"What's the point of studying things that happened hundreds or thousands of years ago?"

Well, here are some great reasons:

• You see where many of your cultural traditions (like holidays, manners, sayings, music, etc.) come from.

• You understand the rights and responsibilities that you have as an American.

• You understand modern issues because you are knowledgeable about their historical background.

• You have compassion for people who are different from you because you understand "where they are coming from,” and you learn to consider multiple perspectives on an issue.

• You can be an effective leader because you learn from great leaders of the past.

• You can solve difficult problems because you know how they've been solved in the past.

• You can learn from and avoid mistakes that have been made in the past (like not proofreading a research paper)!

"What skills will I master this year?"

Behavior Skills

• I show respect for the environment and for others by:

• I am honest.

• I put forth my best effort.

• I treat others as I would wish to be treated.

Academic Skills

While I hope you will learn many things in my class, the following are six key skills that you should master by the end of the year:

• I can gather reliable information from academically appropriate sources, as well as identify and understand the information that is important to me.

• I can record and preserve class notes and other relevant information in a legible and organized fashion.

• I can follow written and verbal instructions.

• I can engage in civil and informed discussions on historical topics, and work cooperatively in groups.

• I can draw my own conclusions and form ideas and opinions based on historical information.

• I can support historical theses and my own ideas clearly in writing.

• My written work is well organized and thoroughly proofread; I follow the MLA format and correctly cite all sources.