Make Good Choices - know right action from wrong action
Follow Established Expectations - Middle School worked hard to create common expectations for homework and behavior, you only need to know one set of expectations rather than one for each teacher!
Abide by school rules, especially dress code.
Time & Place - between bells and in the classroom you are focused on learning, take care of other business outside of the bells and outside of the classroom
Daily Materials - if you abide by "time & place" you will have all needed materials from your locker when you first arrive and will not need to ask to go to your locker
Patterns of Behavior - consistent correct action shows through and lapses in judgement or temporary forgetfulness can be easily forgiven; consistent wrong action or even inaction is another story and will be dealt with as the situations warrant.
Effort - each student's ability level is different; work to your ability level, not someone else's.
Communication - I am not a mind reader and I am also prone to forgetfulness. Tell me what you need or what is going on (within reason) so that I can better work with you. Do so in a timely manner (such as when the circumstance first arises) and remind me as necessary (if you're going to be absent for a dentist appointment in two weeks, tell me now, but remind me a day or two before).
A few more items from my course syllabi:
Late Work:
Social Studies follow the same Late Work procedure as all of Middle School. Homework is due at the start of class. Any work assigned in class is due when stated (start of class, at a certain time, or at the end of the period). After that time, it is Late. Paper Late work is turned into the same Turn In Bin as all other work.
Absent Work:
Social Studies follow the same Late Work procedure as all of Middle School. Homework is due at the start of class. Any work assigned in class is due when stated (start of class, at a certain time, or at the end of the period). After that time, it is Late. Paper Late work is turned into the same Turn In Bin as all other work.
Bell Ringers:
Each class begins with questions or simple activities on the Smart Board. These bell ringers are designed to quiz students on recent information or tap into prior knowledge. They also help to guide class conversation, clarify confusing information, and solicit student questions and thoughtful comments These are not collected but are shared with the class. Students are required to participate and they are to be used for test review.
Study Guides:
“Study Guides” in Social Studies are guided readings, not to be confused with test review, and are 100 points each. Students receive a study guide (SG) with each Topic that is read from the textbook. World History Study guides (6th & 7th) consist of fill-in-the-blank (cloze) readings, charts, diagrams, open-ended questions, and skill practice. American History Study guides (4th Quarter 7th grade & 8th) consist of a modified T-chart for note taking, analysis questions, and skill practice. They follow the structure of the textbook and include LESSON HEADING, MAJOR HEADLINES, LEARNING OBJECTIVES, and TARGETED READING SKILLS to help students navigate the text and achieve understanding. Students are assigned Lessons as part of scheduled homework. This progress is marked at the start of class before it is reviewed and corrected as a class. While working with the WOrld History closed-reading study guide, students who do not have the portion completed are asked to work in the hall temporarily while the class reviews and will also receive a late penalty with expectation the section still must be completed. Penalties begin in 6th grade at 2-points then with World History Topic 3 this penalty increases to 5 points for the remainder of Middle School. American HIstory modified T-chart study guides are checked to a teacher-provided answer key/example - those received late penalties have access to these reviews at the same time as students who had the homework reading completed on time. If a study guide is lost, ask for a new copy to avoid being unsupplied. Retrieving a copy from Google Classroom proactively will avoid issues. Corrections can be made in any color. All study guides are due on the day of the test. The usual late-work procedure applies after the test date. Study guides are to be on paper, as the text is electronic.
Test:
All chapter tests will follow the same format: Matching based on vocabulary/key people/key term; 10-20 questions Multiple Choice based on content knowledge, 2-12 points (quantity will vary) Multiple Response, possibility of a Short Answer section (mostly in 6th grade), and one 10 point (6th Grade) or 15 point (7th & 8th Grades) paragraph writing (3-4 choices given, topics for those choices are given on the reading study guide). Teacher provided reviews will be in Quizlet - students are expected to have a free account using thier SMG email to be able to access these Quizlets. All tests are entered into the grade book as a score of 100 (based on 100%) regardless of point value. This makes all tests equal regardless of length. (Exams to be 200 points, or “Two Tests”.) Paragraph writing is to follow the paragraph format introduced in English class and include all expected writing conventions. ALL students will have 5 school days to schedule a retake. Retakes will be required for scores under 80% with new score replacing previous. Original scores 80% and above will be averaged with the new score. Retakes are different versions of the same test. CLICK HERE TO SCHEDULE A TEST RETAKE.
Students in sixth grade will progress with their test taking. All tests from TOPIC 1 through TOPIC 5 will be “buddy tests” where two students can confer with each other in order to “talk through” the thought process. All students are to turn in their own test in the end and can chose to have different responses. All tests from TOPIC 6 through TOPIC 8 and TOPIC 11 will be allowed the use of their study guide.
Students in seventh grade will be allowed the use of one sheet of handwritten notes to be attached to the test at turn-in. These notes are encouraged to be focused on the possible essay topics.
Students in eighth grade will be allowed the use of one handwritten notecard.