Middle School Faculty - Chris McGrath

Course Description and Classroom Rules

Welcome!  Rather than jumping right into things, let’s take a minute or two to peer into the depths…

Our goals are actually pretty simple.  They are:

1)      To learn more about the history of our country and the people who, over the centuries, have come to live here. 

2)      To respect the power, importance, and beauty of language and to seek mastery over its use.

3)      To conduct ourselves at all times in a respectful, positive manner while accomplishing the above.

 Our classroom rules are primarily a matter of common sense.  Each person in the class has the potential to help or hinder the overall experience of the entire group; we must think beyond ourselves when choosing our actions, words, and attitude.  While I know that everyone in here (including me) will have "off days," my expectations for this class are very high, and I look forward to seeing each of you strive towards our common goals.  When you are not meeting expectations for this class, you will find out quickly.

 Language Arts:  In 7^th grade Language Arts, we will use a variety of texts to connect through writing and discussion to themes and ideas from our social studies curriculum. 

The books we will read this year include:

-Touching Spirit Bear

-a Revolutionary War novel

-a Civil War novel

-To Kill a Mockingbird

In addition to the above, we will also read a variety of poems, short stories, non-fiction texts, and periodicals.  The most important thing you can do to succeed in language arts is to READ WHAT IS ASSIGNED!!  I check for reading on a near-daily basis in order to ensure that my students are prepared for class.  A by-product of all this will be an increased interest in language and the world around us…

 As for grammar…we have much to cover.  I’ll give you more on that soon.

 Social Studies:  7^th grade Social Studies will focus primarily on American history—from the very first migrations to this continent right up to the modern era.  Although we will be using a wide variety of texts and sources, we will approach this vast span of time in chronological order (please raise your hand now and ask what chronological means).  Below is a brief description of what we will be studying during each trimester this year. 

Remember that we are covering a huge amount of material in a very short time.  One could easily spend an entire academic career studying just a single item on this list!

 Unit I, Trimester 1 (8/28 - 11/9): circa 40,000 B.C. to 1776

• Early migrations to North and South America
• Major Native American cultures and civilizations
• European explorers and their reasons for exploring
• Effects of contact between Europeans and Native Americans
• Struggle for dominance among European nations colonizing North America
• Founding and development of English colonies in America (including regional differences, colonial economy, slavery, and population growth)
• Daily life in the colonies
• Conflict between American colonies and England, leading to Declaration of Independence

 Unit II, Trimester 2 (11/13 – 2/22): 1776 to 1865

• Major battles and effects of the Revolutionary War
• Articles of Confederation and the clash between states’ rights and federal powers
• The Constitution and the Bill of Rights
• Population growth and westward expansion (including Indian relocation)
• Slaves, Slaveholders, abolitionists, and suffragists
• Major battles and historical figures of the Civil War

 Unit III, Trimester 3 (2/27 – 6/4): 1865 to present

• Reconstruction
• Industrialization and urbanization of American society
• 20^th century Technological advances and their effects on society
• WWI: causes, important figures and battles, lasting effects
• The Great Depression
• WWII: causes, important figures and battles, lasting effects
• Postwar cultural and technological change (including the Civil Rights movement, space exploration, and the Cold War)
• Modern technology and the environment

Tests, projects, etc.: I give a variety of assessments in my class.  I put a high value, however, on the writing you do and the thinking that it demonstrates.  Flashy projects and PowerPoint presentations are great, but without good ideas, what’s the point?  Each project I assign is accompanied by an assignment sheet which explains the work to be done and the way the project will be graded.  Following these rubrics will be the key to earning the grades YOU want on our class projects and assignments.