2015-2016
Plans / Policies
What is 7th Grade Science?
This is the plan . . . so far!
Revised 8/19/15
I hope that every day we can:
- learn while having fun.
- be scientists by practicing the abilities (observe, infer, interpret data, make graphs, quantify, keep safe, etc.) of scientists.
- Use our 3-ring binder for organization
First Quarter:
- Nature of Science
- Choose a Science Interest Project (SIP) direction
Second Quarter:
- A little Physical Science (Matter))
- Earth Science (Biogeochemical Cycles)
- Research your SIP
Third Quarter:
- More Earth Science (Atmosphere)
- Physical Science (Energy)
- (SIP)experiment at home.
Fourth Quarter:
- Life Science
- Running a Public Aquarium?
- Science Interest Presentations
The Ohio Standards of 7th grade Science can be found on my web page for those of you who need more detail!
What will our days together look like?
“Student Work” Days (often a Monday):
- Practice OAA writing
- Missing Work . . . absent or other
- Study Island (points to the good)?
- doing Science related activities,
- Science Current Events
- Science Interest Project (SIP) explorations
- solo experiments (points to the good)?
- aquariums, plants (points to the good)?
- worms this year?!
- recycling
- update your “Study Cards”
- curiosity cabinet (points to the good)?
- Library passes?
- science book shelf (points to the good)?
- need to borrow measurement tools?
- cleaning or other room projects
- any porta-portal link (wifi device)?
- ______?
Tuesdays Touch base on New Learning. Flipped this year, more may be found on line and completed at home.
- lecture/videos
- socrative (need a wifi device?)
- New words, New reading
- Build New Study Cards “Due by Friday!”
Wednesdays and Thursdays Lab Days, Group Projects, Experiments, ______?
I’ll try to have an activity tied to what we are learning!
Fridays
- Finish week’s projects
- Quizzes (vocabulary and more)
- Start Class/Reading Comprehension Assignment “Due by Tuesday”
Notebooks/Gravy –Plan to be self-starting and involved!Daily entries accumulate for big point values as the weeks roll by. Be organized. .
Study Cards –Plan to be self-starting and involved!These are of your own construction and may take any form within one side of a 3”x5” card. But, doset them up like a study or flash card!. Use weekly word banks to know your vocabulary. Use diagrams. Use class notes. Use old comprehension. Use old quiz questions. Use your own organization (weekly, abc, know/not know, etc.) system. Bring your cards to class every Tuesday and Friday. You never know if you might be allowed to use them for a quiz or a game.More details can be found on the web page. This is your learning.
Weekly Comprehension – Plan to be self-starting and involved! Tied to our reading and video assignments, it will be a preview (or review depending on your timing) of our week’s learning focus/lesson. As such it should be saved as possible review material for your Quarterly Assessments. It may come from a hand-out, our text book, or an on-line resource. It is due by the following Tuesday giving you the time you might need in Study Hall to complete it.
Points to the Good–Plan to be self-starting and involved!There is no such thing as bonus points (especially for students with missing work). So we reward extra science work, random acts kindness, or nearly any other good deed in this category. Self-report these acts to Mr. Timm by putting notes or details into the “Points to the Good” basket.
Sample Ideas and possible point values:
AR science book points AR # x 5!
Solo investigations +1-10
Science Book Summary+5
See the poster at the front of the room for more ideas!
First Quarter= Voluntary,
all points are good.
Second Quarter= Mandatory,
everything after 5= bonus
Third Quarter= Mandatory,
everything after 10= bonus
Fourth Quarter = Mandatory,
everything after 15= bonus
Current Events-Plan to be self-starting and involved!Science news can be found in many places (internet, class discussion, news, magazines, etc.) Porta-Portal has several links to start you. Record these on your weekly notebook sheet.
Science Interest Projects (SIP) - Plan to be self-starting and involved!Once chosen, these are ongoing all year long. They need not be something completely outside your ordinary activities. Science is everywhere. SIP starts during the second quarter. Much more information will be given at that time!
Helpful Links:
My Web page(s)
tv homepage
science class links – always adding
On-line Text Book(s) Directions:
We hope to set up on-line access to all of our text books during class time. Every year the process for this changes. This year looks to be no exception. We’ll have to figure it out together. But, know, there is usually little recourse for students who lose track of their user name and pass. So, record it here for when you need it later!
User Name: ______
Pass: ______
Text Book page(s):
Use specific codes found in our text books.
Progress Book:
Check your grades weekly. But don’t obsess. Just find the balance that keeps you aware of your own progress.
It does take time for teachers to enter assignments. I am particularly slow with your late assignments, you’ll have to be patient.
Missing = a zero.
