Course Overview

South Hunterdon Regional High School

Science – Grade 7/8

Course Overview

2006-2007

Instructor: Daniel Vorgity

School Phone Number: (609)-397-2060 – x 3108

Class Webpage: http://weblog.shrhs.org/dvorgity/

Email Address: dan.vorgity@shrhs.org

v The following pages are your guidelines for Grade 7/8 Science. They contain the policies for: classroom behavior, grades, required materials, and class procedures.

v This course overview should be placed in the front of your binder and remain there for your reference for the entire school year.

Classroom Behavior:

Class Rules

Classroom time is a valuable commodity. There will be approximately 90, 82-minute classes within this school year for you to learn science. It is my expectation that this time will be utilized to the fullest potential. Therefore the following rules have been created to ensure that the amount of learning time is maximized and that all students have the opportunity to fully benefit from this class.

Always give every task your best effort.
Respect and cooperate with all other people in the class.
Always raise your hand to participate in discussions or ask questions.
During tests, quizzes and, independent work, complete your work and wait quietly until ALL students are finished.
During group and lab work, voices are to be kept low and discussions are ONLY in regard to the work at hand.

Violations

The previous rules will be used to guide your expected behavior throughout the year in this class. As an employee of South Hunterdon Regional, it is also my responsibility to enforce the school rules that are outlined in your agenda. The following is a list of some possible violations of the class and school rules and the consequences. This list is NOT all-inclusive and consequences may be altered depending on the specific situation!

Direct defiance/insubordination or blatant disrespect towards others in the class– referral to the office, loss of 10 Class Participation points
Cheating – referral to the office, loss of 10 CP points
General misbehavior or unsafe behavior during experiments – detention, loss of 5 CP point
Talking during independent work/lectures -

1st offense: warning/seat change, loss of 3 CP points

2nd offense: detention, loss of 10 CP points

Failing to raise hand or calling out -

1^st offense: warning/seat change, loss of 3 CP points

2^nd offense: detention, loss of 10 CP points

Detention

An after school detention will be assigned to students who commit a severe violation or who repeatedly disregard my warnings. Detention will be held from 2:45 to 3:45 in this classroom and will involve a written assignment that must be done without interruption. Failure to show up for or removal from my detention will result in 3 days of office detention, one of which must be served with me.

Grading

Overview

You are solely responsible for your grades. Neither your lab partners, your friends, nor myself gives you a grade in this or any other class. Rather, you earn a grade. At this point in your educational career you should be mature enough to understand that the effort that you put forth is directly related to the grade that you receive. Your teachers and I are merely the overseers and reporters of what you earn.

Grades will be determined from 4 areas with the following weight:

· Tests = 40%

· Homework = 25%

· Class Work = 10%

· Class Participation = 5%

· Quizzes = 20%

Tests = 40%

You will generally be given 4-5 tests per quarter each being worth 100points. Most tests will consist of multiple choice, matching, and true/false type questions as well as one essay question at the end of each chapter. Some major essays, projects, or lab experiments will be counted as tests. Additionally, another test grade will be will be derived from your science journal.

Homework = 25%

You will be assigned about 15 homework assignments a quarter each being worth 10 points. Most will consist of reading the assigned textbook section, defining the section key terms and answering the assessment questions in the journal. Occasionally, lab report write-ups, worksheets and out-of textbook readings may be assigned for homework as well. Homework for the day will always be written on the board in the front of the room and should always be copied into your agenda at the beginning of class. Additionally the upcoming week’s homework can be found at my website.

Homework will be graded on a 0-10 scale. As a general rule, 9’s and 10’s could be considered an “A”, 8 would be about a “B”, 7 a “C”, 6 a “D” and, 5-0 an “F”. To receive full credit, all homework must be handed in on-time, fully compete, and follow these requirements (if applicable):

· Heading: The following complete heading must be placed on all loose-leaf homeworks in the following order in the upper left-hand corner of the page:

Full Name: John Smith

Date: 9/10/06

Teacher’s Name – Period: Mr. Vorgity – 3^rd Period

Assignment: Page A-10, #3

· Paper: All loose-leaf homeworks must be completed on a standard piece of lined paper.

· Ink: Hand-in homework must be completed in either standard blue/black ink or pencil only.

· Neatness: The work that you hand in reflects the quality of effort you have put forth. Homeworks must be organized neatly and have no rough, wrinkled or torn edges.

