INTEGRATED SCIENCE SYLLABUS Mrs. Pfenninger, Welcome to Integrated Science.  Please contact me at spfenninger@gdrsd.org or come see me in my classroom in 207 if you have any questions.   I check my email frequently and am happy to answer student and parent questions via email.  I am available after school most days until 2:30, Tuesdays until 4:00, mornings at 6:45 and other times by appointment.   My website, located at http://mail.gdrsd.org/~spfenninger/, contains current information such as homework assignments and project due dates.  Please bookmark this site and check it regularly to make sure you are staying on track. This course is an introduction to Chemistry, Physics, and Biology.  We will use the textbook “Science Spectrum:  A Physical Approach” by Holt, Rinehart and Winston, as well as additional materials.  We will cover the following topics: I       Introduction to Science:  Measurement and the Scientific Method II      Ecology:  Organisms and Their Environments III     Chemistry:  Matter, Periodic Table, Ph, Water IV      Physics:  Kinematics (Motion and Forces) CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS I expect all students to exhibit respect for self, community and education at all times.  The following guidelines will help. Please remove your hat before entering the classroom.  Cell phones are to be turned off.  Music is to be put away.  Eating or drinking is not allowed in the classroom, as doing so would be breaking safety rules in a science lab.   Having one person speak at a time is essential.  Students must be respectful of others when they are speaking and be quiet while they wait for their turn. I expect you in the class before the late bell rings and we will work until the bell. All work handed in should be your best work.  Work should be neat and complete.  Classwork and homework are graded on a 1-3 point basis.  Being able to communicate effectively is important in science and work will be assessed with emphasis on understanding concepts with attention paid to complete sentences and correct grammar and spelling. I will keep a folder in class for each student’s work in which tests, quizzes and labs will be kept.  We will have occasional check-ins and you may keep track of your grades in your notebook.   I urge you to pay attention to your average as the semester continues so you will always know where you stand in terms of a grade in my class. It is your responsibility to make up any missed work.   Please refer to the Student Handbook for guidelines regarding make up work. NOTEBOOK REQUIREMENTS         Students are required to keep a three-ring notebook in this class.  This notebook will be checked at the end of each unit and this notebook check will count as a quiz grade for the unit.  Sections should be as follows for each unit of the class: Class notes.  Notes should be taken in class daily. Handouts Classwork Homework Lab information HOMEWORK         Homework counts for roughly 10% of your grade.  Homework is collected on the date it is due and will not be accepted after that date.  We will discuss a homework rubric to encourage you to do thoughtful work. PLEASE BRING TO CLASS (in addition to the above-mentioned notebook) Calculator.  Texas Instruments TI-83 is recommended, but not required. Pencils and erasers.  Pens may be used for taking notes only.  All work should be done in pencil.   An agenda book for keeping track of assignments.  We recommend the Staples education agenda book that has monthly and weekly pages.  The model number is #721557 and it is available at Staples stores for approximately $17.00.   A USB flash drive.  Recommended size is 2.0 GB which should be sufficient for all academic purposes.  Cost is approximately $15.00. Three-ring paper for taking notes. Graph paper. INTEGRATED SCIENCE SYLLABUS Mrs. Pfenninger, Welcome to Integrated Science.  Please contact me at spfenninger@gdrsd.org or come see me in my classroom in 207 if you have any questions.   I check my email frequently and am happy to answer student and parent questions via email.  I am available after school most days until 2:30, Tuesdays until 4:00, mornings at 6:45 and other times by appointment.   This course is an introduction to Chemistry, Physics, and Biology.  We will use the textbook “Science Spectrum:  A Physical Approach” by Holt, Rinehart and Winston, as well as additional materials.  We will cover the following topics: I       Introduction to Science:  Measurement and the Scientific Method II      Ecology:  Organisms and Their Environments III     Chemistry:  Matter, Periodic Table, Ph, Water IV      Physics:  Kinematics (Motion and Forces) CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS I expect all students to exhibit respect for self, community and education at all times.  The following guidelines will help. Please remove your hat before entering the classroom.  Cell phones are to be turned off.  Music is to be put away.  Eating or drinking is not allowed in the classroom, as doing so would be breaking safety rules in a science lab.   Having one person speak at a time is essential.  Students must be respectful of others when they are speaking and be quiet while they wait for their turn. I expect you in the class before the late bell rings and we will work until the bell. All work handed in should be your best work.  Work should be neat and complete.  Classwork and homework are graded on a 1-3 point basis.  Being able to communicate effectively is important in science and work will be assessed with emphasis on understanding concepts with attention paid to complete sentences and correct grammar and spelling. I will keep a folder in class for each student’s work in which tests, quizzes and labs will be kept.  We will have occasional check-ins and you may keep track of your grades in your notebook.   I urge you to pay attention to your average as the semester continues so you will always know where you stand in terms of a grade in my class. It is your responsibility to make up any missed work.   Please refer to the Student Handbook for guidelines regarding make up work. NOTEBOOK REQUIREMENTS         Students are required to keep a three-ring notebook in this class.  This notebook will be checked at least once during each unit and this notebook check will count as a quiz grade for the unit.  Sections should be as follows for each unit of the class: Class notes.  Notes should be taken in class daily. Handouts Classwork Homework Lab information HOMEWORK         Homework counts for 10% of your grade.  Homework is collected on the date it is due and will not be accepted after that date.  We will discuss a homework rubric to encourage you to do thoughtful work. PLEASE BRING TO CLASS (in addition to the above-mentioned notebook) Calculator.  Texas Instruments TI-83 is recommended, but not required. Pencils and erasers.  Pens may be used for taking notes only.  All work should be done in pencil.   An agenda book for keeping track of assignments.  We recommend the Staples education agenda book that has monthly and weekly pages.  The model number is #721557 and it is available at Staples stores for approximately $17.00.   A USB flash drive.  Recommended size is 2.0 GB which should be sufficient for all academic purposes.  Cost is approximately $15.00. Three-ring paper for taking notes. Graph paper. GRADING     *  Projects and Labs                               35%     *  Tests                                           35%     *  Quizzes                                 20%     *     Homework                                     10%