The Unit Guide provides all the specifics for a particular unit. It provides the text references, lingo, learning objectives, test and other due dates, suggested related unit topics, and miscellaneous resources for student use. This will be provided the first class of the Unit.
This is the map to each unit as well as your review guide for the final exam, so keep track of it! Extra copies of the Unit guide can be obtained from the Handouts page or the course calendar .

NON - GRADED STUFF

Lecture Notes

I will provide you with a copy of my "lecture" notes which I use to guide the class discussions. You should read the appropriate notes prior to their discussion in class so that you can participate in the discussion. My goal is not to lecture in the classic sense, but for the class to better understand the content by exploring it in a meaningful student driven manner. The notes will also have space for your own questions, comments, sketches to be added as the Unit progresses.

Worksheets

These are simply a collection of conceptual questions, math problems, charts/tables, and graphs which are designed to assist you in gaining a deeper understanding of the content. All work related to these should usually be done on your own paper so that you are not constrained by any arbitrary amount of space I may have given you on the worksheet. You should follow the specific directions provided with each exercise. These may be checked for completion occasionally if I feel you are not keeping up with the course.

Read your textbook

It is highly recommended that you outline or summarize the main ideas of each section assigned during each Unit. Do not forget about the content in the graphics and side notes. It is not best to just answer the textbook question without actually reading the text.

GRADED STUFF
Individual work (This will be assessed with the baseQuiz about one week after you are given the Unit Guide)

• baseQuiz

Your will be asked to show your base knowledge of the Unit on a short Quiz worth 20 points. Some types of questions: match term w/ definition, fill in the blank, true/false, multiple choice. If you score at least a 16/20 on the baseQuiz you will receive 20 points for your textwork grade. If you score below 16/20 but have done the Lingo Sheet (75%), you will have an opportunity to get all 20 points with an individual, by appointment, re-quiz no later than 2 days prior to the Unit Test. On the re-quiz you will have to answer the same type questions you missed. You will receive any points earned on the re-quiz towards the 20 points. If you do not complete the Lingo Sheet you simply keep your original quiz grade.
• Learning the Lingo

This is simply vocabulary you must be familiar with in order to even have a clue as to what is being discussed in class. Some you know, some you do not. If you do not learn these terms within the first week, not just defined them, you will be behind in class. You will be provided with a list of "official" definitions which you should match with the terms. We recommend the following on-line dictionary to help you if you get stuck defining the terms:          Merriam-Webster
 
 
• Section Reviews - The following is the textwork you may want to complete to help you understand the basics:

This work, based on the textbook material, is a foundation so that you can work with the more complex material to follow. Many students already know this stuff. Write the Q and A or a complete answer to the selected questions from the Section  as provided on the Unit Guide.

• STS Critical Reading - Go to the STS page of The Teters Zone and select an article of interest. Read the article and do the following: (1) a summary which will provide some of the pertinent details as well as a quick grasp of the article and (2) your opinion of/response to the article. (1) and (2) should be about half to a full page worth each. The length of yours may vary depending on the depth of the article you choose.

• Current STS Article

If none of the articles provided are interesting to you, you may find and turn in an article that relates to our course and is of interest to you personally. Each article should be accompanied by (1)a summary which will provide some of the pertinent details as well as a quick grasp of the article and (2) your opinion of/response to the article. (1) and (2) should be no less than one page worth total. These articles can come from newspapers, magazines, journals, or similar sources on the internet. They must be dated after January 1, 2001. No encyclopedia entries or textbook like internet sites, this must be an article similar to the type provided by your teacher above. Be sure to include a copy of the article as well as a bibliograpghic enrty for the article.

These are simply short activities/demonstrations that allow students to experience given phenomena related to the Unit of study. There will probably be 2 - 7 of these provided each Unit. At least one will be done in class as part of the instruction. You may find that you want to do some on your own outside of classtime. In any event, you may turn in only one exploration at the end of the Unit. If you need materials for a mini-lab that you want to do on your own, let your teacher know.

