advised for all students in Mr. Clemens' Science Classes
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You do not have to be brilliant |
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"It is not our abilities that show what we truly are, it is our choices." |
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Extra Credit
Opportunity! |
"Life is an occasion,
rise to it." -Magorium 1764-2007
??? Which Door Will You Choose ???
The “I Care!” Door: Good choice!
You are here to learn and I am here to help you learn. What is most important to
me is that today’s youth understand their home and how it works. What home is
that? Earth! If we understand how our Earth home works we can take
better care of it, and in return, continue to provide for our own needs.
If
you do care to learn, we will get along just fine and have a lot of fun
too! Take this opportunity to learn, and you will enjoy it!
The “I Don’t Care” Door: Please remember this: I am not here because it’s the only job I could get ! I CHOSE to become a teacher after 11 years in the business world. If you don’t care to learn , then I will be asking much of you and we may have a difficult year together! Choose the "I Care" door and you will have opportunities to experience science you will remember forever!!!
What About Class Assignments?
The “I Care!” Door: Assignments have a final date by which they must be turned in. I usually give two days from when it is assigned to when it is due. I never give assignments on the weekend unless you are assigned a project that is due the following week. Care to do your best !
The “I Don’t Care” Door:
Assignments
that a student has chosen not to complete when given a
defined amount of time,
a due date, is considered late work.
When turned in after the due date most assignments are worth 50% maximum score until the
first school day following a weekend. If not turned in after that time,
considering the student had the entire weekend to complete it and still chosen
not to, may be
worth 0%.
If you chose not to
complete it by then, you chose the "I Don't Care Door". The idea is to
learn, not to gain points.
Failure to complete any assignment may result in losing GUTS Coupons and a
negative score against your grade!
The assignment is still required to be completed.
Do Over?
If I write “Do
Over" on your paper, it means that your work was not acceptable
for grading. This may be because it was incomplete, sloppy, not readable, or has
many spelling errors. I have given you the opportunity to TRY AGAIN. If you get a “Do Over”, You must redo your work
within the time given and hand it in with the original
attached. Re-do's are worth 75% max. If you don’t re-do, you will get a zero.
You have a 7 day time limit.
The assignment is still required to be completed.
Assignment Repair or "Fix It" Policy? On many assignments completed individually (those you did all by yourself), you may have an opportunity to "Fix-It" if you did poorly. You may correct your mistakes for more points. You may not get full credit, say and A+, but you will get more than if you left it alone with the poor grade. The idea is to learn, not get a bad grade. If you earn a bad grade, and we just move on, nothing is accomplished! If you would like to "Fix-It" on a personal assignment, please ask. You have a 7 day time limit to "Fix It".
Test Re-takes? Tests
and quizzes are not always final. We are here to learn and if you failed a test or
quiz nothing is gained. There are many factors that cause us to fail a test,
hopefully failure to study isn't one of them.
If you feel you could do better on a test or quiz that is a D grade or below, you can re-take it!
The requirements for test & quiz re-takes are these:
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You must ask me to re-take the test. Upon my OK we will schedule a time. |
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The test retake may not be the same as the original! It will not be more difficult, however, it may be designed in a way that appeals more to your learning styles or preferences. This we will discuss upon your request. |
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You must provide some evidence of studying for the test prior to taking it again. Complete a Text Map, Concept Map , Roundhouse diagram, or another acceptable strategy for studying. Look at the Essential Graphic Organizers page to choose an appropriate study organizer. |
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You must complete the retake test at the time mutually agreed upon. |
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You have a 7 day time limit. |
What do I do about making up work missed while absent?
The “I Care!” Door: When you return to class after an absence, you should check the assignment binder for what you missed. If necessary, get copies of any notes or special instructions from another student, or from me. When you turn in an assignment that is late due to absence, be sure to write "ABSENT" at the top of the paper near your name.
The “I Don’t Care” Door: It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to make up missing work. I may verbally remind you ONCE, after that you will not be reminded! For absences you have two days for every day absent to complete missing work.
All grades are posted on the
door by code name.
Check your grade frequently.
It will also indicate any missing assignments.
What are "Participation Checks” ?
The “I Care!” Door: Science is not a spectator sport! Every student is expected to be an active participant at all times in this class. Every day I record your participation record next your name. Your participation counts each and every day!
The “I Don’t Care” Door: If you are not participating in class, and activity or a lab, for example: you are not working, speaking out loud, horsing around, being disruptive, abusive language, or any other infraction I consider as a lack of participation, I will tell you that you have earned a Participation Check. Checks most often means removal of GUTS Coupons (see below). Three checks in one week earns a detention!
What are “GUTS”?
“G” stands for Gum,
or candy. Food is
not a safe thing to have in a science classroom unless it is used specifically
for a lab or activity.
“U” stands for Unprepared to
begin class, I believe our 41 minute class periods is appallingly short.
Each and every minute lost is is a big deal to me and the other students that
want to enjoy experiences we will have in class.
“T” stands for Tardy, again, every minute lost is a big
deal. If I have to spend time getting you started because you were late,
the other students suffer. The first five minutes of class instruction are
the most critical.
“S” stands for Slothful (refusing to work). Science
is not a spectator sport, stay involved in class activities.
You will be given (3) G.U.T.S. Coupons at
the start of each Quarter. Each time you make a poor G.U.T.S. choice listed
above, a coupon will be taken. After all three coupons are gone, you will
receive a detention for each G.U.T. or S. choice.
Any coupons not taken from you at the end of the quarter may be turned in for
extra credit. You may also "bank" your coupons for another quarter.
Can I do
extra credit work to help my grade in this class?
Occasionally, I
will offer extra credit to everyone. Your first opportunity is at the top
of this page! Don’t depend on it! I will
not offer extra credit to you just because you need a better grade. Care
enough to do your best the first time !
How are grades calculated in this class?
In this class each assignment has a specific point value given to it. For example, a major test may have a value of 50 points, a written assignment or lab activity may be valued at 20 points, and an enrichment assignment valued at 20 points. Your score for the assigned work is determined by the "Earned Points" on an assignment divided by the total of the "Possible Points" you could have made on an assignment. Your overall grades are then weighted according to category:
| A Scale | B Scale | C Scale | D Scale |
F Scale |
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99-100 = A+ |
88-89 = B+ | 78-79 = C+ | 68-69 = D+ | < 60 = F |
| 92-98 = A | 82-87 = B | 72-77 = C | 62-67 = D | |
| 90-91 = A- | 80-81 = B- | 70-71 = C- | 60-61 = D- |
| Category | Percent of Grade |
| Tests & Quizzes | 30% |
| Labs & Activities | 35% |
| Enrichment | 35% |
| Total | 100% |
Finally:
Science is fun and I enjoy having a great time learning in class with
students!
We
can all have a great time this year if you care to remember the following rules:
1.
Be courteous to everyone, I will not tolerate heckling, bullying, teasing or
harassment! Have respect for all other people.
2. Don't speak
when someone else is speaking. Be patient! We cannot learn when speaking, we learn while listening.
So listen to what I have to say and what others are saying in class
before you speak.
3. If it's not yours, leave it alone. Respect
other’s property as you would like them to respect your own.
4. I believe we can learn more from seeing the real
thing, and not pictures of them. I encourage everyone to look at anything in my classroom because there is some pretty cool stuff here. These
things are here for you to see, examine, and learn about.
5.
Please, don't take things away from where it was originally. I don’t
like to spend time rearranging things in the room. I’d rather spend
my time
creating fun activities for us to do. Also, taking things tells me you don’t care, and then
I won’t care to share anything with you.
So..... ??? Which Door Will You Choose ???
A few more quotes to learn from:
Life is an occasion, rise to it!
I'll never ask what you know, I will ask what you can find!
Argue
your limitations and sure enough, they’re yours!
-Richard Bach
A mind
that is stretched to a new idea never returns to its original dimension.
-Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
-Carl Sagan
Self
Trust is the first secret to success.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Nosce te ipsum - ( Know yourself! )
Page Sponsor:
Mr. Richter
Page Creator & Updater::
Mr. Clemens
Webmaster:
Mr. Platt
Originally Created: October, 2004
Last Updated: March, 2011