A few general class policies and procedures for Mr. Mulder's class... What to Bring to Science Class Behavior Working in the Lab Assignments and Homework If You Miss Class... If You Know You are Going to Miss Class... Grading What to Bring to Science Okay, so you're in junior high now, which means you have some automatic responsibility--like coming to class prepared, every single day. When you come to science class you should bring along:
Class Behavior Umm...yeah, you have to behave yourself. What does that look like? My sincere advice: read Matthew 22:36-40. Then do it. (Repeat daily, as needed.) While you'll work on individual projects once in awhile, many of our class activities happen in pairs, small groups, or whole class events. This mirrors what "fancy pants" (professional) scientists do--they often collaborate (work together) to solve problems and discover more about the amazing way God has created this world. Remember that reasonable people sometimes disagree. This is true of fancy pants scientists, and of junior high students. Disagreement is not a bad thing. Disrespect is a bad thing. Arguing your point in Christian love and kindness = good. Verbally, emotionally, or physically beating other people into a pulp = bad. In short: no disrespect--not to God, your classmates, your teachers, or yourself. You can expect the same thing from me as your teacher--I'm continually learning (I hope!) to be more like Jesus, and to follow his way, rather than my own way. Expect to work hard and think hard in science class. You come to school not because you are smart (though I'm sure you are intelligent!), but rather to get smart. This means you will have to be ready to expend effort--mentally, and sometimes physically as well! Be ready to think, write, question, explore, investigate, reason, explain, research, report, discuss, and provide evidence to back up your argument when you come to science class. Working in the Lab One of the best things about science class its "hands-on-ness." (Is that a word?) We are blessed to have a pretty great lab facility for junior high science. As a junior high science student you have some responsibilities for keeping yourself and others safe in the lab. These include:
Assignments and Homework First off--there is a difference between an "assignment" and "homework." An assignment is anything your teacher assigns you to do to help you learn. Homework is a special category of assignment that is done...at home (or at least, outside of class.) You can expect an assignment pretty much every day in science class. But, because I value having students collaborate, and work in the lab, and really do science, I usually don't assign very much homework to my students in science class. If you do have a homework assignment in science, it's pretty important that you have it done when it's due. You might have to read a section from your textbook, or view an online lecture (I'll explain more about that in class), or write/draw/build/create something--the point is, when you have a homework assignment in science class, it's usually because you're going to do something with the information from that assignment in class the next day. For example, if you have to read something from your textbook about speed and acceleration, it's a safe bet that in tomorrow's science class you'll be heading to the lab to roll marbles through a tube or play with a hover-puck or participate in some other active, in-class assignment that will require you to know a few things from the reading you were assigned for homework. I have a special spot on the white board in my room dedicated to 7th grade science assignments and another for 8th grade assignments, so you'll know for sure what you need to do and when it is due. You can also check out the junior high website, which is updated daily with homework assignments from all of your classes. In short--if you have a homework assignment, be sure it's done by the due date, which is often the next time science class will meet. If You Miss Class... First off, don't panic. Missing science class is a huge bummer, because you are likely to miss out on an awesome lab activity, a super-cool demonstration, or a weird Mr. Mulder story. But if you have the flu, or an orthodontist appointment, or your great-aunt Edna's funeral, you'll survive missing one class period. If you do miss a science class period, it is often hard to make up for what you missed. We simply can't recreate the discussion, questions, thinking, and activities exactly the way they happened when you weren't here. It is very important that you talk to one of your classmates who was here so you can find out what you missed. If there was a homework assignment due on the day you weren't here, you'll still be responsible for completing it in a timely fashion. If You Know You are Going to Miss Class... Remember, don't panic. Huge bummer for you for not being here, but you'll survive. If you know you're not going to be here--and especially if you're going to miss more than one day--let me know as soon as possible. That way, if I'm making new lab groups or if we're starting something new, I can take this information into account. Because so much of science class happens communally--with all of us working together, or contributing our part to answer a question or solve a problem--it is difficult to say how your assignments might change if you aren't in class. You may be assigned an alternative homework assignment, or you might be placed into a group with other people who will be gone (ex.--orchestra festival, etc.) and do the work later in study hall. Basically, it's generally better to be here than to not be here, because you'll miss out on good stuff! Grading Everyone always wants to know how they'll be graded. Okay, hold on--this is going to get a little bumpy... Your grade for each quarter in science class will be determined by how well you've mastered the concepts we're studying during that quarter. I've broken down the material we will learn about into 5 to 8 "Big Ideas" for each quarter. Your quarter grade will be determined by how well you can show me that you understand those "Big Ideas." Whenever you have an assignment, I'll use it to check your understanding of one or more Big Ideas. I don't put letter grades (ex.--"C+" or "A-") or even scores (ex.--"18/20" or "90%") on any assignments: not on essays, lab sheets, quizzes, ...well, basically you won't see letter grades on anything other than report cards. So...how will you know how you're doing? Here's what I do instead: you'll get a number score written on your assignment, and written comments from me about what you did well and what you can improve. The number shows what I'd rank your current level of understanding of that Big Idea based on that assignment. Here's the numbers and what they mean:
As you learn more and more about the Big Ideas for a quarter, you'll have many opportunities to show me what you've learned. At the beginning of the quarter, you might not know anything about one or more of the Big Ideas--but that's okay, remember that you come to school to "get smart," right? The key is that you continue to show me that you understand more and more about the Big Ideas as you learn more and more about them. The goal is that everyone will have a "proficient" understanding of all the Big Ideas by the end of the quarter. You may be asking, "Why in the world do you do this, Mr. Mulder??" That's a fair question. There are five main reasons:
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