9th Grade Social Studies World History 2012-2013

Introduction: Welcome to the History of the World! In this class you will learn a lot about all different parts of the world. While exploring the worlds history you will put yourself in the shoes of the actors that have lived through the events and time period we will be studying. The world is a very connected place but also very diverse. In this class I will encourage everyone to think outside of the box and try to see events through multiple lenses. Not everyone has the same opinions or even like the same food. Our goal is too try to grasp all the different perspective we can in order to understand what happened in the past as thoroughly as possible. The world is a very diverse place, as is out country, city, and neighborhood. We will learn of the past while trying to put ourselves in the shoes of the humans that live through the various eras. Course Outline: We will be focusing on three main themes seen throughout history around the world. Each theme will be broken down into more specific units that we will dig into more deeply to really understand what was happening and how it effected the people living through those times. The course is divided into four parts: 1) Creation of civilization 2) Religions and empires 3) Geography/ major historical movements 4) Imperialism and conflict Depending on our pass and understanding of the units each theme will be constructed of about four smaller units that we will focus on that take us into the lives of people all around the world at various points in history. Grading Policy:

The purpose of the grading policy is for you to know how much you are learning and for me to see how well I am teaching you. There are many opportunities to get a good final grade in this course; it all depends on the level of effort and participation you put into your work. Every single one of you can easily get an A as long as you put in the work, have fun, and stay positive. As the 32nd president of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, said Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy
of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. So be creative and work hard and you will learn and gain so many different things in this classroom. For every assignment you get there will be clear descriptions and expectations that I will be looking for. You will always have more than enough time to finish any given assignment. Beware due dates are closer than they appear. Besides the physical assignments it helps to be engaged and ask many questions. This helps me gage where you are in regards to learning the material. If we are all engaged in the class, it becomes much more exciting as well. So speak up and let you voice be heard. Use evidence and back up your arguments. Put yourself in the shoes of those we are learning about and let yourself explore the world and all its rich past. This takes me to participation. I will be looking for this in all sorts of forms. I understand that some of you might not feel comfortable speaking in front of the class and I will do everything I can to help overcome that barrier. Until then I will be looking for forms of participation. This includes classroom assignment and blog posts. The blogs can be utilized in anyway that you think relates to anything in the class. There will be mandatory entries but I encourage everyone to post other things as well. Mandatory entries will be based on your own interpretation of the material. You will be given a question or character that will need to be answered and backed up with evidence from the course material. This will not be formally graded. I will use this as a gage to see where everyone is at, but remember everyone will be able to see these entries on the blog. My computer will be available to anyone who needs it whenever I am in the room. The library also has computers that can be access during lunch and before and after school. There are so many awesome thing on the Internet that we can explore, share them with everyone! Along with the blog there will be a plethora of other assignment. These will include various primary source analyses that will help us put ourselves in the shoes of those we are learning about. In class and homework assignment that will consist of quick write, plays, illustrations, songs, and poems. There will also be final unit projects that will change from unit to unit. These can be papers, speeches, debates, group projects etc Finally for

the formal grading portion there will be unit quiz and final quarters exams. All these assignment combined will result in the final grade you receive. The majority of all the assignments are weighed evenly. We all have bad days; get sick, and life gets in the way. I do not want one bad assignment to hurt the outcome of your quarter. I try to be fair in my grading and expectation. There will always be guidelines and rubrics for you to refer to in order to correct do the assignment. If you think it is not fair or clear tell me and I will reevaluate and change or explain further. Remember I am a resource for you, I am putting myself in the past just as you are and together we can all have a successful year!

Grading Components (for the year): Assessments Weekly Blog Entries Description At the beginning of every week I will post a few questions on the blog. You will choose one and answer it by Friday of that week based on all the material we went over in class. Commonly I will give you specific characters in history that we will be looking at and you will have to present their story as if you were them. Describe their feelings and reasoning for their actions. Other times there will be an opinionated question that needs to be answered also on the basis of class material. In both cases evidence from needs to be presented to back up whatever conclusion you are making. The blog is also encouraged to use past the mandatory weekly assignment. This can also go towards participation. Blogs will be graded for completion. They a way for me to see where you are in the course. It is also a tool for you to see what your classmates think when you read their posts. Before putting yourself back into history, we will be historians. We will take various primary sources and analyze them first as a class then in groups and finally individually. There will be a serious of question that will go on with the primary source analysis. This will be an important part of the course because it gives a clear insight into the basic work done when looking at history. To better understand and review the material there will be various classroom activities. These will consist of plays, quick writes, illustrations, songs, and poems. These assignments might turn into homework if not finished in class in time. They will allow students to work together as well as individually. Projects will be assigned towards the end of every unit. They will consist of group projects, essay, speeches, debates, and oral presentations. Every unit there will be a different project to catch everyones attentions. This is meant to be fun and creative. It is also a gage for me to see how well you know the material at the end of the unit. There will be quizzes after ever unit to have a formal grade on the course material. There will be a verity of questions mostly multiple choice to short response. At the end of the quarter there will be a summative test on all the units that will also consist of multiple choice and short response questions. Total Points 10%

Primary sources analysis

20%

Classroom activities (Plays, quick writes, illustrations, songs, poems)

15%

Final Unit Projects (Group projects, essays, speeches, debates)

20%

Exams/ quizzes

20%

Participation

Everyone needs to participate in my class. It makes class fun! This mean actively participating in discussion, activities, and blog posts. All participation must be respectful to other students, school, and administration.

15%

Grading approach: Each assignment will have clear criteria that will be presented ahead of time. Everyone will have the same opportunity to succeed on the basis of his or her own level. If I know you put hard work into an assignment and really thought critically about it, you will get a grade that will reflect that. Grading scale: 90%-100% = A 80%-89% = B 70%-79% = C 60%-69% = D 59% and below = F

Quarter I
Essential Question: How do civilizations arise and how do they change?

Units:
1. Nomadic and Agricultural Societies 2. The Cradle of Civilization 3. Nile River Civilizations 4. Greeks and Romans

Quarter II
Essential Question: What is the relationship between religion and empire?

Units:
5. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam 6. African Kingdoms 7. Ancient Asia 8. The Americas

Quarter III

Essential Question: How does geography influence destiny?

Units:
9. Medieval Europe and Byzantium 10. Renaissance and Reformation 11. Colonization and Imperialism 12. Industrial Revolution

Quarter IV
Essential Question: How have the legacies of imperialism and conflict shaped our world?

Units:
13. World War I 14. Global and Regional Conflict 15. Independence 16. Globalization