HOMEWORK EXPECTATIONS
8TH GRADE SOCIAL STUDIES
Mr. Lawless
All written assignments for this class need to meet the following criteria for full credit and/or a good grade(*with the exception of student written notes to section questions while taking notes in class)…
All writing needs to be in complete sentences.
All written responses need to address the questions posed or the term to be explained in an accurate manner.
Student writing needs to be neat enough to read.
Standard rules for punctuation and grammar are to be complied with.
With few exceptions (in-class or timed writing), words need to be correctly spelled and used.
NOTEBOOK REQUIREMENTS…
COMPLETE-SENTENCE WRITTEN EXPLANATIONS OF EACH SIGNIFICANT TERM AND NAME IN THE CHAPTER SECTIONS OF OUR BOOK WILL BE REQUIRED.THE EXPLANATION WILL BE A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF EACH TERM OR PERSON, AND WILL NECESSARILY INCLUDE A REFERENCE TO THE TERM OR PERSON’S SIGNIFICANCE IN THE HISTORICAL TIME PERIOD WE ARE STUDYING (DATES AND/OR TIME PERIODS MUST BE SPECIFIED) *AT THE OUTSET OF EACH SECTION, THE BOOK LISTS THESE TERMS AND NAMES.
ALL NOTEBOOK ENTRIES SHOULD BE DATED TO INDICATE THE DAY THAT YOU MADE THE ENTRY INTO YOUR NOTES (IF YOU WRITE OUT ALL NOTES FOR A SECTION ON ONE DAY THAT WOULD BE ONE ENTRY AND THEREFORE WOULD REQUIRE JUST ONE DATE). THE TERMS AND NAMES IN YOUR NOTES SHOULD ALWAYS BE UNDERLINED SO THEY CAN BE QUICKLY IDENTIFIED. ADDITIONALLY, HEADINGS AND LABELS SHOULD BE EFFECTIVELY USED TO INDICATE THE CHAPTERS AND SECTIONS THAT TERMS ARE FROM.
*EXAMPLES of term/name notebook entries…
WILDERNESS ROADis a term in one of our chapter sections. A notebook entry (an entry receiving full credit or close to full credit) would look very similar to this:
9-15-08
CHAPTER 8 - - - SECT. 1 --- TERMS
1.) Wilderness Road was a road that Daniel Boone helped build in 1775. The road was cleared through the Appalachian Mountains and became the main trail used by settlers to reach Kentucky at this time in history.
**An entry receiving far less than full credit would look similar to this:
Wilderness Road ---- a famous road built by a famous guy
A REGULAR ASSIGNMENT INVOLVING MAIN IDEAAND / OR CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS WILL ALSO BE USED TO ENSURE THAT IMPORTANT FACTS AND IDEAS ARE EMPHASIZED IN EACH SECTION.
SHORT ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS ARE REQUIRED TO BE IN NOTEBOOKSWITH THE TERMS AND NAMES FOR EACH SECTION (TERMS, NAMES, AND QUESTIONS ARE TO BE ORGANIZED IN THE SAME CHAPTER SECTIONS IN YOUR NOTES). THESE ANSWERS DO NOT HAVE TO BE IN COMPLETE SENTENCES.
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS…
ON OCCASION, AN EXTENDED WRITTEN RESPONSE (TYPICALLY 1-3 PARAGRAPHS) WILL BE ASSIGNED OUTSIDE THE NOTEBOOK. STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO WRITE A RESPONSE TO ONE OF THE FOUR SECTION QUESTIONS DISCUSSED IN CLASS. WRITING EXPECTATIONS (PUNCTUATION, GRAMMAR, NEATNESS, SPELLING, ETC.) FOR THE CLASS ARE TO BE ADHERED TO AS STUDENTS USE LEARNED INFORMATION TO EXPLAIN WHAT THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION IS. A STRUCTURE THAT EFFECTIVELY USES AN INTRODUCTION, BODY, AND CONCLUSION WILL BE EXPECTED. STUDENT WRITING WILL BE EVALUATED WITH RESPECT TO HOW WELL EXAMPLES, NAMES, DETAILS, AND HISTORICAL INFORMATION IN GENERAL ARE USED TO CLEARLY COMMUNICATE AN ACCURATE RESPONSE TO THE QUESTION. *MOST WRITING RESPONSES ARE EITHER EXPOSITORY OR PERSUASIVE IN NATURE.
