C) Grading
H) Homework:
I) Tests
J) U.S. Journal
M) Scene Seen
N) History
of Us/ History and Geography Format
O) Outline Thinking
P) EW Commons Book
“Those who cannot remember the past are
condemned to repeat it.” (George Santayana) Really?
"History doesn't repeat itself-- but it
rhymes." (Mark Twain)
“Why did we eat
those frogs?” (Mr. Wetzel)
“Think!,
Think!, Think!, Life is constantly trying to teach you through hints.”
"Give
me learning, sir, and you may keep your black bread." (Tolstoy/
Homer)
"I
know nothing because I know too much, and don't understand not nearly enough."
Marius de Romanus (Vampire Chronicles/ K
Floyd)
“I have heard it said that there are two
times in your life when you stand a chance, in the face of whatever social
forces struggle to get you in their grip, of
becoming something new, of creating your own personal universe through the
sheer power of imagination and persistence: one is adolescence and the other is middle age.” (Margaret Sartor)
B)
Guidelines for behavior in Mr. Wetzel’s Classroom
It is my
expectation that students try consistently to reach these goals.
I.
Participate
in classroom activities in an appropriate manner, and strive to complete assignments.
II.
Respect
the property of the school and other students.
III.
You
have a right to be treated with respect, and so do all other students and
school personnel.
My discipline options
include whole class or individual verbal warnings, detentions, phone calls, and
referrals.
Work with me?
25 Essential
Words Activities
Test(s) (20)
EW Book (5)
25 In-class
work
In-class activities (15)
Participation (2)
20 Tests
and Quizzes
Tests (15) (Scheduled)
Quizzes (2) (Not
scheduled)
25 Quarterly
Assignments
Recital (5) (information will be provided each quarter)
Field Report (5) (see ‘K’)
Reaction (5) (see ‘Q’)
STTA
(5) (information provided by handout)
Scene
Seen (5)
5 Homework
(8% combined for all
assignments)
Bumper Sticker, Photo
Hunt, Etc.
Transition scores are assigned for work that is not satisfactory
(usually indicated by a score of “1”)—students should make corrections and
resubmit for increased credit.
Transition scores do not apply to quizzes.
Extra Credit is limited to a maximum of 2% towards a Quarter
grade of A, 4% for a B, 6% for a C, and 8% for a D. Please see me if you have an idea you would
like to pursue for extra credit—UNAVAILABLE THE LAST WEEK OF QUARTER! (see L: Q & A Post it?)
In-class activities include discussions,
worksheets, web quests, chats, etc.—they may include a reading or watching
component which will also be considered along with the final product in
determining the grade. Typically these
types of activities are designed to provide students with all the support they
need for a perfect score. As a result,
quality of participation in the learning process has a major impact on the
grade.
|
Score |
Description |
|
9 |
Full participation in the
activity processes (discussion, reading, sharing, etc.) Completion of all written
elements of the assignment (notes, responses, paragraphs, etc) |
|
8 |
Good work, but some
participation or written elements were short of expectations |
|
7 |
Poor performance in terms
of participation and/ or writing, but Learning Report completed |
|
6 |
Completed written
components, but multiple redirection required |
|
1 |
Removed from group for
behavioral reasons, can earn more credit with a learning report |
|
0 |
Did not turn in assignment |
Complete the following on a
sheet of paper and turn in for increased credit:
ü
Write and define
four vocabulary words from the assignment.
ü
What is the most
important idea covered in the assignment?
Explain.
ü
What are two
Essential Words this assignment helped you learn about? Explain.
ü
Create a picture
with a caption that can be used to teach others about this topic.
Class participation grades
include productivity and attendance components.
