Michael Levy
Culver City Middle School Room 234
8th Grade U.S. History Scholars – Period 3
michaellevy@ccusd.org
Dear Students and Parents/GuardiansWith great enthusiasm I’d like to welcome you to an exciting year of 8th Grade
Scholars US History. This course will cover United States History and Geography.
This year’s curriculum will include:
The Age of Exploration, the Enlightenment, the development of American
Democracy, Native Americans, the foundation of the American political system and
citizen participation, the U.S. Constitution, the development of U.S. foreign policy,
social and technological advancement of the 1800s, slavery and abolition, the Civil
War, and the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution.
As you can see this is a rather ambitious set of curriculum standards but with hard
work and dedication I’m confident that each student can excel and reach their learning
potential.
Rules and Procedures:
In an effort to establish a safe and comfortable learning environment for all students I
have established a set of rules and guidelines to ensure a positive classroom climate.
The rules of the classroom are very simple yet extremely important to follow carefully:
1) Be respectful to the teacher, fellow students and visitors - please refrain from
non-constructive criticism, teasing, belittling and insulting offensive
comments or gestures
2) Be respectful of other people’s personal space and property
3) Listen to the teacher quietly and attentively
4) Participate actively in class by raising hands to ask/respond to questions or
contribute to class discussions
5) Take responsibility for actions and performance
Rules Enforcement:
Violation of these rules will result in one verbal warning. Continued violation of the
rules will result in the student’s name on the board which means that they will meet with
me after class to discuss the situation. Continued violation of class rules will result in
parent notification, loss of class privileges, before-school detention @ 7:30, and possible
administrative notification and action.
Class Expectations:
In order for class to move at a steady pace students will be expected to arrive to
class on time and complete all assignments on time. Students will be responsible for
contacting me if there is a problem completing the assignment on time. Students should
use the time-tracker calendar provided by the PTA to write down all assignments, tests
and projects. Written homework and reading assignments (including note-taking)
can be expected regularly (2-3 times per week), please complete work in a quiet,
comfortable place free of distractions. In addition, there will be periodic group work,
essay/research paper writing, and test preparation that will constitute homework in some
cases. All work must be turned in on time for full credit. Each day an assignment is
late will reduce the grade by 10%. All students are required to make-up work missed by
excused absence in the amount of time they were absent. For example, if a student is out
sick for 2 days, they have 2 days to complete all missed work for full credit. Tests
missed by an unexcused absence will result in zero credit and parent notification. Daily
homework assignments will not be accepted late except for the case of an excused
absence. Late work will be accepted for term papers, and projects.
All students are expected to arrive for class prepared with the proper supplies.
Students should have a spiral notebook and/or a loose-leaf notebook with a section
dedicated to US History with plenty of available paper for in-class assignments and a
black or blue pen, no pencils, no colored pens. Work turned in that is written in pencil
or colored ink other than blue or black will not be accepted. Students must bring their
time-tracker to class with them daily. All other supplies will be provided. There is a
class set of textbooks so that students will not have to carry their textbook to class each
day. Since this is a scholar’s class, all students must maintain a minimum of a B average.
Assessment:
Students will have an opportunity to show their learning progress in numerous
different types of assessment. In addition to the traditional testing methods, students will
be required to express their learning and ability to apply knowledge in the form of
creative projects, presentations, and writing assignments. These special projects will
include aspects of art, music, literature, public speaking, and multi-media/technology.
Grades will be based on an overall assessment of:
1) Attendance, positive classroom participation
2) Homework and in-class assignments
3) Chapter and unit test results
4) Creative projects, presentations, and writing assignments
Grade Scale:
A = 89% to 100%
B = 79% to 88%
C = 69% to 78%
D = 59% to 68%
F = 58% and below
Please feel free to contact me at any time throughout the school year with
questions or concerns. Please keep this letter as a reference if any questions arise or if
you need to contact me. Please sign and return the bottom of this paper.
Thank You,
Michael Levy
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Student’s Name________________
Student’s Signature___________________
Parent’s Name_________________
Parent’s Signature____________________