General Information & Expectations

Teacher: Dr. Lawan Neely

E-Mail: lneely@langstoncharter.org

Phone: (864) 286-9700

Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lneelylangstoncharter/home

Welcome back to school!

I’m thrilled to start this year with a fresh outlook and a renewed excitement for learning. I'm eager to get to know each of you and embark on this journey together. This year, we’ll focus on skill-building, problem-solving, and a little virtual learning, all designed to enhance our mathematical thinking. Get ready to think outside the box and embrace new challenges!

Looking forward to a fantastic year with you and your family!  :-)

Expectations:

It is expected every day that you come prepared in the classroom setting with a great attitude and on your very best behavior. I expect this from you in and out of the classroom – everyday. I do not have a lot of class rules to follow. But I do ask that you do the following  everyday:

BE:

1.    On Time 

2.    Prepared each day

3.    Courteous (Respectful)

4.    Productive

5.    Ready to work “HARD”

*Please always be honest and uphold integrity in our class. Cheating or dishonesty will have consequences, so let's avoid these behaviors. Remember, cheating hinders your learning and growth. Our goal is to continuously learn and improve together! 

Routine

Each day when you enter the classroom, please be seated and start working on the Core Bite or Warm-up activity. These exercises are crucial for practice, so give them your best effort. We will review the answers together in class.

Here's what you can expect each day:

• Discuss and/or check homework

• Introduce the lesson for the day

• Practice problems related to the lesson to ensure you understand the procedures

• Work on problems either in class or as homework, depending on the available time

Supplies You Will Need for Class:

• Sharpened Pencils: Preferably wooden pencils or mechanical pencils with plenty of extra lead. Ensure you have your own personal stash of lead, as I do not supply lead for mechanical pencils. Bring wooden pencils every day!

• Paper: Students are expected to have paper every day.

• Content Materials: I will provide any content materials. If you lose a packet provided by me, it will be available in Microsoft Teams for you to print. Each student will receive one packet for instructional purposes.

How Homework is Graded:

• Completeness and Effort: Most of the time, I check homework for completeness and effort. However, one or two days a week (random days), homework may be checked for accuracy.

• Showing Work: All work must be shown for each problem to receive full credit. This applies to both in-class assignments and online homework.

• Answers and Review: Answers will be provided for homework (except for some Microsoft Teams or online assignments). We will work through a few problems in class for clarification. Students should use these reviewed problems to correct mistakes on additional problems.

• Responsibility: It is the students' responsibility to make corrections on homework and ask questions for clarification, as needed. Completing homework is expected.

• Homework Assignments: I typically do not assign homework on Fridays, but there may be occasional weekend assignments when necessary. Students should not spend excessive amounts of time on homework, but please keep in mind that this is an honors course.

• Calculator Use: Use calculators only when required or to check answers. Calculators are not permitted for certain assignments, especially during assessments. Therefore, practice completing your homework without a calculator unless otherwise instructed.

Assessments:

 *We are grading using a point system, therefore; points will be used to calculate grades for 2024 - 2025 school year. 

Letter grades are assigned at the end of each quarter based on the following grading Scale: 100-90 A/   89-80 B/   79-70 C/   69-60 D/   59-0 F

Based on the content covered in each unit, you may have a quiz or test for each section. Chapter, section, or unit tests will be administered approximately every two to three weeks, depending on the schedule. 

Parents and students are encouraged to check grades online often.

This course is aligned with the South Carolina College-and-Career-Ready Standards for Mathematics.

Movies in the Classroom: From time to time our class may have the opportunity to watch movies during school. The movies that will be viewed may be PG rated. 

Resources for Learning

We may use relevant materials from the textbooks or other resources I provide for Math 6 or Math 8 Accelerated. Our online practice may occasionally be on platforms such as Progressive Math or other online assessment resources.

I encourage each student to use a 3-ring binder (if available) to keep unit notes and problems organized in one place. After each unit, students should clear their binders and store the materials safely at home. If a student loses a packet or handout given in class, the notes will be posted in Microsoft Teams for printing.

*Additional resources may include instructional videos posted in Microsoft Teams for review.