GEOMETRY PROSPECTUS
2012-2013
Teacher:Jill Tereshinski
Contact Information:e-mail:
or
Phone:980-343-5390
Welcome to Geometry. I look forward to a successful experience for all of us in this
course this semester. I am convinced it will happen if we will all commit to
to working together to make it so.
Teacher Responsibilities: I will do my best to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the teacher as listed and delineated in the PHS “Staff Handbook.” I will follow
the Geometry NC Standard Course of study and The Geometry PHS Pacing
Guide. I pledge as much as is possible to be fair, just, and respectful to
all students. I will have concern for each student. I will attempt to be
enthusiastic, and I will require all students to work and obey the rules.
______
(Teacher Initial).
Student Responsibilities:I will do my best to exemplify the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Character Traits as listed and delineated on page 4 of the “CMS 2012-2013 Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Character Development Handbook,” to include respect, responsibility, honesty, and caring. I pledge to follow the CMS Rules on pages 11ff of the same publication with special emphasis on punctuality, attendance, bringing materials to class, and following instructions. I will adhere to the standards, rules, and policies in the PHS Student Handbook. I plan to reach my potential in this class by adhering to expected student responsibilities, by participating in a positive way in classroom activities, by obeying classroom rules, and by being the best student I can be. ______(Student Initial)
Classroom Rules:Show Respect. Do not disturb, distract, or disrupt. Be honest. Begin Warm Up as soon as the beginning bell sounds. Participate completely, constructively, and creatively in all assigned classroom activities. Do not discontinue work or class participation until the final bell rings or until given permission to do so.
Materials:Textbook, loose-leaf notebook, #2 pencils, graphing calculator (TI-83Plus or TI-84 Plus), compass, protractor, straight edge/ruler, graph paper
***Graphing calculators are available for checkout for the semester
Notebook:All warm-ups, notes, classwork and homework should be kept in a loose-leaf notebook preferably arranged by these categories and/or units/sections. Graded notebook checks may occur periodically. Tests, quizzes and any other graded assignments will be maintained in a folder in the classroom file cabinet. Students are welcome to review these assignments during tutoring hours.
Attendance:Attendance and punctuality to every class is paramount. Students will be expected to be in his/her seat before the tardy bell rings. Students who are tardy must bring a pass to class from the SMC. PHS attendance and tardy policies will be followed. Students who are absent will be responsible for making up work missed.
Make-up Work:Full credit for make-up work will be given if a student is absent on the
assignment date or on the turn in date, provided it is clearly marked
“Absent” and submitted the day they return. Students must see me before or after class the day following his/her absence to receive make-up work. Students will have five days to complete work assigned the day of the absence. Ten points will be deducted per day for late assignments. No credit will be given for late assignments turned in once exams have begun.
Test/Quiz Environment:
To ensure a secure, quality testing environment for all students, communication of any form including but not limited to talking, sharing calculators, using cell phone or any electronic device will result in a grade of zero. Additionally, each violation of this policy will be referred to Mr. McHugh.
Website:On the website, you will find a weekly schedule with all electronic notes and worksheets uploaded to it. If you are absent from school, it is best to check the website before returning to school, so you can get ahead on your make-up work. You may also print notes or worksheets off of the website in the event that you lose them. I will not provide extra copies of these documents.
Tutoring:Math department teachers are available for tutoring as noted on the posted schedule. I will be available school until 3:00 p.m. in Room 119 unless otherwise noted. Please let me know in advance if you plan to attend tutoring.
Assignments:Please complete in pencil and include name, date, class, period, and assignment in the upper right hand corner. Include name and put a number on subsequent pages. Homework will be spot checked, turned-in,
orassessed on a regular basis. Completeness and/or accuracy as well as demonstration of understanding may be graded. Always show necessary work neatly with mathematical correctness and clearly indicate the final answer to the question or problem by circling it.
Word Walls:On the first day of each unit, a vocabulary word will be assigned to each student to use to make his/her word wall. Word walls will be due the day before the test. Word Walls are quiz grades. Late Word Walls will be deducted 20 points per day. Detailed guidelines with grading rubric are on the last page of this document.
Grades:Major Tests:50%
Quizzes/Projects:35%
Homework/Classwork:15%
Test retakes: Test retakes will be available for all tests. You may retake the test only after you have come in for tutoring and corrected all the incorrect problems on the original test. You must correct the test AND retake it within 10 school days of the original test return date. The test retake will be a different version of the original test and will be tested on all the material from the original test. The score of the retake will be averaged with the original score. Please study for the retake as you only get one chance to retake each test. The highest score you can receive on a retake is an 85.
FORMULA FOR SUCCESS
1.ATTEMPT TO UNDERSTAND BASIC CONCEPTS.
a.SHOW UP (not a trivial requirement).
b.PAY ATTENTION.
c.ASK QUESTIONS.
d.Take notes.
e.Study notes and text materials.
2.APPLY PRINCIPLES OF DEDUCTIVE REASONING.
a.Learn (memorize) the “rules” (theorems, definitions, etc.).
b.Learn to recognize when and how to apply the rules.
c.Think and don’t quit on a thought provoking or challenging problem.
3.ENHANCE SKILLS.
a.Copy and study example problems (notes, text, online, etc.).
b.Recognize personal skills weaknesses and work on them.
c.Follow established method, plan, or sequence of steps if applicable.
d.Try different approaches on more challenging problems—be creative. (“NAG” the problem—use a numerical, analytical, or graphical approach.)
e.Use correct mathematical notation.
f.Use the graphing calculator for calculator specific problems, verification of results, understanding of concepts, and as a time saver—not as a crutch for poor learning or just as an answer generator.
4.TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN LEARNING.
a.Contribute to a positive and orderly class atmosphere.
b.Don’t attempt to take short cuts to learning.
c.DO YOUR HOMEWORK.
d.Focus on learning as opposed to grades.
(If you learn, good grades will follow. If you focus on grades and have a “will we have to do this on the test?” mentality, learning will be anemic at best.)
e.Recognize when you need extra help and seek it out.
f.TAKE THIS COURSE SERIOUSLY AND DO YOUR BEST!
5.DON’T QUIT.
I have read and understand the course guidelines and expectations for my child, ______’s Geometry class.
Parent Signature ______Date ______
Word Wall Assignment Guidelines
You will be assigned a Vocabulary Word or Postulate/Theorem for each Unit/Test. Your Word Wall will earn you a quiz grade! Please do your best work and do not wait until the last moment. You may complete your assignment by hand or on a computer, or use a combination. Your Word Wall must be your own work. Late Word Walls will be deducted 20 points per day.
- Produce your Word Wall work on an 8 ½ “ x 11” piece of unlined paper. It may be on white or colored.
- On your piece of paper you must include
- Your word/postulate/theorem
- The definition of your word that applies to our use of the word in our math class
- A diagram, picture or example that represents the word
- Please include your name and class period on the back of your paper
- Do not use pencil on the assignment
- Make it colorful and neat!
- If you have a question or need help, please just let me know!
Rubric
Item IncludedPoints Assigned
8 ½ x 11 unlined paper / 20Includes Word / 20
Includes correct definition / 20
Includes diagram, picture or example / 20
Colorful and neat / 20
Total / 100