Dragon’s Lair
Maggie Harris

World History

Course Outline

World History
Seventh Grade Social Studies

Course Overview:
The seventh grade social studies program focuses on the development of Western societies and thought, including the formative influence of the Roman Empire. Studies also spend time exploring the Islamic civilization in world history and the development of the Asian and Pre-Columbian American civilizations. Intensive study will be focused on the development of feudalism in Medieval Europe and Japan. Major historical, artistic, and cultural developments of the Renaissance will also be appreciated.

The process of thinking as a historian will be emphasized more than the memorization of specific factual details. Students will be asked to think as social scientists: to assume the thought processes of an archeologist, anthropologist, political scientists, and historian. Students will be asked, on occasion, to assume the roles of historical figures as they think and write about historical events.


Texts:
Medieval and Early Modern Times (Glencoe)
Human Heritage

Skills to be developed:
• Map skills
• Reading for information
• Information gathering and research
• Creating bibliographies
• Note taking
• Oral Presentations
• Library skills
• Test taking skills
• Group work (cooperative learning)

Grading: Students must earn points in the following ways:

Notebook- The Table of Contents or TOC is the “backbone” of this class.
All work is completed in the student’s binder and organized with a Table
of Contents page. The Table of Contents page lists all the assignments for
the specific unit. Class and film notes, worksheets, homework
assignments, writings, etc. are kept in this notebook. The notebook is
worth 35 % of the the quarter grade.

Projects and Essays- These items are kept separate from the TOC. The
projects may be independent, pair based or group work. Creativity and
time management will be key. 25% of the quarter grade

Tests and Quizzes- Tests are taken after completing a unit. Quizzes are
given periodically throughout a unit to check for understanding. Tests
are always announced beforehand to allow for thorough preparation.
Quizzes are used throughout the year and often are given little preparation time. 25% of the quarter grade.

Effort and Participation This grade includes class
participation,behavior, effort and preparation, and overall attitude. 15%
of the quarter grade.

A word about homework...

With the exception of weekends, homework may be given Monday through Thursday. Often, a better understanding of the next day’s lesson relies greatly on homework completion. Also, consistent homework completion gives students a solid base of points for their quarter grade.
The entire week’s homework assignments are posted on the board. Homework assignments can be checked at home by checking the student’s TOC. Seventh graders should also be writing their assignments in their planners.

Questions?:

I can be reached by either voice mail or email
Tel: 650 934 3824
mharris@blachschool.org





Homework

Students should copy down their homework daily from the board




Battle tactics - Forward planning

We will be working on a project in the Library from Thursday October 4th. Each student will be assigned an individual project. They will be required to conduct research at home and in class to be able to write a one page report on their topic in first person. An illustration will be needed to aid their oral presentation of the topic to the class. Due date: Oct. 15

Dates
Quarter 1 ends on October 26th
Parent conferences: November 19th

end