Use the links below to jump to a particular section.
Information in this introduction may be altered during the year. Students
will be notified of changes through the quarterly updates at the start of each
quarter.
C) Grade Weights and Categories/ Grading Scale
F) Teaching (Learn & Teach Project)
G) Daily Work and Assignment Scoring Guide
S) Self-Manager
Description -- automatic Passport and gym day approval
“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
(see 'S' for details)
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?
C) Grade Weights and Categories/ Grading Scale (percentage of overall grade/ adjustments may occur during the year-- for detailed assignment information, click the ‘Audio Assignment Descriptions’ link on the homepage)
21*
Daily Work (Done
in class: worksheets, notes, journal entries, etc.-- see E)
21*
Tests & Quizzes
(Content knowledge: see H, I, & J-- tests are weighted 4 times quizzes)
21*
Assessments
(Content understanding: welds, transfers, etc.-- see G for scoring information)
21*
Assignments
(Skills/Comprehension: Fld Report(K), Pcard(L), Recital(P), Article Pair(R),
Reaction(T), STTA))
11*
Teaching
(Content exploration & skills development: see F)
5
Studio Habits
(Engagement in learning: discussions, bellringers, etc-- see D.)
Overall Grading Scale:
89.5 - 100
A
74.5 - 89.4
B
49.5 - 74.4
C
0 - 49.4
F
A quarterly
grade of 'D' will be assigned to
students who do not finish the quarter with a passing grade
IF they develop and complete a plan
to make up missed work by the deadline
provided by the teacher at the end of the quarter.
D) Studio Habits:
This grade is based on the
performance of a student during classroom activities.
|
Score |
Productivity |
Four week Measure |
|
9 |
Always on task
(disc, listening, watching, reading, etc.) |
No more than 1
redirection |
|
8 |
Almost always on
task (disc, listening, watching, reading, etc.) |
2 – 4 redirections |
|
6 |
Usually on task
(disc, listening, watching, reading, etc.) |
5 – 10 redirections |
|
3 |
Frequently off task
(disc, listening, watching, reading, etc.) |
11+ redirections or
refusal to work |
|
8B History Class Participation Rubric |
||||
|
CATEGORY |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
Approach to Learning (Individual) |
Work habits and attitude reflect this student's best efforts. |
Work habits and attitude support learning. |
Work habits and attitude negatively affect individual learning. |
Work habits and attitude negatively affect peer learning. |
|
Materials (Individual) |
has materials present and ready to go |
promptly and discreetly secures materials |
secures materials late or loudly, but in less than 30 seconds |
lack of materials stops the class or limits participation more than 30
seconds |
|
Problem Solving (Individual) |
seeks solutions to solve the problem |
accepts and applies suggested solutions |
unable/ unwilling to apply solutions when offered/ learning |
does not seek assistance/ not learning |
|
Response to Redirection (Individual) |
subtle apology, immediate change |
quick change and no repeat |
second request before change sticks |
no change or continued disruptions |
|
Exiting the room (Individual) |
waits, chair, straighten area |
waits, pushes in chair |
waits at seat for dismissal |
waits at door for dismissal |
|
Team Work (Group) |
guides group toward task completion |
participates fully with group task |
limited participation in group task |
actions/ words negatively affect group task |
|
Discussion (Discussion) |
Excellent listening and speaking skills. |
Participates actively in class discussions as a speaker and listener. |
Participates in class discussions in a reluctant, but not disruptive
manner. |
Disrupts class environment with comments or actions that distract from
or prevent learning. |
|
Evidence (Discussion) |
idea(s) supported by multiple sources of information |
idea(s) supported by a single source of information |
idea(s) clearly stated, but not supported by a source |
idea(s) not clearly stated |
|
Listening (Discussion) |
chair on floor, hands quiet, eyes on speaker, attention clear |
chair on floor, hands quiet eyes on speaker, attention implied |
3 out of 4: hands, chair, eyes, focus |
< 3 out of 4: hands, chair, eyes, focus |
|
Time-management (Work Day) |
Always on identified task from start to finish. |
Briefly off task, but responds to redirection. |
Off task more than once, but accomplishes some work with time available. |
Does not consistently work on assigned tasks despite redirection. |
Bold
is used to indicate the minimum
acceptable level of participation.
