THE WORD

A Syllabus for Mr. Dickersons American History

1
REQUIRED STUFFBLACK pens, pencils, binder with loose-leaf paperHAVE
THESE EVERY DAY, PLEASE
HELPFUL STUFFcolored pencils/pens/hi-liters, ruler, dictionary, graph paper
1. TARDY means you are not in your seat when the bell BEGINS ringing. It does not
just mean late.
2. Electronic devices will sometimes be used in class, but please keep them silent
(and no FLASHING)
when we are not using them for classwork. Please and thank you.
3. Grading: Grades will be divided between MAJOR (tests, projects, quizzes) for 60%
and MINOR
(classwork, etc) for 40%. Symbolic grades: =100, + = 90, =80, - = 70,
X=50, /=25. I will
frequently return work to you with no grade marked on it, but it will be in
PowerSchool.
4. Assignments should be in BLACK INK unless otherwise specified. Black ink is
neither more expensive
nor more difficult to find than other colors; therefore, this is not an unreasonable
request. I do not
accept assignments on paper with ragged, ripped-out edges from a spiral-bound
notebook either.
5. STUDYING IS YOUR JOB AS A STUDENT. If you do not study, you will not LEARN
anything and you
should not be surprised if you are unsuccessful. You and your parents have access
to your grades
online anytime, so you should NEVER be unaware of your performance.
6. Please help me keep the room clean, neat, and tidy. Do not write on the desks.
Gum and trash go in the TRASH CANS. RECYCLABLES go in the RECYCLING BIN.
7. Take the initiative to maintain a useful and usable notebook, organized by the date
and day number
that will be on the board each day. If you ever suspect I have made a mistake in
recording one of your
grades, it will be up to you to provide the proof.
8. Do not give someone else your work to copy. Why should they get the benefit of
YOUR effort? This is a violation of the student honor code as described in your
student handbook and is punishable by a reduction in value to not more than 60%
of the original value.

Parents, Rolesville High School has a website at http://www.wcpss.net/rolesvillehs.

My email is LDickerson@wcpss.net. I am usually able to respond to polite email
almost immediately; however, it is often difficult to find a convenient telephone during
the school day.
B. WCPSS Make-up Work Policy
1. When you are absent, it is expected that you will find out and complete any work
you miss immediately upon your return to school. You can email me from your
WCPSS email or go the Google
Classroom site, too. BE RESPONSIBLE. TAKE CHARGE. DO IT FOR YOURSELF.
2. The Wake County School Boards policy (#6000) gives you ONE day for each day of
absence for absences of 1, 2, or 3 days in length and TWO days for each day for
absences greater than 3 days in
length to complete and turn in make-up work.
3. Any work assigned BEFORE the absence OR due on the day of your return to school,
is expected to be turned in on the day of your return. If your absence is
UNEXCUSED, teachers MAY reduce credit.
C. Rolesville High Schools Late Work Policy
1. Students are expected to complete and turn in assigned work when it is due. Work
submitted after the due date will be penalized by 10% per day, with a maximum
deduction of 40% of original credit. School-wide cut-off dates for late work
are provided in the table below.
Quarter 1
Quarter 2
Quarter 3
Quarter 4
September 23/October 21
December 9/January 17 February 24/March 22 May
4/June2
2. Please note there are TWO dates per quarter. The first cutoff date refers to the
final date at which work from the first half of the quarter can be submitted for
credit, and the second cut-off date refers to the final date at which work assigned
after the first cut-off date will be accepted for credit.
D. Technology Resources
1. Student EmailWCPSS provides every student with email through the school
systems server. It is
the only email that teachers and students may use to communicate with each
other.
2. Homebase Student & Parent PortalsYou can access grades, attendance, etc.
3. Kahoot It!a competitive Jeopardy-like game site that we will use for review.
Theres an app.
4. GradPointan online resource that corresponds to our in-class units; can be used
for review,
enrichment, or grade recovery throughout the semester.
5. Google Classroom _____________________. If you have never used Google
Classroom, you will find

it to be very user-friendly. You can post questions or complete assignments there

and I will TRY to
post as much of what we do in class there, too. I MIGHT even post a copy of a test
before we take it.
6. Online textbookGo to www.successnetplus.com. Username = thisstudent1,
password = rhs27571.
In the upper right, find the eText button that will open the book (it is slow on
some browsers).
7. YouTube UniversityYou can find pretty much anything online and YouTube
has become a great stage for folks to HELP YOU LEARN STUFF (CrashCourse,
HipHughesHistory, and Khan Academy are especially good). We may use them
in class, but you can review stuff at home, too. If you find something really cool
that helps you, let me know and it will become part of this class in the future.
I work with Mr. Watkins, our head athletic trainer, as the schools sport
medicine first responder. I am usually in the training room or with soccer,
wrestling, baseball, etc. from the last bell of the day until 4pm or later. If
you cannot find me in the classroom, youll know where I am.
Parents, you are the most important factor in your students success in
school, but grades are your childs responsibility. I will frequently ask your
student to talk to you about something we are doing in class or to even have
you help them with a particular assignment. If you have not done so, please
set up your parent portal access to PowerSchool so that you can track your
students progress.
Please sign below so that I will know that you and your student have
reviewed this document and complete the contact worksheet at the top of
the next page so that I will have best information for you.