No score means I haven’t entered grades yet!
Got Grades?
Revised 8/26/11
Our grading system is derived from policies generated by our school board. As a result, the following scale is used for final quarterly grades:
A+ 97-100%
A93-96%
A-90-92%
B+87-89%
B83-86%
B-80-82%
C+77-79%
C73-76%
C-70-72%
D+67-69%
D63-66%
D-60-62%
Fbelow 60%
Progress Book already calculates grades based upon these percentages. So, if an assignment is scored as 9/10 that becomes 90% which is an A-.
All of this should be true for any of your classes at TVMS. There are details for our science class, however, of which you should be aware:
There are assignments for which special marks will be used. This is often for assignments in which a true percentage may be unfair (or, subjective assignments where a percentage may not be easily generated).
Mark:Percentage:Progress Book:
√+=100%= 25/25
√=90%= 22.5/25
√-=70%= 17.5/25
√==60%= 15/25
√==50%= 12.5
Missing assignments are entered into your grade average as a 0%.
Assignments that are late (late work) may be reduced at my discretion.
Grades will be generated from various types of assignments: Class Work (group projects, note books etc), Homework (reading comprehension, follow ups, etc.), Science Interest, and Vocabulary Quizzes and Quarterly Assessments.
As always, if there are questions please ask me. I may not be aware of a mistake or a problem in progress book. With thousands of entries per quarter mistakes can happen. Make it a personal habit to check your progress weekly. Do not throw away graded or completed papers before seeing them safely recorded in your progress book.
Any student who has turned in all assignments and made an honest effort in our class cannot earn an F.
Make a point to have no missing assignments. Good grades will follow. I try to provide routines (Mondays, several nights to complete, etc.) which allow work to get done. It would be preferred that work be turned in on time. But when that can’t happen, here are some options:
Late Work is Missing Work!
If you are late with an assignment, for any reason, it is in your best interest to fix it.
Any missing paper will turn into a 0% for your grade average. That may be as much as 59 times worse than an ordinary F!
“Any reason” may include: no name, forgot, it’s at home, it’s in my locker, it isn’t done yet, didn’t follow directions, etc.
Late Work Procedure:
1. I will allow 3 “free strikes” per quarter. This is the one time you can freely hand something in that is “late”. It must be complete and done according to the directions, or it may not be accepted. I have one place that I will accept your late work. This is the late basket at my desk. NOT THE HALLWAY! Be sure to attach an actual strike, or the assignment may go into the incomplete pile waiting for you to finish!
2. After 3 strikes you have some decision making to do. The best choice would be to talk to your parents about your situation. Why do you have many missing assignments? I will accept your assignments with your handwritten note of explanation. Each note should be written by the student. It should be detailed and attached to the assignment. I may reject the explanation if you do not put your most sincere foot forward in this area.
3. Each situation will dictate whether or not the score will be reduced and by how much. Suffice it to say the later the work the greater the reduction. Be aware that some assignments will not be completed if they are too late (in class experiments are a good example). You will be stuck with your grade if you do not deal with it right away.
Planning to be absent?
We often do projects, group efforts, and experiments that do not translate well outside of school. Further, materials are often not mass produced in advance. So, if you know you will be absent,plan on completing what work you can when you return. See Below.
Returning from being absent?
Find what you need to be back on track.
Returning Procedure:
1. See the agendas (wall copy, online agenda). Work is always posted there.
2. Talk with other students. A good student will be able to tell you what happened. A “friend” who shrugs and says “nothing happened” is no friend at all.
3. Check the entry table or “extra” folder for the week to find any papers you may need. If you have been gone several days, extras may have been taken by others . . another reason to talk to trusty worthy students!
4. Don’t forget to look in your folder to see if you have completed work that was collected while you were gone. You are still responsible for that work. It isn’t late . . . yet. If you wait more days than you missed, it could be considered late by school policy.
5. Turn in all work related to your absence to the basket. No strike is necessary, but an absent note will help me to enter it correctly. Often a self-score key will be available and we’ll try to find time to let you finish the assignment as others did when you were gone.
6. Talk to me! I prefer you have some idea of what you are missing; so, I am last on this list. Bring your agenda and a pencil to write what we talk about.
- Please review these policies with the adult in your life who helps you to complete your work (parents, guardians, grandparents, tutor, etc.).
- Get their signature (and comments?).
- Keep these pages in your “organizational” section of your Science Binder.
Ryan Timm,
7th Grade Science,
Room 111
Student Name:
______
I am aware of the policies for 7th grade science.
Signature:
______
Questions/Comments:
Adult Name:
______
I am aware of the policies for 7th grade science.
Signature:
______
Questions/Comments: