Wiki Page, WORLD HISTORY-A: Course Policies

Wiki Page
2023-08-27T19:23:48-07:00

Welcome to World History A!

Academic Year: 2023-24 Course Syllabus

Instructor: Isabelle Walchenbach, iwalchen@rentonschools.us

Materials to Bring Every Day: Organization is a life long skill that is used regardless of what profession you enter. For this class, you need to practice organization by making your assignments, notes, etc. easy to find. This is especially important when it comes to preparing for assessments. Students should come to class every day with the following:

Notebook specific to World History A

Organizational System (folder, binder, etc)

Writing utensil (pencil, pen, etc)

Laptop and charger

What if I forget my materials?

If you forgot your notebook, Ms. W has scratch paper in one of the boxes. Please grab it as soon as you realize you need it

If you forgot your writing utensil, there may be extras either at the front of the classroom OR on the counter by the door. If there are none available, ask a friend or someone at your table if you can borrow one

If you forgot your laptop, you can get a loaner from Mrs. Eide. Mrs. Eide may or may not have any laptops to loan out.

If you forget your charger, I do not have any extras. It is your responsibility to ask around to see if anyone else has one.

Expectations for Families and Guardians: You are encouraged to follow along with your student’s progress by joining both Skyward (Links to an external site.)and Canvas.

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** Policies now listed in roughly alphabetical order**

Academic Honest Policy and Consequences: Academic honestly is incredibly important to me and is something myself and Hazen High School take very seriously. It is important to recognize whose ideas, words, or quotes you are using in your work if they are not your own. Citing your sources and giving credit to others is a skill you will use throughout your life in whatever profession you choose to pursue.

Plagiarism, or any other form of cheating, will result in severe consequences as listed below. Copying part of OR an entire homework assignment, classwork assignment, or any other piece of work for this class (other than in-class lecture notes) is considered plagiarism. All work is individual work unless otherwise specified. For all assignments, your answers need to be in your own words. Any use of AI tools is considered academic dishonesty.

The consequences for academic dishonestly in my classroom are Hazen High School policies that can be found in the student handbook. If you need support on how to properly cite your sources, message me in Canvas or send me an email and I would be happy to help!

Artificial Intelligence Policies:

It is not allowed to use generative AI tools in this class in any way. Every element of all work including but not limited to brainstorms, rough drafts, reflections, assignments, final products, and projects, that is submitted by a student must be fully created by that student. The use of generative AI tools for any part of any work is considered plagiarism and / or cheating.

Attendance Policies:

It is expected that you are in class on time and ready to learn.

You will be marked tardy if you arrive to class after the bell rings.

If you have consistent/regular issues with tardies or absences, you will be referred to the Dean of Students.

Extra Credit Policy:

I do not offer any extra credit projects or assignments.

I will not round grades or give any grade bumps at the end of a trimester.

Electronics Policy:

Having your phone/headphones with you during class and/or using your computer to read/watch/listen to materials unrelated to class means you are:

Less likely to engage in academic discussions

Less likely to read your course content and practice key historical skills

Less likely to make meaningful connections with the people who are in your class

As a result, when class starts and the bell rings, all headphones, cellphones, computers, tablets, or other electronics must be put away in your backpack. Electronics should NOT be in your pocket. This means that neither you nor myself should be able to see or hear your electronics in class.

You may only use electronics, including your school computer, if I give you explicit permission to use them. Email iwalchen@rentonschools.us if you have a concern or a request about using electronics in class.

If a caregiver or family member needs to contact you during the school day, please have them contact the main office: 425-204-4201

If you are on any electronic device at a time where you are not supposed to be and/or using technology inappropriately, here is what will happen:

You will automatically lose your Citizenship points for the day.

Ms. Walchenbach will give you one warning, and ask you to put your phone or other device in your backpack.

The second time, Ms. Walchenbach will tell you to put your phone in the “phone timeout” bin. You will put your phone in the bin when asked. You will get your phone back at the end of class.

If a student refuses to follow this policy, progressive discipline will happen. This is in line with the Hazen Student Handbook.

Entry and Exit Tickets:

Every day at the beginning of class we will have an Entry Ticket.

If you are tardy, late, or have an unexcused absence, you will earn a 0% and will not be able to make up the points.

If you have an excused absence and it is excused in Skyward, you can make up the Entry Ticket upon your return.

Sometimes at the end of class we will have an Exit Ticket. If you are tardy or late to class, you can complete the Exit Ticket in class for credit. If you have an unexcused absence or leave early, you will earn a 0% and will not be able to make up the points.

Food and Drink Policy:

You can have snacks in class, just make sure to clean up after yourself. If I have to clean up after you, you will not be able to eat food in the room anymore.

If you have a medical condition that requires regular food/drink, you can eat/drink whatever you need to whenever you need to.

Grading Categories:

Assessments (50%):

Summary evaluation of student achievement and progress toward mastery.

For information regarding progress on individual skills and standards, please refer to the specific directions and/or rubrics that accompany each assessment.

This will include, but not limited to, writing assessments, projects (individual & group), presentations, discussions, quizzes, and exams.

Assignments (30%):

This includes all classwork and homework that are not considered assessments. For example, source evaluation, communication, primary or secondary source analysis, content knowledge, reflections Entry Tickets, and Exit Tickets.

Citizenship (20%)

This includes but is not limited to your effort in class, engagement with your classmates and the material, being on time and prepared for class with the correct materials, leaving class without permission, being in the bathroom for longer than 7 minutes, using inappropriate language, being disrespectful, and following all class rules and procedures- especially our technology policy.

