Course Syllabus

 

Ms Hiester,  Mr. Reidy & Ms Hodges

Room 401

TAN BLOCK

hiesterb@wellesleyps.org

reidym@wellesleyps.org

hodgesc@wellesleyps.org

 

Office Hours & Extra Help

• Ms Hiester OFFICE HOURS/EXTRA HELP: I have a part time schedule and am not usually at WHS all day. Click here for my schedule. I update my schedule weekly to show the times I am available (LOOK FOR PINK BOXES). Typically, I am available
  • Days 1 & 6 @ 8-8:30 in 401
  • Day 2 or Day 7 (once per week) @ 2:35-3:10 in 401
• Mr. Reidy OFFICE HOURS/EXTRA HELP: 
  • Mondays @ 2:35-3:10 in 325
  • Days 3 & 7 @ 8-8:25 in 316
• Ms Hodges's OFFICE HOURS/EXTRA HELP:  
  • Tuesdays @ 2:35-3:10 in 354

Click a Button For

Lunch Schedule

1st semester always 3rd Lunch

• 1st: 10:55-11:24
• 2nd: 11:24-11:53
• 3rd: 11:53-12:22

SOCIAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT LUNCH SHIFTS

Day  1	Day 2	Day 3	Day  4	Day 5	Day  6	Day  7
3rd	3rd	3rd	***3rd***	3rd	3rd	3rd

 

WHS Color Block Schedule  Our class meets TAN

• Days across the top
• Blocks across the top

Course Description

This course is an investigation of 19th and 20th century world history. We will study the major political, economic, and social developments of those centuries, looking closely at their causes and consequences and the role of individual decision-making. 

Essential Questions

1. What does it mean that the world was “modern” beginning in the late 19th century? 
2. What counts as progress in the modern world and what made progress possible?
3. What groups, individuals and institutions benefitted from the changes of the 19th and 20th centuries? Which didn't? How? Why? 
4. How did people build strength and power in the modern world? Which of these ways were new?
5. What caused war and what enabled peace in the modern world?

Units of Study

1. 1. Change in the 19th Century
   2. World War I
   3. Between the Wars
   4. World War II
   5. The World Since 1945

Textbook

History Alive! World Connections. 3rd Edition. USA: Teachers' Curriculum Institute, 2023.

 

Expectations

Habits of Mind

Intentionality, persistence and respect are three personal qualities that will carry us this year. We are all expected to practice them.

• Practice doing your work and doing it with intention. Each class is an opportunity to develop your understanding of the human condition and your skills and outlook as a human. Get better at doing the hard work - and taking the risks - necessary to ask questions or share original ideas: we will all benefit when you do.
• Take responsibility for the energy you bring into the room and make proper space for the rest of us - our questions, ideas, needs and even our off days.

What we do in class is important. It may sometimes be hard and may not always be "fun," but you can make it meaningful. Your teachers and classmates will help.

Ask for the help you need. Ms. Hiester, Mr. Reidy and Ms. Hodges care about you. We want you to feel respected and experience success and grow as a person. Reach out when you have questions, need clarification, a different approach, coaching, or extra time. Try to communicate ahead of time, not at the last minute or after the fact, but communication at any point is better than no communication at all. 

Materials for Every Class

• • Spiral-bound or other notebook & all assigned readings organized in a 3-ring binder
  • A working writing utensil
  • Laptop and charger
  • Headphones that work with your computer

Technology Norms

There is no recording or photography of any kind without express, verbal consent of all the teacher and any others involved.

You must put your cell phone in the designated classroom space and any smart-watches, headphones, earbuds & the like off and in your backpack so they are neither accessible nor visible to you during class. If you have a health-related or other reason to need access to your phone during class, you need to work with the nurses' office and/or your school counselor to get authorization.

When we use laptops, put your computer in "do not disturb" mode OR turn off all notifications.

When we use computers, the only applications or web pages that are to be open are the ones we are using for this class.