A daily score is recorded for each area and the grade is entered into
the grade book at the middle and end of each quarter. Citizenship and Attendance scores are
calculated and entered in the gradebook twice each
quarter.
|
Score |
Productivity |
Attendance* |
|
9 |
Always on task (disc,
listening, watching, reading, etc.) |
Always present |
|
8 |
Almost always on task
(disc, listening, watching, reading, etc.) |
1 or 2 absences |
|
6 |
Usually on task (disc,
listening, watching, reading, etc.) |
3 or 4 absences |
|
3 |
Frequently off task (disc,
listening, watching, reading, etc.) |
5 or more absences |
* Absences will be excused
for students who submit an absent
report that includes:
ü
Date(s) absent
ü
Activities
completed on day absent
ü
Follow the
instructions on the audio daily summary to complete any required work
ü
Create a
‘Learning Report’ for each date missed
(the Daily Logs and audio daily summaries are the best
source of information for absent reports)
|
0 |
1 |
C+ |
A or B |
|
No attempt |
Incomplete/
transition—failed to reach 80 percent (RETAKE) |
Completed with extra
time—score does not reflect quality of original score |
Score achieved on first
take |
|
0 |
1 |
6 |
7-8 |
9 |
10 |
|
No attempt |
Incomplete/ transition |
Late, but completed |
Completed with extra
time—score reflects quality of original |
Completed on time |
Exceptional quality of work |
I) Tests: (scores vary by points possible on the
test—students may retake once for a maximum score of 50%)
Tests may be retaken for a
maximum score of 50%—if you score 70% or more, I will enter a 50% for the
retake score.
Quizzes: Quiz grades indicate the number
of correct responses. Quizzes are can
not be retaken or corrected.
J)
|
0 |
1 |
4 |
6 |
8 |
9 |
|
No input |
Some work submitted |
Missing several entries/content |
Missing entry/ content |
Content lacks development |
Proper content |
K) Field
Reports: Students are expected to
independently select and view a movie about history/
government each quarter. The movie may be a documentary or simply a
film with social studies content. In
order to receive credit, students must submit a Field Report that includes:
1) notes (at least ½ page)
2) an explanation of what was learned form the movie (descriptions of new
understandings, not restatements of notes)
3) an explanation of how the movie connects to 3 Essential Words
Each section of
the Field Report is worth 3 points:
|
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
No input |
Some work submitted |
Information present, but
not fully developed |
Well done |
1) Develop a
topic question (event, vocabulary, map,
black history, women’s history, Hispanic history, etc.) related to an Essential
Word that you would like to research.
2) Explain why you want to know more about this topic.
3) Submit parts 1 and 2 for
teacher approval.
4) find information to answer
your question.
5) list your source(s) of
information.
6) Create a poster,
PowerPoint, etc. to share information about your topic with others. Scores will be based on the Presentations
scoring guidelines.
The Scene Seen is intended as
a two quarter exploration and presentation project. The first quarter will involve the
identification of a topic, research, and drawing conclusions. The second quarter will require the creation
of a topic presentation. Students who do
not wish to follow through with a topic presentation may choose to repeat the
first quarter sequence with another topic.
Students who wish to turn this into a whole year project may see me to
make arrangements to expand their work in each area. My goal is to set students loose working with
a topic in which you are personally interested.
You may work alone or with one partner--students who want to work with
more than one partner should see me to request permission to do so.
First Quarter: (12 points total)
A) Topic Questions: (4 points)
What is your topic? Be specific.(the topic must be related to
social studies—FLEXIBLE)
Why is this topic important
to you? Explain.
B) Research:
(4 points)
What did you find out about
your topic?
List and describe your sources of information (annotated bibliography)
C) Conclusions:
(4 points)
What do you now understand
about your topic?
What do you want to teach
others about your topic? Why?
Second Quarter:
(12 points total)
Create a project/ product
that shares information about your topic and research results.
Assessment is based on three
areas:
content
presented (4 points)
ideas
presented (4 points)
product
created (4 points)
N) History of Us/ History and Geography
Format
Title:
Expect to see:
Vocabulary: (people, events, places,
terms, etc.)
