Physics/Astronomy         Mr. Thompson

Class Policies and Procedures

Classroom rules:

Be here, on time.

Raise your hand.

Ask me first.

Respect the dignity of everyone in the room.

 

My expectations of you:

  1. I expect you to be in class. If you are not in class due to illness or other excused absence, then you have a certain number of days to make up any missed work (see the makeup policy below). If you are not in class because you are going on a field trip, you have a baseball game, you are painting signs, you are helping set up for an assembly, or something similar where you are not marked absent, then you must make arrangements with me to get any missed work. In this case, you are as responsible for the day’s work as those who were in class. Use discretion when deciding what trips to attend.
  2. I expect you to be prepared for class. This includes bringing, every day, the necessary materials, having your homework completed, having read the section assigned the night before, being rested well enough to stay alert, etc.
  3. I expect you to take an active role in your learning. Ask questions; stay mentally focused throughout the lectures; strive for excellence when performing the labs; do the homework with careful attention to detail; in summary, cultivate all those good habits that successful students have.
  4. I expect you to maintain your academic integrity. It completely defeats the entire purpose of the class if you cheat. This includes cheating on tests, copying homework, falsifying lab results, plagiarizing the work of others, getting someone else to do your project for you, etc. Anyone caught cheating will receive zero points for that assignment or test and his or her parents will be called.  See the academic integrity policy below for more details.
  5. I expect you to persevere throughout the year. The school year is over at the end of May, not before. I expect you to maintain a consistent effort throughout the year, even if you are a senior.
  6. I expect you to work with me to try to help you learn. By working together in a cooperative manner we can help you learn most effectively. If I make suggestions, please give them a try.
  7. I expect you to make up any missed work promptly. More students get bad grades because they waited too long to make up work than for any other reason.  See the makeup policy below for more details.
  8. I expect you to request help if needed. If you are not confident the day before a major test, let me know and I can give you some extra practice problems or problem-solving tips, tutor you after school, etc.   If you don’t understand a concept, ask me to explain it to you again.

 

Materials

The following materials are needed every day in class:
Your textbook. 
Your notebook.  This must be a three-ring binder style of notebook.  No other style (such as a spiral notebook) is good enough.  Only a three-ring binder allows you to easily add or remove papers. I expect it to contain the notes given in class, any handouts I have distributed, and any work (homework, quizzes, etc.) that I have assigned.

Your calculator.  You need a scientific calculator that includes trig functions and scientific notation.  You do not need a graphic calculator (but you most certainly can use one).  What is most important is that you are familiar with the calculator that you use.  You must be proficient with the use of your calculator if you expect to use it correctly.  This is the reason it is so important to have your own calculator and use it consistently instead of borrowing someone else's.
A pen or pencil.  Pens or pencils with multiple colors are especially helpful when drawing the detailed diagrams often needed.

 

Absences and Makeup Policy

After missing x days of school, you have 2x+1 school days to make up any work you have missed before it is automatically marked as a zero.  For example, if you miss 2 days, you have 2(2)+1 = 5 school days to make up the work you missed.  Special arrangements can be made for extended absences.  To remind you, I keep a running tally on my chalkboard of the people who owe me makeup work, but remember it is your responsibility to make the arrangements with me.  Note that as explained above, this does not apply to classes that you miss due to field trips, sports, or other cases where you are not marked absent.

 

Grading Policy

You will be graded in this course based on your performance on quizzes, tests, projects, etc. Each of these will have a point value. At the end of each grading period, the number of points that the student has earned will be divided by the total possible number of points to arrive at a percentage. The school district’s grading scale       ( 93%A / 85%B / 70%C / 60%D ) is then applied.

Late work is severely penalized.  If an assignment is turned in late within 24 hours of when it is due, the assignment will be graded, then the number of points earned will be divided by two.  No points are given for work turned in more than one day late, though I would be happy to correct them to help you find mistakes, make suggestions, etc.   This policy also applies to makeup work that is not completed in the 2x+1 days given.   

 

Academic Integrity Policy

Maintaining your academic integrity as you take this course is more important than what you will learn or the grade you will get. You are required to conduct yourself with academic integrity in this class. Specifically...

...you may not copy another's work homework, lab report, paper, project, quiz, test, etc. If you copy, you are completely defeating the very reason for taking the course. If you are not willing to abide by this 100%, then please do not take this course. It continues to astonish me how casually the copying, especially of homework, is regarded. The challenge provided by solving the homework problems is how you build your ability, just as a weightlifter builds his muscles.

...you may not permit your work to be copied by another. Anyone who asks you to let them copy your homework is not your friend. They are exposing you to dire consequences, and a friend would not do that.

...you may not "work together" on homework or other assignments if you do not strictly follow the correct method of doing so.  If you are going to "work together,"  each of you must attempt to solve the problem individually.  After finishing your solutions to a problem (or exhausting your attempt to solve it), you can compare solutions to see if they are the same, and correct any errors.  Any other method of "working together"  (such as solving alternating problems, letting someone look at your finished homework, etc.) is cheating.

...you may not allow others to design or build your projects for you. This includes boyfriends, parents, etc. When you are assigned a project, I expect you to make the decisions on how it will be built. I expect you to do the majority of the construction work in putting it together. While you may certainly consult with others, including experts, the project is your assignment, not someone else's. Just because Uncle Bob is an architect, I do not want to see you bringing in an exact replica of the Brooklyn Bridge made of toothpicks, even if it would get you (or, rather, Uncle Bob) an A.

...you may not plagiarize. This includes information from books, encyclopedias, the internet, or any other source. When you write, the thoughts and ideas are to be your own; you may only cite the works of others to support your writing.

First violation:

I will discuss the incident with you first, and show you why I think you copied.  If you cannot convince me that I am mistaken and that you did not copy,  then I will call your parents and discuss it with them.  You will earn a zero for the copied work.

Second violation:

Same as above, but, in addition, a discipline report will be filed with the high school principal. 

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