Expectations

• Come to class on time, prepared to learn and participate.
• Ask questions often!
• Respect and listen to your classmates and your teacher.
• Leave your environment better than you found it.

• If absent, the student is responsible for seeking out the missed content. Classwork and homework will be available Google Classroom.
• Students with absences known in advance must meet with Mrs. Reed outside of class time to not only pick up class and homework, but preview the concepts missed.
• Students absent for one day will be expected to turn in their late work a day after the return. Students absent longer will need to meet with Mrs. Reed to plan a schedule of work return and lesson make-up.

Required

• Pencils or pens
• Science folder (provided)
• charged Chromebook
• headphones/earbuds (that fit in the Chromebook case)

Recommended

• colored pencils
• loose leaf paper in the folder (~10 sheets)

In Mrs. Reed's classes: Students will be assigned weekly homework, nearly every week, to practice skills and engage with the topic using diverse learning styles. There are always 5 pages of homework assigned and students will complete any 3 of the 5 pages. As the page numbers increase, so does the complexity of content in relation to the standard. Pages 1 and 2 focus on practicing skills and vocabulary, page 3 begins application of those skills. Pages 4-5 continue application include extension opportunities. Students often find that they switch up the pages that they complete depending on interest. Homework is assigned on Wednesdays and due on Wednesdays, unless the class is dropped or there is a vacation day. Occasionally (approximately 3x/yr) there are projects to work on outside of class, but ample class time will also always be given.

In Mr. Reddington's class:

In Ms. King's classes:

Students will be evaluated on a standards-based basis. While students will engage in a diverse array of learning activities that will allow them to discover and check their understanding of the content. Students will be evaluated on portfolios that they develop to provide evidence of their understanding of the 12 standards throughout the year.

Students will be selecting 3-4 assignments from completed classwork, weekly homework, labs, reflections, projects and "Kinetic Conversations" and optional enrichment work that best represent their understanding of the standard for their portfolios. Students will also submit a structured reflection along with their portfolio in order to help grow metacognition on their learning process.

Kinetic Conversations are a conferenced-based tactile evaluation method that allows individual assessment of student understanding and gets rid of the lag time to address misconceptions. During a Kinetic Conversation, students may be sorting vocabulary words on a velcro chart, focusing a microscope, or proving an inheritance pattern using a Punnett Square. Kinetic Conversations, unlike traditional assessments, are offered throughout the unit, not just at the end, allowing students flexibility for their learning pace.