Ideas: (?,?,?)
EW’S:
Notes:
(segment title + 3 per section for H of Us/ 6 total for H & G)
Learned about:
Vocabulary: (people, events, places,
terms, etc.)
Ideas: (?,?,?)
EW’S:
Want to know
more about?
Topic/ research question:
Source of information:
Results of research:
Results processing statement:
Repeat “Want to
know more about?” steps as long as time allows.
Prohibition
Volstead Act (No Alcohol
law)
Al Capone
(Bootlegger)
Hooch
Levels of
Government
Federal, State and Local
Jurisdiction
(Area of control)
Eminent
Domain
P) EW Commons Book
You will be
provided with one 70 page spiral notebook to use for your Essential Word
Commons Book.
Sheets 1-30 (do these in alphabetical
order)
Write the EW in
the upper right corner in large print.
Copy the EW clues
onto the page beginning at the left margin/ first line. (one clue per line—write small)
Record the EW Intro note when provided in class.
During the rest
of the year, we will add information to the front of the sheets.
Backside of Sheets 1 -29 (Backside Notes)
BSN will be
recorded on the left page when the spiral is opened to an Essential Word. The Bill of Rights BSN will be on the inside
cover of the spiral, the capitalism BSN will be on the backside of the Bill of Rights
sheet, etc.
The idea of the
BSN is to provide you with an opportunity to learn about the EW on your own or
with peers. Each quarter, time will be
set aside for you to present BSN’s for credit.
In order to earn
credit, for each EW clue you need to record and present evidence that convinces
me that:
1) you understand
the clues (definition and understanding of their importance in social studies)
2) you have found a related term and definition
3) you can
describe how each clue connects to the related EW
For the overall
EW, you need to create a picture and a caption that includes all the clues
and a ‘rhyme’ with today.
Although
assessment will take place in an oral interview format, you will be able to use
your EW Spiral information as a reference and to provide evidence of your
learning.
You may work on
research and creation with peers, but your presentation will be solo.
|
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
|
No Input |
Work has started |
Progress is evident |
Significant
progress --close to mastery |
Mastery of the
term and clues is evident |
Because we will be creating more pages in
the spiral during the year, you should not use or remove any sheets.
A reaction must follow the
outline format below: (Write the outline numbers in
the left margin of your paper)
I.
Appropriate
heading and title
II.
List and describe a (P)lus,
(M)inus, and (I)nteresting
aspect of the material. (2 sentences for each—statement followed by
support)
III.
List and define two unknown/ good words from the
source.
IV.
Write a reaction paragraph. (see description below)
V.
Is this worth using again? (Y/N) with a brief why/
why not.
VI.
Draw a related picture and caption. (stick pix are fine)
VII.
Describe a link to two Essential Words. A reaction paragraph (7+ sentences)
explains what you consider to be key ideas or understandings that relate to an assigned text section,
video, reading selection, or other
learning experience. You are
expected to use complete sentences, and include an explanation of your
statements where necessary. A
reaction must include your own observations about why the subject is
important, how it relates to other matters, as well as additional
information you may know about the topic.
A reaction is an opportunity for you to think about the
material and express your thoughts in writing. Each reaction should be unique, because
students are expected to complete their work independently. Can I just copy from the source material? Copying is plagiarism (a type of cheating) and it does
not demonstrate that you have thought about the material. What if I do not understand the material
as a whole? If you complete all of the basic
components and struggle with the paragraph, you will still get a good
grade. If you are stumped, please
pick one or two paragraphs, or even sentences, that you do understand, and
work with only that part of it. Some
articles may be too hard for some students.
I know this, and try to grade accordingly. Warning: Reactions that are good
will receive a good grade. Maximum
credit will only go to exceptional work: A.
follows all
guidelines B.
unexpected bonus:
(uniquely superior) -
clarity of
argument -
logic of argument -
internal/ external connections -
relevancy/ application
? ? ?