**I will not round grades at the end of the trimester and no grade bumps will be given.**

Final Grade Percentages:

We are using this grading scale for the 2023-24 school year:

94-100% | A | | 80-83.99 | B- | | 64-69.99 | D+ | |
90-93.99 | A- | | 77-79.99 | C+ | | 60-63.99 | D | |
87-89.99 | B+ | | 74-76.99 | C | | 0-59.99 | F | |
84-86.99% | B | | 70-73.99 | C- | | | | |

**Students may take assessments and turn in some assignments on Canvas, but it is not a holistic representation of the overall grade in the course.

The only accurate place to check your most up to date grade will be Skyward/Family Access. There is a possibility that a student’s grade will not match in Canvas and Skyward and, as a result, please refer to Skyward for the most accurate and up to date grade. Skyward is the official grade of record.**

Grading: Late Work Policy + Makeups :

It is expected that you turn in all assignments by the due date.

If you have an unexcused absence the day an assignment is due and you do not turn the assignment in, you will earn a 0% and will not be able to turn the assignment in late for any credit.

Assignments turned in after the deadline will have 10% deducted per day, down to 50%.

You will have up to 5 school days after an assignment is due to turn it in for partial credit. The assignment will not be accepted for any credit after this date.

For example, if an assignment is due on a Monday, you will have 5 school days (T, W, Th, F, M) to turn in the assignment. School days do not include breaks or other non-school days.

If you have extenuating life circumstances and need an extension to complete an assignment, you need to ask before the assignment deadline. It is up to teacher discretion whether an extension will be granted.

It is your responsibility to check in with me and get the work you missed after an excused absence. You are responsible for checking Canvas including any announcements, PowerPoints, assignments, activities, etc. that you missed. After you have reviewed all the materials on Canvas, it is your responsibility to check in with me with any questions or concerns you might have. You are responsible for keeping track of what is due when.

If the absence is excused, you will have the number of days you were absent to make up the work upon your return.

You have two weeks (10 school days) from the day of the test or quiz to make up the assessment. Exceptions can be made for people who have long term excused absences. It is your responsibility to reach out to me to figure out a makeup time.

Name and Pronoun Policy:

You have the right to be referred to the name and pronouns that you are most comfortable with. If the name listed on my roster is NOT the name you would like to be called, you are welcome to let me know in class or through email (iwalchen@rentonschools.us) at any time. You will have an opportunity to tell me your preferred name and pronouns in the first week of school, and if either change please let me know in class or through email.

If your preferred name/pronouns used in class do not match those used at home, please let me know so I use the right ones at the right times.

Pronouncing your name correctly is extremely important to me. If at any point I mispronounce your name I encourage you to correct me as soon as possible in class or through email. I want to get it right! 😊

In order to create a safe and welcoming environment, you should refer to your classmates with the names and pronouns that your they are most comfortable with.

Any sort of teasing or bullying of your classmates for their name and/or pronouns they feel most comfortable with is unacceptable and is considered harassment, even if you think you are joking. See the “Respect and Responsibility” section for more information on how Hazen deals with harassment.

If you are being teased for your choice of name/pronouns, please let me know so I can support you. Please let me know even if you don’t think it’s a big deal, it happened to you before, or the students have been doing that to you for a long time.

Religious Accommodations:

This policy is based on University of Washington’s religious accommodations policy in line with RCW 28B.137.010

I will work to reasonably accommodate students who, due to the observance of religious holidays, expect to be absent or endure a significant hardship during certain days of the year. For example, if we have a test on a day when you are fasting or are absent due to a religious holiday, we can reschedule the test.

You must email me at isabelle.matlick@rentonschools.us within the first two weeks of the trimester with ALL date(s) you are requesting religious accommodations for.

You are still expected to meet all course requirements including completing all assignments and assessments.

Respect, Citizenship, & Responsibility:

In this class we are going to learn about the world in a new way and begin to see perspectives we have not see before. There will often be material presented that may cause you to have an emotional response.

In a social studies classroom we will have opportunities to share our ideas with the class. Others in the class may agree or disagree with you. It is important to remember to always be respectful of people and their ideas. We will have the opportunity during discussion and class time to discuss our opinions. I expect people to be considerate when challenging other individual’s statements and to remember that it is important to critique someone’s ideas, and not the person themselves.

You may learn something that is upsetting to you or makes you uncomfortable. For example, learning that George Washington owned and enslaved people may make you upset because it complicates your idea of who George Washington was as a person, and challenges the idea that the Founding Fathers got everything right. One of the most important things we will learn in this class is that it is okay (and encouraged!!) to change your mind when you learn new information. It is also okay to feel uncomfortable when learning new things!

Racial/ethnic/homophobic/sexual slurs will not be tolerated under any circumstance, even if you think you are joking. Hazen High School deems using slurs as an act of harassment, intimidation, and bullying. See the student handbook for more information on harassment, intimidation, and bullying.

If you are harassed, intimidated, or bullied by someone while in my class or outside of it, please come talk to me or email me at isabelle.matlick@rentonschools.us. I want to support you in fixing the situation and finding resources that can help. You also have the right to file an official complaint. See the school handbook for more information on harassment complaint procedures.

Videos:

Videos are used in class to emphasize a historical point or period and may be shown in full or in clips. Some are commercial and others are documentaries. Occasionally, they carry an R rating. At no time are videos used as filler or without regard to the sensitive nature of the topic. If possible the video will be edited to avoid unnecessary violence, sexual content, or inappropriate language. Your signature acknowledges this and gives you permission for your student to watch. Please contact me if you would like to discuss this policy further.

Contingency to Change the Syllabus:

This syllabus is subject to change at any time.

If there is a change, I will let you know as soon as I can.