Ms. SpauldingSocial Studies

and Science

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.

Who is Ms. Spaulding?

hspaulding.weebly.com

email: hspaulding@wps60.orgphone number: 1-224-303-2399

Helpful Links

General Information:• wps60.org

• abbott.wps60.org• icsis.wps60.org/campus/portal/waukegan.jsp

Science:• education.jlab.org/indexpages/

index.html• www.sciencedaily.com

• sciencespot.net

Contact Me:

Ms. Spaulding’s Website:

Social Studies:• www.history.com• www.mrdowling.com• www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-

factbook• www.mrdonn.org• historyforkids.org

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

Flipped Classroom

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.

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.

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.

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.

ProjectsScience: 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 are a member of this classroom community and as a memberyou 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.

A = 100 – 90 B = 89 – 80C = 79 – 70D = 69 – 60F = 59 and below

25% Class Participation 25% Tests and Quizzes 25% Final Exams

20% Projects 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.

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.

Social Studies:• Journey Across Time• We will be using other articles

and materials in class to help further your understanding of the topic we are studying.

1st Quarter

• Geography• Prehistory/Stone

Age• Mesopotamia

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.

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.

2nd Quarter

• Mesopotamia• Ancient Egypt• World

Religions• Ancient

Greece

3rd Quarter

• Ancient Greece• Ancient Rome• Middle/Dark

Ages

4th Quarter

• Middle/Dark Ages• Renaissance

1st Quarter

• Variables

Social Studies:

Science:2nd Quarter

• Landforms/Inside Earth

3rd Quarter

• Mixtures and Solutions/Chemical Interactions

4th Quarter• Environment

al Science

Science:• Inside Earth, Chemical

Interactions, and Environmental Science

• We will be using other articles and materials in class to help further your understanding of the topic we are studying.

Course DescriptionScience: 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, inquiry-based labs, whole group discussions, reflective responses, interactive lab demos, differentiated instruction, modeling, and authentic applications.