Class Description for 8th Grade Humanities

Welcome to the 2015-2016 school year at HS2

Ms. Denny

Email Address:
katelyn_denny@
beaverton.k12.or.us

WEBSITE:
Under construction!

District Goal for 201015:

All students will show
continuous progress
toward their personal
learning goals, developed
in collaboration with
teachers and parents, and
will be prepared for postsecondary education and
career success.

Hello! This year in Humanities, we will be studying U.S. History from the 1600s
through the Civil War, as well as exploring diverse literature and strengthening
writing skills. I hope you will find this class syllabus helpful in understanding what
we will be learning this year and how your child's achievements will be determined
and reported. We have also included behavioral expectations as follows:
be on time to class.
come to class prepared with the proper materials.
try the work every day and be on task.
be open and willing to take risks and listen to others.
Show respect to your teacher, classmates, and yourself
Humanities class every day:
Students will maintain a Humanities section of a 3-ring binder. Language Arts and
Social Studies is all about building on knowledge progressively, and students will
be expected to try hard in class every day and complete all assignments and
projects on time. I do not assign homework often; when there is homework, it will
be to complete a project, to finish work that was not completed during class time,
or a reading assignment that will be essential to an upcoming lesson. The
Humanities curriculum will place strong emphasis on individual, partner, and group
work in developing skills in the following areas:
writing conventions and grammar.
the Cornell method of note taking.
online and book-based research.
reading comprehension skills.
forming opinions based on research and reading
communicating with others through writing and discussions
Late or Missing Work:
Students are responsible for completing all in-class readings and assignments. If
for some reason a student misses an assignment, it is their responsibility to
complete the work in a timely manner (1 week is acceptable). In this manner, each
student will still be prepared for upcoming assessments. We have time built into
our month schedule for students to get caught up if they are behind.
Part of the proficiency-based model of grading is that students have multiple
opportunities to show their progress on each learning target. Instead of allowing
retakes and corrections to work (which does not increase learning), students will
show their progress and learning during the next assignment. There will be a
minimum of two opportunities given for each learning target.

Academic Learning Targets for 8th Grade Humanities

Learning Targets have been developed for every subject and class. Targets are intended
to clearly identify and align the expected learning. These targets are consistent across all
Beaverton schools. In 8th grade Humanities the learning targets are:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)

Ms. Denny

Email Address:
katelyn_denny@
beaverton.k12.or.us

WEBSITE:
Thekillercomma.blogspo
t.com

7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)

Icanuseconventionsandlanguagecorrectly.
Icandemonstratecomprehensionofkeyideasanddetailsofliteraryandinformationaltexts.
Icananalyzeandevaluateanauthorscraftandstructure.
Icananalyzeknowledgeandideasfrommultiplesources.
Icanconducteffectiveresearch.
IcanidentifyanddescribesignificanteventsandperspectivesinUShistoryfrom1765to
Reconstruction.
Icanidentifyandexplainthefoundations,structures,andfunctionsofUSgovernment.
Icanapplymyknowledgetoanalyzeinformationanddeveloparelevantconclusionwith
appropriateevidence.
Icanengageeffectivelyincollaborativediscussionsonavarietyoftopicsandissues.
Icaneffectivelypresentinformation.
Icanwriteargumentstosupportclaims.
Icanwriteinformative/explanatorytexts.
Icanwritenarrativetexts.

Proficiency and Grades:

The Beaverton School District has adopted a proficiency based grading system. This
means that all students are assessed on each assessment and across each individual
learning target based on a scale of 1 to 4 as follows:
Proficiency Scale:
Highly Proficient
HP (4)
Could teach it!
Evidence of
understanding beyond
the learning target.
Work is thoughtfully
explained and
completed. Work is of
very high quality.

District Goal for 201015:

All students will show
continuous progress
toward their personal
learning goals, developed
in collaboration with
teachers and parents, and
will be prepared for postsecondary education and
career success.

Proficient
P (3)

Nearly Proficient
NP (2)

Working Toward
WT (1)

Got it!

Almost got it.

Working on it.

Evidence of a thorough
understanding of
concepts.
Work is consistently
accurate.

Some evidence of
understanding the
concepts.
Minor errors made
regularly.

Some evidence of
understanding the
concepts.
Major errors made
regularly.

Each assessment (classroom assignments, quizzes, tests, projects, etc.) will receive a
proficiency score. These scores are then compiled and an average proficiency score is
given for the learning target. The individual target scores are then averaged together to
give a composite proficiency score for the overall class and a corresponding letter grade
for the grading period.
If a student is missing an assignment they will receive an N and will receive an I or
incomplete for their letter grade. Students will have four weeks after the term ends to
make up the incomplete before it turns into an F.
Letter Grade

Average Scale
3.40 4.00
2.70 3.39
2.00 2.69
less than 1.99

Note: HS2 does not assign a letter grade of D and final grades may be adjusted at the
teachers discretion based on student performance.