Student’s Name: _________________________ Class Period: ____
Date: _____________________
Kazen Middle School
Ms. Morrow’s 6th Grade Social Studies Syllabus
hmorrow@southsanisd.net
What will we be learning this year?
In Grade 6, students study people, places, and societies of the contemporary world.
Societies for study are from the following regions of the world: Europe, Russia and the
Eurasian republics, North America, Central America and the Caribbean, South America,
Southwest Asia, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast
Asia, Australia, and the Pacific realm.
Students will be able to describe the influence of individuals and groups on historical
and contemporary events in those societies and identify the locations and geographic
characteristics of various societies.
Students will identify different ways of organizing economic and governmental systems.
The concepts of limited and unlimited government are introduced, and students will be
able to describe the nature of citizenship in various societies.
Students compare institutions common to all societies such as government, education,
and religious institutions.
Students will be able to explain how the level of technology affects the development of
the various societies and identify different points of view about events. The concept of
frame of reference is introduced as an influence on an individual's point of view.
All About Grades
In this class, each students’ overall grade for the class will be broken into five categories
and weighted based on significance. (For example, because tests are important and let
you, your parents, and me know what you know or what you don’t know, the grades you
earn will make up a large portion of your final grade in the class.) Any major projects
will fall under “Tests.” Journal entries will fall under “Classwork.”





Tests = 35%
Quizzes = 20%
Classwork = 25%
Homework = 15%
Participation= 5%
Student signature of understanding: ______________________________________
Parent/Guardian signature of understanding: _______________________________
Textbooks
In this class, each student will be given a number with which to identify. A big
responsibility students will have this year is taking care of textbooks. Because students
switch classes in sixth grade, each student is not given their own set of textbooks.
Instead, there is a class set that is shared between all six periods. Each student will be
assigned a textbook that matches that students’ number. If at any time during the year
the students’ assigned textbook gets written in, lost, or damaged in any way, that
student will be responsible for replacing (paying for) the textbook. Even if the student
whose textbook got damaged did not personally do the damaging, he/she is
responsible.
Student signature of understanding: ______________________________________
Parent/Guardian signature of understanding: _______________________________
Absences
It is extremely important for every student to be in class every day. You cannot learn
what you are not taught. If you are present in class every day, you will be given all that
you need to know. If you are absent, you will have make-up work to be completed in as
many days as you were absent. (For one day of absence, you will have one day to
complete the assignment; for three days absence, you will have three days to complete
the assignment, etc.)
Student signature of understanding: ______________________________________
Parent/Guardian signature of understanding: _______________________________
Academic Integrity
Cheating is never acceptable. Not on tests. Not on homework. This includes plagiarism,
which is the copying of information from the internet without proper citation (giving the
person who said/wrote it the credit). Plagiarism is also illegal.
Student signature of understanding: ______________________________________
Parent/Guardian signature of understanding: _______________________________
Cell Phones
Per school policy, cell phones are not ever allowed to be turned on during the school
day. This means that your phone must be turned OFF (not on vibrate or silent) from the
moment the first bell rings (8:00am) until the moment the dismissal bell rings (3:25pm).
No exceptions. Not at lunch, not in the hall during transitions, not in the restroom. If I,
or any other faculty or staff member, see a cell phone, it will be confiscated and sent to
the office, where a parent or guardian must pay $15 to retrieve it. This rule is used
throughout the country.
Student signature of understanding: ______________________________________
Parent/Guardian signature of understanding: _______________________________
Restroom
In middle school, students have eight (8) school periods throughout the day. In between
these periods is a 4-minute transition. This is the time to use the restroom. Sixth grade
classes are all in the same hallway, except for science, gym, and art. There is no
excuse, therefore, for any student to run out of time to use the restroom during these 4minute transitions. Each student will be given a restroom pass every nine (9) weeks. On
this sheet, every student has the opportunity to use the restroom three (3) times in
each class period. Once the three (3) spaces for a particular class period are full, the
student may not use the restroom during that class period until the next nine (9)
weeks, when a new sheet will be handed out. It is of great importance to not lose this
sheet. If the sheet gets lost, stolen, thrown away, etc. it will not be replaced until the next
nine (9) weeks.
Student signature of understanding: ______________________________________
Parent/Guardian signature of understanding: _______________________________
Schedule
This is Kazen Middle School’s daily schedule of classes (highlight the period you have
History):
First Bell:
8:00 AM
Tardy Bell:
8:05 AM
1st Period
8:05 - 9:05
2nd Period
9:09 – 10:01
3rd Period
10:05-10:57
4th Period
11:01-11:53 (Includes Advisory /6th grade Lunch)
5th Period
11:57-12:49 (Includes Advisory / 7th grade Lunch)
6th Period
12:53-1:45
7th Period
1:49-2:41
8th Period
2:45-3:35
(Announcements : 10 minutes)
(Includes Advisory /8th grade Lunch)
(Ms. Morrow’s Conference Period)
Tests
In our social studies class, expect to have a quiz every Wednesday and a test every
Friday or every other Friday. Most of the time, these will not be very long assessments,
ranging from five (5) to twenty (20) questions.
This class is not one that is tested by STAAR.
Student signature of understanding: ______________________________________
Parent/Guardian signature of understanding: _______________________________
Questions?
If you or your parents/guardians have any questions about anything presented in this
syllabus, please ask me. Parents, feel free to email me at the email mentioned above.
Please sign and return (both student and parent/guardian) to Ms. Morrow by
Thursday, August 27th.
Thank you, and I look forward to a great year of learning!
Ms. Morrow
6th Grade World Cultures
Kazen Middle School