Syllabus for Eighth Grade Science Odyssey (2010-2011) – Periods 5 and 6

Teacher: Dwight Koch, Room: D207

Email:

Phone: 41818

General Information:

Welcome to the 8th Grade Science Odyssey class for the school year 2010-2011. Please feel free to contact me with any concerns and questions as they come up. Email is generally the best way to communicate with me. I will make every effort to respond to you within 24 hours of receiving your message. Additionally I will have office hours on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursdays from 2:40 to 3:15 of each week. I will be available to both students (for extra help)and parents. If these times don’t work, I can also meet before school, during lunch, and/or during my planning periods. Please contact me to make an appointment if you need to speak with me.

Course Description:

My background is in Earth Science and have taught classes on Sustainable Living in the past, but this is an elective science course and therefore will give students many choices in regard to science topics they wish to study. The emphasis will be on how science can be learned (Scientific Method) and on how science can be used to build a Sustainable World. While there will be lessons, follow up work, and assessments on some work most of the work will be project based (individual and group). Students will do scientific research, format it into a paper/report and present the information to class.

Grading Criteria:

  • 10%: from assigned homework
  • 15%: critiques from recent scientific articles found in newspapers, magazines, journals
  • 20%: from classroom work labs and activities and participation (a bi weekly student self evaluation will principally comprise this score)
  • 35%: Student Projects
  • 10%: Quizzes given during the unit
  • 10%: Unit Assessments

From these Categories, letter grades will be assigned according to the following percentages:

Scale: 90 and aboveA (90-92 A-)

80-89B (87-89 B+; 80-82 B-)

70-79C (77-79 C+; 70-72 B-)

60-69D (67-69 D+; 60-62 D-)

Below 60F

Detailed Explanation of Work Requirements:

Schedule: Each week I will produce and post a schedule of the upcoming weeks activities and assignments (including due dates). A hard copy of the schedule will be given weekly to each student, a copy will be posted on the classroom wall, and the schedule will be posted on my Web Site.

Homework:

  • Most “homework” will consist of working on the critiques and projects, but there will be a few assignments given in this category.
  • All work turned in on or before the due date will receive the full points earned. The policy for late work is as follows: for work turned in 1-4 days late a 25% reduction in the students score will occur, for work turned in 1 week late a 50% penalty of the students score will occur. Work that is turned in over 1 week past the due date will receive no credit. Students may receive extensions on any assignment provided they email me in advance with a reason they need the extension and also a reasonable date they will turn in the assignment.
  • If a student is absent they have 2 days (for each day absent) to make up the work, per district guidelines. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the teacher or look at the Website to find out about any missed assignments.
  • Class time will be provided to complete (or at least start most of homework). Students should look at the work carefully during this time and ask questions as necessary. If students use their class time wisely, little of the work will need to be brought home.

Critiques:

  • Late policy same as the homework late policy.
  • 4 Critiques will be required from each student throughout the semester. Students should find a newspaper, magazine, or jounal article about Sustainability. They need to read the article and type a 1 page summary about the article. The write up should include where the article was found (if students provide me a copy of the article that would be great), they need to summarize the article, they need to describe how it is related to sustainability, and finally they need to give their opinion of the article.
  • As stated above the critiques need to be 1 page typed. The line spacing should be 1.5, the font 12 and Times New Roman would be preferred, and the margins (top, bottom, and sides should be 1 inch).
  • The due dates for these critiques are as follows: Critique #1 – due September 15, Critique # 2 – Due October 6, Critique # 3 – Due October 27, and the Final Critique # 4 – Due November 17.
  • In addition to the paper, students will need to share at least 2 critiques with the class.

Student Projects (same late policy as homework/critiques)

First Quarter (Research Paper and Presentation)

  • Pick, research, and write about a topic related to Sustainability, the requirements for the paper/presentation are as follows:
  • Title Page
  • Minimum Length – 2 full pages of text, you could include some useful pictures and diagrams but these should not be considered pages of text.
  • Paper must be typed – maximum font is 12 (times new roman preferred), 1-inch margin for top, bottom, and sides, 1.5 spacing for lines.
  • Bibliography Page – minimum of 4 sources cited, of which at least 3 must be from something other than the Internet.
  • Students will need to present their paper.
  • Presentations will be conducted the last week of each Quarter. The schedule for presentations will be determined later. Names will be drawn and a schedule will be published.
  • Student’s need to give a 3-5 minute talk that summarizes their project. It is not a session where students simply read back their papers – they need to present – not read. Students should include what they learned, what they found most interesting, what they might want to further explore, etc.
  • Students need to create a model or visual that compliments their talk. It is important to incorporate technology into the presentation/model. Construct the model in a way so it will be useful during your presentation.

