Syllabus
8th Grade Social Studies
Course Description: This course is designed to challenge students in a rigorous and collaborative nature. We will examine and analyze the history of the United States, from the early explorers and Native Americans who first inhabited the land, through the Civil War and Reconstruction. Students will be challenged to think beyond the standard state curriculum. American History students will be expected to think critically and creatively and will have opportunities to demonstrate these skills through projects and collaborative work all while preparing for state standardized testing (STAAR) in May.
Expectations:
* Participate in and contribute to all class discussions and activities in a positive manner.
* Complete all assignments within the stated period.
* Think critically about historical events and how they relate to contemporary issues and government.
* Analyze critically and relay this information through essay writing. Writing must be legible or you will not receive credit.
* Collaborate with each other in groups and as a class with respect to differences of opinion.
* Be able to provide evidence for your opinions and thoughts with respect to your peers.
* Any choice of action always has consequences, so stay positive and think before you act.
Academic Integrity
Integrity is a key characteristic of a successful leader. It adds value to your work and defines you as being trustworthy and honest. If a student is suspected of being in violation on examinations or other schoolwork submitted for credit in any class, the teacher will submit required documentation to administration and contact the parents/guardians to report the incident. Any student determined to be guilty of violating academic integrity may be subject to a grading penalty and/or disciplinary action. The teacher will keep the evidence on file for use during the parent conference.
Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to
- Cheating – Dishonesty of any kind on a test or examination, written assignment (i.e homework, online submission, etc.), or project, illegal possession of test or examination questions, the use of unauthorized notes during a test or examination, obtaining or giving information about a test or an examination from or to another student, assisting others to cheat or altering grade records are instances of cheating.
- Plagiarism – offering the work of another as one’s own work without proper acknowledgement is plagiarism; therefore, any student who fails to give credit for quotations or essentially identical material taken from books, encyclopedias, magazines, internet sources, and other reference works or from the themes, reports, or other writings of a fellow student is guilty of plagiarism.
Consequences
If a student is found in violation of academic integrity, the consequences will be as follows:
1st Infraction – Administrative conference and assignment to a Character development course
2nd Infraction – Administrative conference & reassignment of the student to their home campus
Phoenix Honor Pledge
The Honor Pledge is a community building experience, designed to encourage faculty and students to reflect upon the campus’ character development. Students will be asked to sign the Honor Pledge, which signifies their understanding of the sense of pride in the integrity of their work. This statement may be included on all assignments that are submitted for credit.
Supply List:
- Pencil/Pen (blue or black ink only).
- One Composition notebook
- Glue (liquid or glue sticks)
- Scissors
- Highlighters
GRADING: Nine Weeks Average
Categories:
Exams (i.e. unit assessments) 25%
Daily Work (i.e. quizzes, homework, classwork) 75%
It is the student’s responsibility to turn in all work on the designated due date. A 10% deduction will be made from the student’s grade for each day work is turned in passed the due date.
MAKE-UP WORK: It is the student’s responsibility to ask for assignments that he/she has missed. Failure to do so will result in the student being pulled from Phoenix Time at the instructor’s discretion, to complete any missing assignments. The time allotted for all make-up work is 1 day per absence.
RETESTING PROCEDURES:
Please refer to HCISD district policy in the student handbook.