©2010-2011 Red Wagon Tutorials
General Science
Course Agreement
2010-2011 School Year
Mr. Rosenoff’s Class
Thank you for your interest in this
Cleo’s Classroom General Science class.
I am excited about the new school year for two reasons: (1) our class will be live-feed Internet.
Unlike some Internet courses which require you to send in assignments which I
grade and then return, you and I will be communicating directly with each other
on at least a weekly basis. This
arrangement gives us greater opportunity to interact and learn from each other
because we will be together for ninety minutes each week; (2) our curriculum
will be challenging and exhilarating.
Sixteen major topics will be covered during the course of this
year. These units are all outlined in
the book
Exploring Creation with General Science, 2nd Edition, by Dr. Jay Wile, which will also be our classroom
text. As a former medical and industrial
research scientist, you can be certain I will bring a depth of knowledge to the
topics we will study together. I am
eager to share my experience with you in an educational capacity.
In order to start out with a firm
understanding of my expectations for this class, I would ask that you please
review the following requirements with your student:
1.
Students entering general science should have completed a course of
study in sixth-grade arithmetic. (Success in science at this level and math
ability goes hand-in-hand, according to research.)
2.
Incoming general science students should have been introduced to basic
scientific discovery, including basic laboratory procedures and notebook
keeping.
3.
Students are expected to have a basic understanding of composition writing
and have the ability to produce a one to two page formal experiment report
following the format I will provide.
4.
Students or their parents should have basic computer literacy, including
knowledge of how to download files, load web pages, open and create e-mail
attachments in WordPad format, and how to copy from a WordPad document and
paste to a website template. (These are not skills I teach in class.)
5.
The text we will be using for our course, as stated earlier, is Exploring Creation with
General Science, 2nd Edition, by
Dr. Jay Wile. You are also required to purchase the textbook Solutions Manual. The textbook and manual (or a complete CD-ROM version of the
text/manual and other support materials) are available through Apologia
Educational Ministries,
www.apologia.com. The text is divided into 16
modules. Unless otherwise noted in the
general science course schedule I will post online, (1) a parent-graded module study
guide; (2) a paper and ink informal report (following an informal format I will
provide) for each module experiment; and (3) an instructor-graded online module
test MUST be
completed for each module. Each student will also produce a formal lab report each quarter
following a formal report format that I will provide.
There
will also be an instructor-graded semester exam given at the end of 1st
and 2nd semesters. I will
also require that the student maintain a penciled lab notebook of all lab
experiment work completed: I have posted, to the course welcome web page, a
list of the required experiments to be completed for each semester. Remember -- in general, these assignments
MUST BE COMPLETED BY THE DUE DATES LISTED in the course schedule which I will
post online.
6.
Students must complete the module test and the semester exam and post
their formal experiment report ONLINE on the course website.
Parents
MUST post their parent notebook report on the Student Portal site also. Completing this assignment submission process
provides the student/parent with a receipt for the assignment which is time
stamped and gives me a computer-stored copy to look back on. There is a link for posting each one of these assignments available
on the site. Please note: I require that you word process (WordPad, Times New
Roman, 12 font) and spell check the formal experiment report prior to its being
posted to the Student Portal site. I
will provide you with a Steps to Success
handout online which will detail the best method to accomplish all the
assignment work once class begins in September.
7.
Laboratory work is an important endeavor in your child’s overall grade
and education
and should be completed to
continue on to physical science course work. Please, be sure to be diligent in
completing
(Those of you living and working
overseas have special need regarding completion of laboratory work. Please feel free to contact me on an
individual basis so that I can help with any concerns you may have.)
8.
Students should be disciplined enough to submit required work on
time. As per stated policy, I will deduct
10% per day from the score received on the assignment on all late work (including the parent notebook report), unless the lateness results from personal illness, family
emergency, or computer problem of a non-reoccurring nature. In these instances, I will grant full
points. A schedule for the course,
providing due dates for all assignments for the entire year, will be posted
online before the start of the 2009-2010 academic year. (If you are leaving on vacation or some other
personal choice holiday, please adjust your study schedule to submit the
assigned work before leaving. I will
always accept an assignment early. I am
available during my office hours to help you complete assignments before the
due date, when and if necessary, during the school year.)
All class assignments are due by 6:00
PM, Eastern Time, on the date indicated in the Schedule I will post online.
(The Student Portal time stamp on your work is the final authority on
whether something is submitted on time or not.)
NOTE:
9.
In order to begin class immediately, students are expected to be signed
on to their computers at the class start time with materials ready. Technology is often a fickle thing. Many students have to log in several times to
get a decent connection. Try to log into class five
minutes early to avoid being late. (This also provides the
student time to chat with classmates prior to the start of our session.) Those students who are habitually tardy for
no valid reason will be referred to the school administrator.
(Those of you living and working
overseas have special problems regarding absences and tardiness. Please feel free to contact me on an
individual basis so that I can help with your needs.)
10.
Students are expected to come to class prepared every day, which means all
assigned reading, exercises, and labs have been completed.
The following rules and procedures have
been established to create an environment conducive to learning:
a. Be Prepared -- have assignments finished
prior to class.
b. Be Prompt -- turn in all work on the date it
is due.
c. Be Respectful -- to yourself, other
students, and your tutor.
d. Be Involved -- daily participation is
required.
Those students who follow the rules
stated above will receive positive reinforcement through the use of
participation points. These points will
be given, at my discretion, to students who are organized, complete work on
time and to the best of their ability, and have behaved in an appropriate
manner.
11.
Daily participation in class is also required. Students are expected to have a working
microphone for this purpose. Students
are also expected to ask questions, participate in discussions, and generate
and share ideas. Often participation is
the deciding factor when figuring grades (an ‘A’ vs. an ‘A-’ or perhaps a ‘D’
vs. an ‘F’). You need to do more than
show up to class and complete your assignments to succeed -- you need to be an
active participant in your education.
(Please note: I cannot and will not, in
good conscience, pass a student who does not participate in his or her
education.)
12. The following grade
scale will be used for the course:
A 93 - 100% C+ 77 - 79% F
59% and below
A- 90 -
92% C 73 - 76%
B+ 87 - 89% C- 70 - 72%
B 83 - 86% D+ 67 - 69%
B- 80 - 82% D 60 - 66%
The two, typewritten, formal,
laboratory write-up (one required each quarter) and the parent notebook report detailing
completion of all required experiment work comprise 25% of the student’s
semester grade, seven module tests each semester make up and an additional 50%
of the student’s grade, and the end of semester exam comprises the remaining
25% of the total score for each semester.
A perpetual grade report for each
semester for every student is available on the password protected course web
site for your viewing at anytime during the school year.
If you have further questions regarding
course requirements, my e-mail address is rwt1@comcast.net.
Please
feel free to contact me on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday afternoons between
Looking forward to seeing you in
September.
God Bless,
Steve Rosenoff
General Science Instructor
Cleo’s Classroom
