Frequently Asked Questions
In our class we "Do science to learn science"
The class can be broken into four phases-
- The research phase- students are provided articles that provide information at their grade level and the complexity level that I will expect from them during at the end of the unit. I will also provide videos that help explain a topic so that the info can be heard in a different way or shown differently in the animations.
- The observation phase- in these lessons students will observe the topic being studied in either a simulated model depicting the information obtained in the research phase or videos demonstrating the topic of study.
- The experimental phase- in these lessons students will use the sim to test hypotheses about the study topic to gather evidence to support their answer to the question that we have asked about the study topic.
- The reporting phase- In this lesson students will use a model, argument, or scientific explanation. backed by evidence gathered through the investigation to support their answer to the study question.
Note: in real life the first two phases can be switched with an observations of the natural world leading to the research.
I provide ample time for students to get all of a lesson done in class, if they use their time wisely.
Your student has had all of this explained and demonstrated to them multiple times in class. here is what I showed and explained to students during class.
How does your class work?
1. Students receive each lesson in Teams (the General Channel has them in the order they were received). They should click on the assignment and carefully read the entire assignment before opening any attachments at the bottom. This part of the assignment introduces the lesson and provides instructions covering all of the assignment.
2. The lesson is located in OneNote (they should open the lesson in app and not in Teams- this has been explained and demonstrated). The top of the lesson should have the Learning Targets from the Assignment in Teams copied and pasted to the top of the lesson. This is what they need to know from the lesson.
3. The lesson is like Mr. Johnson standing in the front of the room lecturing- Everything I would say in class is in the slides of the lesson. As students read each slide they should put a note to the side that summarizes what that slide says- sometimes this summary will cover a couple of slides.
- All questions asked in the lesson should be answered in the box provided- they document their thinking while doing the lesson as well as provide clues to what is important content.
- If the lesson contains an article they need to take notes, ask questions, and connect to prior material, we call this "annotating". This can be done with highlighting, and note-taking to the side of the article. Articles are where all of the information comes from so they are all important. This has been explained and demonstrated in class.
- Any worksheets included in the lesson should also be completed following the directions included on the "worksheet". Worksheets can be done in OneNote and this has been instructed in class.
- Students should take care to be aware of their own understanding! If they do not understand what a word graphic is saying they should ask Mr. Johnson to clarify its meaning- IT SHOULD NOT JUST BE SKIPPED.
- There is no part of the lessons that should be skimmed or skipped, if it wasn't important enough to make sure it was provided to the student, I would have left it out of the lesson.
How can I help my student stay caught up?
This is one of the most frequently asked questions.
- Read the "How does your class work?" FAQ above. Then, have your student help you follow these instructions-
- Look at the General Channel in Teams and see what the last lesson that was sent out was. It will have been in the prior 2 or 3 days. This will tell you what to look for in OneNote.
- Go to OneNote and look at the lesson in the unit that we are currently on. It is shown on the Teams assignment.
- When you look at the lesson in OneNote, has each of the slides been summarized? Is the article annotated? Have the worksheets been done or the reading questions been answered?
- If the page is blank then they have not been using the forty-five or more minutes of class time each day to perform the investigation and catching up is now homework.
Quizzes, Tests, and Summative assessments and retakes
Each of these are different and they are scored differently in the gradebook.
A quiz is an check for understanding of a topic and does not meet all of the requirements of the learning standard. They most often are a check to make sure that reading was done or that we understand the vocabulary associated with a topic. Quizzes are therefore weighted at ten percent so a 10 point quiz will add, at most, 1 point to the math that goes into the final grade (ex. 8/10 on a quiz will be worth .8 points) . Students that fail a quiz can retake it before or after school, by appointment, within the next 5 days. All work leading up to the assessment must be completed as instructed to be eligible for a retake.
Tests are like quizzes in that they don't cover all of what a standard covers, but they come at the end of the unit and check understanding of the information in the unit. Tests are also weighted but at fifty percent. So scoring 10/10 on a test adds 5 points to the math that makes the grade. Students that fail a quiz can retake it before or after school, by appointment, within the next 5 days. All work leading up to the assessment must be completed as instructed to be eligible for a retake.
Summative assessment, like arguments or models, will receive feedback and can be resubmitted for a better grade if submitted before the due date. After the due date they can be turned in with the highest possible score being 90%. Those that turn in after the due date and receive failing grades will not receive feedback for their one additional opportunity to resubmit. Students are able to turn these until five days before the end of the grading period. These are summative assessments that assess all of the standard and are therefore not weighted, so a 10 point assignment is worth 10 points in the math of a grade.
My student is going to be absent, is there anything we need to do?
As mentioned in the "How does your class work" section, I have set these lessons/assignments up so that students get everything I would say whether they are at school or not. The lessons/assignments have all of the instructions, "worksheets", and sim access so they should be able to stay caught up.
I will have lessons/assignments and the day's warmup distributed in Teams by 7:30 so they can access it at the same time the other kids get to. Students should also do the warmup when they are absent, they give me and them feedback on how they are doing.
Additionally, If there are questions during an absence I can be reached via the chat in teams. I will respond as quickly as I am able.
