Mr. Vens' Class Site



Course: Michigan History and Geography -6667529210Advisor: Mr. Vens USERADDRESS \* MERGEFORMAT Location: University Preparatory Academy Middle School 5310 St. Antoine Detroit, MI 48202 4trh Floor Room 402Phone: 313-831-0100 Email:? christopher.vens@ Additional Info: School issued usernames and passwords may be used to login to PowerSchool to keep track of graded assignments, attendance and participation at any time. Class Website; mrvensclass. 00Advisor: Mr. Vens USERADDRESS \* MERGEFORMAT Location: University Preparatory Academy Middle School 5310 St. Antoine Detroit, MI 48202 4trh Floor Room 402Phone: 313-831-0100 Email:? christopher.vens@ Additional Info: School issued usernames and passwords may be used to login to PowerSchool to keep track of graded assignments, attendance and participation at any time. Class Website; mrvensclass. Course Overview/Purpose/Goals: Michigan History and Geography covers topics spanning from 13,000 B.C.E – present day. We begin our journey discussing the most recent of four major glaciations also known as the Wisconsin Glaciation. We then discuss the glaciers recession, which left a tundra like environment and after a melting period the prospective Great Lakes. During this initial unit, which focuses heavily on Michigan geography, we also cover plant and animal populations such as Mastodons as well as early Native American populations. Following our mini-unit on early geography of Michigan, we move on to French Colonization covering such topics as ?tienne Br?lé?paddling up the?St. Mary's River?and entering?Lake Superior,?Antoine de Lamothe Cadillac establishing a trading post on the?Detroit River?which they name?Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit, today the city of?Detroit and Fort Michilimackinac?is constructed in what is now?Mackinaw City, Michigan. Our next unit will cover Michigan as a territory. This includes the year (1805) the Michigan Territory?was created, with?Detroit?designated as the seat of government.?William Hull?appointed as governor and Detroit was destroyed by fire. It also includes topics such as the establishment of the University of Michigan in Detroit in 1817, the?Treaty of Saginaw, the?Ojibwe,?Ottawa, and?Potawatomi?ceded more than six million acres (24,000?km?), in the central portion of the?Lower Peninsula of Michigan to the United States and the creation of the Detroit Arsenal?constructed in?Dearborn, Michigan?to serve as the territorial militia and regular armyOur next unit covers Modern Michigan history from the end of the Civil War to the present. We travel around Michigan discussing a plethora of Michigan cities such as Mackinaw City, Traverse City, Detroit, Muskegon, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor and many more. We discuss the automotive industry, Michigan’s role in the World Wars and Michigan as a current state, which includes Michigan’s current economic state, government and the rejuvenation of Detroit. Supplies: In order to receive full participation points for each day, students must come to class on time and prepared with all necessary supplies. Part of students’ success in this course hinges on the procurement of the items on this list,11 x 17 inch paper (Provided) 7. Pencils/PensChart Paper8. Highlighter Lined Paper (College Ruled Notebook)9. Dividers (One for each Unit)Binder (2”- 3” with pockets)Permanent MarkerColored Pencils Tentative Calendar of Course Topics: Unit 1 (1/23 – 2/13) Early Michigan Geography Wisconsin glaciation, recession and the formation of the Great Lakes. Plant and animal populationsImportance of the Great Lakes. Native American populations Unit 2 (2/16 – 3/6) French Colonization French establishment of Detroit Importance of Lake St. Clair and Detroit River Trading post and Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit Unit 3 (3/7 -4/10) Michigan: A Territory Native American migration Colonization and establishment of Detroit Michigan’s Universities Unit 4 (4/13 - 5/28) Modern Michigan Mackinaw CityTraverse CityDetroit Ann ArborGrading Scale: 93% or greater A73% - 76%C90% - 92%A-70 % - 72%C -87% - 89%B+67% - 69%D +83% - 86%B63% - 66%D80% - 82%B+60% - 62%D -77% - 79%C+0% - 59%FStudent’s final grade will be comprised of: Homework20 %Worksheets, notes, research assignmentsTests30 %Test, Quizzes, and Projects.Classwork30%Group and individual in-class activities and investigations.Participation20 % This category includes attendance, preparation, and discussion. Homework: Homework will be assigned either during class or during the remaining five minutes of class. Students are expected and encouraged to ask any questions regarding the assignment before leaving class on the day in which it was assigned. Furthermore, students are expected to have their homework completed upon entering my classroom as it will be collected within the first five minutes of class. If you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding homework expectations, please do not hesitate to ask. Attendance Policy: Students must adhere to the Attendance Policy outlined in the Student Handbook on pg. 3. It states, “Regular attendance in class is of vital importance if a student is to succeed in this school. All students are expected to be in school each and every day, on time and prepared to learn. Any student age (15) and younger with absences of 20 days or more may be subjected to court action regarding school compulsory laws”. If a student is absent, it is their responsibility to obtain all missed work. Work Submission & Make-Up/Late Work Policy: Students with excused absences will be given the same amount of days absent to complete make-up work. Work will only be accepted for full credit with an excused absence. Work