Quick Things:
Details: Quiz: The quiz on Wednesday went well. I did not curve it (or the last two quizzes) because I've had a perfect score and several close to perfect scores in each batch. But do not worry if your test scores are not as high as you'd like. The chapters are going relatively fast, and it is more important to just stay on top of the homework and the labs/worksheets we're doing in class. This unit on animals has been really fun, too! Homework: We are skipping Chapter 16 and moving onto 17, which will ensure that we get through the textbook this year. Chapter 17 homework will be due on Monday, Feb 26. Most students are getting into a rhythm with the vocabulary, but a handful are still forgetting that part. You want to make sure they are getting those words either handwritten, typed up, or put on cards along with their chapter homework questions. Vocabulary work is considered part of the homework grade and is worth quite a number of points--sometimes half or as much as the textbook questions. Note about labs: Some students are skimping on their lab manuals as well. I am grading these this semester--which I did not do last semester--to motivate students to stay focused in class on lab days. We do almost all of these worksheets out loud together, or in small groups on lab days, but students are always welcome to take them home to finish up as homework. This week, they were responsible for making sure 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D, 15G were completed, with 15F done at home with a parental signature (the back of 15A was extra credit). I checked books the other day and very few students are really taking the time to do those well/completely. So if you could help me encourage them to do that, it will not only boost their grade but it will help them get the most out of the class. Just as a reminder, my late policy is to take off 25% of points when work is completed late, but it is still worth doing after the fact if your child is missing lots of points. No deduction is made when homework is late due to sickness or excused absence--they can turn it in at any time, or you can work out with me the ability to skip work completely if they have had prolonged sickness. I totally understand that this winter has been crazy!! Coming up: If your student wants to work ahead, they can work on Chapter 19 for homework, which will be due the Monday after Spring Break, Mar 19. (We are skipping chapter 18 too.) If they work ahead in this way, they could have no homework over the break. Also coming up: is a new class activity: we're going to create a lapbook! This Monday we will do some lab worksheets to discuss the content of Chapter 17, and then students will be asked to summarize key concepts visually, in a lapbook/folderbook. For those who have never done one before, no worries: I have created a worksheet with basic directions (now on the Documents page under Chapter 17), and shown them a few examples in class already. I am asking that students bring their Textbook, scissors, glue/paste, and any other artistic elements they want (markers...) this week, so they can work on this project in class. They are certainly welcome to take it home too, if they want to work extra! If you could help me out by downloading/printing some of the templates they would like to use, that would help me save a LOT of paper/ink. I have included these templates on the Document page as well, and it is worth going through and pre-selecting some you like. I will have some templates in class, but with 25 students, I just can't provide enough for all of them Each student will need between 3 and 12 templates, depending on the way they want to summarize the information. I would suggest 5-6. (Or they can design their own, if they'd like to. My boys preferred that since they love origami.) The lapbook is going to be worth 30 points, and take the place of a quiz grade before Spring Break begins. I will be awarding up to 10 extra credit points for going beyond the minimum--for extra quality, effort, and neatness. Comments are closed.
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AuthorMrs. Riddle teaches Life Science, Biology, and Earth Science at Brighton Academy for 2017-2018. She homeschools four children and has 10 years of co-op teaching experience. Her family is part of Radiant Church in Overland Park, KS. Archives
May 2018
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