Mr. Tatum 6 th Social Studies Welcome to Curriculum Night at HTMS!

About me  Georgia Native- From Jasper, Ga.  Love anything outdoors, anything with a motor.  I teach 6 th Grade Social Studies.  Economics and geography are my absolute favorite themes to teach.  Third year at HTMS – I have taught 6 th and 7 th S.S. and this year I’m adding AC Social Studies to the list.

6 th Curriculum  Sixth grade is the first year of a two year World Area Studies course.  Sixth grade students study Latin America, Canada, Europe, and Australia.  The goal of this two year course is to acquaint middle school students with the world in which they live.  Become informed citizens! Ask questions! Learn respect for other people and cultures!  CNN STUDENT NEWS! Unbiased, Carl gets to the facts, breaks it down for the middle school mind.

6 th Curriculum  The geography domain includes both physical and human geography. The intent of the geography domain is for students to begin to grasp the importance geography plays in their everyday lives.  The government/civics domain focuses on selected types of government found in the various areas so as to help students begin to understand the variety of governments in the world.  The economics domain builds on the K-5 economics; however, the focus shifts from the United States to how other countries answer the basic questions of economics.  The history domain focuses on major events in each region during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

7 th Curriculum  Seventh grade is the second year of a two year World Area Studies course.  Seventh grade students study Africa and Asia. Africa, Southwest Asia (Middle East), Southern and Eastern Asia.

Grading  Tests/Assessments ………….… 35%  Quizzes ………………………… 30%  Classwork..…………….……… 25%  Homework ………………….…..10%  Homework not turned in on time is a Zero! Will be accepted late with excused absence or extended time accommodations.  AC students must maintain an 80% or higher.  Grades posted in Synergy. (Access through cobbK12.org or HTMS site) Sign & ID in office. 

Procedures  Write down daily agenda and HW inside of Planners. Parents should check regularly.  If absent- 1 st : Check the blog! I usually attach PPTs and handouts. 2 nd : Ask me for copies, explanation, etc. 3 rd : Still confused? Ask a peer.  Bring books and materials daily. No excuses for coming to class unprepared. (Behavior point loss for locker trip)  Check blog nightly for updates. (Please subscribe) Can access through HTMS website or by going directly to  with any questions.

Thinking Ahead  Pope offers a 9 th Grade AP World History and Human Geography class.  Vertical Teaming/Planning- Goal in mind of preparing our students to be successful in high school AP courses.  High Expectations, Accountability.  DBQ- Document Based Questions- Curriculum related- Analysis of primary and secondary sources.  Exploring, analyzing, then writing.  Practiced in 6 th, 7 th, 8 th.

BYOD  BYOD form went home, along with an Online technology use form, must be returned and signed by both parents and students.  BYOD 6th Grade Policy: Students will be told when BYOD is planned for a class.  Teacher will send them to locker to retrieve it. They will be told what and how to use it for that class period.  The BYOD is under the same internet restrictions as the rest of the school computers; Any unauthorized uses of the device will cause teacher to take up the device and parent will have to come retrieve it from the office.  They will not be able to use it for the rest of the year for BYOD classes. They will use paper instead.  When class is finished, teacher will walk the class back to their locker to return it.  Students are not required to have or use a device. Just a way to incorporate more technology in to the learning.  Ipad cart when available.

Conference Week  Coming up in October.  It is optional.  Would love to meet with each of you, but if there are no questions or concerns, it is totally optional.  Feel free to me any time.