Algebra 1A                        Fall 2007

 

Teacher:      Mrs. Morgan

 

Book:         Prentice Hall –Algebra 1

 

Required Supplies:          ▪  3 ring binder (at least one inch)

▪  College or Wide Rules notebook paper (No spiral notebooks!)

▪  Scientific Calculator (TI-30Xa or higher)

▪  3x5 Index Cards

                        ▪  Highlighters

▪  Pencils (NO PENS)

 

Classroom Rules:

►              BE ON TIME...door will be locked and you will then have to report to TARDY HALL.

►           BE READY TO WORK EACH DAY…have text book, workbook, paper, pencil, and calculator each day in class

►                STAY IN YOUR ASSIGNED SEAT AT ALL TIMES…if you need to get out of your seat for any reason, raise your hand and ask for permission first!

►          NO TALKING DURING CLASS. RAISE YOUR HAND FOR PERMISSION TO       SPEAK…be considerate of your peers and don’t distract them by talking during class.

►                  NO FOOD OR DRINKS IN THE CLASSROOM!!!!…this includes any type of candy or gum! If you need a peppermint I will give you one. You may however, have a bottle of water.

►                  CELL PHONES ARE NOT TO BE ON OR VISIBLE!!!…this is school policy. AND…NO…cell phones cannot be used as calculators.

►             CD PLAYERS/I-PODS OR HEADPHONES ARE NOT TO BE VISIBLE!!!… again, this is school policy. I know all the tricks, so don’t even try it!!!

►              NO HEAD COVERINGS ARE ALLOWED AT SCHOOL!!…this includes hats of any  kind, hoods, and do rags!!

►               NO ONE IS ALLOWED OUT OF CLASS THE FIRST 45 MINUTES OF CLASS…so if you need to go to the bathroom, you better go before you get to class.

 

Consequences: If any of the above rules are broken the following actions will be taken:

1)     Non-verbal Warning

2)     Verbal Warning

3)     Parent Phone Call, Guidance Counselor, Coach Contact

4)     Detention (30 minutes after school on Thursday)

5)     Referral to Administration 

 

Grading Policy:

Homework:     Yes, you will have homework almost every night!                                            10 points

You must complete all the problems and show work where necessary to                              

get full credit.  I know when there should be work shown. I will

not grade work that has no name on it! This will result in a ZERO!!

NO WORK = NO CREDIT!!!

WARM UPS: Immediately when you enter the room you are expected to

Sit in your assigned seat and begin working on the daily warm up. You will                Included in

Have 3-5 minutes to complete the problems and I will then call on someone            Notebook Check

to give me the answer and explain how they got it. 

 

Class Work:   This includes, but is not limited, to worksheets, bookwork,                              10 points

group work, and activities. Each day you will have some sort of assignment                

to be completed before the end of class. I will not grade work that has

no name on it! This results in a ZERO!! NO WORK = NO CREDIT!!!

 

Vocabulary:    At the start of a new chapter you will receive a vocabulary                               Included in

sheet. These vocabulary sheets are to be in your folder completed when notebooks      Notebook check

are collected.

 

Quizzes:          There will be a quiz at least once a week on material covered             100 points

that week or an agenda quiz. Quizzes may be given without notice, so be

prepared at all times for a pop quiz. Just ask my previous students!

 

Agenda Quizzes:  Periodically we will have a quiz on things that should be

Written down in your agenda. For example…what was the class work on a                   25 points

certain day? Therefore, you will be expected to write down assignments,

up coming tests, or projects in your planner every day.

 

Tests:              There will be a test at the end of each chapter. I will give you                   200 points

plenty of notice that a test is coming up.

 

Notes:          You are required to take notes on everything that I write on the                Included in

board. These are for you to use while solving problems on your own in class or          Notebook check

while you are doing your homework.

 

Notebook Checks:    You will be given a table of contents page that will list               100 points

what will be graded. Contents are to be in that specific order and numbered.

Notebooks will be collected at interim report time and at report card time, which

is every four weeks.

