Civics

Test/Quizzes

Test will be administered on a lesson basis. They may consist of multiple choice and short answer questions. Students are responsible for ALL material covered in class. Remember, we may cover material in class that is not explicitly stated in the book.  If you are absent from class, you are responsible for making up the material missed.

Quizzes will be given on a regular basis and sometimes without warning. The quizzes will be brief, usually containing multiple choice, matching, true/false and/or short answer questions.

Projects/ Reports

Students will develop and demonstrate their skills through participation in a history project and/or research based report/paper for each semester. Projects may be completed on an individual or small group basis throughout the year.

History/Civics Notebook

Students will be required to have a 5 subject Notebook where only history work should be found. There will be a section for each of the following: Bell ringers, Notes, Assignments, and Vocabulary. Notebook checks will be conducted every quarter and will be worth a test grade.  Notebook checks can be done unexpectedly so students need to be sure to have all their work/notes in place and organized by date.  Again if student is absent, it is he/she’s responsibility to find out what was missed and be sure notebook is updated.

Current Events

The objective of the ongoing current events assignment is for students to practice reading informational writing, to gain knowledge of events going on in our country and the world, to practice written and oral summarization, and to gain oral presentation skills.

Students may have a current events assignment every week or once every other week with the assignment being due on Mondays.  Students will need to find a current events article in a newspaper, magazine or on-line sources (Please be sure that your online articles come from reliable sources) Current events articles must stay within the guidelines of the subject area which may include news of politics, government and news from other countries ( no sports or entertainment news/gossip will be acceptable). Please be sure to attach your article with assignment or the assignment will not be accepted.

Materials and Supplies

• Plastic cover 5 subject notebook with pocket dividers and perforated pages                (Five Star Notebook preferred)
• Loose-Leaf paper
• Small Stapler
• 2 Glue Sticks (no liquid glue)
• Color Pencils
• Blue/Black/Red pens
• Number 2 pencils
• Copy Paper

Late Work

Work that is turned in late will be penalized half a letter grade per day.  If it is an excused absence, work must be turned within 48 hours of excused absence after which half a letter grade will be deducted per day.

Classroom Procedures/Rules

• Please walk into the classroom quietly and immediately begin working on the days Bell ringer. (You will only have 7-10min to complete)
• Homework is due at the beginning of the period, so please make sure homework is placed in the assigned bin. Once class has started homework will no longer be accepted.
• During lessons/lectures there will be no sharpening of pencils or other reasons to be out of your seats.
• Students must use the restroom before or after class. There will not be any hallway passes given to students only in emergencies.
• There will be no food or drinks (except water) allowed in classroom.

• Upon entering classroom please have all your electronic devices turned off. If student is seen using any electronics they will be given a verbal warning. The second incident will result in the device being confiscated till the end of the DAY… (3:30pm) 
• There will be exceptions when electronic devices will be allowed. ( i.e activities online)

But an announcement will be made in the beginning of the class.

• When the end of the class period has arrived, all students are to remain seated till the Teacher dismisses the class.

Corrective Actions

Failure to comply with classroom rules or any other standard in this syllabus will result in the following consequences:

• 1^st Offense- Students will receive 2 verbal warnings during any class period.
• 2^nd Offense- One on one with student.
• 3^rd Offense- Phone call to parent.
• 4^th Offense- Parent-teacher-student conference.
• 5^th Offense- Referral to administration

Academic Dishonesty

Students are expected to be truthful and ethical in their academic work.  Academic dishonesty is any type of cheating that occurs in relation to an academic assignment. It can include:

• Cheating - use or attempted use of information in any assignment
• Assisting - helping another commit an act of academic dishonesty
• Fabrication - falsification of any information
• Tampering – Changing or interfering with evaluation instruments and documents
• Plagiarism – representing the words or ideas of another person as one’s own without acknowledgement

Topics at a Glance