Syllabus:
2013 – 2014 8th Grade Syllabus
Instructor:
Mrs.
Melanie Adams, M.Ed
Contact Information:
School Message Number – 503 – 653 – 3996
Cell Phone Number – 971 – 269 - 9045
Email: m.adams@chpcs.org
Office: A-7
School Hours:
7:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Required Textbooks:
All required text books are provided by the school. These
text books will be checked out to you. Each of these books has a number
assigned to it and that is the number you should return at the end of the year.
It is your responsibility to ensure you have the correct book at all times and
that the books remain in good shape.
Text books should be covered. There are commercial book
covers available, but brown paper bags work as well if not better. If you are
unsure how to go about this, please see me for assistance.
Attendance
Policy
The full attendance policy may be found in the student
handbook, located in the front of your planner. Students are expected to be in
school ready to learn Monday – Thursday from 7:45 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. and to
attend all field trips.
Students that are absent for any reason are expected to
complete all work assigned while they were out. All papers passed out during
the absence will be found on the student’s desk when the student returns to
school. It is the responsibility of the student to check with the teacher
before school begins for any further information they may need. Students will
have one day for each day they were absent to complete the work.
Due to the hands on, experiential nature of our school, it
is not possible to recreate class work. Please plan vacations and appointments
for non school days.
Grading Policy
8th grade, like every other grade at CHPCS, will
use an objectives based system to score students. Assignments will be scored
using a rubric that shows how students performed in relation to the objectives.
These objectives will show the goal for
the end of the unit or year. Students should expect scores of 1’s and 2’s
as they begin working on an objective. Their progress will be tracked
throughout the year or unit. Students may show mastery of an objective at any
time in the year. Multiple assessment opportunities will be provided. After the
end of a unit, individual students may need to continue to work on the skills
presented in order to master the objective. A “3” is considered mastery which means they
understand the concept in its entirety. A “2” means the student has no major
conceptual misunderstandings but may have errors in details. Students scoring a
“1” have major errors on the conceptual level. “4” is given for advanced application and is
very rare. A “4” can not be earned by doing more work, it is earned by applying
the information in a new and novel way.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is essential to the success of the
educational enterprise and breaches of academic integrity constitute serious
offenses against the academic community. Every member of that community bears a
responsibility for ensuring that the highest standards of academic integrity
are upheld. Only through a genuine partnership among students, staff, and
administrators will Cascade
Heights
Various ways in which academic integrity can be violated
are described below. The comments and examples within each section provide
explanations and illustrative material, but do not exhaust the scope of
possible violations
A. Cheating
Cheating is the use of impermissible and/or unacknowledged materials, information, or study aids in any academic activity. Using books, notes, calculators, conversations with others, etc. when their use is restricted or forbidden, constitutes cheating. Similarly, students may not request others (including commercial term paper companies) to conduct research or prepare any work for them. Students may not submit identical work, or portions thereof, for credit or honors more than once without prior approval of the instructor to whom the work is being submitted for the second or subsequent time.
B. Fabrication
Fabrication is the falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic work. "Invented" information may not be used in any laboratory report or other academic work without authorization from the instructor. It is improper, for example, to analyze one sample in an experiment and "invent" data based on that single experiment for several more required analyses. Students must also acknowledge the actual source from which cited information was obtained. A student should not, for example, reproduce a quotation from a book review and claim that the quotation was obtained from the book itself.
C. Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the representation of the words or ideas of another as one's own in any academic work. To avoid plagiarism, every direct quotation must be identified by quotation marks, or by appropriate indentation, and must be cited properly according to the accepted format for the particular discipline. Acknowledgment is also required when material from any source is paraphrased or summarized in whole or in part in one's own words. To acknowledge a paraphrase properly, one might state: to paraphrase Plato's comment... and conclude with a footnote or appropriate citation to identify the exact reference. A footnote acknowledging only a directly quoted statement does not suffice to notify the reader of any preceding or succeeding paraphrased material. Information that is common knowledge, such as names of leaders of prominent nations, basic scientific laws, etc, need not be cited; however, the sources of all facts or information obtained in reading or research that are not common knowledge among students in the course must be acknowledged. In addition to materials specifically cited in the text, other materials that contribute to one's general understanding of the subject may be acknowledged in the bibliography.
A. Cheating
Cheating is the use of impermissible and/or unacknowledged materials, information, or study aids in any academic activity. Using books, notes, calculators, conversations with others, etc. when their use is restricted or forbidden, constitutes cheating. Similarly, students may not request others (including commercial term paper companies) to conduct research or prepare any work for them. Students may not submit identical work, or portions thereof, for credit or honors more than once without prior approval of the instructor to whom the work is being submitted for the second or subsequent time.
