8​th​ Grade Science Syllabus Teacher:​ Ms. Skinner ​Email: ​[email protected] Room:​ 217 Website: ​https://scienceroom217.weebly.com Welcome to 8​th​ grade science! Eighth grade will be a challenging and memorable year and I am so excited to share it with you! The following are the rules, expectations and goals for everyone who is a part of our 8​th​ grade science class. These will ensure that we have a successful, productive and exceptional eighth grade year! Rules and Expectations: 1. We are Present! a. Always be on time, prepared with all supplies and ready to work with others, learn and be challenged! 2. We are respectful, kind and polite! a. We use appropriate language, have mature conversations and respect others opinions, questions, struggles and successes! b. We treat school property, our classroom, fellow students and guests with respect! 3. We are responsible! a. We hand in work on time and are always prepared for class! 4. We work hard! a. Each day you will work with others and take ownership of your own learning! Supplies: Supplies to bring EVERYDAY: 1.
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Pencil/pen and a red pen Highlighters Agenda Three Subject Science ONLY notebook and YOUR Science Textbook (failure to bring textbook to class everyday will result in a green warning sheet) Grades: The first half of the school year we will be completing your science fair projects and exploring the scientific field of chemistry. The second half of the school year we will focus on physics and energy. The following is how your grade will be determined for the entire school year. ​Please note that grades earned in science will often be used as a grade in other core classes. Class work/Labs: 35% ●
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Class work will be done in small groups or individually. Class work should fulfill teacher expectations. Labs will be done periodically and every student will be responsible for completing a lab report in their Lab Journal and working together with their group. Students who fail to write a lab report prior to the lab will sit out of the lab that day with an alternate assignment. Also if a student is not working productively and respectfully with the others in their group the teacher reserves the right to remove them from the lab and/or the next lab. That student will work on an alternate assignment and parents will be notified of the disruptive behavior. In order to participate in labs students and parents must read and sign the Science Lab Safety Contract that is sent home the first week of school. Homework: 10% ●
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Homework will be assigned periodically and should be your best work! All homework should fulfill teacher expectations and be handed in on time. Students will complete the “No Homework Log” for every missing assignment. On nights when students do not have science homework they should be reviewing the vocabulary, for the chapter we are studying or work on their monthly science current event review. Homework assignments will be posted in the classroom and on our science class website each night. Some assignments will be turned in via Google Classroom. Quizzes and Participation: 20% ●
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Quizzes will be given periodically and will sometimes be unannounced. Be an active learner and participate! There are many ways to participate in science and I look forward to learning from all of you! Tests and Projects: 35% ●
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Tests will be given at the conclusion of each chapter and are announced to the students one or two weeks in advance. Tests will always be announced on our science class website and our classroom calendar. There is no excuse to wait until the night before the test to study! Test corrections are at the teacher’s discretion. There will be an extra credit question on each test. If you answer this correctly you can earn a maximum of two extra credit points. Students will be assigned a monthly science current events paper that will count for a project grade each month. (Students will receive a separate rubric for this assignment) Please check grades online weekly and if anything is confusing, missing, or concerning please bring it to my attention immediately! Late and Absent Work: Late work will not be accepted for credit in the 8th grade (teacher discretion)! Work is to be turned in on the day and time that it is due. Consistently missing homework assignments will result in a green warning sheet. If a student is ​absent​ they must check the absent bin in the classroom and complete all missing work that is in the folder. They will have as many days as they were absent to complete the assignment. Need Help or Interested in Learning more about Science? ​☺ After school tutoring and/or homework help is available to all students if they have a signed permission slip. Please feel free to reach out and ask for a permission slip or print one on our class science website! Contact Ms. Skinner! I will be making lots of phone calls this year and look forward to making this a successful and wonderful final year at Healy for your student! Please feel free to contact me with any concerns, ideas, exciting news, questions or comments! Email:​ ​[email protected] Website: ​scienceroom217.weebly.com (check daily for updates on homework and the exciting learning happening in Room 217! ) I am also available to meet in person before or after school. If you would like to schedule an appointment to meet please email me directly or call the main office. I am so excited to be a part of your final year at Healy. I am looking forward to the challenges, new learning, and exciting memories that we will have this year! Thank you for working hard and being an Exceptional 8​th​ Grade Student! After reviewing this syllabus and discussing it with your child please sign and return this page of the syllabus by Monday, September 12. Returning this syllabus signed will be your child’s first homework grade for first quarter. Student’s Name​: __________________________________________________________________________ Parent/ Guardian Name​: ___________________________________________________________________ Parent/ Guardian Email​: ___________________________________________________________________ Parent/Guardian Phone Number: ​___________________________________________________________ Additional email or phone number​: __________________________________________________________ Are there any additional concerns or information you’d like me to know regarding your child: X___________________________________________________________________________________ Parent/Guardian Signature: I have read through the Science Syllabus, agree to its terms, and am ready to help my child have a successful year in science! X___________________________________________________________________________________ Student Signature: I have read through the Science Syllabus and I am ready for a successful year in science! X____________________________________________________________________________________ Teacher Signature: I have read through the Science Syllabus and I am ready for a successful and amazing year in science! ☺