Cluster W Social Studies 2015-2016

Ms. Hansen
hansenc@wellesleyps.org
http://hansenwms.weebly.com/
Welcome to 7th grade social studies! We'll be studying American History this year, Part 1 of 2. We begin thinking
about how the First Americans arrived on this continent and how they organized societies. We'll study the
European Renaissance and exploration in the New World. Exploration and encounter led to British and Spanish
American colonies in America; along with these colonies came impressive successes and the tragedy of American
slavery. We'll cover the American Revolution and the creation of a completely revolutionary type of government:
Democracy. We end the year by focusing on our Constitution and looking at democracy in action by studying the
American Civil Rights Movement.
As a class we will engage in projects (both individual and group projects), class discussions, activities, games, and
more. We will work together to make this a fun and positive learning experience!

Classroom Expectations
Seventh grade can be a great adventure. In order to ensure that we all learn, grow, and have the most fun possible I
have two very basic rules we all need to follow.
1. Respect everyone and everything- we will cover some touchy subjects this year so it is so important that
everyone feels comfortable in our classroom environment to learn. Anything (words, notes, etc.) that could
be considered mean, hurtful, bullying, or the like will not be tolerated.
2. Take risks- it takes a lot of courage to answer a question you may not know the answer tobut taking
risks is the only way we will grow and learn this year.

Homework Policy

I only assign homework when I think it will help you with the subject matter; therefore, it is important to your
success in our class that you have your homework completed in a thoughtful manner and in class on time.
Homework, projects, and any other assignment will be considered late if it is not ready to be handed in
(PRINTED) on the due date.
If you do not have you homework completed and ready to turn in you will fill out a Missing Homework Log
(MHL). There is a stack of MHLs on the cabinets near the extra papers bin. When homework is due you will
always turn something in- the homework, or an MHL. You will then turn in your late homework the next day.

If You Are Absent

It is your responsibility to make up all missed work. Generally, you will have one day to make up work for every
day you are absent (out 1 day, get 1 day to make up work; out 2 days, get 2 days to make up work). If a student
knows of an absence ahead of time (like a doctor's appointment, or vacation), it is up to the student to get the
work that he or she will miss and turn the work in in a timely manner. Students should do any or all of the following
steps to ensure they do not fall behind:
1.

2.
3.
4.
5.

Check this class website homework feed, and/or the Cluster W homework feed to see what the homework is
Contact a classmate
Email me at: hansenc@wellesleyps.org
Prepare to come early or stay late with me the next day to cover any material you will have missed
Check the extra papers bin- extra copies of every worksheet will be put in the bin and organized by day, it's
super easy to go to the bin and get the materials you missed by locating the folder that corresponds with the day
you missed.

Grading Policy
Your grade is made up of homework, tests, quizzes, projects, and your responsibility grade. All of these components
combined make up you final grade for each term.
Tests, Quizzes, Projects, and Graded Discussions are worth 60% of your grade.
Homework and Classwork is worth 25% of your grade. I use two different ways of grading homework. If I
think a homework assignment was a little more in depth that usual I will assign that homework a point value
(1-5); regular homework assignments will be given a , -, or +.

What your grade means

+

You went above and beyond, were

creative when possible, and showed that
you completely understand the content
or skill
Work is completed at a satisfactory
level, you followed directions and
completed everything
Work is incomplete and/ or appears
rushed

What your grade means

5

4
3.5
3
2

1
0

You went above and beyond, were

creative when possible, and showed that
you completely mastered the content or
skill
You showed that you completely
understand the content or skill
You definitely understand the content
or skill, you just made a small mistake
You mostly get it, but youre getting
stuck on a couple things
You have an idea of what to do, but still
need a lot of work, ask for help!
You tried but youre not on the right
track, ask for help!
Homework is incomplete or wasnt
turned in

Responsibility is worth 15% of your grade. Your choices about preparation, effort, and participation in class,
as well as your exit ticket scores make up your Responsibility grade.

Preparation

Bring your homework, binder, and writing tool to class

Continually making sure your binder is well organized with a toolbox and unit section,
and all papers are labeled with the appropriate Unit Paper Number

Effort

Participation

Exit Tickets

Come to class on time and begin activities without a reminder

Listen actively to the speakershow this by keeping your head up, making eye contact,
and taking notes when appropriate.
Help create an environment where everyone can learndo this by not distracting others
by engaging in side conversations, calling out, etc.
Contribute thoughtfully to the class by making sure your comments are mature, on topic,
and help others learn.
Respectfully disagree in an appropriate manner
Encourage others to learn by helping and being willing to work with anyone, rather than
calling out, being exclusive, or disrespectful.
Exit tickets are daily questions that you answer on a notecard and turn in as you leave for
your next class theyre a check in for me to make sure you understood the main point
of the lesson that day
Some exit tickets will be content based and some will be silly/ light hearted
As long as you made a good faith effort to pay attention in class you will likely get the exit
ticket question correct
Exit tickets are graded as either a 1 or a 0 on a day to day basis and will be looked at
holistically when factored into your responsibility grade

Daily Classroom Supplies

To ensure that each day is a success you will need to bring the following materials to class on time:
1. Your Social Studies binder (you may have 1 binder dedicated specifically to SS, or use an AM/PM binderwhichever works best for you)
2. Your iPad that was fully charged the night before
3. A writing utensil (pen, pencil)
4. At least 1 3x5 notecard (you may keep a stack in your pencil case if you choose) used for daily exit tickets

Each Day
1. We will come ready to learn
2. We will write down the homework in your assignment notebook/ app on your iPad during the first few
minutes of class
3. We will look at the whiteboard to see what you need on your desk and will take your materials out
Note to parents and guardians of Cluster W students: There is a parent survey linked at the bottom of my class
website. Please fill it out if you have time so I can better design your son or daughters learning experience. Here is
the URL if you choose to manually type it in: https://goo.gl/6gvwSZ
_________________________________________________________

Please detach this bottom portion and return to school by Wednesday, September 9th.
We have read the Cluster W social studies class expectations and policies overview.
Printed Student Name:
Student Signature:
Parent Signature:

Period: