Course Syllabus for 7th Grade US History - Mr. Steven M. Hammerman

Contact Information

Phone: 561-627-0740

Email:

Google Drive: (For sharing documents, images, videos, etc.)

Website: for events including trips, clubs, and additional activity information)

Grading Categories/Weights

Classwork = 35%

Homework (class prep) = 10%

Formal Assessments = 20%

Projects/Research = 35%

Late Assignments

Late assignments will be handled on an individual basis pending the needs of both the teacher and the student.

Planned Curriculum

Unit 1 - Understanding Choice and History

  • PERSIA - Understanding how/why people make choices
  • How Do We Know?
  • Archeology vs. Pseudoscience
  • Primary vs. Secondary Research/Resources
  • Sourcing, Plagiarism, and creating Annotated Bibliographies

Unit 2 - Need for European Exploration

  • Middle Ages, The Crusades, and "Marco!"… "Polo!"
  • Age of Exploration, Merica!, and The Market for Exchange
  • 90% - Death and a North American Facelift

Unit 3 - Getting North America Settled

  • Spanish/French Florida, Luna, and Menendez
  • England's Turn
  • Roanoke - The Not so Lost Colony
  • Popham - Popham who?
  • Jamestown - An early sign of future Congress
  • Plimoth - An early sign of American exceptionalism and Property Rights

Unit 4 - Growth of the Early American Culture

  • New England Society and Growth
  • Chesapeake Society and Growth
  • The Frontier and Trade

Unit 5 - French Canada and the 14th Colony

  • Crisis on the Frontier
  • Seven Years War, George Washington, a Cherry Tree, Ben Franklin, and Nicolas Cage
  • The Intellectual Revolution and The American

Unit 6 - The Battle to Solidify Revolution

  • Tea, Taxes, and one spoon of Insurrection
  • The Northern Campaign
  • The Southern Campaign
  • England just doesn't care anymore

Unit 7 - America's Infancy

  • Growth of a Nation and a lot of Choices
  • Political Parties, Presidencies, Economies, Ideology vs Pragmatism
  • Peek-a-boo... We're Back!
  • Quasi War
  • War of 1812
  • Did you know that our National Anthem was a British drinking melody? Are we shocked?

Unit 8 - Westward Expansion, Industrialization, and Southern Rights also known as Slavery

  • Leaving the Mississippi River in our Dust
  • Impact of new Technologies in Manufacturing and Transportation
  • Southern Agriculture goes to Texas
  • Rent-a-Slave

Unit 9 - Lincoln and the American Civil War

  • Lincoln, Douglas, and Secession
  • Ken Burns
  • The Union Wins and Everything is Better

Unit 10 - Reconstruction, Civil Rights, and America moves Forward (Not Really)

  • Rebuilding, If that’s what you can call it
  • A look at the 1950s and 60s.What has changed?
  • Today - Ferguson, Baltimore, Charleston

General Rubrics

Rubric for general class assignment
CATEGORY / Exemplary / Accomplished / Developing / NeedsHelptoGrow
Organization / Information is very organized with well-constructed paragraphs and subheadings. / Information is organized with well-constructed paragraphs. / Information is organized, but paragraphs are not well constructed. / The information appears to be disorganized.
Quality of Information / Information clearly relates to the main topic. It includes several supporting details and/or examples. / Information clearly relates to the main topic. It provides 1-2 supporting details and/or examples. / Information clearly relates to the main topic. No details and/or examples are given. / Information has little or nothing to do with the main topic.
Completion of Work / All topics are addressed and all questions answered in a proper manner for the assignment. / All topics are addressed and most questions answered n a proper manner for the assignment. / All topics are addressed, and most questions answered in a minimal manner. / One or more topics were not addressed.
Multiple Sources Cited / All sources (Multiple credible sources for information and graphics) are accurately documented in the desired format. / All sources (Multiple credible sources for information and graphics) are accurately documented, but a few are not in the desired format. / All sources (information and graphics) are accurately documented, but many are not in the desired format. / Some sources are not accurately documented.
Internet Use / Successfully uses suggested and/or legitimate internet links to find information and navigate within these sites easily without assistance. / Usually able to use suggested and/or legitimate internet links to find information and navigates within these sites easily without assistance. / Occasionally able to use suggested and/or legitimate internet links to find information and navigates within these sites easily without assistance. / Needs assistance or supervision to use suggested and/or legitimate internet links and/or to navigate within these sites.
General Rubric for Individual Effort during Collaborative Work
Exemplary / Accomplished / Developing / Needs Help to Grow
Does an equal share of work and goes further by taking a leadership role.
When assigned a clearly defined role; group member performs role effectively
Always considers all views and helps team to reach fair decision
Never argues with teammates
Individual brings all needed materials and meets all deadlines / Does an equal share of work
Group member performs most of defined assigned role
Usually considers all views and helps team to reach fair decision
Rarely argues
Solves his/her problems with the team and asks classmates or teacher for help / Does almost as much work as others
Completes assigned roles, but goes off topic
Often sides with friends instead of considering all views
Sometimes argues
Individual settles problems and gives up easily / Does less work than other group members
No effort made towards assigned role
Acts as being in a clique or individuals rather than group
Argues within the group
Makes little attempt to solve problems; gives up easily
General Rubric for Projects
CATEGORY / Exemplary / Accomplished / Developing / Needs Help to Grow
Thesis and Conclusion / The project has a clear and concise thesis statement. The project has a well thought-out conclusion that supports or challenges the thesis statement. / The project has a clear and concise thesis statement. The project has a well thought-out conclusion that supports or challenges the thesis statement. / The project has a thesis statement but is not clear. The project has a conclusion that does not support or challenges the thesis statement. / The project does not have a thesis statement or a conclusion.
Content / Content of the project relates to the thesis and provides supporting evidence to the conclusion. / Content of the project relates to the thesis, provides supporting evidence to the conclusion, but has unnecessary content. / Content of the project does not fully match the thesis statement and includes distracting content. The content does not support the conclusion. / The project lacks the appropriate amount of content, nor does it match the topic or help support a conclusion.
Appearance / The projects appearance is professional and polished without distractive elements. / The projects appearance is quite professional and polished with only a few distractive elements. / The projects appearance is somewhat poor. Some distractive elements. / The projects appearance is quite poor. Many distractive elements.
Creativity / Project is excellently presented reflecting creativity and a lot of thought. / Good creative effort. Project is neat and shows evidence of time spent on it. / Some attempt made to add color and originality. Project is neat. / Little attempt to add color or originality. Project has sloppy appearance.
Presentation / Oral presentation is well-organized, well thought out and included answers to any required questions / Oral presentation is organized, thought out and included answers to any required questions. / Oral presentation is not organized or thought out and answered some of the questions. / Oral presentation is not organized or thought out and did not answer any of the questions.
Voice / Presented with no errors in a smooth, clear voice. Presenter also used expression when presenting. / Everyone could hear the presentation. Presenters voice was clear and smooth. / Presentation was completed with minimal errors (less than 3). Presenters voice was not continuously clear. / Presentation had more than 4 errors and the presenter could not be heard or understood clearly.