8th Grade Social Studies- American History II
Mr. Cappella: mcappella@pdsd.org 610-497-6300 ext. 3122
Contact Information: I encourage you to call or email me with any questions or concerns. I attempt to respond to emails and phone
calls within a few hours.
Course Description: Your student will experience US History II through a variety of interactive activities, paired with Holt
McDougal’s United States History: Civil War to the Present program. Daily lesson objectives, aligned with the PA Common Core, will
examine the content, principles, people, and generalizations that are major influences during this period. Experiential exercises,
visual discoveries, multimedia, group and individual projects, textbook readings, Collins writing, and the Cornell Note Taking Method
are among the tools we will be using.
Course Topics: This course will cover The Reconstruction Era through World War II.
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September Activities
o Review of Civil War
o Speaking and Listening skill builders
o Multiple Intelligences
o Geography basics
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Atlas use
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US Map
o Reconstruction, 1865-1877
A Growing America, 1850-1914
o Americans Move West
o The Industrial Age
o Immigrants and Urban Life
The Beginning of Modern America, 1867-1920
o The Progressive Spirit of Reform
o America as a World Power
o World War I
Boom Times and Challenges, 1919-1945
o The Roaring Twenties
o The Great Depression
o World War II
Daily Supplies: College ruled Composition Book, Pencil or Pen, Sharpener, Pocket folder
Homework:
Homework can be expected on a regular basis. Students will be given time in class to write down these assignments in their
assignment books. Any student that has technical difficulties may come to see me at 7:30 AM the next morning to complete
assignment at school for full credit. Late homework assignments will not be accepted. Students who are absent will be responsible
for obtaining missed work. When a classroom activity is missed, that cannot be recreated; an alternative assignment may be
reassigned at the teacher’s discretion.
Assessment and Evaluation: All work in this class is counted toward a grade. Tests, quizzes, projects, etc. will be graded on a points
system, with various weights for each. There will also be a lot of group work throughout the year in social studies. Each student will
be evaluated based on his or her individual as well as group participation.
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Formative Assessments: 50% (includes classwork, smaller writing assignments, quizzes)
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Summative Assessments : 40% (includes tests, projects, larger writing assignments)
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Homework: 10% (given some nights, but not every night)
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Northley’s Grading policy dictates the following for assignment of grades: 92-100 (A), 84-91(B), 76-83 (C),70-75(D), Below
70 (Failing). I do not offer extra credit.
Expectations:
 Respect yourself and your classmates
 Follow the rules as described for the school and this class
 Be in your seat and working silently on class started when bell rings
 Bring all necessary materials to class
 Complete all assignments with your best effort and turn them in on time
 Participate positively in all individual and group assignments
Consequences:
Failure to follow the above expectations will result in a student behavior slip being issued. When a student accumulates three of
these for the team, they will be assigned a team detention. At this point, administrative and parental notification is made.
Violations of school rules as outlined in the Student Handbook will be followed as per Penn-Delco School District Policy.
Online Textbook/My Big Campus/Google Documents
Throughout this year students will be required to access the textbook online, complete assignments on My Big Campus,
as well as group/individual assignments on Google Documents. Students will receive usernames and passwords for these
online sources.
Textbook website: https://my.hrw.com
username: to be determined (tbd)
password: tbd
My Big Campus: https://www.mybigcampus.com
username: pdsd login
password: pdsd login
Google Documents: https://www.google.com
username: _____@pdsdstudents.org
password: birthday
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please sign, detach and return below stating that you have read the classroom exceptions for 8th grade social studies.
8TH Grade Social Studies Syllabus 2014-2015
Student Name:___________________________________________________________ S.S. period:________________
Do you have access to the internet on a daily basis: _______YES _______NO
If NO, how often?__________________
Student signature:___________________________________________________________________________________
Parent signature:____________________________________________________________________________________
Best email contact:__________________________________________________________________________________
Best daytime phone number:_________________________________________________________________________