LNE Chemistry Guidelines
Mr. Schlautman
E-mail: jschlau2@lps.org
Introduction:
My name is Josh Schlautman and I am extremely excited to share my love of chemistry and sciences with every one of my students.
Although this is primarily a chemistry course, I do not want to limit or discourage any student from quenching his/her curiosity for a topic. If we do not cover an area that interests you, I encourage you in your free time to pursue your interests, as science is part of daily life. As the course moves forward, I hope to show you just how biology, physics, physiology, pharmacy, food (and more) are all connected with chemistry. I am here to share my ideas and experiences and help you to create your own.
Course Description:
This course will be focused on providing each student with his/her own science experiences. I am not interested in simply telling you about science. Instead, I want you to become active in science and take charge of your learning. “Those who do the doing do the learning.”
With this said, each student will be actively involved in lab experiments and cooperative learning. Cooperative learning means that each student is working on the problem to find the best solution. Some students, unfortunately, try to work collaboratively. This means that each student works on a different problem and allows the other students to copy. This method in no way results in student learning, which is the goal of this class. Lab groups will be assigned and each student expected to contribute.
Finally, it is important for each student to embrace a growth mindset in order to succeed in the classroom (and other aspects of life). A growth mindset believes that anything may be accomplished with hard work. This means each student has the opportunity to succeed. There is no such thing as “I am not good at chemistry.” If we are working together as a class and teaching each other, we will have a great year.
Grading:
Two main categories of grades will be used throughout the course:
1. Formative Grades: These are grades designed to measure the process of learning and see where we can improve. They will be entered in the grade book and will count as 20% of your grade. Formative assignments are ways to get enough practice with the material and to increase the chances of success on the tests. Simply, these are ways to prepare for the exam and do well.
2. Summative Grades: These are grades that measure what each student has learned through the formative process. These make up your final grade. They include quizzes, lab reports, projects, and exams. Summative grades make-up 80% of the final grade.
LATE WORK: Assignments handed in late but within the unit will receive a maximum of 80%. Work received after the unit will be a maximum of 60%.
Finally, the standard LNE A-F grading scale will be used for this course.
Retake Policy:
I understand there may be circumstances that do not allow a student to fully prepare for a quiz/test. There may be periods in the semester when I offer re-takes for quizzes or exams.
To retake a quiz, the student must do so within 3 days of handing the quizzes back. The student must also correct the wrong answers from the first quiz and be prepared to discuss with me any of the questions and answers. I want to make sure there is an understanding of the material before we move forward toward the exam.
Exam retakes will be available the week after the exam. They will be held at 7:00 am before school and must be completed before first period. The grade of the retake will replace the previous test score.
Makeup Work: Students must take the initiative to make up work due to an excused absence. Some labs cannot be made up and you will be given an alternate assignment. If you are absent for a summative assignment you will be expected to arrange a time to make it up.
Cheating/Plagiarism: Cheating will not be tolerated in the classroom. Please refer to the LNE webpage/handbook.
Material To Bring:
For every class period you will be expected to have:
— a pen or pencil
— your lab notebook (a standard spiral notebook is fine)
— your chemistry folder (consisting of handouts and assignments)
— a scientific calculator (does not have to be a TI 80 series)
Electronics:
I do not want to see or hear a cell phone or ipod being used in the classroom. See student handbook for questions.
My Goal:
I ask for two things every day when you walk into my classroom: be prepared to work hard and respect every single person around you. Every student will succeed with hard work. If for some reason you are working hard and not getting the results, I will do anything I can so we can succeed.
Final Thought:
We are all entering this classroom with our own ideas, backgrounds, and experiences. This classroom is our classroom and should be an environment of trust, respect and learning. I never want anyone to feel unsafe, unhappy, or hurt in my classroom. We are a group of learners and should continue to ask questions and try new things. Here is a quote from Albert Einstein.
“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”