6th Grade Social Studies
Ms. M. Elaine Cox
Room 307
Curriculum:
This class will be an adventure through ancient cultures of the world beginning with geography and ending with the European Age of Exploration. Students will have access to an online textbook called, Discovering Our Past: A History of the World. They will receive a login and password. Many of the readings and activities will be assigned through the website.
Grading:
This class will be graded using the following percentages:
Participation 10%
Homework 10%
Tests 35%
In Class Assignments 30%
Projects 15%
Students are expected to check Student Portal regularly (suggested: once weekly). This is a really good habit to establish. Sometimes I might make a typo! If you have questions about grades, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me. If you don’t have a computer or internet access, please notify me so we can make other arrangements.
Units of Study
Unit 1: Introduction to Geography/Ancient Mesopotamia
Unit 2: Ancient Egypt
Unit 3: Eastern Mediterranean
Unit 4: Western Mediterranean
Unit 5: HISTORY FAIR
Unit 6: Europe
Unit 7: China
Binders:
Students will need a 1 or 2 inch binder with 5 tabs. This binder and the school planner are to be brought to class every day.
Homework:
Homework will be posted on the middle school website. Most homework assignments will be for the week, but occasionally there will be special projects posted. Please check the website often for information. Spill over homework assignments from classwork projects will not be posted on the website. It is the student’s responsibility to carry his or her planner and to mark current assignments accordingly.
It is crucial for students to keep up to date with homework assignments, as they will be used in class to facilitate discussions, support activities, and extend learning. Much of our homework assignments will be the online textbook assignments. Late homework assignments must accompany a late homework slip that has been signed by the student and parent to receive partial credit. Homework assignments over three days late will not be given credit.
Assessment:
There are several forms of assessment in this course which include:
- Social Studies readings and online responses
- MELCon Paragraph writing (Main Idea, Evidence, Link, Conclusion)
- Extended writing projects and DBQs
- Class participation
- Current events homework
- Performance tasks
- Unit exams
Third Quarter History Fair:
I am so excited about this year’s history fair topic: Taking a Stand in Chicago/Illinois History. All students will be completing a history fair project for their third quarter project. Guidelines for this project will be provided at the end of second quarter. Select students will participate in the school history fair and city history fair. There will be a great deal of information posted on the website regarding topics, project details, and deadlines.
Middle School Website:skinnernorthmiddleschool.weebly.com
Students and parents are encouraged to check the middle school website for regular announcements, helpful websites, unit overviews, and daily homework.