Humanities Syllabus 2012-13
(Social Studies Semester 2 – World History)
Facilitator: Seth H. Olson
Office: Black Box Office
Email Address: [email protected]
Office Phone: (360) 313-4600
Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:45 to 9:30AM; Tuesdays through Thursdays
from 4:15 to 5:00PM; Enrichment A
Course Description:
Social studies explores our world through five threads: Geography, Political Science,
Economics, Socio-Cultural Developments, and History. Sixth grade students will move in world
history to the Renaissance. Integrating the arts, students will explore expressions of individuals
and societies at various points in time. In their quest to understand culture, history, and
themselves, students will gather information through reading, express themselves through
writing and the arts, work collaboratively with their peers, and present their understanding as
historians and artists.
Educational Goals:
Social studies knowledge allows students to comprehend and interpret the world around
them. Students will investigate the National Council for the Social Studies standards:
 Culture & Cultural Diversity
 Power, Authority & Governance
 Time, Continuity & Change
 Production, Distribution & Consumption
 People, Places & Environments
 Science, Technology & Society
 Individual Development & Identity
 Global Connections
 Individuals, Groups & Institutions
 Civic Ideals & Practices
Materials:
We will be using Across the Centuries as our world history text. We will also supplement
our learning with articles and activities from the History Alive! series. We will interact with
works of art, a wide variety of articles, primary and secondary documents, and various types of
technology. Textbooks will remain in the classroom, but can be checked out in the media center
if needed.
All students should have been given a planner at the beginning of the year. Students
must have a planner for recording assignments and keeping organized! Students will need a
spiral bound notebook of paper for social studies lessons/notes. They will need one folder with
pockets for collecting handouts and holding drafts. They will need one 1-inch three-ring binder
that will be used as a portfolio. Students will need pencils for writing and erasers for correcting.
Other material will be provided as needed.
1
Course Outline: A Tentative Map
Semester 2:
Unit I: The Renaissance (6 weeks)
 How did the rediscovery of Classical learning/thought affect Renaissance art and life?
 How did the printing press affect ideas in Europe?
 How did advancements in science and technology change Europe?
 How did Humanism impact individual achievement?
Unit II: The Reformation (2 weeks)
 How did the discontent with the Catholic Church lead to the Reformation?
 How did the Reformation occur in different parts of Europe?
Unit III: The Americas (5 weeks)
 How did the locations, landforms, and climates of Mexico, Central America, and South
America affect the Mayan, Aztec, and Incan economies, trade, and development of urban
societies?
 What role did people play in the Mayan, Aztec, and Incan society, including class
structures, family life, warfare, religious beliefs, and slavery?
 What are the artistic and oral traditions and architecture of the three civilizations?
 Describe the Meso-American achievements in astronomy and mathematics?
Unit IV: Exploration & Expansion (3 weeks)
 How was each Meso-American empire defeated by the Spanish?
Semester 2 Personal Development Portfolio Entry
Evaluation of Student Achievement:
I grade to let you know: (1) how well students are performing on specific assignments;
and (2) how well students have performed on learning goals/standards throughout the
semester/year. Any grade given to a student is a teacher judgment based on a variety of different
sorts of evidence.
Assignments will fall into one of four categories, each contributing to a percentage of the
student’s overall grade:
1.
2.
3.
4.
10% - Class Work (i.e. practice and homework assignments)
30% - Traditional Assessment (i.e. tests, quizzes, etc.)
30% - Performance Assessment (larger, long-term, collaborative projects)
30% - Portfolio (end of project or semester demonstrations of learning)
All assignments, regardless of the category, will be assessed using a four-point
assessment tool called a rubric. The baseline for the rubric is a 3, where a student has achieved
the expectations of the assignment. For students who surpass expectations, they will receive a
“grade” of 4. Students who are developing the skills or knowledge to be used on an assignment
will receive a 2. Finally, students who attempted to use the skills or knowledge but were not as
successful will receive a 1. Assignments not turned in will be scored as 0.
2
Consequently, I use a four-point grading scale to determine the overall letter grade (i.e.
