Ms. Spaulding
Social Studies
and
Science
Who is Ms. Spaulding?
In 2011 I graduated from Lewis University with a
Bachelors degree in education. This is my fourth year
teaching here at Robert E. Abbott Middle School. My
first two years at Abbott I taught 7th grade Social
Studies and Science. This year as well as last year as I
am teaching 6th grade Science and Social Studies and
am loving it! When I am not in the classroom teaching,
I love coaching the cheerleading squad and working
with the PBIS organization. In my free time I enjoy
watching movies, hanging out with my family and
friends, playing with my dogs, and taking pictures. I
love to play board and card games, anything to do with
Disney, the Bears, the Blackhawks, and the Cubs.
Ms. Spaulding’s Website:
hspaulding.weebly.com
Contact Me:
email: hspaulding@wps60.org
phone number: 1-224-303-2399
Helpful Links
Social Studies:
• www.history.com
• www.mrdowling.com
• www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook
• www.mrdonn.org
• historyforkids.org
Science:
• education.jlab.org/indexpages/index.html
• www.sciencedaily.com
• sciencespot.net
General Information:
• wps60.org
• abbott.wps60.org
• icsis.wps60.org/campus/portal/waukegan.jsp
In the students handbook that you received it outlined what the
technology policy is for the district. Please make sure you review that
information so you are in compliance with the district rules.
Cell Phones
Cell phones are to be turned off and left in your lockers during the day.
There may be some days where you will be allowed to used your cell
phone in class and I will let you know ahead of time if that is the case.
Flipped Classroom
Some of the lessons that I will teach throughout the year will be what is
called a flipped lesson. This means I will take a video of me teaching a lesson
like I would in the classroom and you will have to then watch the video at
home. I will post the link to the video on my weebly page (which is listed in
the information flipbook). By having you watch the video of me teaching the
lesson at home, we are able to dive deeper into the material at school where I
am able to help guide your learning. Please make sure you watch these videos
at home because what we do in class the following date is dependent on the
information you will learn in the video. I will assign the video at least three
days in advance to allow you to go to the library or a friend’s house if needed.
I am also here in the morning if you cannot access the video at home.
Prior to the start of each unit the you will take a pre-test to help guide the lessons I will be
teaching. The tests are going to be fill in the blank, short answer, matching, and essay. You will be
complete a test at the end of each unit as well as a final exam at the end of each quarter. You will
be informed of the test at least a week in advance so you have an ample amount of time to study. You
will also take quizzes at multiple times throughout a unit. The quizzes are designed to help hold you
accountable for the daily work you are to complete. This is also a great tool for me to gauge where
the your ability level is at. You need to make sure to be prepared as there may be pop quizzes
throughout the year.
Projects
Social Studies: You will be assigned at least one
project per quarter. The project counts for 20% of
your grade so it is very important the your make sure to
complete it on time. With the new Common Core
curriculum we will be focusing on a lot of writing and
reading in Social Studies class. Many of your projects
will reflect that and you will be required to write
different styles of papers for your projects. You will
be given a project outline as well as the grading rubric
ahead of time to help guide you through your project.
Science: You will be assigned at least
one project per quarter. The project
counts for 20% of your grade so it is
very important the your make sure to
complete it on time. Your projects each
quarter will allow you to apply the
concepts learned in real life
applications. You will be given a project
outline as well as the grading rubric
ahead of time to help guide you through
your project.
You will be assigned homework many nights of the week but
not necessarily every night. It is your responsibility to
copy down your homework assignment off the board into
your agenda each day. It is important for you to complete
your homework each night because it reinforces the
concepts taught in class each day and will help you to
understand the new concept for the following day.
You
you



are a member of this classroom community and as a member
will have the following responsibilities:
Be Positive
Be Prepared
Be Productive
It is important to remain in the class so that you do not miss the material presented or
covered. However, there are times when it is necessary to leave the room. Each student
should have purchased an agenda from their math teacher which has a hall pass page in
the back. In order for you to be able to leave the classroom to use the washroom, go to
your locker, see the nurse, ect. you must have their agenda filled out.
Smaller assignments, such as nightly homework or daily class work assignments,
may be graded using a “top it up” system. Larger assignments such as projects,
papers, presentations, texts and quizzes will be graded using the school-wide
grading policy outlined below. For large projects, presentations and writing
assignments (papers, take home essays or essays on tests) a rubric (i.e. a grading scale
with a breakdown of points) will be provided.
A = 100 – 90 B = 89 – 80
25% Class Participation
C = 79 – 70
D = 69 – 60
25% Tests and Quizzes
20% Projects
F = 59 and below
25% Final Exams
5% Homework
I follow the school regulations regarding makeup work. If you are absent
you are given the number of day to make up the missed work equal to the number of days you were
absent. If you are absent the day of a test or quiz, be prepared to take the test or quiz the first
day you return. When you return to school from your absence please refer to the absent bin and look
for the date you were absent to find your missing work.
Course Description
Social Studies: In this class you will study aspects
of world history from pre-history to the
Enlightenment. You will recognize time and place,
that history and culture influence a society, current
world events and connect those events to topics of
study. To help you better understand these
civilizations, you will read articles, create projects,
write papers, and experience hands on learning.
Science: In this class you will have opportunities to
investigate scientific phenomena relevant to your
life. Using the FOSS Science program, you will
investigate questions, develop hypotheses, collect
data, and conduct experiments. Through
experimentation you will strengthen your scientific
reasoning skills through lab investigations, inquirybased labs, whole group discussions, reflective
responses, interactive lab demos, differentiated
instruction, modeling, and authentic applications.
Science:
• Inside Earth, Chemical
Social Studies:
1st
Quarter
• Geography
• Prehistory/Stone Age
• Mesopotamia
Social Studies:
Interactions, and Environmental
• Journey Across Time
Science
• We will be using other articles • We will be using other articles
and materials in class to help
and materials in class to help
further your understanding of
further your understanding of
the topic we are studying.
the topic we are studying.
2nd Quarter
•
•
•
•
Mesopotamia
Ancient Egypt
World Religions
Ancient Greece
Science:
1st Quarter
• Variables
3rd Quarter
• Ancient Greece
• Ancient Rome
• Middle/Dark Ages
2nd
Quarter
• Landforms/Inside
Earth
4th Quarter
• Middle/Dark Ages
• Renaissance
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
• Mixtures and
• Environmental
Solutions/Chemical Science
Interactions
You are required to have each of the following materials everyday:
 Binder with appropriate sections (General Information, Warm-Up/Wrap-Up, Notes, Writings, and
Other)
 Pencil and highlighter
 Notebook paper
 All handouts and notes collected through the year (I will let you know at the end of each marking
period what can be discarded and what papers should be kept for reference)
I will be available after school on Thursday until 3:30 for you to receive extra help. I understand
that you may have other activities going on throughout the year and I am willing to privately, before
or after class, talk with you to find another time that works best for you.