Mrs. C’s Site/Social Studies

August 31, 2011

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Together your child and I will embark on a Social Studies adventure exploring events in the United States and the world during the twentieth century. The curriculum will focus on both history and cultural geography with an emphasis on the changes that have occurred in our society.

Textbooks used in the class are Exploring America’s Past and World Geography Today. Upfront, a magazine published by the New York Times for middle school students, will aid in keeping the students abreast of current events. Students will also be able to view Channel I news daily in the classroom.

Units vary in length from three weeks to six weeks. They include the following:

America Becomes a World Power – the Spanish American War
The Progressive Era (includes the fight for women’s suffrage)
World War I
African Adventure – an interdisciplinary unit involving the entire team
The Roaring Twenties
The Crash of 1929, the Depression and the Dust Bowl
World War II and the Holocaust
The Cold War and the 1950s
Civil Rights and the 1960s
Vietnam

Although the main focus is on the past, the present is very much a part of the curriculum. Each class begins with a News and Views segment where the students are expected to discuss current events.

Extra credit can be earned each trimester.  The students keep individual tallies of points earned in their Insurance Logs that are collected at the end of each trimester.

Student progress is assessed on the following:

Quizzes

Mini-research projects

One major research project a trimester

Class participation

Homework completion

News and Views participation

Extra credit points

The story of the history and cultural geography of the twentieth century is riveting. As adults we have been participants in some of these events. I look forward to being your child’s guide as we journey together in an exploration of one of the most dynamic centuries the world has ever experienced.

Should you need to contact me by phone I am available before school 7:45 – 8:OO, after school until 3:00 and during my planning period10: 25 – 11:10. My e-mail address is ccarpenter@stonington schools.org. I check my e-mail during planning and at the end of the school day.

Sincerely,

Carol M. Carpenter