Los Angeles Unified School District School Year: 2017-2018

Gaspar de Portola Middle School

18720 Linnet Street Tarzana, CA 91356

(818) 654-3300

Teacher: Mrs. Zuri Marjani-Ptah

E-mail address: Ancient World History

Class Website: & Geography

Motto: Don’t say, “I can’t.” Instead ask yourself, “How can I ?”(6th) Sixth Grade Room: 102

Dear Parents, Guardians and Students,

Welcome to our school! The major focus of this class is to help students develop critical reading, thinking, writing, discussion, and presentation skills. Students will make connections between the different cultures that they are studying, our world today, and their personal experiences. They will learn about history and geography using a variety of texts, maps, art, videos, and Internet resources. They will also use what they have learned to make informed conclusions and even compose short response writings,historical fiction, interpretive artwork and presentations, and essays.The ancient history curriculum is based on the learning goals from both the Common Core State and California Content Standards for 6th grade Social Sciences. Students learn to take notes, are quizzed often, and then tested at the end of each thematic unit.

Grading Policies

In middle school the year is divided into two 20-week semesters: Fall and spring. Your child will receive a progress report every 5 weeks,so you know how he/she is progressing toward the final 20-week grade. Use the personalized on-line grade website at for the most up-to-date grade information and to help you motivate your child toward her/his academic goals of passing the class. The final fall semester grades are reported at the end of the semester right before the Winter Break (12-16-2017), and the spring semester begins after Winter Break on January 8, 2018. The 20-week process begins all over again and ends with the final spring semester grades reported during the last week of school.

Students receive an academic grade, work habits grade, and one for cooperation:

Academic gradesare based on class work & homework (10% of total grade); projects, quizzes, & essays (35% of total grade); and tests (55% of total grade). Since students are given points for each assignment, grades are based on a percentage of the total possible points. Students get letter grades of A (excellent progress), B (above average), C (average progress), D (below-average), or F (failure to progress satisfactorily).

A=90%+ B=80%-89% C=70%-79% D=60%-69% F=59% and lower

Work Habitsgrades are based on how often the student turns in completed assignments, keeps work neat & organized, and participates in class. Students receive an E (excellent), S (satisfactory), or U (unsatisfactory) for this mark.

Cooperationgrades are based on how well the student cooperates/behaves in class & follows directions, class rules, and procedures promptly. Students receive an E, S, or U for this mark.

Homework Policy

Students, you will have about 25 minutes or less of homework each day for this class. If you work continuously for 25focused minutes but don't finish,STOP, and continue and/or finish the next day. Please note that not all assignments will count for credit, but all assignments must be completed nonetheless. Do not skip any assignment!If homework is not assigned, you should still use the 25 minutes to review and study your history notes in preparation for the unit exams.
I will accept assignments ONE DAY LATEfor partial credit only if you have a completed and parent-signed late slip attached to the completed assignment.Get slips from the in-class late slip box or download from myHomework Policy & Late Slips webpage. You must also write “1 DAY LATE” large on the top front of the assignment. Late assignments will get an automatic 25% point penalty. I WILL NOT give credit for late work that is sloppy, incomplete, or that has an incomplete or missing late slip.Avoid making late work a regular thing.

Students who have an attendance office-approved absence when an assignment was given or collected have the number of days they were absent to turn in their work for full credit. You must write “ABSENT” large on the top front of the assignment, but do not attach a late slip. Absent students MUST still write the daily homework into their student agenda book while out on absence by visiting the class website, their JupiterEd account, or by calling a study buddy.

Students are required to practice and learn the content of the class even if they don't get full credit for the physical assignments; therefore,I will accept assignments that are more than one day late for zero credit. These assignments will only be accepted if they are neat, complete, w/ a parent-signed slip, and with More Than One Day Late written on the top of the paper in big letters. The assignment will no longer count as "missing," but the work will receive zero credit.Please know that I will not give credit for any late work of assignments that have already been graded andreturned to the class/students.

