Welcome
to MMS! I am glad we have class
together!
Teacher: Niki Pokladnik Connor Course:
6th Grade GT Social
Studies
Phone: 713-251-3993 Conference Period: 12:28 -1:15
Email: Jennifer.Connor@springbranchisd.com (email nota bene: [.com] not [.org], [Jennifer]
not [Niki] )
6th Grade Gifted and Talented Social Studies is a differentiated
program focused on the study of world cultures and how the physical world
impacts culture and history. The curriculum is advanced and accelerated with an
emphasis on higher level thinking skills.
Pre-AP skills are included in the GT SS program.
Students who like to read and write, who have an interest in the world
around them, and who exhibit task commitment are successful in this class.
Respectful, self-disciplined behavior of each student is necessary for
achievement of his or her personal best – and expected as a member of a
learning community.
Our travels around the world will follow this path: general geography
skills and cultural concepts, The U.S. & Canada, Latin America, Europe,
North Africa & The Middle East/Southwest Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, South
Asia & East Asia, Australia & Oceana. If you or a family member have special ties
to and/or information about one of these cultural regions, and you would like
to share with our classes, please contact me so we can set something up!
You will need the following materials
and supplies EVERY DAY for this class:
- a section in your
binder or a folder to store work that is in progress
- lined paper (DO NOT take paper out of your ISN – you will
run out of pages.)
- agenda/planner
- ISN (It will have
a place to live in the room, but you may take it home overnight as you wish.)
-
pencils, black ink pens (No fancy
colors for class work – your words should sparkle, not your ink! However, you
may grade and take notes in any ink that makes you happy!)
-
scissors -
map pencils - tape
Your Social Studies Textbook should live at
home. There is a class set in my
room for use in-class.
Tutorials: During Activity and by appointment.
Please schedule with me in advance.
Make-up
Work: Quizzes and tests may be made-up during
Activity and by appointment. Please
schedule non-Activity make-ups with me at least 24 hours in advance. If you are absent, check with me before
or after class or during Activity for make-up work. If you were absent on the day the assignment
was handed out, you have as many days as you were out (excused) to make up the
work. If you were present on the day the
assignment was handed out, but absent on the due date, it is due the day you
return to school.
Exams:
Wednesday and Friday are testing days for Social Studies. Semester exams are in December and May during
exam schedules. The final exam
will count as 14% of the semester grade; the remaining 86% is made up of the
two nine week grades.
Late Work: Work that counts
as a test grade or a daily grade will be accepted one day late for a
maximum of 80 and two days late for a maximum of a 60. After that, it is
a zero. Homework is time-sensitive and
never taken late. I drop the lowest
daily grade each 9 weeks, so there is some grace built in here. J
Extra Credit: Extra credit will always be an extension of
the current unit and come DURING the unit. If you believe you may need extra
credit, please do it when it is offered.
Late extra credit will not be accepted.
9 Week Grades:
50% Tests, Projects (Major
Grades)
30% Quizzes, Mini-Projects
20% Daily Work/Homework**
**The single lowest daily grade
will be dropped each
nine-week grading period.
Class Reading: We are going to read many, many
interesting and relevant texts this year.
We will be reading two books in their entirety: A Long
Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park and Three
Wishes by Deborah Ellis. Class sets are available for students to read in class, but they may not be taken home. If you think you will need to do some reading
at home, you may want to purchase or borrow a copy. You will also read
some texts in Language Arts to support this class and vice versa – look for
many cross-over activities.
General Information:
·
You are expected to record all homework, assignments
and due dates in your Agenda each day. I
will post big dates and important information on my blog. http://nikiconnor6thela.blogspot.com/
I suggest you bookmark it and/or sign up for email notifications.
·
Be sure that all
written work has the proper heading and title. Any work without the proper
heading may be returned, and therefore may be considered late, or, lose points.
Pencil or black ink only.
First Last Niki Connor
Date August 27, 2016
·
Phones and all other telecommunication devices:
o
May not be brought into class unless prior
arrangements have been made for an ad hoc
use.
o
If I see or hear your phone
during class and you have not been given permission to use it, I will send it
to Mrs. Hiler, and you will have to get it back from her at the end of the day.
L
o
All the rules you agreed to for school-based
technology apply to your personal phone when you are using it on campus –
including no picture taking unless you have express permission from an
adult.
·
Please make sure your desk is empty, the floor
around your desk is free of trash and your chair is pushed in or stacked at the
end of class each day. When this is accomplished,
I will dismiss you.
·
We have rotating jobs in this class:
The Passer – passes out things.
The Supplier – makes sure the bookshelves and the supplies
(including school technology) are all returned and orderly at the end of class;
deals with supplies during class;
The Runner – takes anything that needs to leave the room for me
(no mazes or grieversJ). Turns on/off lights when needed.
·
Room 215 is a No Paper Left Behind Zone.
Any papers left lying about will be placed in the lost and found basket
on the bookshelf by the door. Papers we are completely done with – that I
didn’t have you put in your ISN, may be recycled in the blue bin next to the
door. Please do not put papers in the
trash nilly-willy.
I look forward to traveling the world with you this year!
