Classwork-25% The standard in my classroom is for students to take notes and keep an organized notebook, which includes first and last name, date, subject objective, daily warm-up academic exercise, and complete assigned work. Students are encouraged to participate in discussions, work in pairs with a student partner, and reflect on their work as a 21st century learner through daily journal writing.
Homework-25% Homework is given periodically. Students will receive an average of 7 homework assignments per quarter. This may vary, more or less, based on what is being covered in class. Homework is to be submitted on looseleaf paper. Please make sure your child writes their name and date on each homework assignment. Nameless and dateless papers WILL NOT receive a grade! Additionally, ALL LATE assignments will receive an automatic DEDUCTION of 5 points.
Note:My objective with homework is to make it RELEVANT. To give homework every night in Social Studies would result in monotonous busy work. On nights when homework is not assigned, your child is encouraged to read independently for 20 minutes. Research has shown that this best practice increases fluency and comprehension in your child's reading ability. Classics and non-fiction, such as biographies, are highly recommended.
Projects-25% Projects will be given every quarter. This gives your child an opportunity to display his/her talents in the area of hands-on activities such as project boards, Powerpoints, scale models, etc. Most projects will have a WRITTEN component. For papers, please do not copy/paste work from outside academic sources such as books or the Internet and place the child's name on it. This is called plagiarism. Plagiarism is defined as, "to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own." (Source: Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary) It is UNETHICAL in the academic community. And I will be addressing this issue more in class. Additionally, please DO NOT do your child's project for them. You may assist them, but they MUST do it themselves. The grade then becomes yours and not theirs. This teaches dedication and integrity to one's individual work. Dedication and Integrity are PRIDE traits at Githens Middle School.
Tests-25% We live in a world of assessment and tests have to be given. I give a week's notice to all my students regarding tests. It is their personal responsibility to copy the study items into their Githens school planner and be diligent to study their vocabulary words and notes. This will ensure success on the tests. Failure to do so will result in disappointing outcomes in terms of a grade. I look more at GROWTH than anything else concerning test results.