World History I Honors
Mr. Pallatto
The
Course
World
History I Honors is a survey course that covers a wide range of topics, ideas,
peoples, and times. The scope of this course will be much larger than the
focused two years of social studies in 7th and 8th grade.
This course will start by developing student skills in and understandings of
basic geographical principles. Next, students will explore the beginnings of
human society and development of complex civilizations located within important
river valleys in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China. Then the course will shift its
focus to the roots of Western civilization with the study of classical Greece
and Rome, as well as the early medieval era in Europe.
As a
result of the varied topics in this course, students will be introduced to
important themes that they will continue to study and learn about throughout
high school (and most likely into college as well). Students will be expected
to explain the role of geography and climate on human civilization. Students
will also examine both universal and unique components of cultures from the
past. Students will study the development of different forms of government and
compare the strengths and weaknesses of each. They will also read about and discuss
important and revolutionary ideas and philosophies that changed human thought
and learning and still have influence on the world today.
Additionally,
though this course focuses on ancient history, it will still provide useful
knowledge and learning for students to use in a modern global society. Students
will discover that even before the advances in communication and transportation
technology of the 20th and 21st centuries, resources,
goods, technologies, beliefs, and ideas spread throughout the world and
connected communities and nations together. Also, students will learn about the
important conflicts and conquests that shaped many of these civilizations and
empires.
Skills
Studying
history requires students to read, think about what they have read, and write
about what they have read. Students will get practice in writing a thesis and
supporting it with relevant, accurate, and detailed evidence from both primary
and secondary sources. Improving expository and persuasive writing skills is a
major goal in this course. A student will need strong expository writing skills
in order to explain causes and effects of major historical events and
movements. Persuasive writing is a component to the SBAC testing that students
take their junior year. In World History 1, students develop these skills by
writing formal essays centered on historical issues.
This
course will also require students to label, shade, interpret, and analyze maps
and other types of graphic data. Students may have to examine geographical regions
or differences between groups of people from a map, identify changes over time
in the same region, or make predictions about future events. It is necessary
for students to know about the important places vital to history.
Supplies
·
You
will need to use a binder and/or a sturdy folder to hold and organize the
materials for this class. You should always have lined loose-leaf paper to take
notes and complete work with.
·
A
cover for your textbook. Textbooks are expensive and it is costly to have them
fixed/replaced. Students who have seriously damaged their textbooks will be
charged for repairs/replacements.
·
Pens
and pencils (Pencils are needed for Scantron sheets. Pens must be used
on written tests, quizzes, and in-class essays.)
·
It
is always wise to have index cards, highlighters, Post-it notes, and flash
drives available at home.
Grades
The
grade for each ten-week period is divided into the following categories:
·
Homework/Classwork: 20 percent
Homework
includes your reading and other specific assignments. I will assign homework
for most classes. The more you focus on and actively engage with your
assignments, the more prepared you will be for tests—most of your studying will
have been done ahead of time.
Participation
includes group work, discussions, and class and group participation. Class
discussions will require that students have done the assigned reading; we will
then expand upon that and attempt to make conclusions, connect what we have
read to other things we have learned, and see how the history we are studying
has relevance to current events. Being disruptive and disrespectful in the
classroom will lower your participation grade!
·
Quizzes and Essays: 35 percent
Quizzes are based on nightly readings
from the textbook or other outside sources. For the reading quizzes students
may sometimes use their notes if they have taken them. Essays will be
done in class. Students will often have class time to organize essays
beforehand. This will be a major portion of this course in order for you to improve
persuasive writing skills.
·
Tests and Projects: 45 percent
Tests are based on whole chapter
and/or larger units of study. Tests will be made up of several types of
questions such as multiple-choice, matching, true or false, and
fill-in-the-blank. Unit tests will have significant writing sections as well. Projects
are long-term individual or group research assignments. You may be asked to
create a poster or pamphlet, prepare a PowerPoint presentation with a group,
follow a WebQuest, or participate in a debate.
The four
ten-week grades (20% each) plus the mid-term exam (10%) and the final exam
(10%) will count as the FINAL grade for the course.
