Welcome to James D. Ryan Middle School

1. Welcome to James D. Ryan Middle School History Department Excellence is the Expectation!

2. Meet the History teachers! 6th Grade World Cultural Social Studies Teacher – Mrs. S. Joseph Email Address: SBROWN@Houstonisd.org Dear Students, I am excited to be your World Culture teacher for this school year! The 6th grade World Culture curriculum will help you develop world culture talents through collaborative learning, critical thinking, and problem solving through real world applications. Your learning will focus on becoming an effective problem-solver, not only in the classroom, but also for success throughout life.

3. 6th Grade World Culture HistoryCourse Overview In grade 6, students study people and places of the contemporary world. Societies selected for study are chosen from the following regions of the world: Europe, Russia and the Eurasian republics, North America, Middle America, South America, Southwest Asia-North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Realm. Students describe the influence of individuals and groups on historical and contemporary events in those societies and identify the locations and geographic characteristics of selected societies. Students identify different ways of organizing economic and governmental systems. The concepts of limited and unlimited government are introduced, and students describe the nature of citizenship in various societies. Students compare institutions common to all societies such as government, education, and religious institutions. Students explain how the level of technology affects the development of the selected societies and identify different points of view about selected events.

4. Our 6th grade World Culture curriculum implements the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and will prepare students to pass the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). • 1st 6-weeks Mapping Our World Being a Geographer • 2nd 6-weeks SW Asia and N. Africa South/SE Asia • 3rd 6-weeks Europe North America and the Caribbean • 4th 6-weeks South America Africa South of the Sahara • 5th 6-weeks Russia and the CIS East Asia • 6th 6-weeks Australia, Oceania, and the Pacific Rim 21st Century World

5. Meet the History teachers! 7th Grade – Texas History Teacher – MS. L. Williams Email Address: LWILLI22@Houstonisd.org Dear Students, I am excited to be your history teacher for this school year! The history curriculum will help you develop social talents through collaboration learning, critical thinking, and problem solving through real world applications. Your learning will focus on becoming an effective problem solver, not only in the classroom but also for success throughout life!

6. 7TH GRADE TEXAS HISTORYCOURSE OVERVIEW In Grade 7th, students study the history of Texas from early times to the present. Content is presented with more dept and breadth than in Grade 4. Students examine the full scope of Texas history, including the cultures of Native Americans living in Texas prior to European exploration and the eras of mission-building, colonization, revolution, republic, and statehood. The focus in each era is on key individuals, events, and issues and their impact. Students identify regions of Texas and the distributions of population within and among the regions and explain the factors that caused Texas to change from an agrarian to an urban society. Students describe the structure and functions of municipal, county, and state governments, explain the influence of the US constitution on the Texas constitution, and examine the rights and responsibilities of Texas citizens. Students use primary and secondary sources to examine the rich and diverse cultural background of Texas as they identify the different racial and ethnic groups that settled in Texas to build a republic and then a state. Students analyze the impact of scientific discoveries and technological innovations such as barbed wire and the oil and gas industries on the development of Texas. Students use primary and secondary sources to acquire information about Texas.

7. 7th Grade Texas History curriculum implements the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and will prepare students to pass the Stanford 10 Assessment Test in February, 2010. • 1st – 6- Weeks Being a Historian Being a Geographer • 2nd 6- Weeks Native Americans – The First Texans Europeans in Texas • 3rd 6 – Weeks Gone to Texas: Anglo Settlement Texas Revolution • 4th 6 – Weeks The Republic of Texas and Civil War Reconstruction • 5th 6 – Weeks Texas Government and Texas Texas Grows and Prospers: Cattle and Oil • 6th – 6 – Weeks The world in Transition: 20 Century Texas 20 Century Trends in Texas

8. Meet the History teachers! 8th Grade – American History Teacher – Mrs. V. Butler-Harris Email Address: VBUTLERH@Houstonisd.org Dear Students, I am totally fired up about all of the success my student’s will have in our American History class this year! We will research the history of the United States of America from the Colonial Era to the Civil War including Exploration Renaissance initiated by the writings of Marco Polo!!

9. 8th Grade American HistoryCourse Overview The eighth graders will study the history of the United States of America from the early colonial period through Reconstruction. The content builds upon that from Grade 5 but provides more depth and breadth. Historical content focuses on the political, economic and social events and issues related to the colonial and revolutionary eras, the creation and ratification of the United States Constitution, challenges of the early Republic, Westward Expansion, sectionalism, Civil War, and Reconstruction. Students will describe physical characteristics of the United States and the impact on population distribution and settlement patterns. Students will analyze the various economic factors that influenced the development of colonial America and the years of the Republic and identify the origins of the free enterprise system. Students will examine the American beliefs and principles, including limited government, checks and balances, federalism, separation of powers and individual rights, reflected in the United States Constitution and other historical documents. Students will evaluate the impact of Supreme Court cases and major reform movements of the 19th Century and examine the rights and responsibilities of citizens of the United States as well as the importance of effective leadership in a democratic society. Students evaluate the impact of scientific discoveries and technological innovations of the development of the United States. Students will use critical thinking skills, including the identification of bias in written, oral and visual material.

10. Our 8th Grade American History curriculum implements the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and will prepare students to pass the Texas Assessment of Knowledge Skills (TAKS) which will be administered to my student’s April 30, 2010. • 1st 6-weeks 13 Colonies Causes of the American Revolution • 2nd 6-weeks The American Revolution Constitutional Convention • 3rd 6-weeks Constitution/Bill of Rights Principles of the Constitution • 4th 6-weeks Domestic and Foreign Policy The Young Nation Grows & Expands • 5th 6-weeks Road to War Civil War: The Basics • 6th 6-weeks Tying It All Together Reconstruction

11. Supplies Needed for all History Classes • Pack of Dividers • 2 – Pocket Folder w/Brads • Loose Leaf Paper (Wide Ruled) • Red Checking Pen • Erasers (As Needed) • Set of Colored Pencils • Black/Blue Pen

12. All 6th – 7th – and 8th Graders are required to: • Participate in the James D. Ryan Middle School History Fair which is held during the month of December. More information about the History Fair is forthcoming. • Bring their supplies to class everyday. • Abide by the classroom rules. • Complete all class work, homework, projects, quizzes, class notes in their Interactive Notebook, and Test.

13. We, the History Teachers at James D. Ryan Middle School look forward to a productive, and successful year for all of our students!

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