Ancient History: Grade 7

Mr. Howman

Welcome to seventh grade! Over the next two years we will begin a journey back in time and around the world. We will try to understand and uncover the mysteries of Early Humans, ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, and more.

Classroom Expectations:

  • Respect
  • Raise your hand when appropriate
  • Do not interrupt anyone who is speaking
  • Pay attention when someone is speaking
  • Never raise your voice
  • Be nice! Say please and thank you. Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. Don’t hit people….
  • Be in class
  • Don’t be absent unless absolutely necessary: MUCH of what we do is in class: discussions, simulations, notes, role-playing, group work…you get the idea. These are things that cannot be replicated or sent home if you are absent. So if you wake up and have a runny nose…blow it and come to school. If you contract some weird contagious disease- stay home and we’ll figure something out!
  • On time: If you need to go to the bathroom between classes and it may make you late- come and ask first…it is rare that I say no. (I only say no after it has been abused time after time).
  • No excuses
  • Things I never want to hear…let’s cover them right now.
  • “My dog ate my homework.”
  • “I left it in my locker.”
  • “I didn’t know what to do.”
  • “My little sister ate my homework.”
  • “I left it on the bus.”
  • “It was done really, but a truck ran over my project.” (true story- I heard that one six years ago!)
  • “I am allergic to homework.”
  • “I didn’t have time because of baseball, boy scouts, girl scouts, knitting class, and ballroom dancing.”
  • “My pet piranha ate my homework.”
  • Take responsibility for your own learning and actions
  • “Carpe Diem”- one of my favorite expressions, meaning “Seize the Day”. Do not let opportunities pass you by. Do not put off what you can do now. Do not try to make up what should have already been made.
  • Only you are in control of your performance, attitude, behavior, actions, and ultimately your grade. If you want to do well, you can and will.
  • Enjoy
  • Be open minded enough that even though an activity or an assignment may not be “slap you in the face” fun; Make the most of it, do your job as a seventh grade student. If you are open to trying new things you might just learn something this year. And when all else fails just stop and put your life into perspective- is doing this assignment/project really that bad? Things could always be worse…you could be a child warrior in Sudan, starving in Ethiopia, or worse…stuck in this class for two periods…be thankful it’s only ONE!