Lincoln Middle School

							                                           Lincoln Middle School

                               Social Studies Grade 7 – Course Outline

    Instructor   Mrs. MacFarlane                 Messages             Use the agenda book as the main
                                                 1. Agenda book       means of communication and
                                                                      direct your son or daughter to
                                                                      share it with his/her teachers.
    Phone        (204) 837-8397                  2. E-mail            nmacfarlane@sjsd.net

    Text, Reference and Resource Materials:
    World Geography, Global Trek, The World Today – Its People and Places

    Description:
    Our grade 7 course will focus on “People and Places in the World”:
    1. World Geography 2. Global Quality if Life 3. Ways of Life in Asia, Africa or Australasia
    4. Human Impact in Europe or the Americas.

    Timeline:
             Month                            Major Topic                    Additional Information
      September - November           Geography                               Maps, time zones, etc.
      December - February            People’s Lives                          Quality of Life Around the
                                                                             World
      March – April                  Ways of Life                            Understanding Different
                                                                             Cultures
      May - June                     Human Impact                            Who are we in our world
      June                           Final Project

    Requirements:
     Students should be keeping up with daily homework assignments and seeking help if having difficulty.
      Deadlines for assignments will be set after adequate work time is provided at school, and, therefore,
      assignments should be handed in on time. If there is a problem with meeting a deadline, such as travel
      or family plans, students are to make arrangements ahead of time with the teacher.

     It is the responsibility of all students to keep notebook neat, organized, complete, and up-to-date.

     It is the student’s responsibility to catch up on work missed, including notes and assignments. All
      missed handouts will be available in the classroom, and students should make arrangements with the
      teacher as soon as possible to catch up on missed information.

      Learning Objectives/Essential Learnings:
          Demonstrates Active Democratic Citizenship
          Manages Information and Ideas
          Demonstrates Critical and Creative Thinking
          Communicates Understanding of Concepts
Assessment:
There are two main purposes in the assessment process:

Formative Assessment:
First, the teachers gather information about student learning that informs teaching and helps students learn
more. The focus is on providing students with descriptive feedback to improve learning. Students are
encouraged to reflect and assess their own learning.

Summative Assessment:
Evaluation, on the other hand, is a process of reviewing the evidence and determining how well students have
learned. Evidence is gathered through observations, conversations and products or performances and is
summarized to represent a student’s learning at a certain point in time.

Provincial Assessment Policy K-12 – Academic Responsibility, Honesty and Promotion/Retention

Based on the new Provincial Assessment Policy K-12 from Manitoba Education, students “are responsible for
providing evidence of their learning within established timelines.” These expectations are well communicated
by the teachers (course outlines, necessity of assignment, rubrics for judging criteria, verbal outlines, web
pages, email etc.) to the students and parents. A copy of this policy is available at
www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/assess/pupblications.html.

Based on both the Provincial Policy and the St. James Divisional Policies (JE, JK-E and IKE-E) the following
procedures will be in place at Lincoln Middle School:

Academic Honesty:
Students are expected to exhibit self-discipline and be responsible for their behaviour. As well, students will
demonstrate integrity, ethical conduct and academic honesty in all assessments, research, class work and
homework assignments. The Division will not tolerate academic dishonesty, which includes the following:
• Cheating: e.g. copying others work, using cheat sheets, any methods whereby a student gains an unfair
advantage.
• Deception: e.g. misrepresenting contributions to group work, providing false information in order to obtain an
extension on deadlines.
• Plagiarizing: e.g. submitting or misrepresenting someone else’s work as one’s own.

The principal and teacher will apply the following consequences if necessary:
    First offense – A student will be required to redo the work, parents will be contacted by the teacher, no
        reduction of marks if the work is completed within one week. If turned in after one week, a reduction in
        marks will occur.
    Second offense - A student will be required to redo the work, parents will be contacted by an
        administrator, reduction of marks, detention/loss of school privileges.
    Third offense or greater - A student will be required to redo the work, parents will be contacted by an
        administrator or attend a meeting at the school, reduction of marks, suspension.
*All matters related to a student’s academic honesty would be monitored and documented over a period of 3
years at Lincoln.

Grading Guidelines for Late / Missing Assignments
In the case of late/missing assignments, the expectations are as follows:
    1) Students will work with teachers to complete all assignments and teachers will help students manage
        their time effectively.
    2) Teachers may “choose to extend the time for completing assignments, especially for students who
        communicate with the teacher in advance of the due date.” Student and parents will confer with teachers,
        regarding the legitimacy of the reason for a late assignment.
3) Students will receive appropriate support to assist in completing the assignment: staff support, peer
   support or peer tutoring.
4) Teachers will develop an agreement with the student to complete the work, even if after the due date.
5) The student will be required to complete the work during school time or at an appropriate time before or
   after school or at ‘extra help’ time with the teacher, as determined by the teacher.
6) Teachers may deduct marks for late or missing assignments, if assignments are still outstanding after all
   the previous efforts.