to see the school nurse are in a magnetic basket on the front of my desk. If a student is ill,
he or she will fill out the form and thoroughly describe the malady themselves if they are capable. I will then
sign the form.
Cell Phone Policy—as stated in the student/parent handbook, cell phones should be kept out of sight in a locker,
backpack, or purse. Electronic devices (iPad, tablet, or cell phone) may be used only with teacher permission.
Students are to finish all food and drinks, except for water, before entering class.
Voice Levels
Level 0—absolute silence. To be SAFE, RESPECTFUL, and RESPONSIBLE, be quiet!
Level 1—whisper. You should be talking to one or two people and your voice level should not be detectable to anyone
else.
Level 2—conversational. Students should talk so that 2 or 3 people in their group or near them can hear them but not
loud enough to distract anyone beyond that space.
Level 3—presentation. The teacher or student who is presenting to an audience should speak loudly enough to be
heard by the audience.
Group Procedures
1.
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5.
Stay focused—stay on task and watch your time.
Be respectful—listen to each other. Everyone should have the opportunity to contribute to the group’s work.
Be responsible—follow all directions. Someone should reread/repeat instructions to the entire group.
Be resourceful—If in doubt, confused, or have a question, RELY on each other to think through the problem.
Be safe—there is no need to speak above a level 2 (conversational), get out of your seat, or converse with
another group.
Academic Dishonesty:
Students are expected to be honest and ethical in their academic work. Academic dishonesty is defined as an
intentional act of deception in one of the following areas:
1. Cheating- use or attempted use of information or study aids during testing.
2. Fabrication- falsification or invention of any information.
3. Assisting- helping another student commit an act of academic dishonesty.
4. Tampering- altering or interfering with evaluation instruments and documents.
5. Plagiarism- representing the words or ideas of another person as one’s own.
Course Resourses
 Burstein, Stanley M. & Shek, Richard. (2006). World History. Austin, TX: Holt.
This textbook will NOT be issued to students. I have a classroom set for student use during class. Electronic
copies are available. Most of the reading in this course will come from outside sources.
Remind.com—text this message--@ecg44 to sign up for the service. Parents are most welcome to join, too!