Mr. Walsh’s American History Class • Email:

• john.walsh@ocps.net

• Website:

• http://teacherpress.ocps.net/johnwalsh

Agenda: • About Me • Curriculum • DBQs • Current Topic: Colonial America • Common Board • Grading Categories • Online Resources • Textbook-Online Textbook

Mr. Walsh’s American History Class

• 9th year teaching

• 5th year teaching 8th grade American History

• 2 in Science

• 1 in Geography

• 2 in Civics

• First year teaching at Discovery Middle School

“Yes, my wife does work here too.”

What part of American History is covered in 8th Grade? • Eighth grade Social Studies is an in-depth study of United

States history starting with early European colonization and ending with the post-industrial America of the late nineteenth century.

Curriculum (excerpt)

Current Topic: Colonial America

• Activities

• Colonial Fair

• Historical Fiction • Johnny Tremain

• The Witch of Blackbird Pond

DBQs (Document-Based Questions)

• Students examine primary and secondary sources and use evidence from those documents to formulate a hypothesis and write an essay using evidence from the documents to prove their hypothesis.

• First DBQ:

• Early Jamestown: Why Did So Many Colonists Die?

Other Topics: • Valley Forge: Would

You Have Quit? • What Was Harriet

Tubman’s Greatest Achievement?

• How Free Were Free Blacks in the North?

• Was the United States Justified in Going to War With Mexico?

• The Battle of Gettysburg: Why Was It a Turning Point?

• North or South: Who Killed Reconstruction?

Common Board

• Learning Goal

• Learning Activities

• Homework

• Week at a Glance

• Etc.

• Running List of Homework Assignments so far this year

Grading Categories

• 45% - Assessments (tests, quizzes, etc.)

• 20% - Final Assessment (9 weeks exam)

• 10 % - Practice Assignments

• 25% - Learning Assignments

Online Resources

• ProgressBook

• Mr. Walsh’s Website:

• http://teacherpress.ocps.net/johnwalsh

• Edmodo

• Quizlet

Textbook – Online textbook Discovering Our Past: A History of the United States, Early Years published by McGraw-Hill. Online Textbook: In order to access the textbook, follow these steps: 1. Go To http://connected.mcgraw-hill.com 2. Enter your Username and Password a. Username: oc(Student ID) - example: oc1234567890 b. Password: oc(Birthdate) - example: oc07041776 Don’t forget the letters “oc” in front of your Student ID and Birthdate. Otherwise, it won’t work.