I will be your child's Social Studies teacher this year. I teach four sections of U.S. history, a "Flex period" for enrichment and one Language Arts class.
You will find a detailed syllabus for Social Studies lower on this page, and a briefer description of what we will do in Flex and Language Arts. This is my 19th year teaching Social Studies at Edison.
I will be teaching one Language Arts for the third time in five years; your child likely will have Mr. Newman for Language Arts. There have been some changes in the curriculum because of adopting Common Core Standards. I will update the syllabus on this blog as soon as I have details on the Language Arts curriculum for this year. While I am primarily a Social Studies teacher, I am certified to teach English and Language Arts and began my teaching career as a high school English teacher. I also was a newspaper reporter and editor for many years before becoming a teacher.
I will be teaching one Language Arts for the third time in five years; your child likely will have Mr. Newman for Language Arts. There have been some changes in the curriculum because of adopting Common Core Standards. I will update the syllabus on this blog as soon as I have details on the Language Arts curriculum for this year. While I am primarily a Social Studies teacher, I am certified to teach English and Language Arts and began my teaching career as a high school English teacher. I also was a newspaper reporter and editor for many years before becoming a teacher.
I will not be issuing individual textbooks this year. We will use a class set in both Social Studies and Language Arts. If your child needs a textbook to complete an assignment he/she can check one out for as long as needed or I will give them photocopies of what is needed.
A few other notes:
I try to connect Social Studies and history with current events as much as possible. We begin each Social Studies class discussing news of the day, and your child can earn extra credit points by sharing news stories. Please encourage your child to read a newspaper or to watch the news with you.
Your child's first major assignment, due near the end of September, will be a genealogy project, which will involve creating a family tree and an essay or PowerPoint on a significant ancestor. Your child will need your help for this.
Please plan to attend our Meet the Teacher Night. This will occur some time during mid-September (probably around Sept. 15). This will be an opportunity to see the school and to meet some of the adults who will be working with your child.
Your child's first major assignment, due near the end of September, will be a genealogy project, which will involve creating a family tree and an essay or PowerPoint on a significant ancestor. Your child will need your help for this.
Please plan to attend our Meet the Teacher Night. This will occur some time during mid-September (probably around Sept. 15). This will be an opportunity to see the school and to meet some of the adults who will be working with your child.
2015-2016
Seventh Grade
Social Studies,
Language Arts
and Flex Period Syllabus
What
We Will Study
Social Studies:
This year we will study U.S. history from colonization up to the late
1800s. The textbook we will use is
Prentice Hall’s America: History of Our Nation, Beginnings Through 1877.
Social
Studies textbooks will not be issued to students; they will use a classroom
set. Those needing a book to complete an
assignment at home will be able to check one out overnight. Photocopies of needed pages also are available or can be provided as PDFs.
Course Syllabus, based on textbook
chapters and additional materials
1st
Quarter:
Introduction to Social Sciences
Native American Cultures
European Exploration
European Colonization of the Americas
The American Revolution
Projects:
Genealogy Project
DBQ (document based questions)
Jamestown Writing Project (if time permits)
Genealogy Project
DBQ (document based questions)
Jamestown Writing Project (if time permits)
2nd Quarter:
Wrap-up American Revolution
The Constitution and Forming a National
Government
America Under Washington and Adams
The Era of Thomas Jefferson
Economic Developments and Western Expansion
Projects:
DBQ (document based questions) on U.S. Constitution
DBQ (document based questions) on U.S. Constitution
3rd
Quarter:
Wrap-up Western Expansion
Slavery and Sectional Conflict
The American Civil War
Projects:
DBQ (document based questions) on Battle of Gettysburg
Civil War Battles/Generals Project
Causes of the Civil War Press Conference (if time permits)
DBQ (document based questions) on Battle of Gettysburg
Civil War Battles/Generals Project
Causes of the Civil War Press Conference (if time permits)
4th
Quarter:
Reconstruction
The West Transformed
Industrialization
Projects:
DBQ (document based questions) on Reconstruction
Immigration Project
DBQ (document based questions) on Reconstruction
Immigration Project
There will be a strong
emphasis on current events and connecting those events (when appropriate) to
history we are studying. Map work and
geography will also be emphasized throughout the school year. The DBQs are major writing assignments, but
students will be expected to complete several short writing assignments each
week. Students will be given the opportunity to do additional extra credit
projects and assignments throughout the school year. Students will have the
opportunity to do online research at school for weekly state sheets and
projects. There will be approximately
35-50 assignments or grades during each quarter.
Language Arts: I will teach just one Language Arts class. The curriculum will be aligned with the new Common Core Standards. Students will receive instruction in grammar usage and mechanics. We will concentrate on daily practical writing assignments and revisions and improvement in vocabulary. Students will be taught how to write for a variety of audiences. Language Arts textbooks will not be issued to students; they will use a classroom set. Those needing a book to complete an assignment at home will be able to check one out overnight.
More detailed weekly lessons and overall plans will be found on this blog during the first few weeks of school.