THE ACCURACY, BASED ON THE TEXT COVERED AND OUR CLASS DISCUSSIONS WILL BE CRUCIAL TO AN EXCELLENT RESPONSE. THE MANNER IN WHICH THE RESPONSE IS WRITTEN WILL ALSO BE CRITICAL TO HOW WELL THE RESPONSE GRADES OUT. ****THE QUESTION WHICH IS BEING ADDRESSED IN A GOOD WRITTEN RESPONSE SHOULD BE OBVIOUS TO THE READER OF THE RESPONSE. STUDENTS WILL BE EXPECTED TO LEARN HISTORY AND BE ABLE TO EXPRESS THAT LEARNED KNOWLEDGE IN CLEARY-WRITTEN ENGLISH.
EXAMPLES of EXTENDED RESPONSE ASSIGNMENT…
Main Idea [C] – What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation? (This is an actual homework question from our textbook)
A written response to the question above (a response receiving full credit or close to full credit) would look very similar to this:
Bill Wonka 3H
9-18-08
C5 -- S3 EXTENDED RESPONSE
What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
- Designing an effective framework or system of government for the new nation was no small undertaking. The challenges proved to be quite numerous and complicated. In fact, America’s first constitution didn’t work. The Articles of Confederation was adopted in 1781 and by1788, the United States of America had ratified a new constitution. The strengths of the Articles of Confederation were its general plan for the settlement of the Western Territories and establishment of a national government. Weaknesses included a national government that couldn’t collect taxes, enforce laws, or regulate state commerce. These weaknesses proved fatal as the national government didn’t possess the authority and power necessary to run the country. The federal government was simply too weak.
**A response not receiving a good grade might look like this:
______
Charles Cheese 2H
9-18-08
C5 -- S3 EXTENDED RESPONSE
What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
- There were strengths and weaknesses Strengths-settled territories
Weaknesses-fed gov too weak, England not involved
ALL OTHER CLASS ASSIGNMENTS,ACTIVITIES, AND PROJECTS WILL BE EXPLAINED ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS WELL IN ADVANCE OF COMPLETION DEADLINES.
MOST QUIZZES ARE OPEN-NOTE; ALL TEXT SECTION QUIZZES ARE OPEN-NOTE.
TESTS ARE NOTOPEN-NOTE; TEST REVIEWS ARE CONDUCTED IN CLASS PRIOR TO TEST DATES. STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO LISTEN AND TAKE NOTES DURING THE REVIEW SO AS TO NARROW DOWN REVIEW CONTENT IN PREPARATION FOR TEST.
*WRITING EVALUATION
(TRANSLATING Mr. Lawless…)
[frequently-used marks and notations - - - - - and what they mean]
mark through assignment label - - - - - label is incorrect or lacks info.
sp - - - - - incorrect spelling
s - - - - - sentence problem (bad structure, awkward…etc.)
pc - - - - - punctuation/grammar(includes capitalization)
c - - - - - content is incorrect (response / explanation is wrong)
i - - - - - answer or explanation lacks content; incomplete
ALL WORK THAT IS TURNED IN MUST BE LABELLED…completely & accurately to ensure timely evaluation and return for the one hundred plus students taking the class…
- LABEL INFORMATION NEEDS TO BE IN UPPER RIGHT-HAND CORNER OF FIRST (OR COVER PAGE).
- LINE #1 – FIRST & LAST NAME, CLASS ROSTER I.D. INDICATING THE STUDENT’S CLASS PERIOD FOR SOCIAL STUDIES AND HIS/HER ROSTER NUMBER IN THE CLASS SECTION.
EX. Joe Schmoe 3P—17
- LINE #2 – DATE THE ASSIGNED WORK IS TURNED IN TO MR. LAWLESS (DUE DATES ALWAYS INDICATED – MONTH/DAY/YEAR).
- LINE #3–DESCRIPTION OF WORK.
EX. QUIZ / CH. 6 – SECT. 1 (INDICATE WHAT THE ASSIGNED WORK IS & REFERENCE THE MATERIAL IT COVERS)
Harry Potter 3P—159-1-10
QUIZ / 6-1