• Classtime Mini-labs - turn in what is required by your teacher for the specific activity.
• Any textbook Mini-lab - (1) a brief summary of the mini-lab's purpose and procedure, (2) data/observations, (3) Analysis/questions (if any), and (4) a short conclusion of the activity.
• Class/video demonstrations can be turned in as an exploration if the following is completed - diagrams/sketches of what you observed and an overview and explanation of the phenomena observed. This needs to be fairly specific, not just, "I liked that demo on gravity, it really helped me understand it better."

Your notebook

The following is the manner in which you must organize your notebook for this course:

• Use a three ring binder. This should only contain this course's materials
• Each Unit should be complete with the Unit guide as the Cover Sheet
• Keep all materials in the rings of the binder, not the pockets.

• Notebook grading rubric (provided by your teacher)
• Table of contents
• Course gradesheet (up to date)
• Course syllabi pages
• STS Articles (when you complete them)
• Each Unit's materials:

1. Unit Guide
2. baseQuiz; lingo and textbook work (if you chose to do)
3. Notes - yours and mine
4. Completed worksheets
5. Exploration
6. workQuiz
7. Individual Lab Report ( you may not have this the first check, but should have it for future checks)
8. Test/corrections (not necessarily complete) (will be checked for previous Unit)
9. A "What Have I Learned" summary of the Unit (this is a personal reflection of each unit's content and what you gained from the material)

This is a daily work checker and a pre-test. It will be given the day* prior to a Unit test. It will have eight* questions, half of which will ask for answers/information from your non graded daily work/worksheets while the other half will be more test related questions. The best four questions will determine your grade. These will be peer checked immediately following completion, then rechecked by the teacher to verify the final grade. The workQuiz will be used as part of a short review of the material prior to the test.
 

The Test Corrections (TEB before finals is last opportunity for teacher approval)

All tests are to be corrected on your own time. There are no late corrections. You may sign out the tests overnight from your teacher's room. The tests will also be available in the classroom whenever it is open. You will receive half credit for the points you originally missed. The following is required, there is no partial credit:

1. Have your test signed by a parent/legal guardian. This is done so that your parent(s) will be aware of your progess.
2. For each section/question in which you did not receive the maximum # of points you will need to indicate what was being asked on the original test. For the multiple choice/problems/competion types you should write out the original question(s). For the essay/discussion type of questions there is probably no need to re-write the question, as long as you answered the question in a complete manner.
3. Correct answers - (1) for multiple choice/problems/completion type simply write the correct answer or re-do the entire process. Do not just re-do part of the problem or only one cell of a table. Check with your teacher about what to do with a table. (2) for essay/discussion types you should re-answer or edit highlighted sections from your original answer sheet.
4. Documentation - you need to indicate the objective(s) from the Unit guide that the question is related to. I am not asking for the reason you missed the question.
5. You must make an appointment with your teacher to discuss the corrections. Plan for at least 5 minutes per test. You may be asked to explain your corrections to your teacher as well as answer some questions about the material. If your corrections are correct this simply requires your teacher to look over them. You may be required to fix any incorrections on your own or your teacher may simply discuss the necessary fix with you. When your corrections are approved by your teacher these points will be added to your test grade.
6. DO NOT WAIT until the last minute to do these. This is an important part of your learning in this course. Experience has shown that the longer you put this off, the less likely you are to do this.
7. TEST CORRECTIONS ARE NOT EXTRA CREDIT

This project will present a practical/useful/"real world" application of a specific area of the science discussed in this course.
You may conduct and individual/group project or participate in your teacher's project. The expectations of each option are of equal quality and level. All work is expected to be of the highest level quality and effort. This is not just a poster project! There is not an "easier" choice, just a personal preference. More details for the current semester are available at the Project page

Option 1
Your own in depth study of any physical science related application, your application may include life science connections, but the main focus should be on the physical science aspects. This is probably a good choice if your have a questions about some of the "teasers" that your teacher may have mentioned during the semeater or if you have always wondered "How...." or "Why...." If you would like to choose this option you may work on your own or with a group of 2 - 3 total students. Your topic should be approved by your teacher ahead of time. You will be expected to conduct individual as well as group research, mostly directed by you/your group. Your teacher will only be a guide to assist your exploration and help keep you on task. Your research and "successful" final product, w/ supporting documentation will be evaluated by your teacher.

Option 2
Your teacher may have time to provide you with a review for the end of course tests. If so you may participate in the review.