Download Humanities Lassiter Course Syllabus Fall 2015

LASSITER HIGH SCHOOL
HUMANITIES SYLLABUS
REACHING EXCELLENCE AND CLIMBING HIGHER
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Ms. Keilman- Room 813
Email: [email protected]
Blog: http://lhsblogs.typepad.com/keilman/
School Website: http://www.lassiterhigh.org/
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Humanities A and B (Grade 9)—Humanities is an introduction and foundation to high school Social
Studies for ninth graders. It includes a survey of the history of civilization, including art, language,
science, religion and architecture. It provides an interdisciplinary approach that encourages the
development of critical thinking, as well as analytical writing and reading skills. The history of the
world up through the 1400’s will be the primary focus but an emphasis will also be placed on
connecting what is going on in the world today to the geography and history of the world.
TEXT BOOK: World History: Patterns of Interaction. You will receive a copy of this textbook for
which you are responsible. Currently, there is no online version of this text book.
READING MATERIALS: A significant amount of research will take place in the Cobb Virtual
Library’s (CVL) databases such as World History in Context, Daily Lives, Culture Grams, Modern
World History, Encyclopedia Britannica, and others. The username to access these databases through
the CVL is cobb and the password is bird. Various other readings and primary source documents will
be accessed through class, websites, the blog, and Blackboard. Both the CVL and Blackboard can be
accessed through Cobb County School’s website. A direct link to the CVL can be found at
http://cvl.cobbk12.org/.
COURSE SUPPLY LIST: coloring pencils, markers, paper, 1 inch binder with dividers or a section
within a larger binder with dividers, pens, pencils
GRADES:
Assignment
Minor -Formative Assessments
Weight
30%
Major- Summative Assessments
45%
SLO Assessment
10%
Final Exam
15%
Synergy: Grades will be posted in the online grade book Synergy. Projects and essays may take a
longer period of time to post and return. Parents and students can gain access to Synergy at any time
by using a login and password that can be obtained from the school media center.
GRADE SCALE
A…………90-100
B…………80-89
C…………74-79
D…………70-73
F…………..0-69
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Any work that not completed solely by the student who hands the work in
is considered cheating. This includes lending your work to someone else or copying someone else’s
work. Cheating is not tolerated and consequences will be as stated in the Lassiter student handbook.
Some course work will require you to complete assessments online where you will be afforded a
specific amount of time to complete the assessment once you have begun. For each assessment,
instructions will be provided that will inform the student how long they have to complete the
assessment and if any resources can be used for the assessment. Online plagiarism software programs
will be used on submitted work to ensure that students are completing their own work and the work
not does not violate copyright protection laws.
Cheating is considered a serious matter. The parents of a student who has been involved in cheating will be
notified and the student will receive a grade of zero for the test or evaluation period, and a grade of U in conduct.
For this course, cheating is defined as, but is not limited to, the following acts:
 Copying anyone’s answers to questions, exercises, study guides, classwork or homework
assignments.
 Taking any information verbatim from any source, including the Internet, without giving proper
credit to the author, or rearranging the order of words and/or changing some words as written by
the author and claiming the work as his or her own, i.e., plagiarism.
 Looking onto another student’s paper during a test or quiz.
 Having available any study notes or other test aids during a test or quiz without the teacher's
permission.
 Collaborating on assignments when independent work is expected.
 Students displaying cell phones or any other electronic devices during tests and/or quizzes will
have their cell phones confiscated, and will be given a zero for that test or quiz.
CLASS EXPECTATIONS:
1. All policies in Lassiter’s Student Handbook will be enforced at all times.
2. Students will show respect to all individuals in the class.
3. Students will participate in class and online discussions in a courteous manner.
4. Students will stay up to date with course work.
5. Students will work together with partners when required in a productive manner and timely
manner.
6. Complete assessments according to the provided directions and rubric.
7. Complete both in class and out of class assignments.
8. Keep appointments to meet online for Synchronous communication and collaboration.
9. Communicate in person or through email when you have questions or need help.
10. Visit the classroom after school on Tuesdays or Thursdays for making up work or for help.
11. Use the Coffee Room (discussion board in Haiku) to share information unrelated to the course and
to ask questions in which your peers or the instructor may be able to answer.
