Information for parents
If there were a mantra for this course, it would be: "take ownership over your learning." This means: find out what was missed when absent; log on to Canvas to be sure no work is missing or to find out what your grade is right now; seek help when needed; meet with Mr. Grande to revise an essay that was returned with a C or less; keep a planner and consult the website calendar and syllabi; ask when you don't understand--opine when you do. Feel free to contact me, but you may learn more about this course by reading about the following below:
When is the best time for Mr. Grande to meet?
Click here to see my schedule. Please note my free periods. I hold office hours on Wednesday immediately after school--please make an appointment.
What is expected of students in this course?
At the beginning of the year, all students read the Course Expectations and electronically sign a statement indicating that they have read and understand the expectations. These include: completing a daily assignment (4 x week), keeping an organized binder dedicated to this course (it's crucial that students manage and organize their homework, notes, returned essays and handouts), and staying in contact with a PAL and/or me when absent to avoid falling behind. Students are expected to take a missed quiz or test immediately after returning from an excused absence. All work, syllabi and assignments are posted electronically and I will distribute few in paper form, so students are responsible each day for accessing the work on their own. >Read the Course Expectations.
What does a complete homework assignment look like?
My rule of thumb: if you can look at a homework assignment in three months and use it to study for a final exam without having to figure out what it means, it is complete in a satisfactory manner. Students should copy and paste questions from the homework into their assignment and responses and notes must be thorough enough to explain and connect ideas that a student may have forgotten three months later.
What is cheating and plagiarism?
A full explanation is available at the link below. I encourage students to seek help and feedback, especially with their writing, from parents. However, please be careful to allow students to fully own the work that they do, and to avoid adding too much of your 'voice' to student writing. Students who submitted work with lots of parent input will fail the assignment. Students need to submit written work in their own individual style in order to receive authentic feedback. >Read more about cheating and plagiarism.
What is this course about?
No, this is not the same history course you took in high school. Our curriculum is much more global than it was in decades past. In my classes, I emphasize connections between past and present and attempt to make the curriculum applicable. A student need not remember details from class five years from now, but will hopefully be able to utilize concepts, skills, ideas, themes and compassion and care for their world, enough to engage the world as an active citizen. I believe that Social Studies should have a lab component; I do my best to compensate the lack of one (I encourage students to join the Social Justice Program club and apply for the >Program in Social Justice Leadership (see the activism page) if they want to pursue putting social studies into action). To learn more about this course, read the Course Overview and syllabus.
How is teaching and learning different in the age of rapid Climate Change?
This website is designed to eliminate the obscene amount of paper BHS teachers distribute (nearly 5 million pieces last year!). Please encourage your child to reduce the amount of paper s/he consumes. Learn more at my Go Green! page. Further, please consider purchasing a reusable water bottle for your child. Plastic bottles (and food) are not permitted in my classroom. Aside from their carbon footprint, they leave a mess in my classroom.
- When is the best time to meet?
- Course Expectations
- Homework: what is considered a complete assignment?
- Academic Integrity: What is cheating and plagiarism?
- What is this course about?
- Teaching in the age of Rapid Climate Change
- Chaperone the MFA class trip
When is the best time for Mr. Grande to meet?
Click here to see my schedule. Please note my free periods. I hold office hours on Wednesday immediately after school--please make an appointment.
What is expected of students in this course?
At the beginning of the year, all students read the Course Expectations and electronically sign a statement indicating that they have read and understand the expectations. These include: completing a daily assignment (4 x week), keeping an organized binder dedicated to this course (it's crucial that students manage and organize their homework, notes, returned essays and handouts), and staying in contact with a PAL and/or me when absent to avoid falling behind. Students are expected to take a missed quiz or test immediately after returning from an excused absence. All work, syllabi and assignments are posted electronically and I will distribute few in paper form, so students are responsible each day for accessing the work on their own. >Read the Course Expectations.
What does a complete homework assignment look like?
My rule of thumb: if you can look at a homework assignment in three months and use it to study for a final exam without having to figure out what it means, it is complete in a satisfactory manner. Students should copy and paste questions from the homework into their assignment and responses and notes must be thorough enough to explain and connect ideas that a student may have forgotten three months later.
What is cheating and plagiarism?
A full explanation is available at the link below. I encourage students to seek help and feedback, especially with their writing, from parents. However, please be careful to allow students to fully own the work that they do, and to avoid adding too much of your 'voice' to student writing. Students who submitted work with lots of parent input will fail the assignment. Students need to submit written work in their own individual style in order to receive authentic feedback. >Read more about cheating and plagiarism.
What is this course about?
No, this is not the same history course you took in high school. Our curriculum is much more global than it was in decades past. In my classes, I emphasize connections between past and present and attempt to make the curriculum applicable. A student need not remember details from class five years from now, but will hopefully be able to utilize concepts, skills, ideas, themes and compassion and care for their world, enough to engage the world as an active citizen. I believe that Social Studies should have a lab component; I do my best to compensate the lack of one (I encourage students to join the Social Justice Program club and apply for the >Program in Social Justice Leadership (see the activism page) if they want to pursue putting social studies into action). To learn more about this course, read the Course Overview and syllabus.
How is teaching and learning different in the age of rapid Climate Change?
This website is designed to eliminate the obscene amount of paper BHS teachers distribute (nearly 5 million pieces last year!). Please encourage your child to reduce the amount of paper s/he consumes. Learn more at my Go Green! page. Further, please consider purchasing a reusable water bottle for your child. Plastic bottles (and food) are not permitted in my classroom. Aside from their carbon footprint, they leave a mess in my classroom.