8th Social Studies

 

Content

 

Please see the attached document for an outline of the content for this year. 


 

Classroom Rules & Expectations

 

 

Your responsibilities as a student are to….

 

            …have all of your materials in class each day

            …be where you belong at the appropriate times

            …follow directions

            …do all of your assignments to the best of your ability

            …be kind to others

 

My responsibilities as a teacher are to…

 

            …work closely with students to help you understand the material

            …be available when you need additional assistance

            …hear your concerns and help you make sense of issues that arise

            …help you become an informed & responsible citizen

 

 

Late Work & Make-Up Work Policy

 

If you are absent from class and have an excuse note, you will not be penalized for turning in late work.  The Woods Charter School policy on turning in late work for excused absences—and therefore, my rule—will be that the student has 3 days for every 1 day he/she is absent to turn in any missed work. 

 

 

In my classroom, I will keep a folder of extra copies of all handouts.  I will input your grades into Engrade as soon as possible.  If the assignment is missing, I will indicate that on Engrade with an “M”.  You will have 3 days to turn in a missing assignment for a grade of 75%.  After 3 days, you can turn in the assignment for 50% up until the end of the trimester.  Please make every effort to get all assignments in on time!  

 

 

If, for any reason, you miss a test or a quiz, please try to make it up in a timely manner.  You may schedule the make-up for a time that is convenient for you (i.e. before school, during lunch, or after school) as long as you arrange it with me first. 

 

 

Absences and Tardies

 

If you miss a day of school or a day in my class, you must bring in a note signed by a parent/guardian or a doctor’s note.  This will be considered an excused absence.  If you do not bring in a note within 3 days, your absence will be considered unexcused.  Please refer to the WCS Student Handbook for clarification on what constitutes an excused absence.

 

Being late for class will result in administration of a tardy slip in class.  After 3 tardies, you will automatically receive a lunch detention.  If you are more than 20 minutes late to class, you will receive an unexcused absence.  For further clarification of the tardy policy, please refer to the Student Handbook.

 

Homework Policy

 

In 8th grade, homework will not be assigned every night.  Usually, I will assign homework 3 nights per week, and the assignments may consist of reading from the textbook or handout and/or writing a brief reflection on a topic covered in class.  Students will typically spend about 30 minutes on the assignments when they are given.  If any problem or concern about homework arises over the course of the year, please contact me, and we will discuss the issue(s).

 

There will typically be one major project per trimester.  Some of these projects are yet to be determined, as they may be done in collaboration with another class or teacher.  An assignment sheet with details about any projects or papers will be sent home at least 3 weeks in advance of the due date to allow a minimum of 2 full weekends to work on it.

 

Grading Policy

  

 

Trimester grades:                                                           Final grades:

            30% - Tests                                                              25% - Trimester 1

            30% - Projects                                                           25% - Trimester 2

            20% - Quizzes                                                            25% - Trimester 3

  20% - Homework/Class Work/Participation                        10% - Midterm exam

                                                                                  15% - Final exam

 

 

Additionally, the grading scale as listed in the Woods Charter School handbook is:

 

97-100 = A+       87-89 = B+        77-79 = C+        67-69 = D+         59 or below = F

93-96   = A         83-86 = B           73-76 = C          63-66 = D

90-92   = A-        80-82 = B-         70-72 = C-         60-62 = D-

 

Materials

 

Each day, I would like for students to come to class with the following materials:

            -3-ring binder (1 ½ or 2 inches)

            -Loose leaf paper for notes

            -Textbook (when one is assigned)

            -5 dividers (we will label these in class together)

            -Pens and/or pencils

            -Composition notebook (we’ll keep this in the classroom)

Please let me know if you have any difficulty in obtaining these materials.  I will work with the students on organizing their notebooks and keeping them organized throughout the year.

 

Contact Info

 

If you would like to contact me for any reason, please do not hesitate to do so!  I can be reached:

 

-by email at alalley@woodscharter.org, or

-by phone at (919) 960-8353 ext. 232 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. 

 

We can also schedule face-to-face conferences if necessary.  Again, do not hesitate to get in touch with me if you have any concerns at all about your child; I will return all phone calls and emails as soon as possible.