B. Fabrication
Fabrication is the falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic work. "Invented" information may not be used in any laboratory report or other academic work without authorization from the instructor. It is improper, for example, to analyze one sample in an experiment and "invent" data based on that single experiment for several more required analyses. Students must also acknowledge the actual source from which cited information was obtained. A student should not, for example, reproduce a quotation from a book review and claim that the quotation was obtained from the book itself.
C. Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the representation of the words or ideas of another as one's own in any academic work. To avoid plagiarism, every direct quotation must be identified by quotation marks, or by appropriate indentation, and must be cited properly according to the accepted format for the particular discipline. Acknowledgment is also required when material from any source is paraphrased or summarized in whole or in part in one's own words. To acknowledge a paraphrase properly, one might state: to paraphrase Plato's comment... and conclude with a footnote or appropriate citation to identify the exact reference. A footnote acknowledging only a directly quoted statement does not suffice to notify the reader of any preceding or succeeding paraphrased material. Information that is common knowledge, such as names of leaders of prominent nations, basic scientific laws, etc, need not be cited; however, the sources of all facts or information obtained in reading or research that are not common knowledge among students in the course must be acknowledged. In addition to materials specifically cited in the text, other materials that contribute to one's general understanding of the subject may be acknowledged in the bibliography.
Sometimes, plagiarism can be
a subtle issue. Students should be encouraged to discuss any questions about
what constitutes plagiarism with the faculty member teaching the course.
D. Denying others access to information or material
It is a violation of academic integrity to deny others access to scholarly resources or to deliberately impede the progress of another student or scholar. Examples of violations of this type include giving other students false or misleading information; making library material unavailable to others by stealing or defacing books or journals; deliberately misplacing or destroying reserve materials; and altering someone else’s computer files.
D. Denying others access to information or material
It is a violation of academic integrity to deny others access to scholarly resources or to deliberately impede the progress of another student or scholar. Examples of violations of this type include giving other students false or misleading information; making library material unavailable to others by stealing or defacing books or journals; deliberately misplacing or destroying reserve materials; and altering someone else’s computer files.
~
Academic Integrity Policy: http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/integrity.shtml
(September 1, 2010)
Behavior Policy
The
full behavior policy may be found in the student handbook located in the
student planner. Essentially, 8th graders are expected to manage
their behavior and conduct themselves in a manner that supports their own
learning and that of others. The classroom environment and course of study are
designed to support this goal. CHPCS uses a card system to track reminders. The
color students end the day on (Yellow=reminder, Orange
Communication
Daily:
Planners - Every day student planners will come home. This is
where you will find homework assignments, upcoming events, and reminders.
Please sign this every evening. By signing it, you are confirming that you have
seen the work and that is completed as expected. There is space for notes from
you to me as well. You will also find uniform violation notices and their
behavior status for the day.
Weekly:
Falcon News –
Falcon News is the weekly school wide communication. It will include a letter
from the principal, community news, and updates on school wide activities like
the Harvest Festival, musicals, and the school auction. Falcon News will be
delivered directly in to your email box. Please make sure your email address is
up to date so that you can get the latest information. If you do not have
access to email, please see Mrs. Marlatt in the office so she can make other
arrangements.
Newsletter –
Every week I will send out a newsletter via email. This will tell you what’s
been happening in the classroom and what’s coming up. These are full of useful
information, so be sure to read them carefully. I try to give plenty of notice
before special projects and will mention them in my newsletters weeks before
they are due. These newsletters will be found at www.cascadeheights8thgrade.blogspot.com
As Needed:
By Phone – You
can call me at any time if you have questions or concerns. The school number is
503-653-3996. If you need to reach me
during the evening my cell phone number is 971-269-9045. I do not answer my
phone after 9:00 PM or during dinner. You are welcome to leave a message and I
will return your call as soon as possible.
By Email – I
check my email often throughout the day and the evening. My email address is m.adams@chpcs.org.
In Person –
Formal conferences are scheduled for the end of October. Additional conferences
can be scheduled at any time. I am available before 7:45 and after 4:00 by
appointment only. Appointments can be scheduled by email or phone. (See above
for pertinent numbers and addresses.)
Course of Study:
In 8th grade we will study the following topics:
- Government
- Decline of European Colonialism
- Beginnings of the Cold War
- Life in the US during the 50's and 60's
- Korea
- Vietnam
- End of the Cold War
- Physics
- Electricity and Magnetism
- Sound
- Chemistry of Respiration and Digestion
- The Good Earth
- 12th Night
- Animal Farm
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
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