Course Assessment & Grading

We will have 4 quarters and a final exam/experience. Together, they make up your year grade:

• Quarter 1 = 22 %
• Quarter 2 = 22%
• Quarter 3 = 22%
• Quarter 4 = 22%
• Final = 12 %
• TOTAL = 100%

Each quarter will be divided like this:

2-3 MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS 50%*	5-10 MINOR ASSIGNMENTS 50%
Essays Projects Tests/Historical IDs Formal Presentations or discussions	Reading Checks Cycle Quizzes (Day 7) In-class creative, performance, & writing activities Informal discussions or presentations Self Evaluations and Reflections

*You may opt to improve a score (up to a B) on a major assignment once in Q1 and one other time during the year by meeting with a teacher and reworking your product as agreed. At the teachers' discretion, you may be required to resubmit other assignments.

How do I get the most out of this class? Use class time well. Be ready each day and keep yourself and your classmates on task. Always do your own work, and do the best you can.  Try to use SPARC evidence and Content Vocabulary in all of your work. Notice patterns and make connections. Pay special attention when information is different than what you thought you knew. Be a responsive human being - pay attention to (and describe) your emotional reactions to what we learn about. Seek and use feedback given during in-class activities and on your papers. Whether it is your work or a peer’s that is examined, figure out how to apply the feedback to your work. Ask questions so you understand it! Keep it your binder to look again at later. If you need help with studying, applying course vocabulary, time-management, reading, writing, or discussion, go to the Social Studies Resource Center or use your teachers' office hours. YOU are responsible for knowing that you need help and for taking the initiative to get it.

Absences

• It is very important to be in class. 
• If your teachers are absent, check Canvas for the day's activities.
• If you are absent, complete the activities listed on Canvas. If there is an activity or resource only available in person, make a plan with your teachers to make it up when you return to school.

Extra Time/Accomodations

• When you need time beyond what is available in class for an assignment, you need to work with your teachers ahead of time to make arrangements. Sometimes we will need to bring your papers to an LC so we need to plan together! 
• Please make sure you communicate with your teachers to make sure your needs as a student are met. This might mean bringing a provision of an IEP or 504 plan to our attention. It might mean letting us know your schedule is particularly intense for a certain few days. It might just mean showing up and saying you need some help, but you're not sure where to start. Remember, we  care about you. We want you to experience success and grow as a person, so we will help you.

• District accommodations (DCAP) are available to all students, and in the 26-27 school year, WHS is committed to moving this forward with fidelity. While some accommodations can be offered in the moment, others require advanced notice.

  For example: Extended time on an in-class assessment is a collaborative decision made by the teacher, student, and family to meet individual student needs.  The WHS guideline is up to 25% extra time.  This accommodation relies on proactive student communication prior to the date of the assessment.  The student and teacher must establish how the accommodation will be provided. 

Academic Integrity

You will collaborate with classmates, but we assume the work you submit and notes you take are your own unless you state otherwise. So, if you owe credit, give it. Also, make sure you know when it’s appropriate to work with and share your own work with other students. You should review the school’s policy on academic integrity starting on page 47 of the Student Handbook. Violations of the policy can result in you earning no credit, and consequences grow stiffer if violations pile up over your time at WHS. Keep in mind that assignments are intended to give you structured learning opportunities, so copying or cribbing from another student or from a chat-bot erodes the value of those opportunities.

• When you use others’ exact words in your own work, use “quotation marks” and cite your source. 
• When you use someone’s idea, give credit. 
• When you get help on an assignment, acknowledge that. 
• NOTE: Providing dishonest help (helping someone else cheat) is also a violation of academic integrity. 
• NOTE:  The Student Handbook states that “Students may not use an artificial intelligence program to aid their work on an assignment unless explicitly directed to do so by their instructor.”

EXTRA RESOURCES

Map Games

World Geography Games for help reviewing or learning:

• **Compass Directions**

• **Continents**

• **Oceans**

• **Regions**

• *Seas
• *Straits
• *Deserts
• *Mountain Ranges
• Rivers
• Islands
• Archipelagos