1.1. Beginning Class: Before class begins, you must accomplish the following tasks: (1) arrive in class, (2) sit at your desk, and (3) prepare your Chemistry binder and pencil for the preamble activity.
1.2. Preamble: Read the agenda and announcements. Read the daily preamble displayed on the whiteboard. Write the date at the beginning of the new entry.
1.2.1. For think-writes, write a title for entry. Silently think and write about each issue indicated. Continue working until I ask the class to finish their thought and stop. You�ll typically write for five minutes.
1.2.2. For warm-up problems, write a brief version of the problem. Silently think, solve, and write down your ideas and the solution.
1.3. Respectful Class Discussions: Participate in all class discussions by listening to others and sharing your own thoughts. When you desire to speak to the class, raise your hand to let me know. I will facilitate class discussions.
1.4. Quiet Group Work: Your teammates for group work will normally be your seating group. I may also assign other grouping arrangements. You may use 20-centimeter voices to discuss group work activities.
1.5. Lab Work: Safety is first priority. We�ll follow many procedures to promote mutual safety. Safety issues will be discussed before each lab. Students must abide by safety procedures to participate in lab work. Goggles will be worn for labs and demonstrations. All lab equipment will be cleaned and stored after use. You will usually work in teams and receive team grades.
1.6. Attendance and Participation: Chemistry uses many hands-on activities and group interactions for the learning and sharing of information. Attendance is crucial to your success. You, the student, are expected to take full responsibility for completing all work on time. If you are absent, all work is due 3 days after you return to school or on the assignment�s normal due date, whichever is later.
1.7. Absences: Please inform me of any planned absences as soon as possible. I might be able to assign alternate work that can replace the in-class educational experiences you�ll be missing. Valid reasons for missing class do not make up for the missed educational opportunities. Some absences from class, such as for field trips or for club activities, require my validation. I will consider requests made at least three days in advance of the day. Do not volunteer for club and student government activities that will require your regular absence from class.
1.8. Turning-in Assignments: Bring completed assignments to class on the due date. I will provide in-class time to turn in assignments. If the due date is postponed or the assignment is not collected, you are responsible to bring the assignment to class daily until it is collected. Special assignments such as late work, extra credit, upgraded assignments and alternate assignments may be turned in before class into your class period in-box.
1.9. Retrieving Graded Assignments and Viewing Grades: Graded assignments will be placed in individual folders. Student grades will be posted according to private ID numbers. I will provide limited in-class time for brief private discussion of grades. Complicated and private grading issues should be discussed in a student-teacher conference.
1.10. Ending Class: We�ll work through the entire class until I dismiss the class. Thirty seconds is a reasonable amount of time to pack your supplies and prepare for dismissal.
1.11. Conferences and Tutoring: I will announce regular tutoring times and locations.
2. Rules And Expectations
2.1. BRING ALL NEEDED MATERIALS TO CLASS DAILY: chemistry binder, 2 sharpened pencils, paper, & a scientific calculator.
2.2. RESPECT AND BE POLITE TO ALL PEOPLE: Respect is (a) listening attentively; (b) speaking in-turn; (c) choosing your words carefully to build up others; (d) waiting for and sharing classroom supplies; (e) responding to the teachers request�s without delay; (f) removing your hats, caps and sun glasses before entering class; (g) leaving music players, beepers and cell phones outside of the classroom; (h) refraining from rough playing, fighting and throwing objects in class, (i) taking care of your restroom needs before or after class; and (j) all similar courtesies.
2.3. RESPECT OTHER PEOPLE�S PROPERTY: Respect is (a) keeping the room clean; (b) picking up litter; (c) returning borrowed property; (d) refraining from writing on the desks and tables; (f) obtaining permission before borrowing another person�s materials; and (g) all similar courtesies.
2.4. WORK SAFELY IN LAB: Follow all lab safety policies.
2.5. OBEY ALL SCHOOL RULES.
3. Consequences For Violations of RESPECT RULES and SCHOOL RULES
3.1. I will make EYE CONTACT with you. Show some improvement!
3.2. You will be given a specific VERBAL WARNING.
3.3. We will have a TEACHER-STUDENT CONFERENCE (aka a 15-minute lunchtime detention).
3.4. I will CONTACT YOUR PARENT or we will have a TEACHER-PARENT-STUDENT CONFERENCE. Your citizenship will be lowered by a letter grade.
