AMERICAN CIVICS:WELCOME TO THE EMPIRE OF DREAMS

The Empire of Dreams

The Empire of Dreams: a place where excellence is normal for you, but exceptional in the eyes of the world

You are not what you were born, you are what you have it in you to be. Building an empire of dreams begins with

how you present yourself every day. Which of the following two gentlemen would

you trust with the presidency of the United States?

Professionalism

First Impressions

The average person forms an impression about you based on your appearance and conduct in under 15 seconds

One of the best life skills you can learn now is how to present and conduct yourself professionally

This is how you build a culture of excellence

A Culture of Excellence

Everyday you will be expected to bring the following Your interactive notebook Your binder Pencils/Pens Highlighter (Colors of your choice) Scotch Tape

Failure to bring these materials will hurt your participation grade

A Culture of Excellence

Stand outside my room in a silent, single-file, professional line Do not riot, yell, or scream in the hallway outside

my room Do not tamper with, fall into, crash into, or

otherwise destroy the bulletin board Enter my room silently, professionally

and go straight to seats Wait until I invite you in

Do not simply bust into my room – YOU DO NOT OWN THIS SPACE, you are a guest

Set up your desk (I will train you)

How to Succeed in Civics Without Really Trying (Very Much)

Taking Notes: Note taking is a VERY important skill to practice But knowing WHAT to write down is just as

important Mr. Staten (and this class) moves at ludicrous

speed If you see something that is underlined (after

Friday’s class)…WRITE IT DOWN! If it’s not underlined…you don’t have to

write it down COLOR WORDS are important vocabulary

terms!

Arm Yourself (Helpful Hints)

If I were you I’d make sure I have: Notebook 1 binder with dividers Plenty of Pencils/Pens High-lighters (Yellow, Green, Blue, Pink, Red)

Do Your Homework – It’s important for grades! Homework = 20% Tests = 25% Classwork = 15% Quizzes = 20% Projects = 20%

Why Grades Add Up This Way

Homework (20%) and Tests (25%) A high homework grade combined with another

area WILL balance out a bad test grade (so bombing a test won’t kill you!)

Conversely, you can afford to miss a few assignments if you need too…but they will add up

Classwork (15%) /Quizzes (20%) / Projects (20%) combined = 55% If you do what’s expected of you it’s virtually

IMPOSSIBLE to fail this class But it has been done…if YOU chose to…

Strategies for Excelling

There is basically ONE surefire ways to guarantee that you will fail this class:

The Gambler’s Ruin Strategy: You do ZERO Homework and

GAMBLE EVERYTHING on the tests I had a joker try this He finished with a 34%...that I curved UP

Office Hours

After school on Monday through Thursday, I hold my office hours from 3:25-3:45 (unless circumstances change)

The same rules that govern my class apply to my office hours Monday: Socratic Shootout Tuesday: Documentary Day Wednesday: Skillbuilder Session Thursday: Techno Thursday

What’s New This Year

Interactive Notebooks A new YouTube Channel War of the Immortals The American States Project The American Civics Podcast The American Civics Instagram

Homework Procedure

I will make a deal with you right now I will push you hard Monday, Tuesday,

Wednesday, and Thursday In exchange, I will do my best to

AVOID giving you homework on weekends…and see to it that you ALWAYS have an opportunity to start your homework in class How much homework you have is

contingent upon how you conduct yourself and how much we get done in class

Homework Procedure

When I assign homework… You have until close of school the next day to

turn it in. (I give an assignment Monday, you have until 3:15 PM Tuesday to turn it in.)

You can turn it in anytime before this deadline All you have to do is:

Go to the Homework Corner Find the MAROON folder that has your class on

it, place your homework in the folder and DONE! Homework submitted WITHOUT A NAME is

counted as a zero until you come and claim it

The Deal Continued

Because you have the ability to turn your homework in at your convenience…

THERE ARE NO EXCUSES FOR NOT DOING YOUR HOMEWORK

UNEXCUSED, LATE HOMEWORK IS AN AUTOMATIC ZERO! (See school policy)

If you have a problem or need help and you come talk to me BEFORE CLASSTIME, then we can work things out.

American Civics: The Interactive Bulletin

Board An opportunity and chance for you to

learn outside of class.

Challenge and Extra Credit folders will have special lessons, missions, and objectives to complete for extra credit, honors, and prizes.

The Classroom Archive

Each class in American Civics has its own unique binder This is a living record of everything our

class does

Once a day, someone will take that day’s handouts, notes, and packet and place in the TOP, RIGHT CORNER: The Day of the Week, the Month, Date,

and Year And then place the packet in the binder

The Classroom Archive

Suppose you were sick and missed two days…(or you need an extra copy of that study guide! Or your internet/printer went bust!)

When you come back, you can: Go to your classroom archive Pick out the notes/handouts for the days you

missed Make copies Return the notes/handouts to the archive in case

anyone else needs them

Classroom Technology

We are striving to create a virtual classroom that uses the resources of technology and the Internet to advance learning Wikispace (Mr. Staten’s Page)

http://wlpcsmiddleschool.wikispaces.com/Staten Facebook

facebook.com/AmericanCivicsClassroom YouTube

Youtube.com/americancivicsclass Icivics.org:

sign up and enter class code Rehnquist74816

Historical Terms

B.C. : Before Christ …used to describe events and years before the birth of Jesus Christ (obviously) So 1769 BC is how many years before the

birth of Christ?

A.D. : Anno Domini – In the Year of Our Lord…used to describe events after the birth of Jesus Christ A.D. always comes before the year – AD

2013

Historical Terms

B.C.E. – Before the Common Era (Similar to BC)

C.E. – Common Era (Similar to A.D.) CE always appears AFTER the year (1992 CE)

Historians use both BC/BCE and AD/CE interchangeably, so either convention is acceptable.

Ca – circa (Latin for around) is used when we don’t know the exact date of an event, but we’re sure it happened…around that year!