Mathematics courses are designed to prepare you for future endeavors, be it college, the workforce or life in general. You will learn to make sense out of math. This mathematics course is activity-driven, teacher facilitated. This means much of the work you do will be in teams, usually groups of three or four.
Mathematics is a challenging subject. One topic builds on another. Therefore, daily participation is a must! I expect my students to be involved the entire time they are in class and complete assigned work. Do not get behind in your course work. If you are having difficulty with the material, I will be glad to help you as best I can. It is your responsibility to seek help and take whatever action necessary to master each concept.
Taken directly from your student planner, the Issaquah High School Code of Conduct:
An absence is excused only if
accepted as excused by the attendance office in accordance with school
attendance policy. When absent, it is your responsibility to obtain any
missed assignments. If you are gone the day of a test or quiz, you should plan on making it
up the day you return. Again, this is
your responsibility. In the case of
a long term absence arrangements can be
made, provided you see me the day you return and we agree on a timeline.
Unexcused absences will
result in a loss of participation points and can result in no credit for work
missed on that day. This will result in a zero on a test or team review if you are absent
and unexcused on such a day.
If tardy and unexcused you
cannot earn full participation points for the day.
Each student is expected to
come to class each day with a calculator, writing utensil and mathematics
notebook.
Calculator: Each
student is required to have a scientific calculator. Although not required,
students may opt to use a graphing calculator. I would suggest the TI-83 Plus graphing
calculator as a good investment for future mathematics courses. If
obtaining a calculator is a problem, please see me immediately.
Notebook: To insure success, a math notebook should be
kept. No grade is given for keeping your
notebook in order, but success in this class relies on your ability to stay
organized. Thus, it is to your maximum
benefit to keep a math exclusive notebook as follows:
·
Textbook (book is
three-hole punched so it may be kept in a 3-ring binder)
o
Note: You will be
fined for a textbook that shows much wear (from pulling it in and out of a
locker and/or backpack). Keeping it in a
3-ring binder will reduce wear.
·
Dividers (Syllabus and Worklog
should be kept in front of any dividers)
o
Divider 1:
Toolkits (Notes)
o
Divider 2: Team
Reviews
o
Divider 3: Tests
Participation
Exploration of mathematics in
small groups is a daily part of this mathematics course. You are expected to be working productively
and participating fully during class.
You will earn participation points each day for: coming to class on
time, coming prepared with all materials, staying on task, working towards
completing assigned work, positively contributing to your group. Behaviors such as: tardiness, sleeping in
class, failing to bring required materials, working on material from a
different class, playing with your cell phone and other off-task activities
will not earn full participation points.
Participation is 10%
of your grade in this class.
Warm-Up Work
Warm-Up Work is 10% of your grade.
Mathematics is learned by
practicing problem solving skills covering topics presented in class. Some ideas may seem clear in class, but will
only be fully understood with repeated practice. Thus, daily work will most always be assigned
and may need finished at home if not completed in class. Daily work must be neatly organized and
complete. You will get credit for this
work on a 5-point scale. Full credit is
earned for: 1. Neatness (legible)
2.
Organization
(date, page and problem #’s recorded on work log)
3.
Work Shown
(proper sequence, ALL ANSWERS BOXED)
4.
Completeness (all
problems attempted)
5.
Correctness
(80-100 % correct)
·
Assignments submitted without work shown can only earn
a maximum of 2 pts
You are expected to complete
all DailyWork and you are responsible for ensuring
that you fully understand the material.
Several resources are available to ensure that you complete your
homework and understand it:
instant
messaging and cell phones to good use.
Daily Work is 25% of your grade.
Before every unit test, you
will have an opportunity to take a “practice test” called Team Reviews. You will complete as a team and be assessed
as a team. The method to grading team
reviews may vary, but one score will be given to the group. Thus each member of the team will receive the
same score.
Team Reviews will
constitute 10% of your grade.
Tests
A test will be given at the end of every unit. Tests are worth 100 points. Your “Final” at the end of each semester will be worth 150 points and will also factor in to the test portion of your grade.
Tests are 50% of your
grade in this class.
COMPUTING YOUR GRADE
Your grade is determined by adding up all the points earned in each category and dividing by the points possible within each category. These fractions are then multiplied by the percentage weight (conversion factor) specific to each category to give a percent of your total grade. These are added together to give a total percent and converted to a letter grade.
Example:
Johnny Knoxville is a student with the following points accumulated
Category Points Earned Conversion Factor Percent of Grade
Participation 375/400 x .10 = .09375
Warm-Up Work 87/100 x .10 = .087
Daily Work 262/300 x .25 = .218
Team Reviews 219/240 x .10 = .09125
Tests 360/400 x .50 = .450
_______________
.94
= A Grading
Scale:
92.5 – 100 A 76.5 – 79.5 C+ Below 59.5 - F
89.5 – 92.5 A- 73.5 – 76.5 C
86.5 – 89.5 B+ 69.5 – 73.5 C-
83.5 – 86.5 B 66.5 – 69.5 D+
79.5 – 83.5 B- 59.5 – 66.5 D
I am best reached by
email as I check it several times throughout the day.
If email does not work for you, please call after
2:30pm. 425-837-6043