Regents Earth Science Course Outline

Mr. Braham brahamg@hlcs.org

Welcome to Regents Earth science! This real world-based course will teach you the basics of this dynamic planet we call home. We will also be exploring some of the facts and mysteries of outer space. So a better title might be “Earth and Space Science” Please hold onto this information, as it might be important later in the year. This is a regents course. This means that in June, you will take a state exam. This test counts for 20% of your overall yearly grade.

I. Behavior

Science is a form, it’s a way of thinking and learning. This course will come easy to some people, and will be more difficult for others. This is simply due to the preferences of your individual brain, and you should not feel bad if you are struggling at first. To ultimately succeed, you need to develop certain work and study skills, as well as understanding the course material. Because of this, a proper classroom atmosphere is essential. Students should feel comfortable asking questions, and should be able to complete their work. Classroom disruptions do not just effect the individual who places their needs in front of the classes. Because of this, students who interrupt the learning of others will be assigned after school detentions if the behavior persists. If the situation warrants it, that student will be referred to the Principals office. There are two basic rules for classroom behavior.

a) Arrive to class on time. The science wing is a bit farther away than most of your other classes. You need to be aware of this, as it is not an excuse for tardiness. Five lateness’s will result in a detention.

b) Respect others when they are talking. This includes both me, and your classmates.

II. Materials needed

Each class and lab period, you are expected to have the proper materials. I require one binder or notebook for class, and recommend getting a binder. I also require two folders. One will be brought to class every day for current material, and one can be kept in your locker or at home and will contain old tests and notes. Keeping a file of old tests and notes is a required part of this course, and an invaluable tool for regents preparation. You will also need a pen or a pencil for class. For labs, you will need to work in pencil. Labs not done in pencil will result in a lower score. Most of the calculations we do are fairly simple, but most of you will prefer a calculator. A four function calculator is all that is needed. If you do not have one of your own, there are some in the classroom that can be borrowed as needed. If we are working out of a notes packet, I expect you to have that with you for class. Your reference tables should be with you for every class and lab.

III. Grading

This section contains information on how I determine your class average for each of the 4 marking periods. Remember, the year end regents counts the same as a quarter.

Classwork-

Assignments each worth 10-20 points each , and 15-25% of the quarterly grade

Like it sounds, classwork is anything that is mostly worked on during class. Because the work is done during class, it is typically the highest part of the students grade. Classwork assignments could be a review assignment or activity we do in class, those are typically 10 point grades. At the end of each unit, I collect each students note packet. These are given a grade out of 20. When I grade them, I am looking for completeness of the packet. Students with parts missing will lose points. Most students who lose points, have not written conclusions. At the end of each lesson, a student must summarize it in their own words. Students writing excellent conclusions or extra notes can receive a grade higher than 100%. Each unit there is also a class preparation and participation grade. That is also a 20 point grade, that most people do very well on. I am looking for 4 things in that grade. 1) Students should arrive to class on time. While I am taking attendance, students have a minute or two to get ready. By the time we are ready to begin, I expect students to have their notes and reference tables on the desk, pencils sharpened, and homework turned in. 2) Having all necessary materials. Students lose credit for not having their notes, reference tables, or something to write with. 3) Not working when you are supposed to. Here, you lose credit when you are not being attentive in class. This means, when we are working on a particular page, students should be open to it. Students should be working on earth science material during class, and nothing else. 4) Causing distractions. Students lose credit if they interrupt class, or otherwise behave inappropriately. As you can see, this is a system where value gets taken away. This does not mean a student needs to raise their hand, and speak during class to get a 100% here. If you come to class on time and ready to work, you have your materials with you, and do your work when you are supposed to, and don’t interrupt class, you will get a 100% here. Most students usually get close to 100%, and for the ones who don’t, I can specifically see what areas they are weak in.

Homework

Assignments worth 5-10 points each, 15-25% of the quarterly grade

Homework is any assignment where the majority of work is not done during class time. My assignments are usually quick and to the point. And assigned frequently. Textbook assignments are given on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. These consist of reading several pages from the book, then answering 2-4 questions on them. This typically takes less than 20 minutes a night. Assignments are due the next day. If they are late, they can still get 75% of the points by turning it in within a week of the due date, and 50% of the credit between one week, and the end of the marking period. Monday’s, Wednesday’s and Friday’s are for Key Ideas. Key Idea’s are the questions most frequently asked on exams, and need to be mastered. Students will get a one page sheet explaining the idea again, then will answer 5 questions on it. These are due at the start of class the next day, and are not accepted late. Other homework assignments may be given during the year, but these are the two most common types. At the end of each unit, there will be a ten point review sheet. This is essential, as most test questions come from this assignment in some form or another. I will also be providing several current newspaper or magazine articles relating to earth science, with several questions to answer throughout each marking period.

