Ms.

Conners Social Studies Syllabus for Parents Dear Parents, It is my pleasure to teach your child this school year. Each year I get the great opportunity of meeting new families and getting to spend a part of their lives with them. I hope to get to know your child and your family throughout the coming school year. I hope your child has shared with you the Student Syllabus form handed out in class. Please make sure that you have read and understand the form. Your child is to sign it and you are also to sign it. This form must be returned to school by Monday, August 26, 2013. They will keep this in their notebooks the entire year. Contact Information Monica.Conners@jenksps.org 918-299-4415 x 5407 www.jmsteam76.weebly.com

I am very excited to be teaching seventh grade geography at Jenks Middle School this year. I hope that you will keep me informed of any concerns or questions that you may have by sending me an email (preferred) or leaving me a voice message. Please visit my webpage to keep abreast on upcoming assignments and tests, and for document and website links. Please check your students agenda regularly as they are instructed daily to record assignments, etc. My planning period is from 7:50 8:40 daily. I will return phone calls and respond to emails during that time and after school. During class time, I will not be checking my emails so that I can give my full attention to your childs academic needs. Course Content and Text It is my greatest desire that my students learn how to read, write and think critically. Geography is a class about asking questions and solving problems related to the relationships between people and their environment rather than the temporary memorization of isolated facts. In 7th grade we will study the tools of geography, government, economics and religion. Our studies will be focused on Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and Antarctica (North and South America are covered in 6th grade). With the advent of common core standards, this content becomes a vehicle with which to teach literacy. Please see my website for additional information about the common core and using geography to promote literacy in students. The textbook we will use this year is Geography Alive! by TCI. We will also use the Nystrom Desk Atlas to supplement for physical geography. our child may have a hard copy of the book and or online access. Supplies and Organization Each day students must bring their agenda, geography binder, pencil, and grading pen (that is not black) to class. The curriculum is extremely interactive so students will also need scissors, colored pencils, and glue sticks. It may come as a surprise, but organization does not come naturally to all 7th graders. Please help your child to be prepared and academically successful by regularly checking their agenda (they will write assignments for ALL classes in it daily) and periodically helping them to reset their organizational systems. Grading Information I am much more concerned about stoking your childs intrinsic fire to learn than satisfying their extrinsic motivation of earning a good grade. The purpose of grades in my class is to communicate whether or not they are giving me evidence that they can understand, evaluate, integrate and use the information

we discuss in class. Grades are weighted: 40% tests and quizzes, 30% class work, and 30% book products and projects. o e or oo roducts

With rare exception, geography class will have very little daily homework. However, your child still has responsibilities outside of class. 1. They must complete any assignments they did not finish in class. 2. They must spend 15 minutes daily reviewing content. They can accomplish this by skimming the text of the current section, previewing the upcoming section and forming mental questions, playing vocabulary games online, or even telling you what they thought about the content we explored in class. Daily review is much more effective and long lasting than a two hour cramming study session right before a test. 3. Your child must independently read six fiction or non-fiction books set in other parts of the world. Each six weeks students will turn in a Book Product to give evidence that theyve done the reading. A Book Product may take many different forms including filming a book talk, writing a traditional book report, or cooking an authentic dish mentioned in the book to share with the class. We will discuss these and other options extensively in class. If you want more information including rubrics and due dates please visit the Books! tab of my website. Late Policy Work is considered late if it is not in the classroom ready to be graded at the start of class. Students have one day to turn in late homework assignments for credit (of their earned grade). Finally, projects may be turned in late for up to 5 days after the original due date, with a deduction of 10% each day. Absences and Make Up Work Attendance is very important because new skills and concepts are introduced daily. Students are allowed the same number of days absent to make up assignments. It is students responsibility to go directly to the absence binder upon return to the classroom. He/she should read the absent information sheet for each day that he/she was absent, write in the agenda any work to be completed, write the mind focus in their notebook, collect handouts from the folder and sign the absence sheet. If a student misses a test, it is their responsibility to make arrangements to make it up outside of class within a reasonable time frame. Classroom Expectations and Discipline I have high expectations for student behavior, which I clearly communicate to them. If a minor problem arises with a student, I will first discuss it with the student, hoping they can correct the situation. If the problem continues, the student will be issued a Team Behavior Notice, which will be sent home as parent communication. Repeated minor problems, or any major ones will be referred to administration.

Again, I truly am looking forward to a great year with your child. I hope your child leaves the seventh grade with a better understanding of the world, greater literacy skills and most importantly, an increased sense of pride and confidence within themselves.

Monica Conners Social Studies, Team 7-6