8th Grade United States History

Mr. Andrew Sorge

Room 2107
(515) 633-6052
sorgea@wdmcs.org
@Mr_Sorges_Class
It is impossible for a society to know where it is going without first understanding where it came from. Through this
class we will explore the history of the United States of America, from the earliest discovery of the Americas to the
Era of Reconstruction. At the end of this course you will have gained an understanding of the events and individuals
that have helped shape our nation culturally, economically and socially before the 20th Century.
The majority of classes will involve engaging activities meant to give you a deeper understanding of US History and
these will usually be followed up by class discussions about what we learned and how this knowledge applies to us.
Through a variety of activities we will work on building important life skills such as critical thinking, constructing and
supporting arguments, working with groups, understanding of primary and secondary sources and many others.
Classroom Behavior
Have a positive attitude at ALL times. I need everyone to be positive and respectful of others during
classroom discussions.
Class participation is a must! I want to hear your opinion during discussions and class time. There are no
wrong answers, so dont remain in your shell. Speak up and be heard! If youre feeling a little too shy make
sure that you express your opinion and thoughts in your warm-up and exit slip.
This class will cover topics such as religion, war and politics, and it is likely that not everyone will have the
same views as you, so please be respectful and understanding of their opinions. Do not criticize others based
on religion, race, gender, beliefs, disabilities, etcdoing may earn you a loss of participation points, detention
or a discussion with school administration.
Classroom Rules
Please raise your hand and wait to be called on when wanting to speak.
Your voice and opinion is important, but so are the opinions of your peers. If you have something youd like
to say the class would appreciate that you wait until myself or a classmate has finished.
You should take care of any restrooms needs before class. Giving out a pass is up to my own discretion and
past usage may be taken into account (do not abuse this privilege).
I expect honesty in all aspects of your work and presence in class (this includes cheating). Dishonesty will
have consequences and any assignments you are found to have been dishonest on will result in a 0 for a score.
Have fun and enjoy yourself! This class is not meant to torture you so please dont act like it is.

Grading
Your semester grade will be based on three different categories: Practice, Performance and Participation.
The Practice category will be made up of various daily tasks and assignments from throughout the semester. Each day
we will be participating in activities and tasks aimed at enhancing your knowledge and understanding of United States
History. Not all of these assignments will be graded for points, however, all worksheets and activities done in class
that do not receive a graded score can still be graded based on completion. This category will make up 30% of your
final semester grade.

The Performance category will make up the biggest portion of your grade and are your opportunity to show what you
have learned from throughout the unit. The main portion of this category will include test and quizzes, unit projects
and Document Based Question (DBQ) assignments. These activities combined with unit tests make up 65% of your
final semester grade.
Key terms and essay topics for the tests will be given out one week prior to the date of the test. I understand that we
all occasionally have bad days, and I dont want these bad days to get in the way of your opportunity to show what
youve learned, so you will be allowed to retake each unit test once. In order to do this you will need to complete a
Self-Evaluation and Retake Form and set up an appropriate make-up time for the retake with me.
An alternate version of an exam can be made up with an excused absence from the schools main office. If you
missed an exam please come see me as soon as you return to school.
The Participation category is meant to encourage students to become more accountable for their time in my
classroom. A participation grade will be given out on a regular basis and will be based upon how the individual
student chooses to appropriately follow classroom expectations and guidelines (see above if you need a refresher).
This is not meant to make students uncomfortable or to force them to constantly raise their hands, but instead to
encourage them to collaborate and work with peers. This category will make up 5% of your final semester grade.
Late Work: All assignments, projects, DBQs, tests and other graded works are to be completed and turned in no later
than 2 weeks past the due date. For each additional day the assignment is not turned into Mr. Sorge there will be a loss
of 10% of the total possible points from the final score. At the end of this deadline all missing work will be graded as
a 0 unless other arrangements have been made with Mr. Sorge.
If a situation arises where you are unable to complete or turn in the assigned work then you need to communicate with
Mr. Sorge so that he can discuss and make arrangements for you to ensure that the work is completed and turned in.
Extra Credit: Extra credit opportunities will be made known throughout the year, but are rare. If you have your own
ideas for an extra credit opportunity, please present it to Mr. Sorge. He may be feeling generous.
Your Quarter and Semester Grades will be determined based on the grading scale below.
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+

98-100%
94-97%
90-93%
88-89%
84-87%
80-83%
78-79%

C
CD+
D
DF

74-77%
70-73%
68-69%
64-67%
60-63%
0-59%

Parent Signature: _______________________________________________________________