What will grading look like? Standards-Based Grading Authentic work to show proficiency Rubrics for grading 3 is the place to be A 4 is hard to come by Proficiency to Standard Standard-Based Grade Translation Assignment Weight AP-Advanced 4 A Pre-Assessment 0% MP-Meets 3 B Classwork 40% DP-Developing 2 C Projects 30% BP-Below 1 D Quizzes/Tests 30% NA-Not Applicable Below 1 F

What is the due date? All work is expected to be finished on the date it is due unless there are circumstances beyond our control or there are legally documented accommodations in place. To get an extension past the due date, students must ask for a meeting to present the reason they need more time. This needs to be done before the due date. If no extension has been agreed upon, student grades will go down one point per day, or one proficiency grade each week it is past due. If students have three or more missing or late assignments in a quarter, we will set up a conference with parents and the student to find out what is getting in the way of completing the assignments.

K-8 Work at Home Policy Typically, Westgate students do not have school work to complete at home. We want them to have time to be kids, spend time with family, and pursue other passions. Exceptions to this norm are: 1. When a student has make-up work from absences, 2. When extra practice is needed to become proficient in a skill, 3. When a student has been unproductive during their class time, 4. When there is a special “at home project.”

Mr. Rowan’s Social Studies Class 8th Grade Goal: My goal is to provide students with the essential skills and attitudes for living in the twenty-first century, which will enable them to acquire the knowledge, abilities and judgment to continue to learn for themselves; to explore and understand the past so they can better understand what is happening today; to deliberate responsibly on local, national and international issues; and to understand that we are all individuals whose human and civil rights deserve respect.

Unit Overview Road to the Constitution: Articles of Confederation strengths and weaknesses Constitutional Convention Simulation The Constitution and Bill of Rights Current events that deal with Constitutional Issues

From Sea to Shining Sea: Students will be piecing together the acquisitions, annexations and cessions that form what is now the lower 48 states. We will be doing this in two ways. 1. Students will be completing this map as we learn about the history of how each section came to be ours. 2. Students will be completing independent research projects on aspects of Westward Expansion that interest them. This will include sections on The Louisiana Purchase, The Acquisition of Florida, Indian Removal, Independence of Texas, Oregon Country and the Oregon Trail, California Gold Rush, War with Mexico and The Growth of Technology.

Torn Asunder: Students will look at Antebellum North and South and study the causes of the Civil War. We will look at whether or not the Civil War was a War for Freedom, Did the South have the Right to Secede, Did Lincoln Want to end Slavery or keep the Union Together, Strategies and Battles, Perspectives of People Involved, Lincoln's Speeches, Emancipation and the Effects of the Civil War. Finally, we will end with our Civil War Reenactment and Fundraising Dinner.

Reconstruction: The Union victory in the Civil War in 1865 may have given some 4 million slaves their freedom, but the process of rebuilding the South during the Reconstruction period (1865-1877) introduced a new set of significant challenges. We will take a close look at the Reconstruction Amendments that abolished slavery, gave African Americans equal protection under the law and gave them the right to vote. We will explore the tensions during this time to see how new southern state legislatures passed restrictive "black codes" to control the labor and behavior of former slaves and other African Americans.

Credit and Debt: This unit we will be focusing on Credit and Debt Credit and Debt: This unit we will be focusing on Credit and Debt. Students will learn about Credit Basics which includes: Credit Scores, Good v. Bad Debt, how to establish good credit and if one finds themselves with bad credit, how do they fix it. We will be doing a fun car buying project where students have to plan a career, budget, pick a car, apply for a loan, and show how they will pay that off. The Greater Good: Students will understand that economic freedom, including free trade, is important for economic growth and that where and how you purchase products affects social, economic and environmental conditions.