Course Syllabus

Centerville Jr. High

Home of the Chargers

Teacher: Mr. Richard Spence                                              Email: rspence@dsdmail.net                                  

Classroom: D-25                                                                  Office Hours: By Appointment                   

                                                                       

Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge. – Carl Sagan

 

Introduction:

            Welcome to 9^th grade Earth Science! We live in a beautiful world with science all around us every day. As your teacher, I want to help you explore the science of this world and to ask questions about why science happens the way we see it.   

 

Course Description:

            In this course, we will explore the evidences of the formation of our solar system including our earth.  We will investigate our earth’s internal structure and the processes (i.e. plate tectonics, water cycle, geologic hazards) that shape the physical characteristics of what we see every day.  We will look at weather patterns and climate changes, and how humans are impacting the severity and frequency of these events.  For a more detailed breakdown of our course work, visit:

 

http://tinyurl.com/yb76oetk

 

Textbook:

We do not have a physical textbook with this course, instead we have an online textbook located here:

 

http://tinyurl.com/ydbmcb82

 

If you prefer to have your own copy at home, you can purchase the printed version of the textbook for $5-10 from the USOE website.

 

Materials Needed:

• ½ inch 3 Ring Binder is preferred, but 1 inch will work. Binder must only be for this class!
• Two Writing Utensils
• Reading Book

 

Classroom Expectations

• Be Respectful
  • We have all been around long enough to understand what that means. Don’t hit people, don’t steal things, don’t talk when the teacher (or another student) is addressing the class. Just be a good human being!
• Be Present
  • This means to be here in both body and spirit. Don’t take unnecessary absences, and when you are here, BE HERE!  Be ready to work, listen, participate, and LEARN!
• Be Bold
  • Michael Jordan once said “I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” It’s okay to be wrong and make mistakes, it is a part of science and part of becoming a successful person!

 

• Electronic devices - This year we will have the benefit of using electronic devices (tablets, laptops, etc.) for learning purposes in class. Use of personal electronic devices will be closely monitored and only used in class for learning purposes. Unless specifically given approval, cell phone use is prohibited.

 

·         CANVAS: Most of you should be familiar with canvas.  We will be doing most of our assessments (Standards) and assignments through Canvas. ·         Log in: Username: Student Email (ex: 22rspence@go.dsdmail.net) Password: First letter of your first given name capitalized followed by your student pin number (ex: R123456)

 

• Please note that you will be signing a User Agreement for technology. This is basically saying that you promise to use technology in the classroom only for educational purposes and a violation will result in a loss of technology privileges. 

 

• Food/Drinks – With the exception of water, food and drinks are prohibited in the classroom unless otherwise provided by the teacher.

 

• Labs – Many of the labs that we do in Earth Science can be completed in the classroom. However, we will try and implement the science lab as often as possible.  In order to participate in labs, you must pass the lab safety test administered at the beginning of the year with a score of 80% or higher. 

 

Academic Grading Policy:

There is an evidence-based best practice called “Standards-Based Grading” that we are implementing as a science department this year.  It is a system that focusses more on “What have I learned?” instead of “Did I turn my assignments in?” Tests and quizzes, called “Standards” become the MAJORTITY of each student’s grade, BUT…they can retake these standards as many times as they need to improve their score!

 

This practice discards traditional letter grades and percentages and instead replaces them with a 1-4 system as follows:

 

4	“Very Proficient”	Able to apply the standards skill in multiple creative ways and can teach it to someone else.
3	“Proficient”	Able to apply the standard skill and can demonstrate it independently.
2	“Approaching Proficient”	Able to apply the standard skill in a limited way but requires some assistance.
1	“Not Proficient”	Can only apply the standard skill with much assistance.

 

While this practice doesn’t use traditional letter grades and percentages, I am bound to give them by the grading system that the Davis School District currently uses.  I have therefore changed my cutoffs for letter grades to some odd percentages to compensate:

 

Letter Grade	Standards Average	%
A	3.5 – 4.0	88-100
B	3.0 – 3.4	75-87
C	2.5 – 2.9	63-74
D	2.0 – 2.4	50-62
F	0.0 – 1.9	0-49

 

This system doesn’t make getting an A harder or easier, it just makes it different.  You spend more time with “do I know this?” and less time with “did I turn my assignments in?” We will still have our weekly worksheets of notes, labs, and other assignments that you will definitely want to stay caught up on.   An accumulation of the average of your grades on assignments will be entered as a test score. 

 

***You may not retake a standard until you show me your completed classwork leading up to the standard*****

We do all the work in class!  Don’t be lazy.  As long as you stay engaged in class, all you have to do is come after school or during E.O. and show me your work.  If it’s complete, I can let you re-take the standard right there!  There will be NO EXTRA CREDIT.  If you don’t like your grade, retake a standard!

 

Citizenship Grades:

Everyone starts out the semester with an “H”.  For each tardy, you go down to a “G”, then an “S”, then an “N”, and finally a “U”. You can also lose citizenship for being late to class, unexcused absences, missing assignments, misbehaving in class, being disrespectful or off-task.  Citizenship is pretty subjective, and I have the final say as to what your grade is.

 

Absences and Tardies

The absence and tardy policy for this class follows that of Centerville Jr High. Unexcused absences will affect citizenship, after the 5^th unexcused absence, a student will be issued a “U”.

 

You should be in your seat when the tardy bell rings or you will be marked tardy.  Infraction of the rule will be administered as follows:

            1^st Tardy                    No change in citizenship

            2^nd Tardy                    S/G in citizenship

            3^rd Tardy                    N in citizenship and parent/guardian contact by email

            4^th Tardy                    U in citizenship and Office Referral

            5^th Tardy                    1 Day Lunch Detention

            6^th Tardy (+)              Multiple Lunch Detentions

 

If you find yourself in poor citizenship standing, please see me before or after class and I can assign some additional work to make it up.