H.J. MacDonald Middle School
Seventh Grade Science 2016-2017 Academic Year Teacher: Mrs. Moriah Godsey Classroom: 741 Email: [email protected] Phone: 703-338-1738 Office Hours: After School By Appointment Mission: My mission is to inspire in my students a passion for science by promoting a spirit of inquiry, an understanding of the natural world, and an appreciation for the scientific process. These habits of mind will provide students with the capacity to make good personal decisions and become life-long learners. Course Description: Welcome to seventh grade science class! I am looking forward to an exciting and productive year with you. Seventh grade science will offer you the opportunity to explore some interesting topics in science through the process of observation and experimentation. Along with learning basic science processes and skills, our class will be focusing on the following five areas this year:
This course includes a lot of hands-on lab activities. Your success in this class will rely on your participation during these activities. Your participation and cooperation are vital to making this class a positive experience for everyone. If you come to class excited and ready to learn each day, you will succeed. This syllabus will help you become familiar with classroom rules, expectations, assignments, and grading policy. Please refer to this syllabus form throughout the year if you have any questions. My main goal as your teacher is to help you succeed both in the classroom and in life. Science is a fascinating and applicable subject that helps us better understand the workings of the world around us. Even more important, though, I want each of you to fall in love with learning. No matter how old we get, our ability to learn and understand new things plays an important role in our lives. I want each of you to become lifelong learners! Materials Needed Along with the usual school materials (paper and a pen or pencil), each of you will need to purchase a spiral-bound notebook. These notebooks will become your “science journals” for the duration of the school year. Each day, you will be asked to record your thoughts, feelings, and knowledge of various science concepts in your notebooks. These books will be collected and checked periodically and will make up a sufficient part of your academic grade. You will also need scissors, glue, and colored pencils for this class. These supplies will be used in constructing your science notebook. Discipline Plan “The teacher has the right to teach, and each student has the right to learn.” To help protect such rights, and to ensure that everyone is completely able to learn and succeed in class, I have established the following rules and consequences: Classroom Rules:
If You Choose to Break a Rule…
Classroom Procedures and Expectations: All of us have certain routine that we go through each day (e.g., getting ready in the morning, the route we take to school, preparing and eating meals). These routines save us time and simplify the tasks we must perform. In a similar way, there are classroom routines, or “procedures,” that help a class function more effectively as a whole. The following are a few of the most important ones.
Assignments: Your work is worth 100% only on the day that it is due. Be sure to hand in all work on the due date, otherwise you will have points deducted. Late work will result in subtracting 10% from the assignment’s total possible score for each day that the assignment goes beyond its due date. It is important that you learn now to be prompt with your work! You are required to attend class on time every day. This is one of the most fundamental ways to ensure that one learns what needs to be learned in class. Each student is allowed a total of one “free” tardy each term. Each tardy obtained thereafter will result in a “participation mark,” and your participation grade dropping one letter grade. If you miss a class, YOU are responsible for the work that you missed. When you return to school check the Student Center for the work that you missed. If you know in advance that you must miss class, please see me so that we can work out a plan of action for you to make up the missed work. Grading Policy: The following grade scale will be used in class: A 93-100 B- 80-82 D+ 67-69 A- 90-92 C+ 77-79 D 62-66 B+ 87-89 C 73-76 D- 60-62 B 83-86 C- 70-72 F below 60 Your class grade will be based on your performance on the following components:
Quizzes and Tests Short quizzes will be given on a regular basis to ensure that you comprehend the content we’re learning together in class. At the end of each unit, a larger unit test will also be administered. Notes are not allowed during these tests, and there will be no retakes. Thus, you are strongly encouraged to study and prepare at home prior to test day. Review science journal and/or study guides to aid you in your review of the material. Extra Credit: Extra Credit will be offered two times during the year and everyone is eligible. These extra credit opportunities will be made available to you at the middle and end of the semester. No other extra credit will be offered!! Extra Help: If you need extra help, just ask me. I am usually available every day after school. So if you want to talk about homework, have a question about a test, want to make up work, stop by my classroom after school. My door is always open to you! Contact Information: Parents, feel free to contact me. I am available by phone or by email. My contact information is at the top of this syllabus form. I will check my voicemail and email at the end of each school day. If I do not get back to you on the day you contact me, I will get back to you the next day. If you would like to meet with me in person, call me or email me and we can schedule an appointment. Also, check my website daily for homework updates and to keep current with the class. I will post pictures and videos from class so that you can see what we are up to in class. I am certain that we will have a great year. I have planned many fun and exciting activities that I look forward to sharing with you. Teacher’s Right As the teacher, I reserve the right to make changes to these policies or procedures as needed. |
Moriah GodseyWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
February 2017
CategoriesCLASS WISH LIST
Our class is always actively engaged in kinesthetic activities. Your gifts would be kindly appreciated and will help our class immensely. Below is a list of ongoing needs for our classroom. |