Welcome to Class!

            Welcome to a great year in a new science room!  I trust you had a fantastic summer and are excited be back to school.  Together, we are going to learn “science”, which is a process we use to help us understand the world we live in.  We use it everyday, whether we realize it or not.

            Your success in this class relies heavily on your participation, homework, and effort.  It’s important for you to develop good study strategies, maintain a positive attitude and stay organized.  If you can do these things, I’m sure it will be a great school year!

Grades

            Your grades are an important reflection of how hard you work and how much you have learned. You each have access to JMC so you will be able to check your grade at any time. Typically, I don’t give extra credit assignments, so make sure you work hard the first time.

Test- 50% (7^th and 8^th grade 50%)

            Tests are the most significant part of your overall grade.  A good grade on a test can bring your overall grade up quite a bit, however it can also bring you down quite a bit. My tests tend to be a variety of multiple choice, matching, fill in the blank or short answer. I take tests very seriously. If you are suspected of cheating on anything, you will receive a zero. That includes copying another student’s homework.

Quiz- 40%(7^th and 8^th grade 30%)

            Quizzes are given to help me determine how well you are learning the material and as an incentive to keep up with the reading.  I will be giving quizzes throughout the year, and usually they are based upon the sections you have been assigned to read, and things we have discussed in previous days. If you are absent or do not take a pop quiz for any reason, you will not be able to make it up, you will receive an ‘x’ in the grade book, which will not have any effect on your grade. Often times I will allow you to use hand written notes on your quiz, so take good notes. If you take good notes, you should have a very good quiz average, which will be highly beneficial to your overall grade.

Homework 10%(7^th and 8^th grade 20%)

            Typically your homework comes in a packet and is due the day we take the test on the chapter. I expect you complete it, in entirety, and turn it in on time.  If an assignment is turned in late, even 1 minute, it will automatically lose half points.  If you are actually reading this, write your name at the bottom right hand corner of the paper.  If the assignment is not turned in with in two days of the due date, you will receive a zero for the assignment.  Assignments that are incomplete  will be given a score of 1 in the grade book. Upon completion, the grade will be changed to reflect that work that was previously done. Typically, your homework packets are due the day of the test. At times I assign homework that isn’t part of the chapter packet and I will let you know when it is due. If there is a legitimate reason your work isn’t complete or turned in on time, you need to talk to me about it before I collect it, and I may make exceptions. Please note: If you write nonsense answers to make it appear as though you did your homework, I will immediately stop correcting it and you will receive a zero for the entire assignment/packet. You will not have an opportunity to fix it. If you aren’t going to make the effort to find the correct answer, or aren’t going to make an educated guess, I suggest you leave the question blank.