Physical Science – Mr. Holthouse

Class Policies and Expectations – 2013-14

 

Welcome to Physical Science!   This serves as our formal introduction to the class – how we’ll try to learn a lot and, I hope, have fun doing so.  Please

·         read this carefully,

·         share it with your parents, and then

·         fill out the Day 1 Survey to acknowledge that you did!

 

Stuff…

  …you need in class EVERY DAY:

·         Your Chromebook

·         TI-83 Plus calculator

·         A bound lab journal book; for example, see Staples Composition Notebooks

·         A minimum 1-inch three-ring notebook with:

o   Quadrille ruled graph paper

o   Other (cheaper) paper for taking notes

·         A ruler with a centimeter scale

·         AT LEAST 2 sharpened pencils, or a reliable mechanical one with spare lead

   …you need, but can leave at home:

·         A bigger three ring notebook for keeping your work organized for exam reviews

 

Respect and Responsibility

I expect you to behave in a mature and respectful manner in the classroom.  Specifically:

·         Pay attention in class.

·         Don’t interfere with others’ learning.

·         Follow directions.  We use expensive, and, if not properly used, potentially dangerous equipment.

·         Treat lab equipment and supplies with care, like you were paying for them yourself (your parents are!)

 

Academic Integrity

The Science Department endorses the definition of Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism that are stated in the Student Handbook.  The Department will follow the procedure stated regarding consequences.  The following situations are examples of academic dishonesty:

1.              Graded homework or graded class work completed with someone’s help (friend or friends, parent, tutor, etc.) that does not have the name of each such person listed on the assignment.

2.              A student’s written assignment, report, paper or research project written completely or in part by someone else, or incorporating ideas, pictures, text, or other materials from another source (including conversations with individuals or non-copyrighted works on the internet) without explicit identification of such material and a formal citation of the source.

3.              Sharing of materials (calculators, notes, etc.) during any quizzes or tests without explicit authorization by teacher.

4.              Use of graphing calculators or other electronic devices to store formulas, notes or programs during quizzes or tests without explicit authorization by teacher.

 

Class Web Site and Email

The class web site is http://www.mholthouse.org. This will provide you:

·         a summary of the topics or text sections covered in class each day

·         lecture notes for some topics

·         lab and homework assignments

·         pointers to some sites that offer extensions, alternate approaches, or additional problems related to our topics

 

I use email when necessary to broadcast assignment updates and scheduling changes for things like snow days, etc.  Your Chromebook is your friend.  I do my best to make sure that everything on the web site is simple enough to work for both Macs and PCs and their various browsers as well, but I create it on a PC using Microsoft Word.  If something doesn’t look right to you, let me know by email and I’ll try to fix it or email you an alternate version of the document.

 

If you find a particularly appropriate site somewhere on the web that you think would make a valuable addition, send me a summary of it, including why you think it would be valuable to the class, and I’ll add a link to it along with your recommendation.  You can earn 1-3 homework points (see below) for a good link.

 

IMPORTANT:  If You are Absent

It is your responsibility to find out about and make up work you miss, and that means staying up to speed using the web site.  In particular, if necessary print out your own copies of homework assigned on the day(s) you missed.  This is YOUR responsibility, not mine.  School policy is that you have two days to make up work for each day absent, but work due (or quizzes or tests) on the first day you were absent must be made up immediately upon your return.

 

Grading and Credits

I don’t grade on a curve.  This means that theoretically everyone can get an A.  It also means theoretically everyone can get an F.  Grades are based on you demonstrating your understanding of the topics and being able to accomplish the things listed in the syllabus.  You need to show that you can handle most of them to get a C or better.  If you can’t handle most, but you can handle at least half, you’ll get a D (half credit).  If you can’t handle at least half, you won’t pass.

 

You can take this course for Level 1 or Level 2 credit. Switching levels requires permission of your parents and your guidance counselor, and must be done before the start of the second semester (third term).  To earn a Level 1 “A” you will need to apply significantly more mathematics to the topics in the course and complete additional work on most assignments, tests and quizzes.  The syllabus identifies the specific Level 1 requirements.

 

Assessment

All work is assessed using a point system, with an approximate weighting of:

            30%     Tests and Quizzes

            30%     Group projects and lab work

            25%     Individual lab reports, projects and presentations

            15%     Homework, classwork and your lab journal

 

There will be at least one major test for each major area we study; some quarters will have more than one.   Tests will always be announced at least 2 days in advance, usually more.  Quizzes will occur more frequently, and may or may not be announced.  They may be from 10-45 minutes in length.  There will be NO “retests” or “requizzes”.  Approximately 20% of the points on quizzes and tests overall will address Level 1 specific material. 

 

Usually, all individuals on a specific project team or working on a specific group lab will receive the same points for project deliverables.  However, when specific team members have not contributed significantly to the team, their points may be reduced accordingly.  Individual reports, projects, and presentations must be prepared by you alone, without consultation with classmates, other students, tutors, family members, or other humans. 

 

Homework is due on the day it is assigned.  I do not accept late homework, but you will get 2 “free homework passes” per quarter that avoid you getting a zero on a missed homework.  Some days I will check homework briefly at the beginning of class.  Some days I will collect it after we have gone over it in class, so if you had trouble on problems, I expect that your work will include the explanations we just went over.  Unless otherwise specified, you may work with other classmates on homework and in-class worksheets as long as you:

1.      Write their names down on your homework paper, and

2.      Prepare your work independently – not by simply copying others’ work

If it is clear that you copied someone else’s work, you will both receive no credit for the assignment.

 

I almost hate to mention it, but you can also lose points for doing silly things like being late to class or being without required Stuff, or failing in your Respect and Responsibility (see above).  You lose 1-5 points for any kind of distracting or disruptive behavior, or for other violations of the Conduct Guidelines in the Student Handbook (like food in class). 

 

As per school policy, the midyear and final exams will each account for 10% of your final grade.  Approximately 10% of the points on these exams will be related to Level 1 material.

 

Extra Help

I’m available almost every day after school until 3:00 or later – try our classroom (the Project Lab, A160) or the Math office (A218).  Feel free to drop in anytime, and unless I’m working with another student or otherwise tied up, I’ll be happy to work with you.  If you want to make sure you have my undivided attention, please send me an email the day before with when you’d like to meet, and I’ll hold that time for you on a first-come, first-served basis.  If you send an email, I’ll try to confirm back to you the night before – I generally check my email before dinner, and again around 10:00 PM.

 

You’re also welcome to send me an email anytime with a question on an assignment.  I may not always be able to answer it effectively via return mail, and I don’t just give out answers, but I have been known to provide the occasional hint.