Time Line for Research Paper Completion

  • Topic selected and approved by teacher – Monday, August 30 (Period 5), Tuesday, August 31 (Period 6)
  • List of Resources subumitted – Thursday September 9 (Period 5), Friday, September 10 (Period 6)
  • Draft of Paper – Thursday September 30 (Period 5), October 1 (Period 6)
  • Papers Due – Thursday October 7 (Period 5), Friday, October 8 (Period 6)
  • Presentations will be held the week of October 11

Second Quarter (Science Fair Project)

  • Pick a science related project which includes a data collection component.
  • The time line and requirements for this project will be determined and communicated at a late date.

Participation: The score for this part of the student’s grade comes from work assigned and completed in class (classwork), the taking and management of notes, and their ability to follow the class norms (attendance, tardies, behavior, etc.). Students will complete a “Participation Self Evaluation” approximately every 2 weeks. This Self Evaluation is posted on my Website. If a student is having “issues” in this class, I may ask them to bring this document home with them, share it with their parents/guardian and return it to me with a signature and comments as applicable.

Quizzes and Assessments: There will some short quizzes and unit assessments administered periodically (the points for this work are variable) during the semester.

Materials Needed for Class every day (Please see Supply List on my Web Page):

Daily: Lined Paper, Graph Paper, Pencil, Spiral Notebook (for note taking), Students may also want to have some sort of binder (3 ring binder or folder) to keep there materials in as there is no text for this class. There will be many handouts.

Occasionally: Ruler, Protractor, and Colored Pencils

Additional Classroom Materials (donated to classroom for extra credit points): 3 x 5 notecards, lined paper, graph paper, colored pencils, expo (white board markers), tape (duct, masking, and “scotch” tape), copy paper

Class Records:

  • Assignments will be posted on my Website(schedule) and on Infinite Campus. In the event a student is absent they should check the site to ensure they can get all required assignments in on time.
  • It is the student’s responsibility to get information on any missed work when absent.
  • Grades will be updated continuously in IC.

In Class Procedures:

  • Students are welcome to eat and drink in the classroom provided they clean up after themselves and the food doesn’t become a distraction.
  • Cell phones are not to be used at all in class.IPods can only be used during designated work times or during assessments and cannot be shared.The first time a student violates this policy, I will take the device away from them for the period, the second offense will result in me taking the device for the day, any further problems will result in me taking the device away and a parent or guardian will need to come and get the device from me during my office hours.
  • Class norms regarding effective teams, communication and listening will be established by students and followed for each class.
  • Minor discipline problems including excessive tardies, class disruptions and off task behavior that interferes with the offender’s and other student’s opportunities to learn will be handled on a case by case basis in the following manner. The Participation Self Evaluation will document these issues:

1.(1st offense) Talk to the student(s) involved.

2. (2nd -3rd offense) E-mail to the parent

3.Repeated offenses may be handled with referral and/or parent conference.

  • Severe discipline problems such as bullying, extreme disruption and/or behavior that interfere with the learning process for more than just the offender will be dealt with immediately by referral and possible removal from class via short term suspension if necessary.

Attendance:

  • If a student is absent, it is his/her responsibility to see me or contact me for notes. An excellent method of getting information that was missed due to an absence is for the student to contact a peer and get the information from them.
  • Students have two days to make up work for each day they are absent. If an absence is planned students should go to the Website to get the assignment and turn it in on time if possible.
  • I do offer outside tutoring by appointment for students who have given every effort in class, maintained good attendance and need supplemental instruction. Tutoring is in no way a substitute for attending class.

Please e-mail to confirm that you have read and understand this information (include the student’s name). Feel free to include questions you have.

Thank you

Dwight Koch

Mathematics and Science

Denver School of the Arts