Attendance
With our
schedule, classes do not meet every day of the week, so on either Tuesday,
Wednesday, or Thursday, we will not meet as a class—but students should expect
to be working on assignments every night. Being absent on the day class does
not meet will not excuse students from turning in work if they were present the
day it was assigned as well as the day it is due. It is important not to miss
class! Even with borrowing someone else’s notes, it is difficult to make up the
things learned from discussions and from hearing and seeing lessons and
activities firsthand. Being successful in this course means being here for
every class possible.
See the Student
Handbook for policies on tardiness, absence, credit, and grades.
Making up work: Obviously, some absences are
unavoidable and will be excused. Students may make up work for excused
absences. Check the website or contact classmates to get the assignment for the
next class (or e-mail me, but I may not be checking my e-mail often once I
leave the building for the day). If illness, a family death, or something else
means a student will miss several classes, try to reach me so that I make the
assignments available in advance. In
most cases, make-up work has to be turned in before the end of a unit, but that
will depend on when the absence occurs.
Tests
and quizzes will be made up as soon as possible—within the first few days of
returning to school. See me immediately to arrange to take the test during
lunch/activity period or after school.
Cheating
and the Honor Code
The
Student Handbook describes the consequences for cheating—which includes
plagiarism. When any student turns in homework or a test, he/she is saying that
he/she did all the work and gave credit to others when their work was used as
sources. Copying the exact words out of the textbook to answer assigned
questions is plagiarism and is unacceptable. We will be covering
source citation in class. For class essays and projects, students will be
expected to use formal documentation (such as MLA style).
Success
in This Class
A
student is the only one who can guarantee his/her success. Teachers, parents,
and other students can offer help and guidance, but each individual has to do
the work that brings personal success. In high school, grades reflect the
effort and the quality of student work. But grades aren’t the only sign of
success. I hope this class will be fun for all students and will help them to
think about what is happening in the world in terms of what has happened in the
past.
If a
student has a concern or a problem with the class or his/her grade, then the
student should come speak to me personally about it before talking to another
teacher, counselor, or administrator. That is a matter of respect and courtesy
between a student and a teacher. Likewise, I will approach individual students
about any issues or concerns before approaching parents, counselors, or administrators.
For questions or concerns, please see me
before school, during lunch/activity period, or after school. Feel free to
e-mail me as well.
Rules
of the Classroom
This is
a short list of my major expectations. I have the right to add or amend rules
as we progress through the class if I feel it is necessary and proper.
1. Civility is of the highest
importance to successful learning. We learn best when we listen to others, are
open to their ideas, and offer others the respect we also wish to receive.
2. Be on time and ready to work and
learn. A pass is always required if you are late to class.
3. Once the bell rings, class has
started. You should end all personal conversations after the bell rings. Be in
your seat and ready to start.
4. Being prepared for class is a
sign of respect. Bring all the supplies you need and do all the assigned work.
5. Students will raise their hands
if they wish to speak during class. Additionally, students are responsible for
listening in class and for all instructions/directions given orally.
6. Students will sign out whenever
they leave class and will sign in when they return or are tardy.
7. Food and drink will be allowed in
the classroom until it becomes a distraction, makes a mess, or is left behind
as trash in the classroom. This includes chewing gum as well.
8. Do not touch anything on my desks without permission. I will
respect your property and privacy and expect that you respect mine.
9. We all have rights—to have the
quiet atmosphere needed for discussion and learning, to have our property (and
communal property, such as the classroom) respected. Students that misuse or
abuse classroom materials and resources will lose their privilege to use them.
10. Use of electronic devices such as
cell phones and iPods are not allowed in class. They should be turned off and placed
in lockers. If they are used during class, those items will be confiscated and
a parent/guardian will have to pick them up at school.
11. There will be no whining about or
haggling over grades. If you have a question or concern about grades, I will be
more than happy to discuss it before school, during lunch/activity, or after
school. It is not appropriate for a student to demand shared class time to
argue over his/her individual scores.