è If any of these homework requirements are not met, the assignment will either be returned to you to be redone for the next day or you will receive an automatic 3point deduction of your grade for the homework.

è Late homework will not receive full credit. Missing homework must be handed in by the beginning of the next day to receive credit. Afterwards, homeworks will NOT be accepted. A 3point deduction will be made to all late homeworks.

è In the case of absence on the day that a homework is due, it is your responsibility to have the homework completed on the day that you return. For absences greater then one day in length, you will have the number of days you were absent to make up all missing assignments.

· Some homework assignments will be completed in your science journals and NOT on a separate sheet of paper. You will be clearly told when homework is to be done in your journal. Be aware of where the homework is to be completed.

Class Work – 10%

Oftentimes worksheets from labs, movies and, the current section will be completed during class. These worksheets will also be marked on the same 1-10 point scale as the homework.

Class Participation – 5%

A class participation grade will be determined after every 5 classes and will be worth 25points per 5 class cycle. A good class participation grade will reflect a student who consistently follows the class rules, listens to my directions, and puts forth a good effort.

The following system will be used to determine a class participation grade on a day-to-day basis:

· Following class rules, good effort: 5points for the day

· Bonus points: +1 to ???

· Missing materials: -3

· Tardy (without a signed pass): -3

· Disruptive / Off-task (not paying attention / talking): -3

· Calling Out: -3

· Misbehavior (sent out/cheating/major behavior violations): -10

· Absent: -5 --- (students are to get an extra credit assignment to receive the class participation points for the day missed; this is your responsibility.)

Class participation grades will be posted after each 5 day cycle by birthday NOT name.

· Failing Class Participation – A grade at or below a 10 of 25 is deemed a failing class participation grade. If a student fails their class participation grade for the 5 day CP cycle, they will receive a written assignment to be completed at an after school detention.

· Science Bucks – All students who receive a perfect class participation score of 25 or above will receive one Science Buck. With Science Bucks you can “purchase” items from the board located in the front of the room such as homework passes, bonus points, and other items. Science Bucks may NOT be traded or given to other students as they are your reward for acting as a mature / good student.

Quizzes – 20%

You will be given approximately 10-15 quizzes over the course of the quarter each being worth 25points. Quizzes will generally be taken at the beginning of the class period and will cover the material covered during the previous day. Quizzes will also come in other forms such as, but not excluded to:

· Vocabulary, reading, and movie quizzes

· Writing assignments

· Activity/lab reports

Maintaining Your Grades:

To ensure that you continuously know your standing in this class you are encouraged to record all grades that you receive. The sample Student Grade Sheet located on the next page shows how to record your grade. Student Grade Sheets are available each quarter and should be stored in the front of your binder. It is your responsibility to keep it updated at all times. Keeping an updated Student Grade Sheet will allow you to always have a good understanding of your progress and alleviate the need to ask, “What’s my grade?”

Name: ____________________________

Student Grade Sheet - ____ Quarter

1. Tests – 40% (100pts each)

1. ______

2. ______

3. ______ #of tests given

4. ______ ^

5. ______ = ______ / _______ = _______ x .40 = ______ (1)

2. Homework – 25% (10pts each)

1. ______ 9. ______

2. ______ 10. ______

3. ______ 11. ______

4. ______ 12. ______

5. ______ 13. ______

6. ______ 14. ______ # of homeworks assigned

7. ______ 15. ______ ^

8. ______ 16. ______= ______ / ______ = _______ x10 _______ x .25 = _______(2)

3. Class Work – 10% (10 pts each)

1. ______ 9. ______

2. ______ 10. ______

3. ______ 11. ______

4. ______ 12. ______

5. ______ 13. ______

6. ______ 14. ______ # of classwork assignments

7. ______ 15. ______ ^

8. ______ 16. ______ = ______ / ______ = _______ x10 _______ x .1 = _______ (3)

4. Class Participation – 5% (25pts each)

1. ______

2. ______

3. ______ # of class participation grades

4. ______ ^

5. ______ = _______ / _______ = _______ x 4 = _______ x .05 = ______ (4)

5. Quizzes – 20% (25pts each)

1. ______ 7. ______

2. ______ 8. ______

3. ______ 9. ______

4. ______ 10. _____ # of quizzes given

5. ______ 11.______ ^

6. ______ 12.______ = _______ / ______ = ______ x 4 ______ x .2 = ______ (5)

Total

______ + ______ + ______ + ______ = ______

(1) (2) (3) (4) Current Grade

Class Procedures:

Class Format

The general class format and structure will vary from previous years due to the new block period schedule. The general intended format for most class periods this year will be as follows:

· “Warm-up” activity / worksheet and homework check

· Quiz (from previous day’s material)

· Notes / discussion of current section

· 5 minute break

· Independent work

· Lab activity

This is a general format and will change depending upon the day and material being covered. Tests will be given at the end of each chapter and will be given at the beginning of the period following a review day.

