Course Syllabus

Sun Valley Middle School

1409 Wesley Chapel Rd.

Indian Trail, NC 28079

12137704-296-3009

8th Grade Social Studies Syllabus 2016-2017

 

Mr. Pane   james.pane@ucps.k12.nc.us

 

General Course Description:

Students in eighth grade will study the historical foundations and democratic principles that have shaped our state and nation. Students will begin with a review of the major ideas and events preceding the foundation of North Carolina and the United States. The main focus of the course will be the critical events, personalities, issues, and developments in the state and nation from the Revolutionary Era to contemporary times.

 

Class Expectations:

1. Exhibit positive behavior.  Be courteous and respectful to your peers and teachers.
2. Be prepared and organized.  Come to class every day with the following supplies:

-  Three subject notebook  -  Completed Homework/ classwork -  Agenda

-  Pens (blue or black ink only), pencils and highlighters

-  Chromebook (Charged)

3. Come to class on time.  If you are late, sign the tardy sheet.
4. Be seated quickly and quietly and start your warm up. (first five minutes)
5. Get Involved.  Raise your hand and wait to be called on.  
6. Take responsibility for your learning.  Don’t let others keep you from being successful.
7. Complete all assigned work to the best of your ability.

 

Grading Policy:  All assignments will earn points.  Grades will be calculated by dividing total points earned by total points possible.

Classwork (usually 10-20 points)

Includes class assignments, notebook checks, oral and written assignments.

Homework (usually 10 points)

All homework must be labeled with your name, date, page number and title of the assignment.  Reading homework may be followed by a quick check!

Assessments (usually 20-50 points, projects may earn more points if done over a long period)

Includes tests, quick checks, projects and any long term assignments.

All grades will be calculated in accordance with UCPS policies.

 

Sun Valley Middle School Late Work Policy:

Refer to the specific Late Work Policy that is posted on my Canvas Page.  

 

Any missing or late work will be accepted no later than the following dates of each term:

 

1st Term –  October 5, 2016

2nd Term – November 22, 2016

3rd Term –  January 19, 2017

4th Term – March 3, 2017

5th Term – April 24, 2017

6th Term – May 26, 2017

 

Learning Requirements:

 

The American Revolution

Key topics to cover: Roanoke voyages, Jamestown and Plymouth, French and Indian War, Stamp Act, Sons of Liberty, taxation without representation, Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party, Intolerable Acts, Continental Congress, Lexington and Concord, Declaration of Independence, Battles of Trenton, Saratoga, Kings Mountain, Yorktown, Treaty of Paris, Articles of Confederation, Great Compromise, Federalists/Anti-federalists, Federalist papers, national bank,  Federalist/Democratic Republican parties, Alien & Sedition Acts, Election of 1800, Marbury v. Madison, Louisiana Purchase, War of 1812

 

The Constitution and Bill of Rights

Key topics to cover: Preamble, requirements and powers of the three branches of government (Articles I-III), Articles IV-VII,   system of checks and balances, federalism, Bill of Rights

 

The Civil War

Key topics to cover: 3/5 Compromise, Compromise of 1820, cotton gin, Lowell mills, Henry Clay’s American system, railroads, telegraph, nullification crisis, War with Mexico, Compromise of 1850, Fugitive Slave Law, Kansas-Nebraska Act, Dred Scott Decision, John Brown’s Raid, Election of 1860, southern secession, Fort Sumter, Antietam, Gettysburg, Sherman’s March to the Sea, the draft, Lincoln (1st and 2nd inaugural addresses, Emancipation Proclamation), military reconstruction, 13th, 14th, 15th Amendments, sharecropping, Compromise of 1877, Jim Crow laws, Plessy v. Ferguson

 

The Civil Rights and Vietnam Era

Key topics to cover for Civil Rights Movement: Brown v. Board of Education, Montgomery Bus Boycott, Little Rock Nine, Greensboro Sit-Ins, Freedom Riders, Ole Miss/Alabama integration, March on Washington, Selma-Montgomery Marches, Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education

Key topics to cover for Vietnam War: Domino theory, Tonkin Gulf Resolution, the draft, Tet Offensive, anti-war movement, 1968 Democratic National Convention, 1968 Presidential Election, Kent State shootings, 26th Amendment, Pentagon Papers, Watergate, fall of Saigon

 

Growth and Expansion of the United States

Key topics to cover: Steel, electricity, oil, automobiles, flight, post Civil War westward expansion, Great Migration, Harlem Renaissance, Ellis Island, women’s suffrage, Food and Drug Act, Antiquities Act, 16th, 18th, 19th, 21st  Amendments, WWI home front economics/mobilization, The Roaring Twenties, stock market crash, the New Deal, WWII home front economics/mobilization, baby boom, Levittown, Interstate Highway System, Korean War, McCarthyism, Cold War, Nixon's visit to China, Arab oil embargo, 1979 energy crisis, Iran hostage crisis, Reaganomics, NAFTA, 9/11, war on terror (Note: elements of this unit may be blended with other units)

 

Tutoring Days and Hours:

After school help day is Tuesday and requires a note from a parent or guardian at least two days before the scheduled help day.  If Tuesday is not possible, help can be offered before school with prior approval.  Please contact your teacher to arrange a help day.  Help days may be covered by one of the four 8th Grade Social Studies teachers.