1. Welcome to Carmel Valley Back-To-School Night Gino Scalo US History Room 701 September 16, 2009

2. About Me… Born in Teaneck, New Jersey 1965. Graduated from Escondido High 1983. BA in English from SDSU 1988. Credentialed in English and Social Science (National Teachers Exam) 1989. Married to Sarah Weinberg in 1993. Two children, Rose 7 and Angelo 4. MA in education from SDSU 1998. Taught English and History in grades 7,8,9,10, and 11 since 1990. Jeopardy! champion 2000

4. Other Experience… plumber. auto parts clerk. construction worker. dishwasher. gasoline station attendant. sheet metal worker. garbage man. painter. paper boy.

5. My Teaching Philosophy Involves… Mastery learning Recursive teaching. Everything is important. Transparency. One point. Keeping it real. Rewarding the doers.

6. 8 th Grade US History Content Part of a three course US History sequence with 5 th and 11 th grades. Part of a three course middle school sequence with 6 th grade Ancient History and 7 th grade World History. STAR Testing on the middle school sequence will take place in May. State Standards can be found online or in the text.

7. Last Year’s Results… CVMS STAR scores are very high and History is no exception. Approximately 75 multiple choice questions. 72% scored in Advanced range. 17% scored in the Proficient range. Some review of 6 th, 7 th, and 8 th grade material will take place before the examination.

8. Specifically, This Class Will Cover… The British Colonial Period The American Revolution The Constitution Early Republic Westward Expansion The Civil War Reconstruction Industrialization Geography Current Events

9. Many Types of Learning Experiences Will Include… Lectures & notes Regular reading of text and primary sources. Projects & activities Video Class presentations Discussions & analysis Collaboration Writing assignments Regular homework & testing

10. Contacting Me… Email is best, clickable from the school web site…Usually I am able to respond the same day. Please call only before 8:15 or after 3:15 to avoid class time. Check my website for assignments, due dates, and handouts. I update online grades daily. Students can generally find me in my room before school, at lunch, or after school on most days. As a last resort, there is always the good old mailbox in the office.

11. Thanks For Coming… Feel free to contact me anytime. Enjoy your evening!