SOCIAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT

STANDARDS AND EXPECTATIONS

The Social Studies Department has high expectations of students in all courses. The expectations are matched to the age, abilities, and goals of our students, and so they do differ from general to honors to Advanced Placement, as well as from grade 9 to grade 12.

Content and Materials. All our students in all our courses have textbooks, all students are expected to read them with understanding. As students advance to higher grades and/or higher level courses, we expect students to handle both more reading and more difficult reading. All students are expected to think critically about the material presented in the course. As students advance to higher grades and/or higher level courses, we expect students to spend proportionally less time mastering content and more time and effort thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Teachers will provide students with the appropriate materials and activities to afford them these opportunities.

Instruction and Assessment. All our teachers are committed to the use of multiple approaches of instruction and assessment. As students advance to higher grades and/or higher level courses, they will be expected to be more self-directed, self-motivated and independent learners. Students in honors and AP courses should expect more college-style instruction, including

-lecture/discussion

-responsibility for assigned material not reviewed in class

-long term independent research projects

-greater emphasis on tests, quizzes and papers in the course grade and less emphasis on daily work, homework and participation

Homework and Projects. Every student in every social studies course should expect to do nightly homework. As students advance to higher grades and/or higher level courses, students should expect proportionally more homework as well as more challenging homework. In earlier grades and in general courses, expect teachers to check homework more often and to count it as a greater part of the overall grade. All social studies courses require a number of projects including at least one research project. Research papers are required in all but one course and require in-text citations, a works cited (bibliography) page and use of the MLA format. Short research papers are 3-5 pages, medium papers are 5-7 pages and long papers are 8-12+ pages. The following are minimum standards:

In general courses:

-students will be expected to complete at least 2 major projects -grade 9 will be expected to complete at least one written research project

-grades 10, 11, 12, will be expected to complete one short research paper

-Thirty percent or more of the grade for formal written work will be based on mechanics and grammar.

In honors courses:

-students will be expected to complete at least 3 major projects

-grade 9 will be expected to complete a short research paper

-grade 10 will be expected to complete a medium research paper

-grades 11-12 will be expected to complete a long research paper

-Fifty percent of the grade for formal written work will be based on mechanics and grammar.

In AP courses:

-students will be expected to complete numerous research papers, including at least one long paper.

-teachers may choose to require the use of an alternative style for one paper

-One hundred percent of the grade earned for formal written work will be based on content and expression. After the content and expression is evaluated, a separate evaluation of the grammar and mechanics will be done. One point will be deducted from the total grade for each grammatical or mechanical error. (Underlined portion is revised from policy dated 9/99.)

rev.12/99