Felix Varela Senior High

Mrs. Goss

Psychology 2006-07

Class Policies and Materials

 

Psychology is considered to be a semester course; therefore you will be taking two separate courses each worth .5 credits. Psychology I will be the first semester, and Psychology II will be the second semester. At the end of each semester there will be a final exam worth 20% of the course grade.

Materials

1. 1 Social Studies 3 ring binder with paper for class notes.  Kept by date.
2. 2 Pens ONLY Blue or Black ink, work done in any other color will receive a lower grade
3. 2 #2 Pencils for Scantron Testing.
4. 1 Composition Notebook for Journal Entries.

Classroom Expectations

1.      Appropriate attire is expected at all times.

2.      No gum, food or drinks, other than water will be permitted in class.

3.      Be prepared.  Unprepared students will not be able to complete their tasks and will receive a failing grade for the day’s assignments. 

4.      If you are not in your seat when the bell rings you are LATE, and will be marked as so.

5.      There is NO extra credit work given in this class.  If you complete all assignments as given you will have NO need to do extra credit.

6.      No late work will be accepted, every student is expected to turn in work on the due date – NO EXCUSES! If you have an excused absence from school you must turn the work in the day you return to school.

7.      Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated under any circumstances and will result in a failing grade, as well as parent contact. Continued cheating or plagiarism will result in a referral to the administration.

8.      You are expected to be kind, respectful and tolerant of others religion, heritage, language and appearance.

Grading Policy

The nine-week grade will be based on assignments and tests placed in 4 categories:

            1. Journal                                            15%

            2. Current Events                                15%

            3. Homework/Classwork                    32%

            4. Tests/Quizzes                                38%

* Percentages may be changed based on the instructor’s discretion.

GRADING STUDENT PERFORMANCE
A	90-100%	OUTSTANDING	4 pts.
B	80-89%	Good	3 pts.
C	70-79%	Satisfactory	2 pts.
D	60-69%	Minimal	1 pts.
F	0-50%	Unsatisfactory	0 pts.
I	0%	Incomplete	0 pts.

                                   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ATTENDANCE POLICY

A student accumulating 5 or more unexcused absences in a semester course will be subject to the withholding of a final credit. Check the Curriculum Bulletin for more information.

CONDUCT

Appropriate behavior is essential for the learning environment.  Any student behaving inappropriately will be given a verbal reprimand, if the behavior continues a written verbal warning will be placed in his/her record.  Further reprimands will be followed by a phone call to a parent and a possible parent/teacher conference.  Anything beyond this will be handled by the school administration.

 

Classwork

The Classwork grade will be based on your readiness for class, your completion of assignments and your involvement and interaction in class. Psychology requires a great deal of participation, you will be expected to involve yourself in class discussion and contribute to group assignments.

HOMEWORK POLICY

A syllabus outlining this course by semester and quarter is available at the class website.  You are responsible for keeping pace with the schedule.  Because of unforeseen circumstances there may be instances in which certain topics may not be fully covered through lectures, notes or class assignments this DOES NOT indicate you are not responsible for the chapter reading.  It is your responsibility to make sure that you have completed all the reading, whether or not you were directly instructed to do so.   There is a nightly reading assignment based on your syllabus. NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, other than an excused absence.

Current Event Homework

Every Monday meeting a Current Event assignment will be collected.  Because FVSH employs a block schedule this assignment is expected every 2 weeks.  The articles for this assignment must come from The New York Times, or Psychology Today (other sources are acceptable, only with instructor approval). Both of these sources can be accessed for free through the Internet. The article must be current within 2 week of due date, and the subject matter should be tied to some aspect of psychology. Check the class web site for all necessary worksheets. Current Events will be worth 15% of the nine-week grade.

Journal Entries

You will be asked to keep a journal in this class.  The journal MUST be in a black & white composition notebook, which you will keep separate from your Social Studies notebook.  You will be given topics & articles on which to comment.  Each entry MUST have a title, number and a date.  The entries should be at least 1 paragraph long.  The grade for the journal will be based on your ability to clearly state your position in written form, on whether or not all entries appear, and on proper formatting.  Journals will be collected approximately 1 week prior to the end of each quarter and promptly returned.  This assignment is worth 15% of your nine-week grade.

Tests/Quizzes

All tests will be announced at least 1 week before the test. Quizzes may be given at any time without notice. All dates are tentative and are subject to change. Check the class website for changes to due dates and test dates. Tests and quizzes will account for 38% of the nine-week grade.

Papers and Projects

The number of papers and projects per quarter will vary, as will the length, duration and depth of the papers and projects assigned. As a result of these differences the weight given to each assignment is not constant.  Depending on the weight assigned, the grade will either be included in the Tests/Quizzes category or the Classwork/Homework category.

 

* The Final Exam Schedule will be announced later in the year.