There are rewards for work well done. Every 5 weeks, I make a list of students with a 80 or higher average. These students do not need to do textbook work the next 5 weeks. The textbook is great for review and background, but if a student understands the material without the textbook, I do not require it’s use. Those students may still do textbook assignments, and extra consideration will be given to their grade. With Key Idea’s, we look at a new topic each week. The set of questions stays similar all week long. Students scoring 80% or 100% on Monday nights assignment have mastered it, and do not need to do it Wednesday or Friday. If a student is required to take the assignment on Wednesday, if they do it right, they do not have to do it Friday. These are assignments that take 10 minutes to do right the first time, and if they are not done, or done right, the grade suffers, and they still need to do the assignment. Students who fail a key idea 3 times in a row, must stay after school the following week to review the idea with me, then answer questions on it. Should the student not show up, they will be given another 0, and will still be required to stay the next week. This will continue until the key idea is mastered.

Labs

20-60 points each, 20-30% of the quarterly grade

This is a lab based course. Every other day, we have a period set aside for hands on learning. About 15% of the grade on the June regents is based on your ability to perform basic lab experiments, so it essential that each student learns how to complete a lab on their own. Also, New York state has mandated that to be eligible for a regents credit, the student must have 30 documented lab credits. So each lab has a written portion that must be turned in for your lab grade to count. We will complete about 40 lab credits. To do well on labs, you need to be complete, and to pay attention to detail. Any grade above an 80 should be considered a good effort. Labs that are not complete, or not above a 65, will be returned to the student, and the grade will be logged as a 0. The student may fix any mistakes or repeat parts of the lab, and turn the lab in again at a 15% deduction. Labs that are turned in late will receive an automatic 15% deduction. In general, a lab is due two days after we have completed it in class, and it is due at 3:15. Lab due dates can be found on the board at school, or on the class website. If a student is absent from class on a lab day, they have one week from the day they return to school to complete the lab and turn it in for a full grade. This usually requires staying after school.

Quizzes

15 points each, 10-15% of the quarterly grade

In this class, we will have a quiz every Thursday. These quizzes are 15 questions long, and are half on current material, and half on review material. Because each quiz builds off the last one, it is essential that you review past quizzes and material throughout the year. It is best to get started on your review early in the year, while your stack of old papers is still small. If you are waiting until the year is half over, to finally learn those ideas we talk about in September, you are waiting too long, and your studying will be much more difficult. For the first half of the year, the review questions will encompass the entire school years work. And I tend to pick questions people have had the most trouble with in the past. Later in the year, I will focus the review questions on a particular topic, which you will be aware of in advance. Your review packet is the best way to study for the current material part of the quiz. Especially the practice questions. Reviewing old quizzes, notes and tests will help prepare you for the review. I should note, that many times, the exact same question is repeated. When I return a quiz the next day, I will also include a page explaining all the answer choices. You should focus on any questions you got wrong, or were unsure about. Ask questions, and don’t allow yourself to fall behind. I do not give pop quizzes. If we do not have school on Thursday, expect the quiz on Friday. If Wednesday is a snow day, the quiz is pushed back to Friday. But if Wednesday is a scheduled recess, then the quiz will proceed as usually. I drop the lowest quiz grade each marking period. Students missing class during the week will still take the weekly quiz, stay caught up.

Tests

100 points each, 20-40% of the quarterly grade

The final part of your grade is also the biggest, and sometimes the easiest. Each unit is about 3 weeks long, and includes a test at the end. I announce tests about one week in advance. Prior to each test, students will receive a review sheet, and we will also do a review activity in class. My tests are predictable, the review sheet is a very good indicator of what will be on the test, and by looking at old quizzes and practice questions, you should get a feel for the multiple choice. Because of this, and the methods we use to get here, test scores are usually very high. Doing well on a test is the best way to bring up your grade. Most people can do this, even if they have had trouble with the unit. The point is, by the end of the unit, you should have a mastery of it, not just the basic knowledge needed to simply pass. The tests are all three parts and follow the same format. The first part is matching key words and ideas with their definition. These can be found at the start of each unit in your notes. However, I do change the wording, so study the idea, not the textbook definition. The second part, is short answer, and is usually pretty similar to the test review sheet and notes. You might be asked to provide drawings, or explanations of your answers. The third and biggest part is multiple choice. By the test, you have seen practice questions, have had quizzes, requizzes, and a review sheet. At each step, you should be asking questions to make sure you understand the multiple choice. Do this, and a high grade is your reward. Tests count as 100 points. The exception is the midterm, which counts twice.