Humanities 9th Grade • Matt Haupert Semester One - Fall 2017 "The philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation is the philosophy of the government in the next." ~Abraham Lincoln
Contact Information Email:[email protected] Phone: 608-498-9529 Digital Portfolio: matthaupert.weebly.com
Semester Overview This semester will focus on developing students in four distinct areas: (1) civic literacy and engagement, (2) written and oral communication, (3) analytical and creative thinking, and (4) leadership and collaboration. These skills will be developed through group projects, independent writing tasks, simulation activities, one-on-one conferencing, and more.
Everything we do this semester will be connected by the theme of American politics, government, and society. Throughout our work, we will explore the following essential questions: *What are the systems and rules that govern our society? Who decides, and how do they affect my life? *How can improve American society? *What is the proper balance between freedom and government control?
Students will be participating in a number of projects and immersive experiences, including:
An investigation of a real-life murder mysterythrough the podcast Serial
Playing the role of a Supreme Court Justicein an eye-opening simulation experience
Choosing and reading a book that has at some point been banned in schools
Taking on the role of apolitician, lobbyist, campaign manager, or journalist in a competitive large-scale Campaign & Election simulation game
Debating about society’s most complicated and controversial problems, and addressing them with innovative solutions
More information will be available as projects get underway.
Materials The Constitution of the State of California requires that we provide a public education to you free of charge. Subject to certain exceptions, your right to a free public education means that we cannot require you or your family to purchase materials, supplies, equipment or uniforms for any school activity. Many families have been asking what supplies their child may need during this school year. Below, I have a recommended list of supplies that your child may bring to school. Please note that if your child does not bring the recommended supplies, the school will provide the supplies for him/her. If you have any questions/comments about this, please contact me, or Shani Leader, the school director. Thanks.
Reading Option Starting in the second week of school, students will be independently reading a novel for our Banned Book project. In conjunction with Banned Books Week, this project allows us to explore the role and nature of censorship in our society. Students can choose any novel that has been banned or challenged at some point in its past. Several examples of “banned books” are listed below, but students are not limited to the books included on this list. In the Parent Information survey, please indicate whether you will be able to acquire the book on your own, or if you will need me to provide a copy of the book for you.
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki
Drama by Raina Telgemeier
Looking for Alaska by John Green
George by Alex Gino
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
His Dark Materials (series), by Philip Pullman
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers
The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Killing Mr. Griffin, by Lois Duncan
Beloved, by Toni Morrison
We All Fall Down, by Robert Cormier
Classroom Materials The following classroom materials are required for day one of school.
Pens
Highlighters
1-inch three-ring binder
1 composition notebook (not a spiral notebook)
**Please let me know if you are unable to acquire any of the supplies listed above, and I will provide them for the students on day one.
Grading
For more information on the grading model that will be used by the Haupert/Lyman 10th grade team this fall, please click here.
Challenge Options Challenge options will be available for students who are interested in deepening their Humanities studies even further. Usually, this will come in the form of additional writing or reading. Students are encouraged to take challenge options whenever they feel up to the task. This is a great chance to add additional high-quality evidence to your portfolio!
Office Hours I will be available in my office every week from 3:30pm-4:30pm on Wednesday afternoons and before school on Friday mornings from 7:30am-8:30am. I can be available on other days after school and during lunch by appointment--just let me know! Please ask for help if you need it! It’s what I’m here for.
Homework Beginning the second week of school, once students have selected their novel for the Banned Book project, there will be homework every night - and the homework will be the exact same every night - READ. Students are expected to read a little bit every single night to ensure they are meeting the weekly reading deadlines.
Plagiarism/ Academic Dishonesty Any form of cheating will be reported to the Dean of Students and will result in immediate action. Penalties entail receiving an automatic zero on the assignment and you will be required to write a reflective piece about the incident, which must be signed by your parents and will be placed in your permanent student file. Incidents such as these are reportable to colleges and universities (even if it occurs in the 9th grade). If there is a second incident, a committee will be called to assess the student’s place at HTHNC. It is against High Tech High policy (and the law) to use another person’s work as your own. Using another person’s ideas or summaries is also a form of plagiarism.
Keeping Up With Student Work There are several ways to stay involved with your student’s progress throughout the semester:
Student Learning Portfolio - Each student will maintain a Learning Portfolio throughout the semester, and this is by far the best way to get an up-to-date, in depth look at your student’s growth and learning. This document will be shared with you directly (using whatever email you provide in the Parent Information survey).
My Digital Portfolio - matthaupert.weebly.com - My DP will contain quick links to all of the sites mentioned below, as well as information on current projects.
Google Classroom - All parents will be given “parent access” to my Google Classroom page. Parents receive a weekly email update from Google Classroom listing all assignments and upcoming due dates. The full website can be accessed via my DP, but you will need a student email address to log in and utilize the full site.
Student Digital Portfolios - Students will be creating their own digital portfolios. The primary function of these will be regular writing assignments in the form of blog posts. You can access a student DP either by getting the link directly from the student, or through the “Student DPs” link on my classroom (you will need a High Tech High email address to access this link).
Contact me! Send me an e-mail or a text or give me a call with any questions or concerns.
Semester 1 Outline Due to the nature of project based learning, the following schedule is subject to change.
Week 1 August 27th - August 31 Introduction to US government; Choose Banned Books Week 2 September 3rd - September 7th Mock Supreme Court; Read Banned Book Week 3 September 10th - September 14th Mock Supreme Court; Read Banned Book Week 4 September 17th - September 21st Mock Supreme Court; Read Banned Book Week 5 September 24th - September 28th Mock Supreme Court; Read Banned Book Banned Book Exhibition @ Barnes & Noble Week 6 October 1st - October 5th The Campaign Game Week 7 October 8th - October 14th SLCs Week 8 October 15th - October 19th The Campaign Game Week 9 October 22nd - October 26th The Campaign Game Week 10 October 29th - November 2nd The Campaign Game Week 11 November 5th - November 9th The Campaign Game Week 12 November 132h - November 16th The Campaign Game Week 13 November 19th - November 23th Thanksgiving Break Week 14 November 26th - November 30th The Campaign Game Week 15 December 3rd - December 7th The Campaign Game Week 16 December 10th - December 14th The Campaign Game Week 17 December 17th - December 21st Exhibition Week! Week 18 December 24th - December 28th Winter Break
Week 19 December 30th - January 4th Winter Break
Week 20 January 8th - January 11th Reflections of first semester, Goal setting for second semester
January 14 SECOND SEMESTER BEGINS!
Your First Assignment
Have one parent visit matthaupert.weebly.com and complete the Google Form linked on the front page! (This will allow me to add parents to Google Classroom, share Learning Portfolios with parents, and gather all parent contact information electronically.) Paper copies of this survey are available for parents who do not have Internet access at home.