Courses

Policies and Procedures

Homework: 

Homework will be assigned regularly in class. It is assumed that students will read the sections of the text that correspond to the homework without specific reference to it. Questions regarding a particular assignment will be dealt with in class on the following day. It needs to be understood that success in this class is dependent on being able to complete problems similar to those in the homework. Failure to keep up with the assigned work will result in academic difficulty and late work will be penalized. In lieu of collecting homework, I reserve the right to give short quizzes based on the assignments and homework will be spot checked to ensure that students are keeping up. The problems listed in parentheses are of a more difficult nature and are intended to give added challenge at the end of a chapter.

Tests/Assessments: 

Tests will consist of multiple choice and Free response questions, will be announced in advance, and are designed to be 45-minutes in length. Most equations will be supplied for both tests and quizzes. It is important for students to understand they are expected to complete tests and quizzes in the allotted time and should pace themselves accordingly. Work will be collected at the end of the allotted time (some exceptions). In the event a student has more than two tests on a given day, he/she may make arrangements IN ADVANCE for an alternate test date. 

Test Corrections will be expected from every student through the first semester. Corrections need to follow the required format and must be performed in the classroom (i.e. Advisory, before/after school).

Quizzes can be multiple choice or short answer, and may be given without prior announcement. Quizzes will reflect material that has been recently addressed. 

Lab Work: 

Each laboratory exercise will be accompanied by a hand-written report in each student’s Lab Notebook (composition notebook). These will be collected 2 class periods after the data has been collected. Although students perform the labs in small groups it is expected that each of the reports are unique and an individual's own work. Use of the internet and outside sources is acceptable as long as the work is APPROPRIATELY cited. Reports that are identical or indicate plagiarism in any form, will be assigned a zero and dealt with according to school policy.

Engagement:

This is a reflection of the student's level of engagement/participation/contribution during class and laboratory exercises. Participation grades will be issued 2-3 times a quarter.

Extra Help: 

Extra help will be made available to students needing it before the start of school or after school. I do, however, request that students make these arrangements with me in advance and come armed with specific questions on problems, etc. that they have tried and are unable to complete. Extensions must be requested in advance of the due date for any assessment.

Common Tasks:

A common task will be performed each semester. This task will require students to use scientific processes/techniques to determine the identity of an unknown. It will be an on-demand task in written form or set up as an investigation.

Required Materials: 

Students should have a scientific calculator (or graphing calculator) and notebook on a daily basis. For a notebook, I recommend a three ring binder so that handouts, labs, and homework may be kept organized for the purposes of preparing for tests and exams. The use of computers will be required for some class work and students should have a flash drive (4 GB minimum) to store files.