Fisher Middle School: Sixth Grade Ancient Civilizations

Mrs. Warren ~ ~ 335-2367

2016-2017 SYLLABUS

Dear Students and Parents:

Welcome to 6th Grade History! This year we will get to travel the world and study the many complexities and achievements of early civilizations. Our journey will include, but not be limited to, a trip to Africa where wewill meet the first human,a trek to Asia to discover the first center of agriculture, and the final leg of our excursion will take us to Europe where we will examine the relationships of diverse city-states.

Students will be asked to be an active participantin group activities and be diligent in independent work. You will be challenged to think like a historian; be inquisitive and analytical (we will go over these words). Lastly, and possibly most importantly, you will be encouraged to have fun, be excited about the work you do, and enjoy your first middle school history class!

Homework and Grading

  • Students are required to write down homework each Monday in their planners.
  • Students may make-up tests in TNT or by arranging a time with me.
  • Students may retake chapter tests for a better grade until the end of the unit.
  • Students are responsible to frequently compare paper grades with grades on PowerSchool to make sure he or she is receiving the proper amount of credit for an assignment.
  • Students will receive a rubric at the time independent, long-term assignments are assigned. The rubric will specifically state the criteria for earning points.
  • The teacher follows the school homework policy, which is available online, in regards to making up work from excused or unexcused absences.
  • The teacher enters missed assessments as zeroes until they are completed. The zero becomes permanent if the assessment is not taken within two weeks of returning to school.
  • The teacher will do her best to keep the grades up-to-date within a week.
  • The teacher uses a class grading scale as follows:

>90% = A, 80-89% = B, 70-79% = C, 60-69% = D, <60% = F

Standards Covered in Class

The state of California has outlined content standards that will develop students’ higher level critical thinking skills while learning about the social, political, economical, geographical and religious aspects of the following ancient civilizations:

Early Humans / Egypt / India / Greece
Mesopotamia / Hebrews / China / Rome

The state of California has also adopted the Common Core Standards, which emphasize reading and writing nonfiction texts. The History Department at Fisher will implement these skills throughout our curriculum using the state standard content to frame our lessons.

ONLINE PROJECTS AND TESTING AGREEMENTS

  • Most of the student work done on the computer will be completed using the Google Apps For Education student accounts issued through the school district.
  • Students will obey the district’s Acceptable Use Policy and Student Mobile Device Rules.
  • Students will sometimes take online quizzes at home through PowerSchool’s SchoolNet feature to help assess student understanding. Further guidelines about this will be shared at a later time.
  • Students will take tests in class silently, with cleared desks, and eyes on their own work.

Extra Credit

Extra credit is rarely offered. Instead, students are encouraged to carefully complete their nightly homework, turn in their projects on time, study for quizzes and tests, and always participate.

Behavior

You are responsible for your actions and attitudes and are expected to be a

courteous and active participant, respectful of teachers and peers. Disregarding Fisher school rules will result in a verbal warning, a student/teacher conference after school, parent notification, and discipline referrals.

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