______________________________

______________________________

Parent Signature and Date

Date

Student Signature and

Parent Contact Worksheet (OR just email me this information with your students
name as the subject)
1. BEST email (one you check often):
_________________________________________
2. BEST phone number(s) and whose:
_________________________________________
3. BEST time of day to contact you by phone:
_______________________________
4. WORST time of day to contact you by phone:
_______________________________
5. How can I contact you between 7:15-8:45AM?
________________________________

How to Succeed in Social Studies & It Works Every Time

Go to bed by 10:00. No, really; Im serious. Your brain programs information into longterm memory while you sleep. If you do not get enough sleep, your brain does not
have time to program and does not produce enough of the neurotransmitter chemicals
needed to focus and learn while you are awake.
Avoid energy drinks. I know you think you need your Monster/Red Bull/AMP to get up
in the morning, but the caffeine is damaging your liver and messing with your brain.
And while it wakes you up for a couple of hours by boosting your metabolism, it leads
to a crash when the caffeine and sugar run out and your metabolism drops. Its why
people sucking down Full Throttle/Rock Star/NOS at 7am are asleep in 2nd period. If
you want energy, eat breakfast.
Take notes. Students complain about taking notes, but Social Studies is a class in
which you have to learn information, not a skill, and taking notes is the most efficient
and effective way of learning information. Otherwise, I would just have you read the
book all day. Its simpleif Im talking about something youve never heard of, write it
down. If Im talking about a lot of stuff, SUMMARIZE and IDENTIFY MAIN IDEAS.
Speaking of notes, take a few minutes each night and read yours. This does not have
to be intense MUST LEARN NOW! reading. Just read your notes and think about
what we talked about that day and maybe the day before. Freak your rents out and
talk to them about it, too. IF YOU DO NOT STUDY, DO NOT EXPECT TO LEARN
ANYTHING OR DO WELL IN THIS CLASS.
Ask questions. Answers do not magically appear in your brain or on your paper.
Do your work. I choose assignments that I think will help you learn and which I have
done, too (at least once). Students who complete assignments are much more likely
to pass than those who do notin fact, its almost impossible to fail if you complete
what you are asked to do the way you are asked to do it. Copying someone elses
work does not help YOU process information or learn anything.
You dont have to like it; you just have to do it. Failing because you dont like the
material or teacher makes no sense because you then have to take it again, possibly
with the same teacher. It will not improve with age and suddenly become awesome.
Get it done the first time.

1. I generally frown upon late work as does the real world, but if you wish to receive
credit for a late assignment, you must provide an explanation for why it is late.
2. The length of your explanation should be ONE PARAGRAPH FOR EACH DAY you
are turning the assignment in late. Weekends, teacher workdays, holidays, etc.
count, too. I consider a paragraph to be at least 4 complete sentences. I did not
turn it in on Saturday or Sunday because we were not in school is not acceptable.

Who cares? It wasnt due on Saturday or Sunday, was it? After ONE WEEK, I will no
longer accept the late assignment for credit.
Exception #1: If I have not returned the assignment, you may turn it in with only
one paragraph.
Exception #2: If the papers are just hanging out in the IN tray, you might be able
to sneak it in late.
Exception #3: If I have reviewed correct answers to the assignment, you can no
longer receive credit.
Exception #4: If the graded assignment has been returned, you will receive no
higher grade than 70.
3. Your explanation must be typed in 11- or 12-point Times New Roman, Calibri, or
Arial. Paragraph spacing should be 1.5 or 2.0. Character spacing should be normal.
Margins should be no more than 1 inch all around. Computers and printers are
available in the media center if you need them.
4. Yes, I will read the WHOLE THING and keep it until the end of the semester.
5. It must be SIGNED AND DATED BY ONE OF YOUR PARENTS. Mrs. Smith is not
your moms name.
Late work will not be graded without this document. If you are turning in multiple
late assignments, each one needs a separate, unique document of explanation.
8. Go to www.pearsonsuccessnet.com. Log in with Username OldMacDonald and
Password AEGS14. These books MAY NOT HAVE THE SAME PAGE NUMBERS as our
in-class versions.
The site is safe and locked against outsiders, but as with all networking sites, people
can probably find a way to hack it and YOUR SAFETY is paramount. Do not post
personal information or pictures. I post to the site as often as necessary. I can attach
digital files of assignments or notes. You can do the assignment and then attach it
back to me.