8th Grade, U.S. History

Michelle Puccinelli

Roy Junior High, Weber School District

Content

We get to study the first half of American History in this class! We will look at Colonial America, Revolutionary America, Jeffersonian America, Jacksonian Democracy, The American Civil War and the Closing of the Frontier.

Class Assignments

  • Daily- Daily Warm Up Journals
  • Weekly- Maps, Activities, Cornell Notes, Creative Writing, Graphic Organizers, Reader’s Theatre, Historical Fiction and Non-Fiction Readings, Etc.
  • Semester – Individual Project (more information to follow)
  • Assessments- Multiple Choice Tests, Quizzes (never POP), Creative Projects, Essays

Class Materials

1. Warm-Up Journal (spiral notebook or composition notebook)

2. Loose leaf paper

3. Writing Utensil

4. Creating America: A History of the United States

You should bring these items to class EVERY day. If you forget paper and/or a pencil you may borrow from a neighbor or purchase them from me. Five (5) cents or three (3) minutes of your time will buy you a pencil or five (5) sheets of paper.

Hall Passes

You must learn to take care of business OUTSIDE of class time. You may use hall passes, but overuse and abuse will not be tolerated! Also, you should bring a water bottle to class if you are thirsty! No one died of thirst in 45 minutes.

Grading System

  1. Late Work - I do not remove points for late work and I will always accept a missing assignment up until one week before a grading period ends.
  2. HOWEVER- I will keep track of late work; frequent offenders will lose privileges or earn parent contact and frequent cooperators will earn free homework passes or other treats
  3. HOWEVER-A performance type of assignment (such as our individual projects) will be expected on time and points WILL be removed if late.
  4. Grade Weight – all class work will fall into 5 categories
  5. 20% - Individual Project
  6. 20% – Effort: daily journals, class activities, informal group projects, games
  7. 30% – Comprehension Activities: handouts, worksheets, reading checks
  8. 10% – Organizational Work: maps, charts, note-taking strategies
  9. 20% – Assessment: tests, essays, formal group projects, creative projects
  1. Grading System – I use a 4.0 grading system for all work, rather than the traditional 100% grading system.
  2. 4.0 – A+, outstanding, practically flawless
  3. 3.7 – A, extremely well-done, almost perfect
  4. 3.5 – A-/B+, great, few minor flaws
  5. 3.3 – B+, very good, several flaws
  6. 3.0 - B, good, several flaws
  7. 2.7 – B-, good, more than a few minor to major mistakes
  8. 2.5 – B-/C+, pretty good, a few major mistakes
  9. 2.3 – C+, average, a few major mistakes
  10. 2.0 – C, average, many major mistakes
  11. 1.7 – C-, average, many major mistakes, a little sloppy
  12. 1.5 and below – very below average, sloppy

If you score below a 1.7 on a test, you may (and SHOULD) take it again. An average of your two scores will become your new score.

If you are struggling with something, PLEASE come see me. If you are willing, I will always work with you to promote success!

Absences and Tardiness

Tardiness will be counted against you! I will follow school policy and excessive tardiness will be reflected in your citizenship grade.

If you are absent and have internet access, you should check our class blog for what we did that day and if there is anything you can get started on. The calendar in our class will also list what we did that day and you may pick up missed assignments from the file box.

If you miss a test/quiz and you have an excused absence- - You have up to one week to make it up and you will make it up before school, during lunch or after school.

If you miss a test/quiz and you have an unexcused absence – You may NOT make up this test/quiz.

Class Rules

DON’T CREATE A PROBLEM! What does that look like?

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**I reserve the right to alter any parts of this statement to fit the individual needs of students.**

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Detach this page and return to Mrs. Puccinelli

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Student Name: ______Class Period: ______

___I have read and understand the disclosure statement for Utah Studies

___ I give my permission for my child to view all videos and clips shown in class. (All videos meet district requirements and serve to further the education of the student)

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Parent/Guardian SignatureDate

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