Advanced Placement Environmental Science
First Quiz Date : Wednesday, August 26
over The Sacred Balance
“Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.” ~ Will Rogers
Summer Reading & Writing Assignment
1. Email me with an email that will be checked regularly throughout the summer and upcoming school year. I will send assignments, messages etc. beginning this summer to these emails. Not checking your email will never be an excuse for lateness or not knowing what’s going on. Also, you will be turning in some assignments electronically, so everyone will need a reliable email address. Plus, if you do so by June 11th, I will give you extra credit at the beginning of the yearJ. Just go home and email me now ! My email is devries@lcchs.org
2. Read Sacred Balance, by David Suzuki. Pick up a copy of the book from Miss DeVries, by June 10th. You should plan on returning your copy of the book at the beginning of the year, or paying $10 to replace it.
3. Write a 1 paragraph summary/response to each chapter. This assignment should be typed and emailed to me before school begins, Sunday August 23rd, 2009. This is the day before upperclass orientation, which is when you will receive your syllabus. Paragraphs should be both a reflection of what Suzuki is trying to get across in the chapter, AND what you think of his ideas/thoughts. Discuss how you think his ideas would benefit the earth if put into action. Our first quiz will be Tuesday, August 25, over Sacred Balance and your syllabus.
4. Try to save the world. Be prepared to share successes and failures throughout the year.
SYLLABUS
CLASSROOM POLICIES~
§ You must keep a notebook for the entire year. I recommend a 3 ring binder with lots of notebook paper and dividers. Some colleges are now requiring you to show notebooks from AP courses, before they grant you credit, regardless of your test score. Since the test in May is comprehensive, you should keep everything from both semesters.
§ As no calculators are allowed to be used on the exam, none will be allowed on any test in this class. Calculators maybe allowed at certain times for specific labs, to speed up your data analysis. However, it will be expected that you are able to do all computations without the aide of a calculator.
§ All assignments must be completed in black or blue pen, pencil or typed when appropriate. Reading Responses must be typed. Chapter reading guides must be hand written. You will also need some graph paper throughout the year, as well as markers of colored pencils and a ruler. Please no pen colors other than blue or black, and no colored paper.
§ You must contact me with any questions, comments or issues that arise. It is YOUR responsibility to get in touch with me before (when possible) and after absences. I will not chase you down. Nor, will I give you my notes. It is your responsibility to get notes from someone in class. I highly recommend not copying them on a photocopier, as it the process of taking notes that helps you learn the material. Even though I will not give you a copy of my notes, I will be happy to discuss any questions regarding your notes.
§ You will be considered tardy if you are not in the room when the bell rings and the door is shut. You will lose points for any warm-up activities or quizzes, as you will remain in the hallway until I let you in.
§ Behavior issues will not be tolerated in class. This is a high level class. You are here to learn. I will not let one person’s inappropriate behavior sacrifice the learning of others in class. If you are removed from class because of a behavior issue, you will not receive credit for any assignments/labs/etc. from that day in class.
GRADING~
I will be keeping grades using a percentage based system, according to the scale described below.
TESTS & QUIZZES will account for 60%of your total grade
Tests will consist of multiple choice questions fashioned after test questions on the AP exam itself. Some tests will also contain free response essays. Any quizzes given will follow a similar suite.
You have the opportunity to correct the multiple choice portion of your tests. Each multiple choice question is worth two points. If corrected properly, you will earn back 1 point. For example: If you missed 10 questions, you were deducted 20 points. Corrections can earn you back up to 10 points. We will discuss further how to do corrections after you get your first test back. Test corrections are due 2 days after tests are returned and must be completed in RED pen on the accompanying original test.
Some projects or major assignments will be assigned in lieu of a test, and will therefor be part of the test grade.
ALL OTHER ASSIGNMENTS will account for 40% of your total grade
Reading Responses (RR)
Reading Responses are assignments given approximately every 2 weeks throughout the year. I have selected readings that both tie into what topics we will be studying, and that are important pieces of environmental writings. For each selection, I will ask you to write up an appropriate response. Your response will need to be of a certain length, usually 3 to 5 paragraphs, typed, grammatically correct and well thought out.
Your reading responses will be graded on a 1-10 scale. Any reading response receiving less than a 4 must be redone to receive any credit. Late reading responses will not be accepted. Redone Reading responses must be turned within 1 week of original return.
Your reading responses offer you an extra credit opportunity. For excellent responses, I will give up to 2 extra credit points (11 or 12 out of 10). Believe it or not, this small amount of points can truly help your grade overall. While these are graded on a 1-10 basis, each Reading Response is worth 30 points. Your score out of 10 will be multiplied by 3 for your total points earned.
OTHER ASSIGNMENTS ~ Continued
Chapter Reading Guides
For each chapter I will give you a corresponding reading guide. These are designed to correlate between the lecture notes, the reading in the book and new vocabulary introduced in the chapter. The reading guides are assignments and will be worth anywhere from 10-30 points, depending on the chapter.
Chapter Reading guides are due the day of the test for that particular chapter.
Labs/Lab Write-Ups
It is expected that all lab write ups be completed as neatly and professionally as possible. They should be typed, proof read, 12 pt font, single spaced, and follow the lab write up format given for that lab. Participation during a lab will also account for part of your lab grade. You must be an active participant and follow all safety guidelines and directions, to receive full credit.
Projects
At least one major project will be assigned during each quarter. These will have the equivalent point value of a test, 60-100 points. On these projects, it is expected that you will work cooperatively with any and all partners, and complete them in a professional and thorough manner.
1st Quarter Project~ Create an Ecosystem, Group Presentation and Model, Personal Essay
2nd Quarter Project~ Biomes ~ Group Presentations and Personal Research Papers
3rd Quarter Project~ Controversial Issues ~ Partnered Presentation and Personal Research Paper
4th Quarter Project~ Go Ahead & Save the World ~ Individual or Partnered Presentations, Personal essay
I Reserve the right to assign any other projects I deem appropriate throughout the year. J
LATE WORK & ABSENCES:
Late work (Lab write-ups, activity handouts and chapter reading guides) will be granted up to 75% credit, and accepted up to 1 week from the original due date. Understanding and leeway can be given under certain, special circumstances, such as extended illnesses. If you are planning on attending Kairos, Youth in Government, close-up or any other extended absences, you MUST speak with me PRIOR to leaving, and also upon return. Again, I will not be chasing you down to take care of these things. This is YOUR responsibility. If you chose not speak to me as directed, you will not be allowed any extra time to turn assignments in, prepare for tests or make up tests. Read the previous line again.
COURSE OUTLINE & CALENDAR:
Students will receive a specific course outline and class calendar with due dates, test dates, projects and all other assignments. It is expected that you use this to keep track of the happenings in class. I will some reminding, but you need to looking ahead. Once a test date is set, it will not be changed for outside reasons (I.e. “we have a gov test that day.” Or “Our theology projects are due that week.” Etc., etc….. you get the idea)