Miss Malone’s PhysicsRules, Rewards, and Consequences 2012

Hello! Welcome to my class. As you enter into class, I want you to reflect on a couple of things. First of all, I’d like you to think of whereyou have been. I know we have all physically traveled different places, just as I know each of you has your own journey of knowledge in previous classes and in life experiences. Like our lives, like our travels, our education is a continuous journey. Sometimes, we learn when we are in a classroom, working with others. Sometimes, our knowledge comes when we are out on a limb…all by ourselves. As we travel through this class together, I hope you will remember that, despite the differences in our past, we are all here for a common purpose—to learn a little science and to learn about and from each other. I sincerely hope that we will you will enjoy the journey in this class. Remember, we are all together for the journey.

I love science…and I enjoy people, including the differences in people. I

hope that you’ll come away from this class with more respect for each other, a better ability to work with each other, a little more confidence in your own abilities, and with a deeper and fuller knowledge of science. Thanks for joining me on this journey in science….and here’s hoping that the journeys you’ve experienced will join with those of your classmates to make this year’s journey a rich one.

Rules and Expectations:

1. Follow directions at all times.

2. Be on time and ready for class when the bell rings.

—Tardiness interrupts and slows the progress of the class.

3. Materials--Students will bring to class daily the required tools and materials.

4. No food or beverage is allowed in class.

4. Respect each other’s dignity, welfare, and material possessions. Also, respect the physical materials used in the classroom (do not write on desks, abuse equipment, etc.)

5. Be on task—I expect that you will use your class time appropriately. I expect you to be working from bell to bell. If you finish early, you can study, read ahead in the text, start homework, etc.

6. Try—The understanding of this class (and all your classes) is an attainable goal for every student—with effort.

The effort that you put in will largely determine your success.

7. Be safe and follow all procedures—Follow the prescribed safety procedures, written lab instructions, and use common sense at all times. Equipment is only to be used when you are doing an assigned lab.

8. Absolutely No Horseplay—Not only can you injure yourself or someone else, but you run the risk of damaging some expensive equipment.

Rewards:

  • Verbal praise
  • Written praise
  • Stickers
  • Success in the classroom.

Consequences*:

  • Verbal warning issued to the student.
  • Parents/guardian notified.
  • Other consequences will be as outlined in the student handbook under the discipline section.
  • Right to earn participation points lost
  • Removal from class

*Some offenses dictate a more aggressive and immediate approach and will be handled accordingly.

Required Materials: Bring these with you every day to class.

  • Textbook—covered and labeled. (Book cover required)
  • Writing utensils: Pencil with an eraser. Blue/Black pens only for labs. Red pens are not to be used on assignments.
  • Three ring binder or folder with paper (for this subject only).
  • Scientific lab notebook. This should be a 100 page quad ruled 4x4 book. They will often say “composition” book, but they must be the quad ruled type.
  • A scientific calculator. This does NOT need to be a graphing calculator.

Please know that you must use a NON-graphing calculator for all tests and quizzes. My very strong suggestion is that you also use these for homework, as I will not teach you how to use them on quiz/test days.

Rules, Expectations and Procedures

Materials Needed in Class Daily:

You are expected to bring the required materials to class every day. Failure to bring needed materials to class will result in you going back to your locker to get them and loss of one of the 5 hall passes you will get at the beginning of the semester. If you have used all 5 of your hall passes, you will be given a tardy to get your required materials.

What you should do when you enter the classroom:

When you enter the classroom, you should check your mailbox for any mail. Then, proceed to your seat and get out the assignment that is due that day. I expect you to have these materials out and for you to be ready to begin when the bell rings. If there is bellwork on the board, you should start that as soon as you’ve gotten out your homework.

Grading:

  • Homework: Homework is a necessary and vital part of the learning process. Problems or questions will be assigned almost daily. Homework will reinforce skills and material learned in class. It also is very similar to material you will see on bellwork, quizzes and tests.
  • Most homework will not be graded, it will just be checked in class. Some assignments will be collected for a grade. It will be announced ahead of time if an assignment is to be graded. Other assignments will be used for pop homework quizzes. Homework should be your work. Homework that is clearly copied will be treated as academic dishonesty as outlined below.
  • Part of completing an assignment means showing your work on problems and using your own words in summaries and essay questions. If you have difficulty completing an assignment, it is your responsibility to come and see me after school, during advisory period, or before the 7:45 a.m. bell.

● Academic dishonesty/cheating: Any student that is caught cheating, either visually or by evidence on their paper, desk, or other materials, will be given a zero and assigned a detention. This includes homework assignments that are copied from another student. If two students turn in obviously copied work, BOTH students will be given a zero and a detention.

  • Tests/Quizzes: Typically, there will be at least one quiz per week. Generally, announced quizzes will range from 10 to 50 points in value. Pop quizzes, homework quizzes, or bellwork quizzes will range from 5 to 20 points in value. These will generally be unannounced. Shorter chapters may just have quizzes. Longer chapters will have 1 or more quizzes, as well as a 100 point test. Unit tests will be announced at least two days before the test date. If a student was present when the test was announced, they are expected to take the test on the test date. (Check the webpage for updates and review answers).
  • Bellwork: Some bellwork will be graded as quizzes. The rest will be gone over in class. This is a good way for you to judge how well you know the required material.
  • Clickers: All clicker activities will result in some sort of grade—either a participation grade or a quiz grade. Please take clicker activities seriously. During clicker activities, students are expected to click in their OWN answers—no discussion or looking at other students.
  • Lab work: Labs will generally be worth 20 to 40 points. In order to get full credit on lab work, students must do all parts of the lab themselves and fully complete the lab write-up. This means all questions should be read and answered completely. Although gathering data and “doing labs” is normally done with a partner or two, answers to lab questions should be in your own words. Five points will be deducted from a lab for “carbon copy” answers. While some labs will be done on a worksheet, most labs will be done on your quad-ruled notebook. All labs must be done in pen, with a line put through mistakes. Mistakes will not be erased. This is how they will be done in college.