3.5. I will write a REFERRAL for you and recommend a TEACHER-COUNSELOR-STUDENT CONFERENCE. Your citizenship will be lowered by another letter grade.
3.6. Students engaging in potentially dangerous misconduct will be immediately referred to the principal.
3.7. Students violating lab safety policies will be disqualified from lab work.
4. Grading Policy
4.1. The standards for marking period and semester letter grades are shown below.
4.2. Students� semester grade will be calculated using an average of the previous three marking period percentages.
4.3. Students will receive grades for four categories of work. The weight of each category is listed in parentheses.
� Class Work: preambles, jigsaws, group problem solving, and other daily activities. (15%)
� Lab Work: Laboratory reports, laboratory skills, lab mini-projects. (20%)
� Homework: Reading logs, textbook question sets, research projects and reports, etc. In an average week, you�ll do two distinct written homework assignments and read about 20 pages from the textbook. (25%)
� Quizzes and exams. We�ll have two or three quizzes per marking period. The final exam is cumulative and 10% of the semester grade. (40%)
4.4. Assignments will receive one of the following grades: Nobel Laureate (N) for outstanding work earns 100% credit, Research Scientist (R) for very good work earns 95% credit, Lab Technician (L) for good work earns 85% credit, Grad Student (G) for satisfactory work earns 75% credit and Trainee (T) for work requiring significant improvement earns 40% credit. I use this grading system because each label is a positive affirmation of your hard work and yet they indicate progress. Grossly incomplete and missing work earns 0% credit. Academic dishonesty earns 0% credit.
4.5. Tests and quizzes (4.3.4) will receive numerical grade as well as a notation; Nobel Laureate, Research Scientist, Lab Technician, Grad Student or Trainee.
4.6. Upgrades: Any assignment receiving a Trainee notation may be upgraded to a maximum grade of Grad Student by (1) re-submitting a revised version of the assignment attached to the original assignment OR at Ms. Rotter�s discretion (2) by completing an alternate assignment. Quizzes can be upgraded only by taking an alternate quiz on the same topic. I will offer a limited number of opportunities to take make-up quizzes.
4.7. The maximum grade for a late assignment is Grad Student. Assignments handed in more than one week late or after classmates� graded assignments have been returned will be discounted. Late work should be placed into the inbox at the rear of the classroom.
4.8. Group work will receive a group grade, except when individuals fail to contribute to the teamwork.
4.9. Students are responsible to retain ALL graded papers in the appropriate sections of their chemistry binder [(1) Course Information And Reference Charts (2) Preambles, (3) Notes And Class Work, (4) Reading Logs And Homework, (5) Lab Reports, And (6) Quizzes and Exams] as evidence of completed work and follow up on all upgrades. Notwithstanding, I will regularly post summary grade reports and I will advise students of progress or missing work.
4.10. The last day to hand in assignments for credit is one week prior to the end of each marking period. (1st Sem: 9/30, 11/16, 1/13; 2nd Sem: 2/24, 4/14, 5/26)
5. Absences and Assignments
5.1. If you know you are going to be absent, you must inform me 3 days before the absence. Students may be excused from class activities (with advance notice) with my permission; however lab activities must always be made-up with a laboratory review report.
5.2. Absences will be counted as excused via 2 methods. (1) Re-admit slip after the absence. (2) Permission slip submitted before the absence. Assignments turned in late due to an excused absence may be turned in for full credit. Assignments turned in late due to an unexcused absence may be turned in for up to Grad Student (G) credit.
5.3. Assignments due on the date of an absence must be turned in within 3 days of your return to class. They should be turned in to the inbox with a note at the top referencing the absence.
5.4. If you are absent during class: (1) call a fellow student for assignments in the evening of day you are absent. (2) Check the daily log for assignments on the day you return. (3) Check the class web page for new assignments: URL www.geocities.com/lowellchemistry.
6. Ms. Rotter�s Commitments and Courtesies
6.1. I will not �grade� you on things I have not taught, but in the process of teaching and learning you must try to do things that are new to you.
6.2. I will speak with you and your parents when I perceive that you are in danger of not earning an A, B or C, or when your attendance in class is irregular.
6.3. You have the right to know my professional assessment of your learning process. Simple clarifications of my assessments can be made during appropriate class times. Larger issues can be discussed in student-teacher conferences.
6.4. I will write letters of recommendations for students who provide appropriate relevant information such as a brag sheet, addressee and the like. In most instances I can return the letter within two weeks of the request and provision of all necessary information.
Procedures
Resources