A, B, C, etc.) for each semester. The breakdown of grades and percentages is as follows:
Grade
A
AB+
B
B-
Percent Range
100.0 - 92.5%
92.49 - 82.5%
82.49 - 75.0%
74.99 - 67.5%
67.49 - 57.5%
Grade
C+
C
CD+
D
F
Percent Range
57.49 - 50.0%
49.99 - 42.5%
42.49 - 32.5%
32.49 - 25.0%
24.99 - 17.5%
17.49 - 0.00%
This grading scale is the standard for the building and is used by many of the high school and
middle school teachers at VSAA.
 Extra credit is not an option, BUT students are encouraged to reattempt a project for a
new grade. Unacceptable or potentially failing work may be resubmitted by the end of
the particular quarter in which it was assigned.
o Third Quarter: January 31st through April 12th, 2013
o Fourth Quarter: April 15th through June 18th, 2013
 Late work: Late work will not be given full credit; however, it will be accepted only
through the end of the particular quarter in which it was assigned. (See above)
 If you know you will not be able to complete an assignment on time, speak with the
teacher in advance, not the day it is due! Together we will work out a plan.
Homework is due promptly at the beginning of class.
Attendance and Participation:
All students need to be in class and on time every day. If a student has a parent-excused
absence, s/he are responsible for gathering information about class assignments and make up the
work to be done within the number of days absent (i.e. if you were gone one day, you have two
days to make up the work). Students should come prepared to read (have an SSR book), write
(have notebook paper, pens, and pencils) and review (have the previous day’s homework).
Students should use the planner wisely to keep track of assignments and due dates.
We are a community of learners, helping each other, but also striving to be independent
thinkers. Students must involve themselves fully in every activity so they will learn and have a
little fun. Participation includes inquiring, discussing, creating, listening, reflecting, and
connecting. Students will work closely and respectfully with a variety of groups of other 6th, 7th,
and 8th grade students. Study, plan, and learn together!
Core
Core is VSAA’s art-based, interdisciplinary experience. Time will be devoted to Core
each week where students will focus on integrated projects. Students will become fluent in
VSAA’s inquiry method (the Fundamental Questions and Five Voices), become better
acquainted with our school-wide theme “Story @ the Core”, and connect arts and academics as
part of Core this year!
3
My Educational Philosophy:
My philosophy of teaching is based on the premise that I am a teacher first and
everything else (actor, vocalist, director, etc.) second. Further, I believe successful teaching
occurs when students become self-empowered learners, capable of extending their learning far
beyond where my own education has thus far taken me. I view all my roles—artist, scholar,
citizen—as contributing to my effectiveness as a teacher. I have added significantly to my
pedagogy since my arrival at VSAA, and I find my interests have deepened as I see rich
connections between collaborative and interdisciplinary learning, the twin tenets of our school.
I look for students to participate as knowledgeable, collaborative, reflective, creative, and
critical members of our community. Fortunately, social studies classes are the perfect setting for
meeting these expectations. I encourage classroom discussion, fostering a respect for other
viewpoints. I look for students to understand where “facts” come from and how “facts” and
events are constantly being reevaluated. I believe teaching must involve purposeful activities,
moving away from memorization and recitation towards learning that goes beyond superficial
understanding. I believe students learn best through integration, collaboration, and inquiry. I
believe in order for social studies classrooms to be meaningful and purposeful, instruction must
incorporate a wide range of instructional tools: textbooks, magazines, newspapers, timelines,
internet sites, and other media. Social studies teachers have so much information to convey and
need many options for teaching it.
Students often approach history with the idea that it is a course about truth; I want to
convey the idea that it is a discipline full of contested theories open to re-interpretation in light of
better evidence. Learning is not a passive process in which students receive information and
grades. I believe in mutual responsibility and learning as a two-way street. I must come prepared
to offer them the tools of learning; they must come prepared to use them. I like to believe I bring
excitement and a positive attitude about teaching and learning to each class. I enter the room
prepared to work my best to stimulate interest in and thinking about my subject matter. I expect
my students to enter each class prepared and willing to be actively engaged with me, other
students, and the material. Together we can achieve more than working separately.
4