Participation Points: At the beginning of the nine weeks, students will be given 5 free tickets/hall passes. Those points may be used to “buy” required class materials that you forget to bring (calculator, pencil, or textbook)….or to “buy” trips to the restroom or the drinking fountain. If you fail to have required materials and you fail to have a ticket to purchase them, you will receive a tardy.

Students are expected to interact in classroom activities and will earn participation points on some activities for doing so. Participation points will not be given out each day. If you are absent on a day that participation points are given, you will receive a zero for that days points. Participation points will be added into the grade twice a quarter. Totals will be adjusted each time depending on the number of opportunities students were given to earn points. At the end of the quarter, students may turn in any remaining tickets/hall passes for bonus points.

Late Homework: I do not accept late daily homework. On assignments of more than 15 points, assignments may be turned in at the beginning of the hour the next day for half credit. Assignments will not be accepted after that.

Absences:

  • It is the student’s responsibility to get any notes or assigned work during any type of absence. Assignments and notes are usually posted on my website. Unless informed otherwise, all tests or quizzes missed should be made up before school, during class, or during advisory or after school. Because you have already missed class time, I would not recommend missing more class time in order to make-up missed work. If you miss only a day when a quiz was taken, any quiz not taken before school will be taken during class time. You are expected to come and see me BEFORE school on the morning of your return to arrange make-up times. Practices will NOT be an excuse for not making up a quiz or test. Any make-up test or quizzes will resemble the tests or quizzes given to students in class, but will most likely not be the same test or quiz. As stated previously, if a student was present when the test or quiz was announced, they are expected to take the test/quiz on the announced date. (Check the webpage for updates and review answers). If you miss more than one day of school, you have the number of days you were absent to make up all work. (If you missed two days of class, all work must be turned in/taken in two days).

Specific types of absences:

  • PAF: All work is due upon their return. Any work not turned in will be considered late. Missed tests or quizzes will be taken BEFORE the absence when possible.
  • Alternative Room: Homework due the day of an AR assignment should be turned in to me BEFORE you begin your time in the AR room. Any tests or quizzes that are to be taken on the day of your AR room assignment will be taken with the AR instructor. Failure to comply with these rules will result in a score of zero for the assignment/test.
  • Suspension: All work is due upon your return. This includes homework, worksheets, quizzes, and tests. Any assignment not turned in when you return will be graded as a zero. Your class conduct grade will be affected as outlined above.
  • Unexcused absences: All unexcused absences will result in a zero for work assigned for that day. Your class conduct grade will be affected as outlined above.

Tardies and HallPasses:

The student planner with your name on its pages will serve as the hall pass. Students who do not have their planner or who only have loose pass pages from their planner will not be allowed to leave the room. If a studentmust leave the room, they need to fill out the hall pass in their agenda and I will sign it. One of your hall passes will also be used.

Returning Tests/Quizzes: I will return tests and quizzes as soon as possible. Returned quizzes will go in your notebook. I will keep your old tests.

Webpage: The class schedule will be kept up to date on my school webpage, which can be accessed by going to the district website.

Semester grade: CHS is on a semester basis with each of the two nine-week grades counting as 40% of the final semester-grade, and the exam counting as 20% of the final semester-grade. Columbia is on a semester basis, passing the second-semester of a year-long course does not equal one-full credit.

In closing:

I amlooking forward to working with you inclass this year. Not only do I like the subjects I teach, but I also like working with people. If you have any questions, please come see me before or after school or during advisory period. In class, and in life, if you want to obtain a goal, you need to know when to ask for help. I would encourage you to please ask me for help when you need it. I would also encourage your parents to contact me if they have any questions. Second semester, students may sign up to earn 4 hours of credit with SLU if they take physics as an 1818 class. Students taking the class for SLU credit will be required to take a second semester final. Thank you! Miss Malone

All students are expected to:

  • Have read the rules and procedures and lab safetysheets
  • Have their parents read over these same procedures and lab safety, and
  • Return the signature sheet (signed and dated by both the student and parent),

By Thursday, August 22nd. This is a graded activity! (10 points)

Students:

I have read and understand both the rules, procedures and laboratory safety for Miss Malone’s Physics class. I, as the student, agree to abide by the rules and safety procedures on these to ensure a safe experience in physics.

Student’s signature;Date:

Parent’s Section: Please read and sign BOTH parts below.

I have read and understand the rules, procedures and laboratory safety for the Physics class. I, as the parent or guardian, know what is expected of my student.

**Guardian’s signature:Date:

*On occasion, I may give students food as a reward for good conduct, good procedures, or good grades. Please fill in the blank as to whether you will or will not allow your student to have this sort of reward.

*It all right to give my student food as a reward for good work.

is / is NOT

**Guardian’s signature:

Parent/Guardian email:______

Parent/Guardian phone number:

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