Flex Period: This is a class for all students not taking Band, AVID, Resource or receiving math tutoring. It meets daily. On our team, the class period is used for Social Studies and math/reading enrichment.
How
to Reach Me
Email/phone:
I
can be reached most easily by email. My
address is www.pinkerga@champaignschools.org I will provide my personal
cell phone number to any parent who requests it; that is probably the quickest
and surest way to reach me. I can usually respond to a text more quickly than email or phone call.
Blog: I also urge
all students and parents to check out my blog at www.mrpinkertonsblog.blogspot.com. On this site I have the syllabus, lesson
plans, schedules, handouts and a wide variety of resources to be used. I will try to keep this as timely as
possible, but frequently get a bit behind on posting lesson plans..
REMIND: Remind is a one-way text messaging and email system. With Remind, all personal information remains completely confidential. I will never see your phone number, nor will you ever see mine. This will be used for reminders of assignments and tests. Students will receive a handout about this to bring home; information also is available on my blog. I also would encourage your child to sign up for this if they have a cell phone. There could be charges for texts on your cell phone bill depending on the plan you have.
School
Work, Grading and Daily Expectations
Grades and
missing work are posted outside my door every Monday. Homework and other assignments will be
returned every few weeks or so. Parents
and students also can access grades and assignments online. I always update grades every weekend, and
usually a few times during the week.
I expect all
students to turn in all work. If
necessary, and with the approval of parents, students will be asked to spend
extra time before or after school to complete any missing or late work. I penalize late work, and I generally do
not accept work that is over two week late. After a missing assignment is
posted on Mondays, the missing work automatically becomes a permanent 0 (zero)
at the end of the week.
Students must bring pencil/pen, book, assignment notebook and paper/notebook to class every day; missing materials may earn a zero (0) for the class for that day.
Students also
should have a specific assignment notebook, which will be used only for keeping
track of assignments. Students also
should have a flash drive they can use at school.
Daily class
objectives and daily assignments will be on the whiteboard each day. The
objectives and assignments should be written down before leaving class. If absent, the easiest way to get missing
assignments is from a dependable classmate or from me before school, after
school or during Flex period. Students
also can check my blog.
Most assignments can be completed in class if the time is used wisely. Assignments may take only a few minutes or up to an hour. Quizzes almost always are given after a Social Studies reading assignment, PowerPoint presentation or a film.
Work is
expected on time. Homework should be
turned in at the beginning of the period or at the end of the period if it is
an in-class assignment. If a student has an excused absence, work is due the
day after the student returns to school.
It is the student’s obligation to keep track of work turned in or not
turned in.
Neatness
counts; if I cannot read an assignment, I cannot grade it, and the student may
end up redoing it.
40% of a
student’s grade may consist of major projects, major presentations, research
papers, portfolios and tests; the other 60% may consist of homework,
participation, quizzes, daily work and having proper materials. Complex assignments requiring more than one
day to complete or to prepare for are considered major grades.
An “A” ranges
from 100-90 points, “B” from 89-80 points, “C” from 79-70 points, “D” from
69-60 points, and an “F” is 59 points and below. All “Fs” are not equal; they may range from
59 points all the way down to a zero (0).
Students are encouraged to redo—in a timely manner—almost any assignment, text or quiz that is a D or F.
Classroom
Rules and Guidelines for Success
q Come each day
on time, prepared to learn and with all materials and assignments.
q Do not
interfere with others’ right to learn in class.
q All Edison
Middle School rules and Unit 4 rules apply.
q Seats are
assigned.
q Don’t
wander. Getting up to use the pencil
sharpener or to get a Kleenex is fine at appropriate times. Otherwise remain in your seat until I dismiss
you at the end of a class period.
q Raise your
hand to talk or to answer a question.
Honor others’ right to speak.
q Do not write
on the whiteboards or erase anything without permission. Do not touch the Smartboard. Check with me before opening or closing
windows or adjusting fans in the room.
q Do not bring
toys to class; I take them until the end of class.
q Chewing gum is
always permitted in my class. Candy, other food items or drinks--other than
water--are not permitted unless I specifically approve on a case-by-case basis.
q Cell phones
should be turned off and kept out of sight. If this becomes a problem, the assistant principal or associate principal will be consulted.
Pinkerton’s Regular
Daily Schedule
1.
7:55-8:35
(Flex/AVID/Resource/Band)
2.
8:37-9:17
(Encore)
3.
9:19-9:59
(Encore)
4.
10:01-10:48
(Social Studies)
5.
10:52-11:22
(Lunch)
6.
11:26-12:13
(Language Arts)
7.
12:15-1:02
(Social Studies)
8.
1:04-1:51
(Social Studies)
9.
1:53-2:40
(Social Studies)
First Homework Assignment
Fill out the information below. Return this bottom portion by Friday, August
28, and earn 100 points homework. Or reply by parent email with the same
information.
Student
name________________________________________
Parent signature______________________________________
Print parent
name_____________________________________
Current
daytime phone number_____________________________
Cell phone
number________________________________________
Parent Email address______________________________________
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