Welcome to Mrs. Williams 8​th​ Grade 

  Georgia Studies Class!

E-mail: ​jennifer.williams@sccpss.com​ Phone: (912) 395-5075

Course description:

In eighth grade, students study Georgia geography, history, government, and economics. While the four strands are
interwoven, ample opportunity is also provided for in-depth study of the geography of Georgia and the government of
Georgia. U.S. historical events are included, as appropriate, to ensure students understand Georgia’s role in the history of
the United States.

For a list of standards that we will learn this year, please visit my E-chalk page or go to:
www.georgiastandards.org​ A tentative timeline for content material is as follows:

1​st​ Semester 2​nd​ Semester

● Geography of Georgia ● The New South
● European Exploration ● Georgia’s contribution to WWI
● The Georgia Colony ● Pre and Post WWII- Georgia’s contribution
● Georgia and the American Revolution ● The Civil Rights Movement
● Westward Expansion ● Modern Georgia
● The Civil War ● Georgia’s Government
● Reconstruction Era ● Note: Economics will be interwoven
throughout the year.

Textbook​:

Georgia: A History of Change and Progress​ (2012) Holt McDougal (Primary, class-set text) Students will be allowed to
check-out a textbook if needed. Notes are provided to students in class as well as online through Google Classroom.

Students who wish to have an online version of this book should notify the teacher so that an account can be created by
the teacher. To access the book once a password/username is issued go to: https://my.hrw.com/

The state of Georgia also provides an online version (not of this book, but covers the same material) at:
http://www.gavirtuallearning.org/Resources/SharedLandingPage.aspx​ (this link will be provided on my E-chalk page as
well).

Grading Policy
The following grading policy has been adopted by Oglethorpe Charter School and can be found in the student agenda.

A 90-100 - Excellent
B 80-89 – Above Average
C 73-79 - Average
D 70-72 – Below Average
F below 70 - Failing

Students’ grades will be based on each of these weighted components

Class work 40%
Tests/Projects 30%
Quizzes 20%
Homework 10%

Please keep this syllabus in the front of the Social Studies section of your child’s notebook! Please note that some
of this syllabus may be subject to change by the teacher based on student needs.
  
Welcome to Mrs. Williams 8​th​ Grade 
  Georgia Studies Class!
Quizzes/Projects/Test/Current Events
Quizzes will be announced and unannounced and will cover information from class and/or homework. Tests will be
announced at least one week in advance. Students may re-take previously failed assessments in tutorial for a highest
possible score of 70.
● Projects will be assigned and students will be given a minimum of two weeks to complete them.
● Social Studies Fair​- Not mandatory, but participation is encouraged.
● Current event reports will be assigned once bi-monthly. A template and instructions will be provided to students in
class as well as online in E-chalk.
Homework

In an effort to reduce homework loads for students and spend more time with family. I will limit assigning work with the
agreement that students study their notes a minimum of 15 minutes per day and work on all assigned projects both in and
out of school. If homework is assigned, students will have at least two days to complete the assignment. Please make
sure that you have reviewed the school policies on academics in the front of the student agenda. Finally, ​homework is
written on the board in class, copied in the student agenda under social studies, and found on e-chalk
(​www.oglethropecharter.org​). My policy regarding late assignments: L​ate assignments are not accepted ​except​ in
cases of illness or emergency.
Assignment Heading

All assignments must have the proper paper heading in the​ ​right hand corner​ ​of the paper to ensure timely grading.

Student name:
Date:
Period #:
Assignment title:

Tutorial

Tutorial will be held every Thursday from 3:00-4:00 and no sign-up is required, but students must sign-in. Parents must
pick up students promptly at 4:10 p.m. Students may re-take previously failed assessments at this time for a highest
possible score of 70.
Conferences​: Please e-mail me to arrange a conference with the team or call the front office and leave a message so
that I can contact you back promptly. I will use ​www.Bloomz.net​ again this year to schedule times/dates.

Behavior:​ ​Behavior will continue to be monitored using the program Class Dojo on our team (​www.classdojo.com​). All
students were given letters the first week of school last in 6th grade with codes for both parents and their own child.
Please monitor your child’s account on a weekly basis. Only one account is needed as each teacher can be linked to that
one account. If you need this information again, please contact your child’s homeroom teacher.

Technology Technology will be an integral part of eighth grade social studies and students will often need
access to a computer and the Internet at home. Some of the educational websites we use will require students to have a
working email account. Each student has been issued a district e-mail address and Google Drive account which consist of
the following: first name. last name (dot separating the two) @students.sccpss.com (​Example:
john.doe@students.sccpss.com​ ​).The sites we use are trusted educational sites and will NEVER require students to
provide personal information such as full name, address, phone number etc. ​If your child will not have access to a
computer and/or Internet access this school year, however OCS is a 1:1 technology school so there are many
opportunities for students to access technology. If you feel this will be an issue, please let me know as soon as
possible so that we can form a plan for to assist your child.

Please keep this syllabus in the front of the Social Studies section of your child’s notebook! Please note that some
of this syllabus may be subject to change by the teacher based on student needs.