WARM-UP #10 What is history? What does the word “history” mean to you? Name the 5 geographical regions of Georgia:

Welcome to GA History! What is history? Students were asked to write random words that come to mind when they think of history.Some of the ideas expressed were: The past, ancestors, life, death, destruction, discoveries, stories, economics, founding fathers, George Washington, wars, interesting, conflict, and “lives that were changed.” History IS all of this…

Why study History? “Those who do not remember the past, are condemned to repeat it.” “We are tomorrow’s past.” “I know of know way of judging the future but by the past.” Studying history trains students to think and write clearly, to organize and interpret evidence, and to confront issues in informed and insightful ways. These skills build the confidence and versatility that our economy demands and prepares students for graduate programs in law, medicine, education, and business.

Course Content and Activities We study U.S. History with an emphasis on Georgia. We will travel through our country’s earliest history to present day. Technology is frequently integrated into my curriculum. Students have already gone to the Mac Lab for 2 days to complete a Location Activity which involved finding the latitude, longitude, and elevation of GA cities and other U.S. cities. They saw first-hand that geography DOES affect the economy and population of an area.

Course Content and Requirements Warm-ups - students copy from board at beginning of period. Quick review of essential facts, or thought-provoking question. Taken up after 10 for grade. Notebook – students should keep a notebook, but I will not take up for grade. I stress organizational skills to prepare them for high school, but students keep a notebook for THEIR benefit…not mine. I will give handouts, maps, study guides, etc. that should be placed in notebook.

Projects & Activities Students will be involved in several simulation activities. This helps them to make real- world connections (and sparks their interest). Please let me know if you would be able to add information to our study of a certain period of history. I welcome Guest Speakers! Projects: Layered Lessons, tiered assignments Many choices are given to students for each project. (Example: Geography Project, Civil War Project)

Grading Tests/Projects = 50% Daily = 20% Quizzes = 20% Homework = 10%

High School Placement We’ll talk about high school placement during conference week and also in the Spring. Teachers go to Lassiter to discuss placement of students for 9 th grade. The requirements periodically change. The best advice is to encourage your child to do their best and to be present every day. Placement in Honors or AP classes is based on grade averages, NOT JUST ABILITY to perform.

COMMUNICATION It is best to contact me by . Many parents did not write address on my syllabus as requested (thanks to those who did). Please write your name/ address on an index card so I can contact you. PLEASE CHECK MY BLOG frequently – I update it several times each week.

By working together, we can maximize student achievement! “All too often, we are giving our young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow plants.” I will challenge all students to reach higher goals this year. Remember… “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” Les Brown

Julie Mabry Stephens address: