1. 8th Grade Social Studies
Brent Brandenburg

2. About me B.A. Secondary Ed w/ emphasis in SS
Major in History/ Minors in Political Science & S.S.
Gateway Pointe/ Coronado (4 years) /Sossaman
Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan
Hockey and Baseball
Coach Football, Cross Country, & Track
Athletic Director at Coronado
Queen Creek
Born and raised in Mid-Michigan (Bay City)

3. Social Studies Mission Statement
The mission of the social studies department is to teach students to understand and engage the world that they live in by providing them the tools to critically think, analyze evidence, and formulate conclusions thereby creating an informed citizenry and fostering democratic participation.

4. Personal Teaching Philosophy
“Once you have learned how to ask questions – relevant and appropriate and substantial questions – you have learned how to learn and no one can keep you from learning whatever you want or need to know.” This quote sums up my ultimate goal as a Social Studies teacher; to teach the students how to think critically and to learn research methods so they can find anything they want at anytime. These skills cannot only be seen as preparation for college, but for life.

5. Class supplies Pens (Blue or Black ink only) or Pencils
Highlighters (4 different colors)
Agenda (PRIDE Book)
Interactive Notebook
Folder (organization)
Lined Paper
3x5 Index Cards (studying tool)

6. Text book In class hard copy e-Reader compatible Online version
PDF Version to DL to computer
Audio Version

7. Teacher Page PARENT VUE HUSD.org Sossaman Middle School Teacher Pages
Brent Brandenburg

8. Grading and homework A 90% -100 % B 80% - 89% C 70% - 79% D 60% - 69%
F 59% -
Homework/Classwork 20%
Assessment 80% (Final Exam 20% Final Grade)

9. 1st Quarter Revolution and a New Nation
Principles and Ideals of the U.S. Government

10. 2nd quarter
Rights, Responsibilities, and Roles of Citizenship (Duration 2 Weeks)
World War II (Duration 6 Weeks)
Outcomes that shaped the world

11. 3rd & 4th quarter Contemporary US History
Linear History from
Cold War
Korean War
Vietnam War
Civil Rights Movement
Fall of Communism
Mid-East Crisis, 9/11
Personal Finance & Economics
Road Trip Project

12. AZ standards
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
Produce clear and coherent functional writing (e.g., formal letters, envelopes, procedures, labels, timelines, graphs/tables, experiments, maps, captions, charts, diagrams) in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).