Class Expectations and Grading for Geometry

Br. Doug Lynam

E-mail:

Website: dougmath.com

What is expected of you:

  1. That you will come to class prepared and on time, with an inquisitive and collaborative spirit.
  2. That you will participate actively, think critically, listen thoughtfully, and respondrespectfully.
  3. That you will help yourself and others think and learn. (This includes the expectation thatyou will reserve responses to questions appropriately.)
  4. That you will recognize and respect the boundary between legitimate assistance from anotherstudent and improper use of another student’s work.
  5. That you will take responsibility before (if possible) and after any absences.

What you can expect from me, your teacher:

  1. That I will care deeply about you and your success in this class.
  2. That I will engage you in class and encourage you to express your opinions, ask questions, andbe comfortable with taking risks and being wrong.
  3. That I will be approachable in and outside of class.
  4. That I will be clear about assignments and ensure homework is relevant and purposeful.
  5. That I will design assessments to give you the opportunity to show what you have learned,and that I will evaluate your work fairly.
  6. That I will return work in a timely manner and give you helpful feedback.
  7. That I will challenge you appropriately and work to ensure that you are learning a lot.

Grading for each semester is:

Tests, Quizzes, and Projects = 50%

Final Exam = 20%

Homework = 20%

Participation = 10%

Tests, Quizzes, and Projects: Tests are given every 3-4 weeks, usually at the end of each chapter. Quizzes are typically given on a weekly basis. Projects will be assigned at regular intervals throughout the semester.All tests in this course are cumulative. 80% of each test is based material from the current chapter and 20% of the material is from previous chapters.

Participation:Participation is an essential component of this course. I will regularly ask for volunteers to present problems on the board. Presenting homework on the board is a time to experiment and learn the material being covered. There is no penalty for getting a problem wrong on the board; in fact, it is possible to get every problem wrong on the board and still get a 100% for participation as long as you are making a good faith effort to keep up with the course work. Try to be creative and have fun when working at the board!

When determining your participation grade I take into consideration your level of daily involvement in class, your willingness to present problems on the board, attendance, promptness in arriving to class, and overall attitude. (See expectations above.)

Remember, STAR students:

Smile

Track the speaker

Ask and answer questions

Respect those around them

Homework:

Your work for each assignment should be labeled (assignment, page, problem numbers) and reasonably legible. You should keep all of your homework and correct anything you were unable to answer correctly. The diligent completion of daily homework is the best way you can demonstrate serious participation. Time does not allow us to go over everyhomework problem during class, so you may need to seek additional help outside class.

Homework is will often include odd-numbered problems from the textbook. Since the answers to the odd-numbered problems are in the back of your textbook, you are expected to check and correct your answers to odd-numbered problems prior to each class, and be ready to ask questions about the problems you did not understand. Looking up the answers to odd-numbered problems is notcheating once you have completed or attempted the problem.

I will quickly check homework each day, and the rubric for daily homework grades is as follows:
0 pts Little or no work done.
1 pt Some work completed, but contains excessive omissions, errors or illegibility.
2 pts OK work, but contains significant omissions, errors or illegibility. Work only half completed.
3 pts Good work, but some smaller omissions, errors or illegibility.

4pts Very well done. Excellent effort shown on every problem.

Academic Honesty: All work in this class is to be your own. This includes all calculations as well as written material. You are allowed to collaborate with others on homework, but when doing so should annotate at the top of the assignment with whom you collaborated. Remember that collaboration is a joint effort in which both parties are active members. Even when collaborating your work must be your own and you must understand the process that leads to the results. Copying someone else's work is not collaboration and is never permitted.
Discussion of test and quiz contents with students who have not yet taken an exam is academic dishonesty.

Course materials:

- A binder for your homework and notes

- pencils and paper

- a protractor

- a calculator (supplied in class)

- colored pencils or highlighters are highly recommended, but not required

There are copies of our textbook available in class, so please take your textbook home and leave it there. Do not take classroom copies out of the classroom! There are textbooks on reserve in the Library if you need a book during school hours and you also have an etextbook available. Furthermore, internet based versions of our textbook should be available very soon.

Super Bonanza Opportunity: If you miss a class for an excused or unexcused absence, you are required to bring a slip from the Front Office before returning for class the next day. If any student catches me allowing a student to attend class for an entire period without asking for a readmit slip, that person will earn five extra credit points. This offer is available to any student in the class, even if you were the person who was absent. This does not apply to absences due to athletic events.Furthermore, if any student catches me not taking attendance for an entire period, they win one free homework pass exempting them from one daily homework assignment of their choice.