E) Daily Work:
Daily Work includes
worksheets, web quests, video notes, pairs, groups, etc.—it may include a
reading, watching or home 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 and time they need for a perfect score.
As a result, quality of participation in the learning process has a major
impact on the grade.
F) Teaching (Learn & Teach
Project):
The Learn and Teach Project
is intended as a three quarter exploration and presentation project.
The first quarter requires the identification of a topic, the second
involves research, and the third will be for creation.
My goal is to set students loose working with a social studies topic in
which they 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.
I advise you to get a quick start and to work ahead as soon as you have
instructions, so you have plenty of time for creating and revising your Learn
and Teach Project.
First Quarter: Identification (15 points)
A) What is your topic?
Be specific.(the topic must be narrow and related to social
studies—FLEXIBLE)
B) Why is this topic
important to you? Explain.
C) Why is it important that
others understand your topic?
D) What are your research
plans?
E) What sort of project do
you plan to create?
You may not move to the
next quarter until you earn full credit for the current quarter on the
Assignment Score Scale(G).
Second Quarter: Research Guidelines will be
provided later
Third Quarter: Development Guidelines will be
provided later
G) Daily Work and Assignment
Scoring Guide
|
Score |
Daily Work Score Description |
Assignment Score Description |
|
10 |
|
Beyond
expectation |
|
9 |
Full participation
in the activity processes
(discussion, reading, sharing, etc.)
Completion
of all written elements of
the assignment (notes, responses, paragraphs, etc) |
Full mastery
of the material demonstrated |
|
8 |
Good work,
but some participation or written elements were short of expectations |
Enough
of the work is done to consider the assignment complete |
|
6 |
Poor performance in
terms of participation and/ or writing, but Learning Report completed |
Close
to complete, but needs more work |
|
3 |
Completed written
components, but multiple redirection required |
Elements
of the assignment are present, but it is missing parts |
|
1 |
Removed from group
for behavioral reasons, can earn more credit with a learning report |
Started
the assignment, but little progress has been made |
|
0 |
Did not turn in
assignment |
Did not turn in
assignment |
H) Chapter Quizzes:
(scores vary by points possible—students may retake once for a maximum average
score of 60%) Most quizzes will
cover textbook vocabulary-- practice activities are linked to the class website.
I) Quarterly Cumulative Test:
Students will take a test near the
end of each quarter that includes randomly selected test items that have been
covered up to that point in the year.
J) Deja Vu Terms Test:
Students will take a test each
quarter that includes information about the Deja Vu Terms.
Each quarter new information will be added: Q1 = images, Q2 = clues &
images, Q3 = clues, images & quotes, Q4 = transfer.
Practice tests are linked to the class website.
K)
Field Reports:
Students are expected to
select and view a movie about history/ government
each quarter(Q1 = NightJohn, Q2 = soldiering, Q3 = civil rights, Q4 =
government). The movie may be a
documentary or simply a film with American History content.
Students must submit a Field
Report that includes these steps:
1) take notes while watching
the video (at least 2/3 page)
2) Select a
note that can be looked up for related information in the
textbook and check it for accuracy.
Write a response that
uses the textbook information (list page numbers) to determine the accuracy of
the video note. (3+ sentences)
3)
Describe something important
you 'learned' from the video-- a
description of a 'new understanding',
not a restatement of notes. (3+
sentences)
4)
Explain how the movie
connects to two Deja vu terms. (3+
sentences each)
5)
Create a picture along with a
caption that presents an important scene/ idea related to the movie along with
an explanation of why it is important. (picture
and 2+ sentences)
Scoring for Field Report will use
the Description from 'G'.
L) Postcard
from the Past:
Students will use the textbook to
create a postcard message from
the past that includes:
Postcards
should be created on a folded sheet of paper with the image on the top half and
the message on the bottom half.
Scoring for Postcards will use the
Description from 'G'.
M) Investigations:
Investigations provide students with an opportunity to identify and research
social studies related topics independently or with a partner.
Students should begin a new investigation as soon as one is completed.
Sometimes students will be provided with topics for exploration and other
times they will select them independently.
(DV Spiral Sheet
41): (follow this format) (record date(s) of steps in left margin)
QUERY: an exchange between a writer and editor regarding an
idea.
QU(estion): "What am I looking for?"
E(vidence): "What information did I find?" and "Where did I
find it?" (cite at least two sources)
R(esult): What is the answer to the question?
Y (it matters): Why is this important to me, my education or
society?
QU:
E:
R:
Y:
N)
Daily Learning Quiz:
When prompted,
students will provide a single example of their learning during a specified
period of time (day, week, unit, etc.) through written or oral evidence.
Show me something you learned recently!
O)
STTA:
Each quarter
students will present information to the class from various sources (Q1-text
image, Q2-text graphic, Q3-own image/graphic, Q4-create it) using the following
guidelines:
1) Describe what the visual is about and how it connects to specific information
in the textbook.
2) Describe the
importance of two details in the image.
3) List, define and
explain the connection between the visual and two vocabulary terms.
4) List, define and
explain the connection between the visual and two Deja vu terms.
5) Find a fact and
an opinion that relate to the visual.
P) Recital:
Each quarter students will complete an oral
recital of material related to social studies.
Along with each recital,
students should present a related researched fact and
opinion, a statement of
importance to self and society, and a student created image with color
that reflects student comments. Q1 Recital: The Pledge of Allegiance, Q2 =
Preamble, Q3 = Declaration of Independence excerpts, Q4 = students select their
topic.
Recital Scoring: Scoring Guide 'G' (Recital of
material, Statement of importance,
Related researched fact,
Image)
Q)
Déjà vu Spiral:
You will be provided with one 70 page spiral notebook to use as a Déjà vu
Spiral-- do not remove any sheets from the spiral.
The spiral contains information for test preparation and understanding
class concepts.
Sheets 1-13 (front and back sides
of paper in alphabetical order)
Write the
Déjà vu Term in the upper right corner in large print.
Copy the
definition, example(s), image, and quote onto the page beginning at the left
margin/ top of page. (one item per line—write small)
During the rest of the year, we will add more information.
Sheets 1 - 13
Deja Vu Terms
Sheets 14 - 30
Text Chapter Terms
Sheets 31-35
Constitution Coloring Book
Sheets 36 - 40
Bellringers
Sheets 41 - ?
Investigations
Sheets ? - 70
Work Boxes
R) Article Pair:
(must be completed
with a partner/ Person 2 is not required to be an 8B student)
Read and
discuss an article
approved by the teacher with a peer or adult-- articles will be e-mailed each
quarter.
On a single
sheet of paper, respond to the following
prompts with each person writing where required:
A) Student 1:
Summarize the article. (5 +
sentences)
B) Person 2: Describe the main idea/
lesson of the article. (3+ sentences)
C) Student 1: Use specific evidence from the article to
explain whether the author is presenting
facts only or facts and opinions. (3+ sentences)
D) Person 2:
Define two social studies terms
that are used in or relate to the article. (2+ sentences)
E) Student 1:
Explain why you think the teacher
selected this article and whether it
was a good choice. (3+ sentences)
F) Person 2:
Create a picture with a caption that
presents a main idea related to the article along with a description of why it
is important. (image and 2+ sentences)
S) Self-Manager
Description -- automatic Passport and gym day approval
|
I am
a good listener who tries to understand. I
follow classroom and school rules. I do
my work on time and as well as I can. I can
work alone and with a small group. I use
classroom materials properly. I
have self-control and take care of myself even when no one is watching. I
cooperate with people. I use
good manners. I
take care of the property of myself and others. I go
to and from class without problems. I
don't hurt other people. I am
helpful. |
Problem Solving Action
Plan: A)
What is the problem? B)
What factors are causing the problem? C)
What will you do to solve the problem? D)
What help do you need to solve the problem? E)
Student signature:
Parent
signature:
Date: |
end