Dear Parent or Guardian,
I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself and express my
excitement about working with your child this year. I love teaching history
because I care deeply about each of my students. I believe students can grow
and develop by examining the issues we cover in class. I hope to make the
study of history a fun and enlightening experience. For me, history is much
more than memorizing facts and dates. It is about the study of human kind
and who we are and where we came from. Ideally, the study of history
involves the active pursuit of knowledge. This is the type of course that
encourges student participation. I hope that they will enjoy this
class. I welcome all opportunities that will help my students throughout
this course, and encourage students to make arrangements to see me if they
are experiencing difficulty with the work in this course.
The main goal of my course is to align my curriculum with the following
Grade 8 History-Social Science Content Standards adopted by the California
State Board of Education:
8.1 Students understand the major events preceding the founding of the
nation and relate their significance to the development of American
constitutional democracy.
8.2 Students analyze the political principles underlying the U.S.
Constitution and compare the enumerated and implied powers of the federal
government.
8.3 Students understand the foundation of the American political system and
the ways in which citizens participate in it.
8.4 Students analyze the aspirations and ideals of the people of the new
nation.
8.5 Students analyze U.S. foreign policy in the early Republic.
8.6 Students analyze the divergent paths of the American people from 1800 to
the mid-1800s and the challenges they faced, with emphasis on the Northeast.
8.7 Students analyze the divergent paths of the American people in the South
from 1800 to the mid-1800s and the challenges they faced.
8.8 Students analyze the divergent paths of the American people in the West
from 1800 to the mid-1800s and the challenges they faced.
8.9 Students analyze the early and steady attempts to abolish slavery and to
realize the ideals of the Declaration of Independence.
8.10 Students analyze the multiple causes, key events, and complex
consequences of the Civil War.
8.11 Students analyze the character and lasting consequences of
Reconstruction.
8.12 Students analyze the transformation of the American economy and the
changing social and political conditions in the United States in response to
the Indus-trial Revolution.
Please note that if you ever have any comments, questions or concerns, I am
available for phone calls and meetings (by appointment please)
before and after school. To schedule a meeting, you may contact me via my
school e-mail address at lvedar@sesd.org
I am excited about working with your child. I welcome questions or comments,
and am looking forward to a great year!
Sincerely,
Mr. Vedar
