Class Guidelines – Environmental Chemistry
Sprague High School, Mr. Shannon, 2009-10, Room 150

Course Description:
Chemistry is the study of matter and it’s properties. Chemists try to discover what things are made of and why they act the way they do. This is a lab-based course that uses experimental observations and ties them to concepts critical to understanding chemistry. This lab-based approach will require some inferential thinking skills (this means that the connection we are trying to make may not be obvious).

Classroom Rules:

Be Respectful -

• Remember that the teacher is in charge. Someone has to make the final decision; and it isn't you.
• Each student deserves their own space; and each student deserves everyones attentiveness when they are called upon.
• Take care of school equipment.
• Socially acceptable language and behavior will make the class more relaxing and more enjoyable for everybody.
• All electronic devices are not welcome in class; I will confiscate them if I see them.
  • Contrary to public opinion, it has been shown that student attention and retention drops when listening to an ipod during study time.
• Any students discovered cheating will get zeros for the assignment involved.
• Develop your own integrity and values.

Be Safe -

• Running around and horseplay have no place in the classroom.
• Please don't throw anything.
• No food or drink is ever allowed in the science or math room. Gum is O.K. (please no gum deposits on the bottom of the tables).
• Chemistry labs require goggles at all times; aprons most of the time.

Be Prepared -

• Bring all your supplies with you.
• You must assume that if a textbook is assigned to the class, then we will use it every day. Bring it.
• Take care of your bathroom needs before class.
• Do your prep work ahead of time so you know what is going on in class.
• If you think you might need a calculator, bring one.

Classroom Discipline:
My golden rule is "I am here to teach". Anything that keeps me from doing that is going to be dealt with.

If you can't get your work done,  I will assign you after school study hall. If you disrupt the class, I will assign you lunch detention and if that fails to deter the disruptive behavior I will refer you to the office. If you have an injustice you need to discuss with me, let's do it before or after class. I won't let your behavior adversely affect the learning of another student.

Grading:
Grading is done using the traditional weighted scale;
90 - 100% = A, 80 - 89.9% = B, 70 - 79.9% = C, 60 - 69.9% = D, Less than 60% = F.
Tests/Quizzes = 25%, Labs/Activities = 40%, Homework/Assignments = 20%, Semester Final Test = 15%.

Six Week grades are figured on the points assigned up to that point. Tests may be very important if there aren't many of them. I will have grades posted regularly, so there will be no mysteries about what your grade is. Late work will be marked half credit. Extra Credit will be available by teacher discretion but remember, extra credit means extra work. Extra credit may involve (re)doing missing or unfinished assignments or re-taking tests (accepted for half credit). If I am reading this correctly, that means if I get less than 50% on a test I could re-take it and raise my grade. TAG students will be expected to produce more robust lab analyses and may be asked for more in-depth observations; if you feel that you need more challenging work, please talk to me about it.

Attendance, Tardies, and Passes:
Being in class every day is extremely important. If you can't be in class, it is the student's responsibility to make arrangements to make up missing work. During class when we are doing something else is not the best time to get copies of missing work. I reserve the right to substitute an alternative assignment if a lab or test is missed.

Tests will be available to make up for about a week after they are initially given; after that it isn't fair to the students who were present and took it on schedule. Labs will be set up for about a week after we initially do them; after that there is no make-up. District policy says you get one day to make up work for every day missed plus one (if this conflicts with the two specific scenarios I just described, we need to talk).

Tardies are when you are not in the room when the bell rings. A student is also tardy if they have to go back to their locker immediately after the tardy bell rings.
No passes will be given for the first or last ten minutes of class. Passes may be used for whatever you need to do, but you only get four each semester. If you need to leave after all your passes are used up, I will give you lunch detention and let you go.

TAG Considerations

In each subject/course students will be pre-assessed on the knowledge and skills that will be learned in the subject/course.  The purpose of this pre-assessment is to find out what students already know and are able to do to avoid repetition and to give the student access to advanced and/or accelerated content.

Formal or informal pre-assessments may include end of chapter/unit tests, student input and self-evaluation, placement test, specific teacher observational data, lab demonstration or test, work samples, fist of five, thumbs up/thumbs down, or other forms of pre-assessment.  Below is a list of differentiation strategies that may be used. 

Differentiation Strategies

Differentiation:

 Enrichment                                              Multiple Intelligences                                              Acceleration                                                      Compacting
 Learning Styles                                        Independent Study/Project                                     Tiered Assignments                                           Critical Thinking
 Assignment Modification                          Flexible Grouping                                                   Cluster Grouping                                              Contracting

General Objectives for Every Class:

• Develop a desire for, and enjoyment of, learning
• Basic skill and knowledge acquisition
• Improve your personal self-concept
• Develop a respect for others and an ability to work as part of a group

Lab Guidelines:

• Always wear safety goggles and aprons
• No horseplay, No taste tests, No drinks from sinks
• Keep your hands away from your mouth and eyes, wash after labs
• Leave gas jets and electrical outlets alone
• Stay out of supply rooms and drawers
• Keep valuables, books, and loose clothing out of the lab
• Follow procedures, if you don't know what to do, find out, never deviate from directions
• Don't re-fill reagent bottles or jars, if you end up with extra chemical, discard it
• Report any broken equipment
• Clean up after yourself

Lab accidents can be potentially very dangerous. I will cut you no slack if you misbehave in the lab. If there is any inappropriate behavior in the lab, you will be sent out of the lab immediately and get a zero for that lab score. If you break a piece of equipment because of negligence or misuse, I will charge you for it. A more extensive version of the safety contract is available on-line with a link on my web site.

I maintain a web site at http://www.spraguehs.com/staff/shannon_harold where there will be information like this document, a safety contract, links to other school documents, and links to past class documents.