Physical Science Class Syllabus – Mrs. Sundstrom. Website: http://teachers.
oregon.k12.wi.us/sundstrom/. Phone: 835- ... contribute to the final course grade.
Physical Science Class Syllabus – Mrs. Sundstrom Website: http://teachers.oregon.k12.wi.us/sundstrom/ Phone: 835-4358 Email:
[email protected] Introduction: Welcome to physical science! I have high expectations for us to work together in exploring the nature of science and the basic principles of the physical world. Science is not just memorizing facts, but a process of thinking. For us to succeed, you will be responsible for taking a very active role in our classroom and working together cooperatively. We will explore various topics including the scientific method, the periodic table, chemical reactions, electricity and energy. I am excited to have this opportunity to work with you and look forward to getting to know you. Materials: Physical science textbooks are not assigned to students, but students are always free to check one out from me. I will provide numbered handouts to students that will include necessary readings, some space for in-class notes, lab directions and practice work. Students will need to have their own paper for lab data and some practice work. Everyone should bring the following materials to class EVERYDAY: • 3-Ring binder for science • Student planner or calendar (or any organized method for keeping track of assignments & due dates) • Pencils and pens • Supply of loose leaf paper • Current unit handouts • Calculator (optional) – I have several calculators that students can use. We rarely need calculators. Students may NOT use calculators on their cell phones/media devices. Physical Science Learning Outcomes: During this semester, students will: • Solve problems and/or conduct investigations involving physical/chemical changes in matter using proper lab equipment, techniques, and procedures in making scientific measurements and observations. • Classify any given substance as element, compound, or mixture and justify the reason for classification plus perform physical separation of mixtures. • Interpret information from the periodic table to explain ionization, predict formulas, name compounds, describe radiation and radioactivity, and classify certain types of reactions. • Interpret the causes and effects of electricity, build series and parallel circuits, solve problems with resistance, and explore their role as an electrical energy consumer.
Course Information: Responsibility and Participation: Science and learning are both very active; therefore, participation is extremely important for our success. Students are expected to be responsible and participate positively in all classroom activities, discussions, labs, work time and lectures. This means staying on task, following directions, respecting and working cooperatively with others and actively seeking additional help as needed. Actively participating in class has the added benefit of reducing the amount of homework a student would need to complete. Active participation is imperative for our class community; therefore, engaging in activities that detract from this process, including, but not limited to, doing work for other classes, using cell phones and iPods, engaging in non-class related internet activities, deliberately distracting others from the course goal, etc., will not be tolerated. Course Work: At the beginning of each unit, students will receive a learning target sheet that will break down learning outcomes. Students should use this sheet as a guide for exam preparation. All unit handouts help students focus their learning towards these targets and provide background information and practice for achieving necessary knowledge. Unit handouts are numbered to help students stay organized throughout the semester. Work and effort on assignments are essential for success in achieving mastery on the learning outcomes. Class work, homework, lab questions, and readings are used to reinforce what has been taught in class. Assignments are due at the beginning of class! Assignments that are submitted late will be accepted and scored until the deadline date. The score for late work will be the minimum score for that grade range. For example, if late work earned a B+, it will be marked as a B-. Assignments will not be accepted after the deadline date. Much of our course work is completed in lab teams. Collaborating with other students is a valuable way for students to practice knowledge and support each other. Of course, I also guide teams as they learn. Many students learn best through hands on and problem solving activities. Some of our labs do contain dangerous materials (fire, acid, glass, etc.) and responsible behavior is imperative to ensure the safety of all. Students will have the opportunity for individual feedback and practice through frequent quizzes. I will score these quizzes and post scores to Infinite Campus (the school’s grade program). Since these quizzes are designed to help me and students know their current levels of understanding, scores will not contribute to the final course grade. Students will demonstrate proficiency of the learning outcomes through a combination of long-term projects and unit exams. Some class time will be provided to complete this work, but students must also be prepared to complete portions outside of class time. The scores earned on these assessments will contribute to the final course grade.
