to Mrs. Thurston’s Seventh Grade Social Studies Class

1. Welcome to Mrs. Thurston’s Seventh Grade Social Studies Class

2. Curriculum Focus • Bermuda Triangle: Map skills • Mount Vesuvius: Physical Features • Vikings: Culture • Atlantis: Population • Ark of the Covenant: Religion • Silk Road: Economics • King Tut: Government • Boone and Crockett: Tennessee History

3. Parent Involvement

4. Ways to help • Check assignments and help your student organize his/her time • Donate extra supplies to the classroom • Boxes of tissues • Bags of Jolly Ranchers • Index cards

5. Homework & Assignments

6. How can I find out what the assignments are? • View the individual planner maintained by each student • Visit my homepage located on the MRIS website at http://www.maryville-schools.org/mris • Check Calendar, Resource, and Socratic Seminar tabs. • Calendar: Classwork is in black. Homework is in red.

7. Transition to Standard-base Grades Class work/homework assignments will be completion grades 5-10 pts If the assignment is partially completed, not attempted, or not in the room, they will receive a grade of 0. Since the correct answers will be given, students will not be allowed to turn in work for late work credit. Even if their work is not with them, the answers will be given, so work WILL NOT be taken LATE!

8. Points Most Test/ Major Assignments: 100 points per standard (If one test covers four standards, for example, that one test could have four grades on it. Quizzes Worth 5 Points: 3/5 or 4/5 are great, but the letter may not indicate that it is great. Go by the points, not the letter. Percentages A percentage grade= Number of Points Grades

9. Reporting Grades • MRIS grades online – see the office about signing up • If you have a question or concern about your student’s grade, ask your student first, then contact me by email (Karen.thurston@maryville-schools.org) or leave message with the MRIS office

10. Regular Grading Scale A = 93 to 100 B = 85 to 92 C = 75 to 84 D = 70 to 74 F = 69 or below

11. Standard-base Grades 6/6 = 100 = Mastery 5/6 = 93 = Mastery 4/6 = 85 = Proficient 3/6 = 70 = Basic 2/6 or below = 55 = Below Basic

12. Standard-base Grades Assessments (tests)– cumulative assessment of multiple learning targets= 100 pts per learning target If a student scores below an 85 he/she may improve the grade by completing a two-step process. The process must be completed before announced due date.

13. Standard-base Grades Assessment Retakes - - To replace an assessment (test) grade below 85, students must first make corrections to the assessment, complete a rationale for every missed question, and complete an additional assignment.

14. Standard-base Grades Then the student will retake the test during activity time. It is the student’s responsibility to ask about retaking the test and complete the rationales (corrections) before the appointed due date. Student may only have ONE retake per learning target and the second score will stand to replace the 1st.

15. Research Based Methods/ Programs Socratic Seminars Tribes Integrated Thematic Instruction Standard Based Grading/ Points/ Common Assessments

16. Questions ?