General Information

01/15/09

Most of the grades are ok. Some of you though need to recognize that you must average 75 over the year to pass and you have little slack. If you have a D for the first semester you need to do a bit better than you have been. If you receive an F for the first semester you will need to average about 88 to pass the year. If you have any questions see me outside of class time.

Letters of Appeal

If you feel a question has been graded incorrectly or was too confusing you may appeal my grade by composing a letter of appeal using these quidelines. I will respond by the next class period.
1. Appeals will only be accepted in the form of a neatly written/typed letter.
2. Appeals will be written on a separate sheet of paper and attached to your test. Do not write your appeal on your test.
3. Appeals must be content based, not personal. You must include support for your position.
4. Appeals must be specific to questions, not general.
5. Insufficient time on a test or assignment is not a reason for appeal of your grade.
6. You must communicate what action you would like me to take.
7. Appeals are due the class period after you get the graded assignment back.

Submission of Assignments

In addition to paper, you may use email to send me assignments. Send the assignment as an attachment to mrwalton2@verizon.net. You will need to verify, with me, that I received your email. Do not assume it got through.Do not use Hotmail because it does not send attachments well. Ideally use the mail account through your ISP.

You may also submit work on jumpdrives and floppy disks.

Notebook Guidelines

You should be taking daily notes. Use a loose leaf binder (at least 2 in rings); spiral notebooks are not acceptable. I recommend a slant D ring since it holds about 30% more paper. Your notebooks will be graded weekly. Do not leave loose papers in pockets in your notebook. Your notebook will be divided into 3 major sections. You will have dividers separating sections.

The first section will be labled Handouts and will contain the handouts I give you in class. Your notebook gradesheets should be the last items in this section. Your syllabus is be the first handout and will act as a table of contents.
The second section will contain Project Instruction Sheets and graded project./li>
The third section will subdivided by chapter. Your graded test could serve as a divider. Each chapter should include (in this order):
1. Handwritten chapter notes or notes taken on your laptop. Do not just copy my internet outline,
2. Graded quizes
3. Graded tests

Notebook Grading Schedule (If a test is scheduled the day after notebook day the notebooks will not be graded that week.)

I will begin collecting notebooks Monday 08 Aug.
Monday: 1st Period
Tuesday: 3rd Period
Wednesday: 4th Period
Thursday: 5th Period
Friday: 6th Period

Science Blog

Discussion of science and related issues is an important part of the learning experience. To further this objective I have added a Science Blog to my web page. I will present issues for discussion. Any comments you make will not have a negative impact on your grade. I just ask that you keep your comments on the issues and ideas, rather than attacking individuals, and that you do not use stereotypes. If you have something that you would like to use to begin a conversation see me about adding your issue.

Supplies for all classes for 2008-2009:

3-ring binder with at least 3 dividers(rings should be at least 2 inch). I recommend you use a slant-D binder; they hold more paper in the same space. You will need to take and keep notes for each chapter/unit covered.

Pen or pencil for notes, classwork, homework, and tests. (I do not care which, just do not use silver, yellow, or gold ink. I find it difficult to read those on white paper. If I can not read your answers you will not get a good grade)

Calculators

Biology: You will not use a calculator much this year but will use one heavily in Chemistry and physics. When we do use them I will be using the TI-84 Plus. Because there are so many types I will not be able to take class time to teach each. The TI-83 Plus Silver Edition, with built in Periodic Table and Unit Conversions, and the TI-84 Silver Edtion are the best calculator values for general science. If you do purchase a calculator I would recommend one of those.
Chemistry Students: You will need a graphing calculator and will need to be familiar with its operation. Because there are so many types I will not be able to take class time to teach each. I will be using the TI-84 Plus. The TI-83 Plus silver edition and the TI-84 have a built-in Periodic Table and Unit Conversions. The are your best choice for chemistry.
Physics Students: You will need a graphing calculator and you will need to be very familiar with its operation. Because there are so many types I will not be able to take class time to teach each. I will be using the TI-84 Plus. If you are planning on going into engineering I recommend you get a TI-86, which is designed for engineers. It has the same functions as the TI-83/84 but has additional functions needed for engineering. If you are planning on general science or business a TI-83/84 would be best. The TI-83/84 is also the best choice for use with Statistics. Review vectors and trig functions this summer.

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