9th Grade Humanities
2011 - 2012 Syllabus
INSTRUCTOR John Fisher
OFFICE HOURS Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:15 – 4:15.
INTRODUCTION TO THE HUMANTIES
In Humanities, we will cover content in Language Arts, History as well as other social sciences like Sociology and Psychology.
TOOLS FOR CLASS AND LIFE – THE HABITS OF THE HEART AND MIND
1. Advocacy – When you need help, or when you don’t understand, ask questions. When you can’t connect to a project, schedule a meeting with a teacher. Advocate for your classmates, for your community, for your planet.
2. Perspective – Have a point of view; respect and understand the points of view of others. Take a stand, but be willing to listen to other ideas than your own.
3. Evidence– Use it to back up your perspective. Require it from others who make claims. Make decisions based on it.
4. Refinement – Take pride in everything you do in class and make it beautiful, whether you are reading, writing, speaking, or creating.
5. Perseverance – Don’t give up. Learn to work through difficulty.
CLASS MATERIALS
Please bring the following materials to class EVERY DAY:
1. Notebook – 8 ½ * 11 sized
2. Pencils and blue or black pens
3. Highlighter or colored pens for marking texts
4. Daily Planner
INDEPENDENT LEARNING:
Students learn quickly that this class is quite different from others they have taken. Motion in the classroom can happen in two ways, students can be pulled by the teacher, or they can propel themselves. In this class, you will be almost entirely propelled by yourself. I will provide lots of signs and signals along the way to keep you going in the right direction, but it is up to you to get there. Most students find this more enjoyable anyway – who wants to be pulled at the exact same pace as 24 other students?
WHEN ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE:
You will be able to learn at your own pace, but once we reach a weekly deadline, no late work is accepted after that. At that point we are moving on to new content, and you should be focusing on new assignments.
HOMEWORK:
If you are an efficient worker, you may have little mandatory homework in this class, although if you are interested in what we are learning there may be optional activities for you to choose to do. If you do not use your time wisely in class, you will find times when you have more homework than you can handle. My hope is if you find yourself in that situation, it will only happen once.
UNIVERSAL SCHOOL RULES
The following are in place to ensure a respectful and safe learning environment. Violation of these rules will result in your helping in various school and classroom improvement activities.
1. Swearing.
2. Listening to music anywhere in the building without instructor permission is forbidden. Wearing headphones around your neck is considered the same as listening to music.
3. Not following the fashion guide while at school.
4. Chewing gum.
5. Using technology inappropriately.
6. Any behavior that could break one of the low hanging sprinkler heads in a classroom (throwing objects, swinging swords around, etc.)
MY RULES
1. Cell phone use is forbidden in class without teacher permission. I consider texting in class defiance, and if I catch you texting in class, I will immediately call a meeting with your parents, and you will no longer be allowed to have a phone at school.
2. You may eat at your desk with teacher permission. Any drink must have a lid on it. No food or drink within 3 feet of computers, and clean up after yourself.
THE REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT RULES
Respect. For yourself, for others, and for the learning process. Acknowledge that all people with whom you come into contact are in fact people, human beings who deserve to be treated as such. Treat others as you wish to be treated.
Tolerance. We will treat each student with tolerance regardless of his or her religion, race, culture, sexual orientation, or ability. Indeed, we will strive to not only respect one another, but to accept and celebrate our differences, for diversity is at the heart of this class. For this reason, any and all discriminatory and/or hurtful language is prohibited. If you are not sure if your language is hurtful, err on the side of caution.
GRADING
The main purpose of grades is to communicate to you how you are doing in this class. If you ever have any grading concerns or questions please come talk to me so I can make the communication as clear as possible. In order to facilitate this, I have divided your grade into three clear categories. Your grade in each should let you know how you are doing on the following questions.
Can you complete your work on time? 33%
· Do you turn in satisfactory work on time?
· Required activities finished by deadline?
Have you learned the content you need to complete your projects? 33%
· Rubric quizzes
· Rubric check ins
Can you apply what you have learned? 34%
· Socratic seminars
· Essays
· Projects
To encourage you to take ownership of your own grades, I ask that you please contact me directly with any questions about your assignments and grades. Please do not have your parents contact me regarding your grades until you have asked the questions first, via email, speech, or writing. If you or your parents still have questions after you have talked to me, I would be happy to address your/their concerns at that point!
IMPORTANT EVENTS AND TERMS
Student-Led Conferences
Students will have an opportunity to communicate and share with their family their learning and growth over time. You will be taught and expected to lead this “conference” and provide evidence of your learning and personal growth. In addition, you should utilize vocabulary and concepts of our Habits of Heart and Mind in communicating throughout the student-led conference.
Semester 1: October 19th
Semester 2: Wednesday February 29th
Digital Portfolio
You will create a Digital Portfolio (DP) that will serve to showcase your best work and also demonstrate your growth throughout your years at Animas High. You will present your DP at your Presentation of Learning (POL) at the end of the first semester, and at your Transitional Presentation of Learning (TPOL) at the end of the year. You will be taught to place developing work in your Digital Portfolio as a means of showing us your work-in-progress.
PoL/TPoLs
Students give presentations of their learning at the end of both semesters of ninth grade. For these presentations, you are expected to dress professionally (no jeans or tennis shoes!). The PoL (which occurs mid-year) is your chance to reflect on the Habits of the Heart and Mind. You will reflect on how you have learned the habits and select two areas where you want to focus your growth for the remainder of the ninth grade year. The emphasis on the PoL is the development of your presentation skills. At the end of the year, you will have a TPoL, which focuses on the essential question, “Do I know how to be a 10th grade student at Animas High?” You will review all of your projects from 9th grade and come up with evidence to support your answer to this important question.
POLs: December 14th, 15th, 16th
TPOLS: May 29th, 30th, 31sh
Exhibitions
One of the major values of this school is the presentation of student work for the public. You will participate in several exhibitions throughout the year. Parents will be given notice of the date of these exhibitions. Students are expected to stay at school the entire day of exhibitions to help set up, tear down, and get projects ready to present. You are also expected to dress professionally on the date of exhibitions.
Our first 9th grade exhibition is Thursday, October 6 at the Strater Hotel.
This Year’s 9th Grade Projects:
· Sociology and Identity
o What can you do as an individual to break harmful socialization cycles?
· Historical Fiction and Shakespeare
o How can we experience what it was like to live in ancient times?
· Model United Nations
o How can countries find common ground to solve global problems?
· Brave New World
o How do we recognize and combat invisible dystopian forces?
___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
(Student’s Signature) (Parent Signature)
