Mr. Dufour
Integrated Science
Grade 8
Syllabus
Contact Information: Chad Dufour
e-mail: cdufour@nrsd.org
phone: 978-939-5928
website: www.dufourscience.org
Extra Help Days are Tuesday and Thursday and are subject to change.
All material covered in class will come from a combination of the Mass State Frameworks in Science and Technology as well as the Next Generation Frameworks.
Topics to be covered will be:
Earth and Space: Earth and Moon Interaction, Gravity, Tides, Meteorology, Plate Tectonics, Rock Formation, Oceans, as well as human activities and how they will affect the Earth (Global Warming).
Life Science: Organic Chemistry as it relates to digestion and respiration, Genetics, Biotechnology, Natural Selection, and Sexual vs. Asexual Reproduction.
Physical Science: Atoms and Molecules, Chemical Reactions, Physical and Chemical Properties of Matter, Conservation of Matter, Density, and Newton’s Laws of Motion.
Methods of instruction will include: hands on activities, labs, popsicle stick vocabulary review, do-now problems, mine-ours-class activities, class discussions, as well as computers and other techniques that will guide the students to mastery of the material.
Grades will come from assessments given to students. Assessments will include tests, quizzes, labs, homework, mine-ours-class activities and class discussion. Students grades will be determined by how many points they earn within a term. Grading guidelines are as follows:
Tests are worth 100 points.
Labs are worth 100 points.
Quizzes are worth 50 points.
Homework is worth 20 points.
Classwork is worth 20 points.
All assignments are added together and divided by the total amount of points for all assignments.
Example: Points Earned Assignments Points
Test 1 80 100
Test 2 100 100
Quiz 1 45 50
Quiz 2 35 50
Lab 85 100
Homework 1 20 20
Homework 2 0 20
Homework 3 10 20
Total Points 375 460
375 divided by 460 equals .815 for an average of an 82 or a B-.
Testing
It will be up to the student to make arrangements to make-up a test if they are absent when the test is given. Term 1 & 2 students will be allowed to do a re-take. The highest grade a student can earn on a re-take is a 90. Term 3 & 4 students will not be allowed to do a re-take except where 504’s and IEP’s provide other guidelines. This is done as a way to help prepare students for high school.
Homework
Homework is due the following school day and late assignments must be turned in the next day and are given half credit. The handbook policy and 504’s as well as IEP’s are followed in regards to this policy. Homework is expected to be completed in the notebook unless it is a project or worksheet type activity.
Labs
Labs will be started in class and students will be required to complete writing the Analysis/Conclusion section on their own. Late labs will lose 5 points a day until a minimum of 50 is reached. The points will be taken off the lab grade after it has been graded.
Notebooks
Students are expected to keep a notebook and have a binder or folder to keep all handouts, quizzes, tests, labs and other papers from class. A notebook test will be given at the end of each term as a method of checking notebooks. Students can use anything in their notebook, binder, and folder to take the test.
Expectations
Students are expected to be on time and prepared for class each day. They will need to bring their textbook, notebook, agenda, and writing utensil to class daily. Students are also expected to be respectful of anyone or anyone’s property within the classroom.