MR. STROEBEL

Your first assignment is to send me an e-mail message to my home account so that I can get you into my address book.

Web Page: My web address is: http://www.angelfire.com/home/sycamorehistory. I highly recommend that you bookmark this. You may also access it through the “Class by Class Pages” section of the Sycamore School site: www.sycamoreschool.org. My web site will contain homework assignments, readings, study guides, links, and other additional information. If you are absent, check the web site for assignments (it is not a bad idea to confirm assignments with a classmate in case there are last minute changes).

E-Mail: My home e-mail is jstroebel@voyager.net. My school e-mail is stroebel@sycamoreschool.org. Keep in mind that I cannot access my home e-mail at school or my school e-mail at home. If you use the link on my web site it will automatically send your message to both places. AOL users, make sure that you do not block my address.

Phone: My voicemail is 479-3357 *166. My home number is 574-0012. Please do not call me at home after 9 pm. and unless you cannot solve the problem in any other way.

Appointments: It is very hard to provide individualized help during the course of a class period. You are welcome to schedule an out of class appointment with me at any time. At busy times of the year, I will post an appointment schedule by the telephone.

Bring to Class Every Day:

· Your spiral history notebook

· Your binder with your reading material (you will be charged ten cents per page for lost or damaged material)

· A means of recording your assignments

· A pen

· Some regular notebook paper

Reading Assignments:

Most of your homework will be in the form of nightly reading assignments. Assignments will be both posted on my web page and written on the front board. You should expect to have a reading assignment 4-5 times per week. These should take you between 15-30 minutes to complete. There will usually be a quiz the next day over the assignment. In most cases you will be furnished with guide questions for each assignment. You are not required to turn in these questions; however, if you can answer these questions and define the key terms in bold, you should have no problem with the quizzes. I strongly encourage you to employ a three-step process for the reading assignments:

1. Read the questions. This will tell you what to look for as you read the assignment.

2. Read the assignment carefully.

3. Go back and make sure that you can answer the questions. Take notes on any material that will be difficult to remember.

With longer assignments you can break them up by section, but it is very important that you read an entire section before you try to answer the questions. Many questions will not be able to be answered “word for word” from the reading.

It is wise to take a few notes from the reading. There are times that you will be allowed to use your notes on the quizzes. It is as important to take notes on what you do not understand as it is to take them on material that you want to remember.

Reading Quizzes:

Reading quizzes will usually consist of 5-10 questions. You will be allowed to use your notes on some of the reading quizzes, but you will not know which ones in advance. Unless you are frequently absent, I will not require you to make up reading quizzes that you miss due to absence; however, if you miss a reading quiz due to being tardy, you will receive an “F” on the quiz. It is generally expected that you will have your reading assignment completed regardless of whether you were in school the previous day. I will drop your lowest reading quiz grade of the quarter.

Unit Tests:

Unit tests will cover material that we have previously discussed in class, and you will not be allowed to use your notes. Tests will contain true-false, matching, multiple choice, short answer questions and essays. You will receive a Review Guide (gold sheet) at the beginning of each unit. This will be your best source of study for these tests. Missed unit tests will need to be made up outside of class time within two school days. If you receive a grade of C+ or lower on an essay, you have the opportunity to rewrite the essay to improve your grade. You must schedule an appointment with me to discuss your essay prior to the rewrite. Your grade can be improved up to a maximum of “B-.”

Writings:

Writings will be assigned periodically. These may consist of major essays or research projects. Many seventh grade writings will be done in class. All major writings done outside of class must be typed, follow class formatting instructions, and turned in on the due date even if you are not in school on that day. Absent students may e-mail their writing before 9 a.m. and turn in a printed copy when they return to school.

Writing Guidelines:

1. Write in third person past tense.

2. Try to write from the general to the specific. State your main point and then include evidence to support it.

3. Do not start sentences with but, and, however, so, etc.

4. The first time that you refer to a person, use their first and last name. Subsequent references can be by last name only. Lengthy terms that will be used repeatedly can be abbreviated. Include the abbreviation in parenthesis after its first use.

5. Typed papers should be double-spaced, use 12-point conventional fonts (such as Arial or Times New Roman), and have 1-inch margins.

6. Documentation of sources (if required) should be done in MLA style. Students are responsible for seeking guidance if they do not understand any aspect of the MLA format.

Step-by-Step Procedure for Writing Test Essays:

Step One: Make sure that you understand what the question is asking. What is the scope of the question? How much background is required?

Step Two: Determine the main topics that will need to be covered in the answer. Make sure that each topic relates directly to the question.

Step Three: Determine the overall focus of your essay. What is the point that you are trying to get across? This becomes your thesis statement. Your thesis statement should always be in your introduction.

Step Four: Write your topic sentence for each paragraph. The topic sentence should clearly relate to the thesis and should allow you to develop additional evidence to elaborate on the topic sentence.

Step Five: Develop each paragraph. An historical essay should do this through additional evidence. Evidence may include examples, statistics, or quotations. Write from the general to the specific. Begin with your main point and then use the paragraph to develop the idea. Constantly ask yourself: “How does this relate to my thesis?”

Step Six: Prepare a conclusion. A good conclusion should further support the thesis. It should never introduce new topics or evidence. As the last word in your essay, it should reinforce the reader’s understanding of your arguments.

As you progress through each step, you often need to go back and revise previous steps. In developing evidence, you may find that your thesis needs to be rewritten to fit your evidence. If you alter your thesis, then your topic sentences may need to be revised.

In preparing for an essay, you should do an outline that:

States your thesis

Includes your topic sentences

Outlines your development of each main point.

Grading System:

Almost all grades will carry a total of 100 points; however, they will have different weights. A major writing might be weighted “5”, unit tests “4”, and reading quizzes “1”. Please feel free to ask about the weighting of any assignment. The grading scale will vary based on the difficulty of the assignment and will not necessarily be a percentage of the questions answered correctly. Some small homework assignments may be based on less than 100 points. A progress report will be issued at midterm to any student who does not have a grade of B- or better. You will receive a computer printout of all of your grades at midterm and at the end of the grading period. A printout will also accompany your report card. I will generally update you as to your grade average after unit tests and other major grades.

Final quarterly grades will be based on the following scale: A+ = 98-100, A = 93-97, A- = 90-92, B+ = 88-89, B = 83-87, B- = 80-82, C+ = 78-79, C = 73-77, C- = 70-72, D+ = 68-69, D = 63-67, D- = 60-62. As per school policy, grades will not be rounded.

Notebooks:

Every student is required to have a spiral notebook reserved exclusively for social studies. This must be brought with you to class every day along with your binder. Seventh grade students will receive a quarterly grade on their notebooks (based only on neatness and class notes). Students who earn an “A” in the class will receive an automatic 100 points for their notebook during the last three grading periods.

Doing Well In This Class:

Based on the surveys that students completed at the end of previous years, you will do very well in this class if you do what is asked of you and avoid trying to seek out shortcuts. Paying attention in class, briefly reviewing your notes outside of class, and always doing the reading seem to be the most common factors that past students cited as being important.

Test preparation is vital. I am usually available for extra afterschool review prior to major tests. Many students have had success by forming small study groups. The best test preparation is keeping up to date on a daily basis.

Do not be afraid to ask for help. If after a couple weeks you feel that you are struggling please set up a time to discuss it with me. I am willing to meet with students before and after school by appointment at almost any time if you need help.