European & World History

Ms. Orleck
Room 113
jorleck@duxbury.k12.ma.us


Welcome to your 9th Grade History class! In the upcoming year we will examine and
question the past and current interaction of major political, social, economic, and diplomatic
events in Modern World History. In doing so, we will come to better understand who we are,
where we are from, and what experiences have shaped our world and our place in it.

Units of Study
1
st
Semester 2
nd
Semester
y 9Me European
Renaissance
y Religious Reformations
y Scientific Revolution
y &bsolutism
y 9Me EnligMtenment
y +rencM Revolution &
tMe Napoleonic Era
y (Mina
y 9Me Middle East
y .ndia
y Sub-SaMaran &frica
Optional units:
y Russia
y East &sia
y 1atin &merica

y Primary Text: World History; Connections to Today. This text can be left at home,
unless otherwise instructed.
y Additional information will be presented in a variety of ways, including but not
limited to handouts and films.

Required Materials:
y 3-ring Binder with loose-leaf notebook paper.
y Binder should be divided into the following sections: 1.) weekly calendars 2.) class
notes/handouts 3.) homework/chapter notes 4.) unit& study guides
y Composition notebook (to be left in room 113)

Expectations of Students & Student Responsibilities:
y Students are expected to arrive to class ON TIME and ready to work with a pen or
pencil, assignment notebook, homework, and history binder (3-ring). You must bring the
same history binder, every day! You will not be allowed to go to your locker to retrieve
these items once class has started.
y Students are expected to be ACTIVE participants in class discussions and activities.
We learn the most when we ask questions, volunteer our ideas, and consider the ideas of
others. Active participation involves both contributing to discussion and listening to
others.
y Students are expected to be RESPECTFUL at all times- respectful of peers, teachers,
ideas, comments, and differences. Each of us has a part in the responsibility of creating a
respectful environment at Duxbury High School.
y Students are expected to be HONEST at all times, adhering to the rules laid out in the
DHS Student Handbook.

Homework & Grades
y Students can expect nightly homework assignments that will be relevant to the course
curriculum and will be meaningful and helpful to students. Assignments will be posted
daily on the board and listed on your weekly calendar that will be given to you as well as
published on the course blog and website.
y Homework is due at the beginning of the class on which it's due. Homework
will be checked in class, collected periodically, discussed, and will be part of your
notebook. Your homework will be a percentage of your term grade and is expected to be
neat and display effort and thought. Late homework will not be accepted for full
credit and may only be handed in the day after its original due date. Your
grade for each term will be determined as a percentage of the number of points which
you earned on each graded assignment versus the number of total points could have
earned during each graded assignment. This will be modified during the termthat your
final draft of your term paper is due. The term paper will reflect 25% of the grade for that
quarter.
y Unannounced notes quizzes will be given periodically to serve as a check that
students are keeping up with classroom and text reading and notes.

The following may serve as a guideline for nightly homework assignments for Ms. Os
History class. Students are expected to:
y Have carefully and completely read any assigned pages from textbook or other
source, and be ready to share the information that they have read.
y Have fully and punctually completed any additional assignment given to
accompany a reading.
y Assignments include but are not restricted to:
y Notes- Expected to be in outline form. Amount of information noted is
dependent upon length of/amount of information in a given paragraph. Please see
me if you need help in working with a specific style of outlining
y Worksheets- All parts of worksheets are expected to be completed fully,
according to the directions given both on the worksheet and by Ms. O.
y Paragraphs- Written nightly homework assignments of 1-3 paragraphs:
Paragraphs are generally 5-12 sentences in length, depending upon the specific
assignment. Ms. O. will give specific expectations regarding length for each
assignment.
y Students will not earn full credit for the following:
y one-word answers, late assignments, incomplete worksheets,
assignments (paragraphs, questions, maps) that do not meet the required
expectations laid out in the directions.
Assessment & Grading Policy
y Tests will be given at the end of each unit, two or three times per quarter, depending
on the number of units in a given quarter. Quizzes will also be given and will be both
announced and unannounced.
y Quarter grades will be comprised of tests, quizzes, homework and other assignments,
current events, and class participation and preparedness. The breakdown of the grading
policy (i.e. HW=20%, Tests/quizzes=30%) is subject to change during the year, as it
depends on the amount of assignments during each quarter.
y Absence from school is NOT considered an excuse for lack of preparation
for class. When a student is absent, it is that student's responsibility to speak to his/her
classmates about what he/she missed and check the file for any handouts. Students are
given weekly calendars at the beginning of the week that include the entire week's
assignments, and are therefore aware of the exact homework assignments for each night.
Calendars and assignments are updated and posted on the course blog.
y Students are expected to turn in outstanding homework due to an absence on the
day they return to school. They will be given a day of make-up time for each day of
absence. If a student is too ill to do the homework, I ask that parents/guardians inform
me of this through a note.
y If a student is absent on the day of a test, that test will be made up the next day the
student is in school, except in the case of a multiple-day absence. In that case,
appropriate arrangements will be made.
y Any work that a student misses due to an unexcused absence will automatically be
recorded as a zero. This includes quizzes and tests.
y Any appointments made to make up work that are missed will result in a zero for that
assignment.

Extra Help
y I encourage students to make appointments with me whenever extra help is needed.
It is a students responsibility to make appointments with me whenever they have
questions, problems or would like to chat. I am available most days after school. Please
talk with me so we can arrange a mutually exclusive time.


I am looking forward to teaching you this year,

Ms. Orleck