2012
Ms. Peterson’s U.S. History Class Newsletter
U.S. History Class Newsletter
September Issue
Ms. Peterson
Welcome to a new school year!
IN THIS ISSUE
This newsletter is for Ms. Peterson’s U.S. History class and will be
sent home once a month. Each newsletter will include a
classroom calendar and updates on what is going on in this class.
I am looking forward to working with your student, so please
feel free to come to me if you have any questions or concerns
about this class. There is a section on how to reach me at the end
of this newsletter.
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Welcome Back!
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Welcome
1
Class Rules
1
Class Info
2
Calendar
2
This Month in
History
2
Writing Process
3
Homework Help
4
How to Reach the
Teacher
4
Ms. Peterson’s Classroom
I enjoy teaching History
and look forward to
helping the students
learn. During this school
year, students will learn a
lot of information about
the history of the United
States. Students will also
be writing fairly often in
this class. They will learn
how to write about
historical events and
documents. This can be
scary or overwhelming
for some students, but I
am here to help! I will
walk students through
the process in class and
help them along the way.
PAGE
Classroom rules:
Students will show
respect for each other,
themselves, and
classroom materials at all
times. Students will be in
class and ready to start
when the bell rings. Cell
phones will be off and
away during class.
September
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2012
Ms. Peterson’s U.S. History Class Newsletter
Ms. Peterson’s Classroom
Homework: Students
will have homework
every night. Most nights
there will be reading, but
there will also be times
when they have to write,
study, or research.
Grades: Grades are
posted on Edline each
quarter. Grades are
made up of quizzes, tests,
homework, assignments,
projects, and
participation. I am
Calendar: September 2012
Sun
2
9
16
23
30
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
always happy to discuss
grades if there are
concerns, and I will
update parents if I see
any reason for concern
regarding their student
before reporting grades
through Edline.
This month in U.S.
History:
The first Continental Congress
met in Carpenter's Hall in
Philadelphia, from September 5,
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to October 26, 1774. All of the
Quiz
colonies except Georgia sent
people as representatives. These
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Draft
Unit
colonies were determined to
Test
explain their complaints to Great
Britain, but they had different
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Writing
ideas of how to do this. They
due
were divided between those who
wanted to remain an English
colony and those who wanted to
separate from England entirely. The Virginia delegates were George Washington, Richard
Henry Lee, Patrick Henry, Edmund Pendleton, Benjamin Harrison, Richard Bland, and
Peyton Randolph. Randolph was elected president
of the convention. The first continental congress
eventually decided to tell the King of England and
Parliament that if the unfair taxes were not
cancelled, the colonies would stop importing English
goods. The continental congress would meet again,
eventually deciding that declaring independence
from England would be necessary.
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First
Day!
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8
September
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2012
Ms. Peterson’s U.S. History Class Newsletter
The Process Approach to Writing
From Writing Across the Curriculum to Increase Student Learning in Middle and High School
by Shellard and Protheroe
Writing is a process.
Students will practice
this process in history
class this year.
Pre-writing: The process
begins with pre-writing.
This means that students
will think about what
they want to write and
how to write before they
begin actually writing.
Research shows that this
type of pre-writing
improves the quality of
student writing.
Draft: The next step is to
write a draft. Students
will organize their facts
and thoughts, and then
write (or type) it all out.
After this, students will
do a peer review. This
means that they will each
read another student’s
paper, and then they will
help each other to revise
their papers.
Revision: Every student
will need to revise their
papers before turning in
a final product. Even
professional historians
need to revise their work.
No one gets it perfect on
the first draft, so this step
is one of the most
important.
Feedback: Finally,
students will receive
written feedback from
the teacher. Research
shows that good
feedback can increase
student learning
significantly. Students
will be able to improve
their writing on the next
assignment because they
will know what they need
to work on and what they
are doing right. Also,
students will know the
reason for the grade they
earn on the paper.
I follow this approach to
writing because it is
backed by research and
evidence.
Website for Additional U.S. History Information
If students want to learn more than we are able to cover in class, www.hippocampus.org is
a great site. Students could also use this site to find topics for long-term writing
assignments. Hippocampus.org has text, video, and is an interactive way to learn more
about U.S. history.
September
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2012
Ms. Peterson’s U.S. History Class Newsletter
Homework Support
Students can always come to me for help. I am available after school
most days. Students and parents can always check Edline for homework
and project assignments as well.
Another source for homework support is the website
www.cramster.com. This website requires a student or parent to sign up,
but it is free. Parents and students can ask educators for help on
homework and even writing assignments. Users are required to agree to
an honor code, so cheating is prevented. As with any other site, parents
should supervise their students while using cramster.com.
How to Reach the Teacher
Parents can be reach me best through my school email lpeterson@fakevacounty.us. I can
also be reached through my cell phone which is 757-555-4321. I will always try to get back
to parents in a timely manner, in a day or two. Students can always drop by after school as
well. I look forward to working with all of you students and parents.
Let’s have a good school year!
September
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