Follow these guidelines:

  • Pay attention to due dates for assignments. PRIORITIZE!
  • Always copy the homework into your planner exactly as it is written on the board! And then always read what it says in your student planner immediately BEFORE you start an assignment.
  • Read and follow the directions for your assignments carefully.
  • Start your homework soon after getting home from school. This is better than taking your free time first and then being too tired to do or finish your homework. Just get right to it; many times the assignment actually takes only 10-15 focused minutes to complete.
  • Find a place where you can work without interruptions or distractions; no cell phones, television, or computers! If you have a computer assignment, save that assignment to do last.
  • Real friends don’t ask friends to cheat . . . Listen in class, think for yourself, work hard for your own success, and you will feel proud of your accomplishments. Don’t allow others to use you.
  • Always put your heading on your paper BEFORE starting an assignment. Papers without the proper heading are trashed, and the student receives a “missing” on the assignment. The heading includes the following: Last name, First name (on first row); Subject (Rm #), a space, and the Period (on the second row); and the date (on the third row). Write the assignment title on the top blue line of the paper. Keep all your writing INSIDE the red margins.
  • Respect yourself and others at all times. Follow all of the class rules and procedures. They are posted in class and we will discuss them, as well. Please also go to the restroom before or after class, so we can make the most of the time we have together without interruptions.

Required Supplies—

EVERYTHING, EVERY DAY, & EVERY TIME ! ! !

Here’s what you need for my class:

  • 1 Green Pocket folder (vinyl or plastic lasts longer)

• 2 Green One-subject Spiralnotebooks (MUST BE GREEN, nomorethan 80-page)

OR80-page center-sewn Compositionnotebooks.College-ruled is best w/more

space for notes. DO NOT GET NEATBOOKS; they fall apart!

•White, loose-leaf, notebook paper (Keep 10-15 sheets in a folder in your backpack.)

•Sturdy pencil case, pouch, or bag

•Pencils (several packs of wooden #2 OR a mechanical one with a good supply of lead)

ALWAYS keep 2-3 unsharpened pencils with you, so you have backups during class!

•2 red pens AND 2 blue or black pens for the year.

•2 highlighters(any colors; I prefer yellow) *Silent sharpener

•Colored pencils (Keep in pencil case or at home for map assignments and projects.)

•Erasers (The fat pink or white ones last the longest; get a 3-pack.)

•Reading for pleasure book (Check out from library or class, purchase, or trade)

KEEP AT HOME:

•A timer to set before doing homework. Use an egg timer, cell phone, or an on-line timer like . Doing this helps students establish time management skills!

•Computer-access and Internet is required. Your child can access the Internet on most cell phones, electronic tablets, a computer at home, the neighborhood library, or even a friend/relative’s house. Students are expected to use these options when needed. E-mail is helpful for on-line grade access and informational updates from class.

After reading this entire parent letter with your child, please complete the information below and return this page only. If you need a copy of the supply list, please see my teacher page at .

Thank you in advance for your support. Your signature acknowledges that you and your child have read, understand, and will follow the policies and procedures that will be utilized in our class. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to e-mail me (best for me).

Sincerely,

Mrs. Zuri Marjani-Ptah DoNot Cut Off ! Send Entire Page Back!

Mrs. Zuri Marjani-Ptah

Student Name (printed) ______

Student signature______Today’s date_____ History Period___

Student E-mail address______PLEASEPRINT NEATLY

Parent/ Guardian #1: Print name______

Home #( )______Work or cell#( )______SIGNATURE______

E-mail address______Relationship to student:______

PLEASE PRINT NEATLY

Parent/ Guardian #2: Print name______

Home #( )______Work or cell#( )______SIGNATURE______

E-mail address______Relationship to student:______

PLEASE PRINT NEATLY

**Please note that listing your email address is important so that we may send you emails notifying you of field trips, to give you access to our grading system, and to give notices of progress reports and opportunities for extra credit, and etc.

PLEASE WRITE NEATLY .

Please send this entire completed page back to Mrs. Marjani-Ptah for credit!

Student keeps pages 1 and 2 in the History pocket or folder. 