missing due to excused absences can be submitted for full-credit within two days following the students return to school. If the student has a prolonged absence or special circumstance, arrangements can be made to assist in obtaining and completing work in a “reasonable” amount of time. Late work without a valid excuse may be submitted for consideration in factoring grades. However, in most instances, late work will receive half credit if not turned in on the day in which it was due. Therefore, any assignment turned in after the due date, will receive a 50% and a failing grade on that particular assignment. Academic Integrity“Plagiarism refers to a form of cheating that has been defined as ‘the false assumption of authorship; the wrongful act of taking the product of another person’s mind, and presenting it as one’s own. To use another person’s ideas or expressions in your writing without acknowledging the source is to plagiarize. Plagiarism, then, constitutes intellectual theft,” (MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Fifth Edition, pg. 30). Any plagiarism will cause a student to receive an “F” on the assignment. Students may face the consequences outlined in the Student Handbook (p. 12)Behavioral Expectations/Classroom RulesIn order to have a productive and safe learning environment, there are certain guidelines we all must follow. Everyone must conduct himself or herself in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct. Further, the following outlines how students are to conduct themselves in this class: Unless otherwise stated, raise your hand and wait to be called on.Follow teacher’s directions the first time they are given. Students are expected to stay seated unless otherwise stated. If you have to move around the room, please ask before moving. No leaving class for any reason, including bathroom breaks. We have a very limited amount of instructional time and no minute can be wasted. You can use the time in between classes for the bathroom, but no leaving or coming late to class because of it.The clock does not dismiss you. Once all desks are clear, all required work is turned in, and the room is clean, I will dismiss class. No lining up at the door before I have dismissed you. No electronic devices, MP3 Players, and CELL PHONES. If any of these items are seen in class, they will be confiscated immediately. Please turn them off?before you enter the school and keep them stored out of sight in your backpack or locker. Students who violate this policy will have to turn over the device and a parent needs to pick up the device at the end of the school day. Show up in dress code. Anyone who is not in full dress code will not be admitted to class. The parent/guardian will be called immediately to pick up the student. Treat others how you expect to be treated. Bullying, insulting other students and misbehavior towards your fellow students will not be tolerated in my classroom. Classroom RulesBe Respectful. Respect is the number one most important rule in our classroom. We must treat everyone how we want and expect to be treated. Being respectful in the classroom means listening carefully to others, raising your hand to ask questions, using “I statements” when disagreeing with someone, acknowledging others for good work, and saying please and thank you. Be Professional. Come to class on time, fully prepared with all materials, and ready to actively participate in all activities.Be Productive. When we are in social studies class, we devote 100% of our time to social studies class.Be Positive. Attitude is the most important part of learning. Be Curious. Always feel comfortable to ask questions, do research and expand your own learning. Be a Community. Create a sense of community within the classroom by respecting your classmate’s time, comments and questions. Be here, be on time, be prepared, be Considerate. My expectations are high, but if you meet these standards of behavior, you will do well in this class. In addition, if you have any questions about what is expected of you throughout this semester, please do not hesitate to ask. I am open and understanding and therefore I am more than willing to hear about your suggestions, additions and retractions to the rules outlined above. Tutoring/Extra Help/Office Hours:Tutoring and/or study hall is available on campus for all students. Any student with a 69% or lower must attend tutoring and/or Study Hall/Wall Street for the duration of the quarter or until satisfactory status has been attained. I will be available any day after school if a student makes it known that they need additional assistance. In addition, my weekly office hours will be Tuesday from 3:15 – 4:30 PM. Acceptance of Class SyllabusI, _____________________________, have read and carefully reviewed all of the information included in this (Print your name here)????????????? ????????????? ????????????? Course syllabus. I understand Mr. Vens’ expectations and agree to comply with the rules inorder to maximize my learning.__________________________________________________________________(Student Signature)????????????? ????????????? ????????????? (Date)Comments: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I, _____________________________, have read and carefully reviewed all of the information included in this (Print Parent’s Name here)????????????? ????????????? ????????????? course syllabus. I understand Mr. Vens’ expectations and agree to support my child in his/her efforts to comply with the rules in order to maximize learning in this class.__________________________________________________________________(Parent/guardian Signature)(Date)? ................
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