Materials

• Pen
• Pencil
• 3 ring binder with dividers/Science notebook
• Folder
• Ruler
• Colored pencils
• Crayons
• Glue stick
• Calculator (optional)
• Highlighter

Units of Instruction

Scientific Inquiry

Classification & Adaptation

Grading Policy

Each trimester grades will be determined by a combination of the following assignments: Test/Quizzes, Homework/Class work, Labs/Projects, Attendance/Class Participation, and Behavior.

All grades will be calculated on a point system and assigned a grade based on the following scale:

A:90-100,B: 80-89,C: 70-79,D 60-69, Failing: Below 59

Homework Policy

Homework is given approximately two to three days per week. Homework may be a reading assignment, worksheet, review questions, writing activities, labs, or unfinished class work. Every Monday students will write the homework for the week in their daily planners even if there is no homework for that night. Students may also check the website for assignments.

Absence and Make up Work

All class work and homework missed due to absences is expected to be made up. Excused late work for those absent must be completed within the same number of days that the student has been absent. (example 2 days absent= 2 days to hand in work)

Lab Experiments & Group Work

Students will conduct numerous labs which will bolster science literacy. The intent of these labs is to enable students to master science concepts, to develop scientific reasoning, and to work as a team.

Much of what we do in Science class requires us to work in small groups of usually no more than four students to a group. Therefore respect and cooperation from each student is essential.

Students will frequently be in a lab setting, safety and respect for the equipment is always a concern. Students are required to sign and return a lab safety agreement early in the year which will help them understand how to work safety in a lab setting.

Quizzes & Tests

Students can expect to take a test after each unit has been completed.  Daily quizzes are given for formative assessment.

Projects

Students will complete several projects this year.  There will be one project for each unit!

Current Event

Every other week, students will be asked to obtain a current event article from a newspaper, magazine or journal, or news website.  Current events have to be science related. Articles written before 2008 will not be accepted.

Students will be asked to complete the following:

On a piece of re-used paper, (scrap paper which can be found anywhere), record the following:

·         Your name and section (top right corner of page)

·         The COMPLETE title of the article

·         The DATE of the article

·         The author of the article

·         Where the article can be obtained (newspaper, website, etc)

·         A paragraph summarizing the article. 

Science Notebook/Portfolio

Science notebooks serve as a portfolio of learning over the year. You will make a notebook for each unit by keeping a binder of your class work, labs, and homework as listed in the notebooks table of contents (TOC). At the end of the unit, notebooks are graded for quality, completeness, visual appearance, and organization. Points are deducted from your participation grade if you do not have a notebook. Your graded notebook will then be placed in a portfolio folder for you to keep till the end of the year.