Dear Parents,

 

            I’m hoping you and your family had a relaxing and enjoyable summer. I look forward to the year ahead and having the opportunity to work with your child. As in years past, differentiated instruction in a mixed ability classroom will continue to be a focus. Building on each student’s strengths and encouraging them to be active learners will be a priority.

I will continue to work in conjunction with the junior high team using a thematic approach to develop a proactive classroom. Technology will be an integral part of the curriculum. Students will engage in web-based learning and supervised research for classroom projects.

The social studies curriculum aligned with state standards, has four major content areas: geography, history, government, and economics. These areas will be integrated into the classroom using a variety of lesson plans, activities, and teaching formats.

Another priority will be to help students gain an understanding of democratic principles and ideals upon which good citizenship is founded. We will continue our affiliation with “The National Student/Parent Mock Election Project”. Engaging young people today in the electoral process is perhaps the most important step we can take toward achieving a nation of voters. Through education and participation, the program provides an excellent opportunity for students to learn about the electoral process and to realize the relevance of politics and voting to their lives.

Student awareness of current events is another important component of the curriculum. Each Friday students will be engaged in a variety of activities designed to raise awareness of current issues and their effect on the world.

Attached to this letter is a brief outline of the junior high social studies curriculum. Please review and should you have any questions, feel free to call me. I look forward to seeing you at open house and to a productive school year.

 

 

                                                                        Sincerely,

 

                                                                        Dan Chandler

       

 

Content:

 

Grade 7- World Cultures - Eastern Hemisphere / Middle Ages- Present

Grade 8- American Studies - Constitution, Civil War-Present, Basic principles of economics 

 

Goals:

 

The social studies curriculum should enable students to develop:

1. Civic responsibility and participation.
2. A critical understanding of history, geography, economic, political and social institutions.
3. An understanding of other peoples’ unity and diversity.

Skills:

 

The social studies curriculum should enable students to develop:

 

1. Data gathering skills i.e. locating information.
2. Intellectual skills i.e. drawing conclusions, making inferences.
3. Decision making skills i.e. problem solving.
4. Interpersonal skills i.e. accepting responsibility, respecting the rights of others.

Resources:

Texts, computers, library material, guest speakers, videos, newspapers and news programs.

Assessment:

Student performance is assessed in the following way:

Tests-30% / 2 to 4 per term

Quizzes-25% / 5 to 7 per term

Projects-25% 1 to 2 per term

Homework-10% / given 2 to 4 times per week (7^th and 8^th graders are expected to read a newspaper or watch the news daily)

Classwork-10%