Welcome to Back to School Night Mr. Verducci nverducci@ocsdnj.org 8th Grade Social Studies

Curriculum The curriculum implemented will have an emphasis on Ancient Civilizations. Our themes will include: Early Hominids Early Man/Paleolithic vs. Neolithic Ancient China Ancient India Ancient Egypt Ancient Greece Ancient Rome

Curriculum We will also connect history with the novels read in Language Arts class. As students read their novels they will learn the history of that era. Here are a few examples. Romeo and Juliette(The Renaissance) Diary of Anne Frank(World War II) The Outsiders(The 60’s)

Text Series and Google Classroom Our curriculum is supported with the use of the text series History Alive: The Ancient World. The text is a resource used in class. Along with the use of History Alive we will be using Google Classroom to complete many of our assignments. Parents will be receiving an email allowing you access to check on your child’s work.

CNN Student News Each day begins with a look at Current Events. Students will watch CNN Student News and choose a story to provide an open ended response. If students are absent they will be responsible to make up that days CNN News. A link is provided on my school web page.

Homework We will also have an article of the week. It is given at the beginning of the week and it is due at the end of the week. Each homework assignment is worth five points. If students lose the article it can be found on my web page

Grading Marking period grades are scored based on total points accumulated. I do not weigh categories. For example, if there are a total of 90 points in a marking period and a student earned 88 points. Their average is 97.78 or a 98, which equals an A+. I use projects as a way to assess student progress. Projects are completed in class. If students do not complete the project in the time allotted in class it will be assigned as homework Students will also be quizzed on vocabulary for each theme. Please check your child’s grades using Guardian Access!

How to contact me. To find out updated information on my class go to www.oceancityschools.org. Click on the Intermediate School link and teacher/staff webpages. For immediate responses to questions email me at nverducci@ocsdnj.org