As a teacher I not only want to see students earn their credits but, to also succeed in learning. I try to use a variety of ways to earn points, but also want students to be aware that they have some responibilties and work. I mainly teach juniors and seniors so I I have expectations that I hope will not only prepare them for a grade or credit in my classroom, but for life. If students are engaged, work to their potential, and come to school they should be successful in my class. Difficulties arise when work is not turned in or tests are not made up. I will do daily writing and participation activities that will be a large part of their grade along with tests. On occassion I will offer extra credit, but this should not be counted on for assisting with grades. I usually do this when I see opportunities for students to become engaged with government through such things as attending government events in our community, watching specific shows/news events, or communicating with government leaders.
The school corporation has started using the Skyward program to update students and families about their grades through access. While the grades will be posted, there is a chance that missing work or tests have not been listed or entered as zero or work may still need entered. If there are any questions or you want to know an exact grade due to concerns please do not hesitate to email me. Unless there are specific circumstances that I have been made aware of by the student, parent, or school officials I will provide one week for make up work before it is turned into a zero. Make up tests will need to be taken the day a student returns to school unless there is a special circumstance that has been shared prior to the return. It is not fair to students who were there to take the tests to wait longer than a week to get their work back and to review their mistakes.
I grade with points and make the final grade based on the students' percentage. My grades are assigned based on the values below:
94-100 A 74-76 C
90-93 A- 70-73 C-
87-89 B+ 67-69 D+
84-86 B 64-66 D
80-83 B- 60-63 D-
77-79 C+ Below 60 is failing
I do use PowerPoint presentations when I present lecture material. These will be made available on this website under announcements and/or the link for powerpoints. This helps in case students missed a day or would like to review their presentation. I will also use the section for government announcements to share what we are doing each week and day. For the most part we will stick to that schedule, but at times I may need to make adjustments and will update that calendar as soon as possible.
I will make contact with the parents if I see that a student has failed the first 6 weeks or has a low grade that could jeopardize earning the credit. I suggest if you are interested in following your grade as a student or parent that you become active on the Engrade system. Please do not hesitate to contact me of there are questions about specific grades or concerns that you may have with the class. I welcome and encourage communication.
The best advice for social studies, or really for any class, is to get engaged in discussion and topics. The more a student becomes a part of the discussion and topic the more success they will find with their grades and work.