Dear New Warrior Family,
Welcome to Santan Jr. High! I am beginning my 21styear of teaching, 18 of which have been in Chandler. During my career, I have taught science to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. We are going to have a GREAT year in science. There are a lot of fun activities we can do while learning science. Together we can accomplish great things! I know each of you is coming to 7th grade with a different level of science background. I will work to get us all on the same page quickly. Remember, this is OUR class…please be sure to discuss any concerns you have as we go through the next ten months together.
Class Routines
Daily:
*Students will complete an agenda entry for the day. This is mandatory as it communicates your class activities with parents and reminds students of any homework!
*Students will also complete a “warm-up” activity that will make connections to real world science, reinforce the objectives/vocabulary of previous lessons, or get students thinking about the new day’s lesson.
*Finally, students will complete a reflection activity that assesses their learning and individual progress with the learning goal.
Weekly:
Students will complete a reflection of their learning throughout the week and communicate with me any concerns. They will also record a current class score by accessing Infinite Campus. This will be signed by parents as a form of school-to-home communication and means of promoting dialogue at home about what students are learning. This activity is really important to me, as your teacher, as it provides a confidential way for you to regularly tell me how you are feeling about class - - what we are doing, how you are doing, etc.
Curriculum
The seventh grade science curriculum has been divided into earth, space, ecology, and health units. Students will take a journey through The Land Beneath Us, The Space Above Us, and Surviving in Between. All students willbe provided an opportunity to completean inquiry-based investigations for possible participation in the Santan Jr. High Science Fair. Science is a hands-on, cooperative process that requires students to be actively involved. Students will quickly learn that they do more learning if I do less teaching! As a result, there will be very few written assessments and homework assignments. Most homework given will be incomplete portions or extensions of the day’s class work. Students will primarily be assessed via lab work and performance-based techniques and will receive frequent quizzes that assess our learning goals. Common exams will be given to all 7th grade students at the end of each content unit (inquiry, geology, space, ecology). It is imperative that you come to class prepared each and every day in order to participate in activities and discussions and, ultimately, grow as a scientist!
Suggested Materials
Being prepared and organized is the most important component of student success in junior high.
Lined (filler/loose leaf) paperErasers/eraser tops
Pencils/handheld sharpener**A plastic, 2-pocket, 3-prong folder!!!
Classroom website& Infinite Campus The class webpage & IC portal are excellent resources as they contain all the information you need to be successful in class. Mrs. Ring’s webpage has the daily warm-up, links to helpful websites, an overview of Infinite Campus, and the learning goals posted. The Infinite Campus portal contains a Planner of daily assignments (with attachments when appropriate) and assessmentswith their dates. IC also contains your grades. Set up your account and activate notifications; it will help you stay on top of your studies!
Grading
In science, we will be completing a lot of hands-on and cooperative activities to help you understand the science process as well as increase your knowledge of science content. It is important that you are in school and participating in all class assignments! It is often hard to make up missed lessons due to the cooperative nature of class. Each assignment given to you, as the student, helps you become a better scientist! Your grade should reflect how well you can “do” science and how much science you know. Thus, you will be given many opportunities to “practice” science before being assessed on your abilities. Assessments will often carry several grades helping us both understand how deeply you have mastered skills or content. Not all practice work will be graded; however, practice is important as you work towards mastery learning!
We will both realize your understanding of the learning goals through the use of the following grading criteria:
Depending on the nature and purpose, some assignments will vary in point value!
Your work performance shows you are a science…. / Performance Descriptor / Grade Book Score for Assessments / Grade Book Score for Practice Work…Expert
(demonstrates thorough knowledge with the topic) /
- outstanding performance
- clear mastery of objectives/learning goals
…Practitioner
(demonstrates engagement and proficiency in the topic) /
- above average performance
- general mastery of assessment objectives
…Apprentice
(demonstrates learning but still has some way to go with this topic) /
- satisfactory performance
- evident progress toward mastery of assessment objectives
…Novice
(demonstrates inexperience with the topic) /
- below average performance
- difficulty mastering assessment objectives
…Struggler
(does not demonstrate knowledge with the topic) /
- unsatisfactory performance
- no evidence of mastery of assessment objectives
…Truant
(the work was never complete/submitted) /
- missing work; no performance has occurred
Late Work: Students are expected to complete assignments on time. Often assignments are used during class on the day they are due. Students who don’t have their work completed, cannot actively and effectively participate in class discussions and activities in order to continue on with learning.Occasionally, assignments, due to their in-class use, cannot be redone for increased credit or submitted late. Please discuss extenuating circumstances with me so I can work with you! Work submitted late will receive a reduced grade; incomplete work will NEVER be accepted nor scored. Please note that NO late work will be accepted during the last week of each quarter!
Absent work: Work from absences (students who do NOT come to school) must be made up within an appropriate amount of time, typically, 1 day per day of absence. It is the student’s responsibility to acquire and complete the missing work. Folders are located in the classroom and information will be placed on the IC portal. Students may also email me for information! Students who are on-campus, but not in class, for any reason (sports, field trips, at the nurse, in CARE, etc.) are expected to be prepared as a present student. That is, due assignments should be submitted the same day and work assigned should be completed on time.
Corrections: Students who earn below a 70% on certain assignments will be allowed to improve/correct an assignment for increased credit solely at the discretion of the teacher. Student engagement, the assignment/assessment, and objectives will be considered prior to improvements/corrections being permitted. Students must also complete the “Application for Amendments” sheet in order to be considered for corrections.
Extra Credit: Extra credit will NOT be assigned on an individual basis nor will it be available as a substitution for assignments not completed or done poorly. Student grades are reflective of student knowledge! However, submission of the completed, signed weekly monitoring log ON TIME each Monday will help you earn bonus points.
Tutoring: Tutoring is available on Wednesday mornings from 8:15 – 9:00 in room 81. Other days or times must be pre-arranged by the student. Please do not show up for tutoring without confirming that I will be available!
Technology:
Santan has gone wi-fi! Please read, sign, and return the CUSD Bring Your Own Technology Responsible Use policy. Students will not be allowed to use any personal electronic device without having this form on file with me.