Science Journal

The majority of your work this year will be done in your science journal. It is in your journal that you will record all key words, answer end-of-section questions, summarize the procedures of activities, record all lab data, and discuss your findings. Once a quarter you will take a science journal test to ensure that all activities, vocabulary and, assessment questions are organized and recorded properly. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to make up what you missed.

To earn a good grade for your science journal test as well as to remain organized, it is imperative that you follow these directions for each section of the textbook (this is a general procedure – they will not all be exactly like this):

1. Draw a double line at the end of the last section to mark the beginning of a new one.

2. Write the date on the left side of next line.

3. On the next line write the number of the current section, a dash and, the section’s title. Then underline it.

4. Write and underline Key Terms on the next line. They will be listed on the first page of each section you complete.

5. Write each bold lettered word you find in the section and its definition. Definitions may be found within the section’s reading or in the textbook’s glossary.

6. Next, after reading the section, you will often need to answer the end-of-section Assessment questions. Write and underline Assessment and answer the questions in complete sentences.

è Oftentimes a section of the textbook will be assigned for homework and the next day there will be a short quiz on the material.

è In addition to Key Terms and Assessment questions, your journal may/will also contain: notes, experiment procedures/data/summaries depending on the particular section.

è Each person is to do their own journal; students will not write their science journals as a group.

Hall Passes

Use of the hall pass is allowed once a period for students to: use the bathroom, go to their locker, or get a drink. Students do not need to ask but before leaving students must place a check next to their name and the day of the quarter on the hall pass checklist in the front of the room. Only one student may use the hall pass at a time and should not be gone for more then 5 minutes. Use of the hall pass is a privilege and can be taken away for not following the class rules or for misuse.

Food and Drinks

Food and drink is not permitted in the science room during regular class time. This rule is for your safety. The only exceptions are if a student is in the science room during their lunch period, if I permit water bottles in the class for especially hot days in the early fall/spring, or if a student has a doctor’s note which explicitly necessitates readily available food and/or drink. All food found in the science room during regular class time will be confiscated and thrown out.

Class Web Page

The address for this class’s web page is: http://weblog.shrhs.org/dvorgity/. On the web site you will be able to: look up the week’s homework assignments, find links to the text book and other related science sites, get class reminders, find club information, find a copy of this course overview and, email me with any questions. My hope is that you will use this tool to make success in this class more convenient and accessible.

Group Work

Group work will be widely used in this class. Working in a group is no different then playing for a team. It requires focus, cooperation, and maturity. It also involves setting goals and collectively putting forth the effort to accomplish them.

Student groups will be determined by myself to begin the year and after Mid-Terms. Student groups will NOT be adjusted to accommodate friendships and will only be changed under dire circumstances.

The following are some general rules for working in a group:

· Assign roles - Always assign a role to each person in the group and make sure each person understands what they are to do. At times, the textbook will list the roles that need to be filled while at other times all people in the group will have the same role.

· Have everyone’s attention - Be sure that everyone is paying attention when doing an activity or a lab experiment. Do not start or continue with the activity until everyone is focused.

· Everyone plays an equal part - Everyone in the group should be heard during discussion and their opinion given equal weight.

è If you feel as though someone is not pulling their weight within your group or that someone is overly dominating your group please bring it to my attention in private after class.

Lab and Activity Materials

Most equipment for activities and labs for each group will generally be located on trays in the back of the room. The equipment and chemicals are not toys! Do not touch them or bring them to your table until I specifically tell your group to begin. This is for your safety! Much of the equipment you will use this year is new and therefore care should be taken to ensure that it stays in the condition that you found it. By properly following the directions and being careful, no problems should occur. Additionally no group members will be allowed to leave the room at the end of the period until I have seen that all materials have been returned and cleaned.

è It is my belief that everyone in this class has the abilities to be successful. By following the directions discussed in this overview and consistently trying your best, you will find that you will learn science and EARN yourself a grade that reflects your effort.

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