Minimal Proficiency of Assessments: Projects and exams are not designed to solely measure a student’s ability to restate facts, but rather are designed for students to consider connections among concepts and problem solve. Students must earn a minimum of 60% on these assessments. Students who score below 60% on an assessment will earn an incomplete for the assessment and an incomplete for the course grade. An incomplete course grade will result in not receiving credit for the course at the end of the term. Qualifications for Reassessing Exams: Students who fail to demonstrate minimal proficiency on their first attempt or would like to attempt to raise their score must qualify for the retake by completing a multi-step procedure designed to provide students with ample practice and time to learn additional material before attempting the retake assessment. Students must: 1. Complete any and all unit work. Answer keys are available in the classroom for students to make sure their work is correct. 2. Correlate unit work handouts to the learning targets for the unit. Every learning target sheet includes space to show which handouts target those learning goals. 3. Complete the corrective packet for the unit to illustrate additional learning. (Students will receive the corrective packet when the required formative work for the unit is done.) 4. Check the answer key for the corrective packet. 5. After this prep work is completed, students will then set up an appointment with their teacher to complete the retake assessment. 6. All retake preparation work and the retake assessment must be completed before the next unit’s exam. For students who completed all formative (daily) work on time (provided that a good faith effort was evident), the most recent exam score will be the score recorded: a higher score on the reassessment will result in the higher score being recorded; a lower score on the reassessment will result in the lower score being recorded. For students who did not complete all formative (daily) work on time, had missing formative work, or did not complete using good faith effort, the maximum score that can be earned on the retake is 75%. Exams may be retaken once. Any incomplete will be erased once the student has completed the corrective work and reassessment. Projects: Due to the longer term nature of assessment projects, students will NOT be allowed to retake projects. I will make every effort to allow a student to finish a project that doesn’t meet minimal proficiency, however. So, for instance, if you skipped one part of a project and didn’t earn minimal proficiency, you will be encouraged to complete that section.
Does retesting prepare students for life outside of high school? It is not the mission of OHS to prepare only college-bound students to succeed, but rather, to help all students as they enter their adult life. Some students truly have difficulty learning, and when given ample opportunity, eventually can learn. If you are a student preparing for college, I suggest that you make a concerted effort to do well on the assessment the first time around – colleges and universities usually do not allow students to retake any assessments (although you may retake an entire course at any time). Use appropriate study strategies and do not allow yourself to fall into a situation where retesting becomes a crutch; you only cheat yourself if you allow this to happen.
Your Final Grade Calculation: Assessments (Projects & Unit Exams) – 80% Semester Exam (cumulative) – 20% General Classroom Behavior: • Come to class ready to learn and bring all materials. • Take responsibility for your own learning. • Respect all people and their property. • No food in the classroom. Water is allowed at the desks, but not at lab stations. • No hats/hoods are to be worn in class. • All cell phones and iPods (or other music/media devices) should be turned off and never used during class time. Behavioral Expectations & Attendance: The format of this course requires that all students are engaged and focused in class. This means that all students are in attendance, are prompt, and participate in the daily learning environment, including their role as presenters and collaborators. Such participation allows me to check often for individual understanding of concepts. Classroom discourse allows the class to negotiate the meaning of science concepts and to understand the concepts being learned. This requires students to question and challenge presented solutions and to extend and clarify student understanding. Everyone is learning from everyone else. My role as teacher is to facilitate and steer discussions in such a way that students can make valid judgments of the science concepts we study and to bring closure to discussions as needed. District policy dictates that we will be assessing students' learning skills in the following areas: • timely and consistent homework completion, • cooperation with students and staff, and • active engagement in classroom learning. Learning skills grades and Responsibility & Attitude Pass (RAP) ratings will be based on these areas as dictated by district and school policy. Need help? If you need help, have any questions, or need to talk about something, I am usually in the physical science room (951), environmental science room (490) or the science office before school, during my prep periods and by appointment. My specific semester schedule is posted by the classroom door & on my website. Remember, you can email me too!
First Homework Assignment: Physical Science Task: Take this syllabus packet home and review it with your parent/guardian. Additional copies of this syllabus are available on my website or in the classroom. Please fill in the requested information as thoroughly as possible – make sure that any email addresses provided are written clearly and legibly. Retain this syllabus at the beginning of your physical science binder. Return just this page to Mrs. Sundstrom.
Class Expectations & Parent Contact Information: Please fill this out after reviewing the expectations and grading policies for physical science. Contact Mrs. Sundstrom if there are any questions or concerns regarding policies, grades, attendance or any other issues related to academic success. Student Name (print) _________________________________________ Class Hour _____ Signature ____________________________________________________ Do you have access to the internet at home?
_____ Yes
_____ No
Would you like to receive periodic emails updating you on the activities occurring in our class? _____ Yes _____ No If you would like to receive the email, please neatly write your email address here: _______________________________________________________________ Please tell me what hour(s) you have study hall: ______
Parent/Guardian Name ______________________ Signature ______________________ Email Address (if applicable) ______________________________________________ Would you like to receive periodic emails updating you on the activities occurring in our class? _____ Yes _____ No Best Daytime Phone Number: __________________________
Parent/Guardian Name ______________________ Signature ______________________ Email Address (if applicable) ______________________________________________ Would you like to receive periodic emails updating you on the activities occurring in our class? _____ Yes _____ No Best Daytime Phone Number: __________________________ (Only one parent/guardian signature is required.) **Other Information: Please share any information about your learning that might help me to help you succeed in science. For example, please tell me if you usually require special testing conditions or extra time to complete exams. (For more space, feel free to write on the back of this page too.)