SCHOOL POLICIES:
All Cobb County School Policies will be abided by. All policies regarding attendance, behavior,
academic integrity, absences, etc. will be followed. Please view the Lassiter High School Student
Handbook which is the policy that Lassiter students are required to abide by:
http://www.lassiterhigh.org/filestore/LHSStudentHandbook.pdf
ATTENDANCE AND MAKE-UP POLICY:
A student who is present and actively participates is more likely to be successful; however, if a student
is absent, he/she has one day for each day of excused absence to make up the work. (For example, a
student absent 2 days would have 2 days to make-up the work.) Students are responsible for asking
their teachers for the make-up work. A student with an unexcused absence may ask for assignments
and may choose to complete them in order to keep up with the class; however, the teacher is under no
obligation to grade the work. Students should check the class blog to track missed assignments and
activities, and should come in after school to makeup those activities as needed. Likewise, following an
excused absence the student must make arrangements for a makeup test immediately upon their
return to school. A student will have up to one week from the excused absence to make up a test or
quiz. When there is an assignment that becomes difficult to replicate due to an absence, an alternative
assignment will be assigned to be completed.
LATE WORK POLICY:
It is beneficial to complete all missing work whether it will be recorded for a grade or not. Teacher
discretion will be used to determine the acceptance of late work. In general, late work is not taken for a
grade, especially once the assignment has been graded and handed back and/or we have moved
beyond that topic, unit, or period. An alternative assignment may be assigned and reduced credit may
be given. Students have as many days as they were absent to make up an assignment assuming it was
an excused absence.
TARDY POLICY:
To avoid being counted tardy, students must be seated and ready for class when the bell rings. School
policy states that 3 tardies = 1 after school detention, 3:30-5:30 pm; 6 tardies = Saturday School + loss of
parking space; 9 tardies = 2 days ISS. See student handbook for additional information. If a student
becomes late to class he/she should report to PPO for a pass to class. If you are late and report to PPO
please do so in a timely manner and in a way that does not disrupt the learning process occurring in
the classroom. A student is subject to a detention or referral for interrupting the classroom learning
environment, especially when they are walking in late. Report straight to PPO should you anticipate
reporting to class late. A student who comes to class and asks to use the restroom should also consider
the fact that if they are late they will need to obtain a tardy slip pass from PPO.
VIDEOS:
We may occasionally view curriculum-related films or clips, none of which will exceed a PG-13 rating.
Your signature on this syllabus indicates permission for your student to view these films. Please do not
hesitate to discuss any concerns you may have over this with me. I would be more than happy to
provide students with alternative learning opportunities.
CLASS RULES:
1. Food/Drink. So long as students are respectful of our classroom food will be allowed. Drinks need
to have a cap.
2. Always come to class prepared with all of your supplies, especially your textbooks. We do not
have classroom sets of books so your success depends on bringing these items to class every day.
Generally, students will not be allowed to leave the room to get any materials that were left in their
lockers. Unrelated materials and electronic devices should be kept put away.
3. Be respectful of your peers, yourself, and your teachers. This means raising your hand to be called
on, staying in your seat when required and during instruction, utilizing your time wisely in class, and
being in class and ready to work at all times.
4. The first 5 and last 5 minutes of class are considered Dead Time. No student is allowed to leave the
classroom at this time. Homeroom is also dead time. These are school policies. You should use the
restroom in between classes or wait until the 5 minute rule has passed or before it has approached.
5. Arrive to class on time or report immediately to PPO for a tardy pass. This is also school policy.
Refer to your student handbook for information on consequences for excessive tardiness. Seniors,
tardiness will affect your privilege to park on campus.
6. No horseplay in the classroom or hallways. A limited number of bathroom passes will be given per
semester. Students will be required to have their agendas with them at all times. Hall passes will be
assigned during the first week of school.
7. Bathroom Passes- Students will be provided 3 bathroom passes every six weeks. Any unused passes
will be used towards extra credit points. A student who requests to leave the room and has used all of
their passes will be asked to stay for detention after school to make up the missed class time. Use the
bathroom before school, during breaks, or during lunch.
Failure to follow these class expectations will result in one or more of the following:
1. Warning
2. Parent Phone Call
3. Detention
4. Administrative Referral
5. Parent/Teacher Conference
Please sign the last page and return to your teacher by Wednesday
Note Taking Guide
SPICE Thematic Questions—your guide to thematically analyze World History
Social
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How was the social system structured? What were the classes?
Who dominated? (the entire social system? the family unit?)
What were the roles and rights of the subordinates and or citizens? (changes?)
What were gender relations like? i.e. role of women in society? Rights?
What was family/community life like? How did they live?
What new group migrated into the region (if any)? Impact?
Political, Institutions
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Who has decision making power when ruling a state?
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How was the ruler chosen or how did he gain power? What kind of ruler?
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How was governmental power distributed?
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How many peoples (ethnic/cultural groups) did the ruler govern?
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What degree of authority did the government maintain? How much control did the government/ruler have over
people’s lives?
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Was there a written law code? (describe how the legal system operated)
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What kind of relationship did the government have with other governments? (changes?)
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How stable was the government? What events/occurrences contributed to the downfall of the government?
Interactions- Human-Environmental Interaction
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Geography- it’s impact
What features impacted development and
movement?
Think about the location of fresh water and how that impacts building, survival, and agriculture.
How does climate impact a region’s history and development?
How does geography influence technological advancements?
What geographic elements make certain types of architecture and technology adaptable
Cultural, Religion, Intellectual, Artistic, Institutions, Infrastructure, Technology
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What kind of religion was practiced? (theist (mono or poly), ethical, or animist)
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How did it originate?
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What were some beliefs and practices of the religion?
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What was the role of the priests?
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Did written rules/guidelines govern the religion? Where there religious texts? (describe them)
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What was the relationship between religion and government?
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Did they have a record keeping system? (describe it)
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What kinds of people were educated? (class, gender, occupation, etc.) What did the education consist of? Who paid
for education?
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What intellectual achievements did they make? (i.e. literature, philosophy, science, math, medicine, etc.)
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Did they have a distinct artistic style, if so what was it?
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What were the achievements in art and architecture? What was the purpose or motivation? Who paid?
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Technology (tools and processes created to manipulate the physical world to solve real-world problems)
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What sort of technological achievements were developed in agriculture (i.e. new/improved tools or methods)
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What new technologies/materials were used in tools and warfare?
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What kinds of advances were made in engineering, transportation, water, communication, etc.?
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Were there any achievements made with regard to any new features and/or materials used in building?
Economic
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What was the economy based on? How did the people make a living?
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Was there trade? What people and goods were involved? How did they carry out trade—what was the impact?
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Was there manufacture? What people and goods were involved?
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What type of labor systems existed?
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What role does the government play in the economy?
Cobb County Virtual Library Access
MackinVia Username: student # Password: read (as of Spring 2014)
Student Research
Using Electronic Databases in the Cobb Virtual Library
Objective: To learn how to navigate through the Cobb Virtual Library's (CVL)
electronic databases. The databases will be used throughout the course as a source of
information on almost any topic that we will look at and research. You will get
acquainted with the different databases and how they work.
You will:
• learn how to navigate through the Cobb Virtual Library's electronic databases
•use the search bar
•move from one database to another
•save work in the electronic databases
•cite sources in the electronic databases
•understand the variety of electronic databases which are available
•understand the importance of using proper sources and citing them correctly
SYLLABUS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
TEACHER:
Mrs. Keilman
COURSE: Humanities
YOUR SIGNATURE BELOW INDICATES YOUR AGREEMENT WITH THE
FOLLOWING:
 I have read and understand the academic integrity policy.
 I have reviewed the class syllabus and understand the grading policy.
 I understand that I may gain access to my grades, and so can my parents, using the
Synergy feature. I understand that teachers will make every effort to post grades
within 2 weeks of accepting the assignment, but that posting of grades for larger
papers and projects may extend beyond the 2 week timeframe.
Student Name: _______________________________________
Period: ______________________________________________
Student Signature: ____________________________________
Parent/ Guardian Signature: ___________________________
Parent/ Guardian Email: _______________________________
Parent/ Guardian Phone Number: ______________________
RETURN THIS FORM WITH BOTH SIGNATURES BY MONDAY.
Note: Since teachers have limited access to telephones, the most effective manner of
communication is through email. Ms. Keilman’s email address is
[email protected]. I would appreciate if all parents will send me an initial
email so that I may easily add parent email addresses to my address book and keep
parents updated in a timely manner. I look forward to a great year and to working with
each and every student. Please do not hesitate to contact me for any reason. Please feel
free to email me if you have any questions. I look forward to working with each of you
this year. Go Trojans!