Earth Science Course SyllabusFall 2016

Mr. Rob Jones

(best ways to reach me)

Email:,

School Phone:916-567-5740

Cell: 530-933-9217

Introductory Earth Science is an exciting course that involves the study of our world and how it works. Our curriculum is focused upon the Earth Science Standards as adopted by the State of California and our school. The major topic areas that will be learned include: Earth’s Place in the Universe, Structure and Composition of the Atmosphere, California Geology, Dynamic Earth Processes, Energy in the Earth System, and Biochemical Cycles.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

  1. Learn Earth Science!
  2. Become a critical thinker and problem solver.
  3. Develop good study habits.
  4. Gain a positive feeling about science.
  5. Work successfully within a group to achieve a common goal.
  6. Develop punctuality and personal responsibility.
  7. Learn proper use and care for scientific laboratory equipment.
  8. Have fun!

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

  • Three ring binder with lined paper
  • Writing instruments - pen and pencil
  • Access to a computer and internet
  • A covered textbook
  • A “can-do” attitude

TEXTBOOK:

The course textbook for this course is Holt McDougal – Earth Science, copyright 2010

GRADING:NP3 School Wide Grading Policy

NP3 High School has a uniform grading policy in all academic content areas throughout the school. The goal is to ensure that grading practices reflect student learning and provide an accurate representation of student achievement, as determined by the completion of learning targets. The following grade scale will be used:

A (90-100) = Mastery: Demonstrates a thorough understanding of the course content and consistently applies the standards, skills, and/or concepts in a variety of contexts.

B (80-89) = Proficient, with elements of mastery: Demonstrates an understanding of the course content and consistently applies the standards, skills, and/or concepts in a variety of contexts.

C (70-79) = Proficient: Demonstrates a basic understanding of the course content; may need additional support to apply the standards, skills, and/or concepts in a variety of contexts.

NC (69 and below) = fails to demonstrate proficiency, and thus No Credit is earned.

 If work is turned in, but is not proficient, it will show up as a 65% in the gradebook

 If work is not turned in, it will show up as a 50% in the gradebook

In addition, all graded work will be entered as either a Process assignment or a Product assignment. In each class students will be given multiple opportunities to demonstrate their learning. Some of these opportunities occur while in the process of learning specific concepts. Examples of these types of process assignments are worksheets, study guides, notes, homework, in-class participation, quizzes, first drafts of essays, etc. Ultimately, other significant opportunities are provided for students to demonstrate their culminating understanding of course objectives and learning standards. These product assignments may be in the form of essays, tests, projects, presentations, labs, etc.

In order to facilitate student progression towards learning targets, the following practices will be used:

assignments are worksheets, study guides, notes, homework, in-class participation, quizzes, first drafts of essays, etc. Ultimately, other significant opportunities are provided for students to demonstrate their culminating understanding of course objectives and learning standards. These product assignments may be in the form of essays, tests, projects, presentations, labs, etc.

In order to facilitate student progression towards learning targets, the following practices will be used:

 All grades will be recorded as a percentage, with a 50% being the lowest possible grade.

 All grades will be recorded as Product or Process.

 80% of the grade will be made up of Product assignments, 10% of the grade will be made up of Process assignments, and 10% will be made up of the Final assessment.

 All Product assignments must be completed to pass each class; therefore, late work will be accepted on all Product assignments. If a Product assignment is not turned in, the overall grade will be locked at an NC. Product assignments completed within the quarter will be graded without penalty. Product assignments completed after the quarter will receive a 10% penalty.

 Late Process assignments will earn a 70% and will only be accepted within the academic quarter.

 If a student has an excused absence they will have the same number of days to turn in missed work as the number of days of their absence. It is the student’s responsibility to get missed work.

 Missing Process assignments will be entered as a 50% and will result in the students grade being locked at NC until the assignment is completed..

 If a student fails a Product assignment, they have the opportunity to reassess until they reach 70%. If a student passes, but would like to increase their understanding of the material, they will have a single opportunity to reassess. Reassessments may be in a different format than the original assessment. It is the student’s responsibility to arrange time to reassess and complete re-teaching/relearning activities. All reassessments must be completed within the academic quarter. Midterms must be retaken by the end of the 3rd quarter. The reassessment grades replace the original grades. Reassessment opportunities exclude finals, oral presentations and labs.

 No extra credit will be given.

Grades for the course will be assigned the following percentages.

PROCESS:

Homework 10%

Class Participation 10%

PRODUCT:

Exams 20%

Midterm & Final exam 20%

Labs 20%

Capstone Project 20%

NOTE: Students must earn a “C”= 70% or better to earn credit for this course. Any student earning lower than 70% will be given a grade of “NO CREDIT”=NC for the course.

MISSING TESTS AND QUIZZES:

Students who are absent during a test or quiz should be prepared to make up the quiz or test on the day they return. It is the student’s responsibility to set a make-up time. If the student fails to do this, they will receive no credit for the quiz or exam.

GENERAL RULES and TIPS FOR SUCCESS:

  • Each student is expected to be college bound and will be treated as such.
  • Average is unacceptable.
  • I expect your best in all you do.
  • You may expect my best in all I do.
  • Each student will be expected to carry themselves at all times as role models, treating otherswith respect both in and out of the classroom.
  • All students, family members, and faculty will be held responsible to the ideals of scholastic and community leadership.
  • All students will be empowered to develop personal leadership styles through experiences and accountability for their actions.
  • All students will be held accountable to the Ideal of Ownership: #1)Own it. #2)Fix it.#3)Learn from it.

Corrective Consequences for Off-Task Behavior

  • 1st time : Student will be spoken to privately or publically by the teacher depending on the behavior. Class culture and expectations will be reinforced. The student will then be encouraged to Own It, Fix It and Learn from It.
  • 2nd time: Student will meet with teacher and a school administrator to discuss the behavior. “Contract of Behavioral Expectation” will be created to modify the behavior so the student will be in accordance with school policy and culture, and classroom expectations. The family will also be notified of the results of this meeting and a copy of the contract sent home for the family and student to sign and return.
  • 3rd time: If the “Contract of Behavioral Expectation” is not met ,or the behavior escalates, or the behavior continues to be a problem, the student, teacher, school administrator, and the guardian/parent will hold an “ Academic/Behavior Intervention Meeting” to discuss causes and consequences of the continued behavior and develop a course of action.
  • Chronic misbehavior: Student will be then referred to school administration for further intervention up to and including removal from the class, suspension and possible expulsion.

Dear Students and Parents,

Please read theEarth Science Course Syllabus. Sign and return this half page to Mr. Jonestomorrowto indicate that class information has been communicated to and understood by both students and parents. This is your first assignment! The Course Syllabus is to be placed in the Earth Science Binder.

I look forward to a fulfilling and successful school year for all.

Thank you,

Rob Jones

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