 

Final Exam: At the end of the course you will be given a final exam that covers                         600 points

everything we have gone over from chapter 1 to chapter 6. So you might want to

save your notes until the very end of the course. This usually comes out to be worth

20% of your final grade.

 

 WHAT TO DO WHEN….

Entering the room: Come in quietly, sit in your assigned seat, and start working on the warm-up immediately! I will not tolerate loud students. If you have the need to sharpen your pencil, now is the time to do it. You will not be allowed to sharpen pencils once class has begun.

 

 Working on Warm-Up: You have the first three to five minutes of class to     complete the problems for the warm-up. You are to work quietly and independently on these problems and be prepared to share explanations with the   class at the end of the three to five minutes.

Taking Notes: You are required to take notes on anything covered in class, whether it be from the overhead, board, or verbal discussions. Notes should be labeled with the general topic for that day.

Working on Class Work: This time is for you to get practice of the concepts covered in class. Therefore, this time should be completely quiet that way I can make my way around the room without any distractions. I need your cooperation in keeping this time quiet so I can help those who need my help.

We will go over any questions that you have on class work and/or homework each day. I will not go over every question, so know which ones you want me to do.

 Labeling You Papers: First and last name, date, and class period are to be in the top right hand corner of your paper. One the first line of the paper should be assignment page number and the numbers that are to be completed.  If it is not labeled, I won’t know what it is to grade it, so label everything!

Working in Groups: When group work is assigned, you may be graded as a group or on an individual basis. The talking level during this time must absolutely be kept at a whisper so each group can concentrate on their work. I will assign the groups that you will be working in.

Leaving the Room: I will give you warning when the class is almost over. At this time clean up your area. IDISMISS THE CLASS NOT THE BELL!

Turning in Class work and/or Homework: Everyday I will walk around and stamp your class work before you leave the room. If you have completed all the problems and shown the required work, you will get a stamp. If you have failed to complete your class work, you will not get a stamp. If you do not get a stamp, then you have until Tuesday to finish the assignment, however, the maximum amount of points that you can earn on Tuesday is five. Same deal applies for homework.

Tuesday Collection Day: I will randomly select three assignments that were either class work or homework from Tuesday through Monday. I will tell you which three assignments that I want and then by row I will let you go staple all three assignments together and place them in the orange box. Make sure your name is on your papers before you turn them in.

 

 

 

FOLDERS

You MUST have your own one-inch or larger three ring binders. A detailed explanation will be given on proper folder protocol during the first week of class. Remember the notebook is about 10% of your grade and will be check four times during the semester. That is four easy grades to get a 100% on.

 

WHAT TO DO IF…

·         You are Absent: Get my agenda from my desk and find the day(s) that you were absent and copy down the assignments you missed. Get with someone to get any notes that you missed. You are responsible for the notes taken while you were absent. IF you are absent on a Tuesday, your assignments are due the next day you return. Absent work is to be turned into the orange box and labeled “ABSENT WORK”.  If it is not labeled “ABSENT WORK”, I will assume that it is late and take off half the points it is worth. If you missed a quiz or a test, you must make arrangements with me to come before school or after school to make-up the quiz/test. If work schedules interfere, then we will make arrangements to make up quiz or test during school hours. You only have one week to make-up a missed quiz or test. After one week it will stay a zero!!! You are responsible for finding out if you missed a quiz or test and making the appropriate arrangements to make up the quiz or test!!!

·         There is a Fire Drill: Quietly line up at the door. Once, everyone is at the door, we will walk out to the left, down the stairs, to the right, and to out to the grass. When the announcement is given to go back, wait until I give you the OK and then walk quietly back to class and sit back in you assigned seats. We will begin class where we left off. We will practice this so you know exactly what I expect when this does happen.

·         Announcements Over the Intercom are Made: It is very important that everyone is silent while announcements are being made, so I can hear what needs to be done.

·         A Visitor Enters Our Room: Continue with what you are doing. I will find out what they need. If it is another student, it is not the appropriate time to talk with them.

·         You Have a Question: Raise your hand and I will call on you when I can. Keep in mind that there is only one of me and about 30 to 35 of you. Be patient, sit quietly and I will answer your question as soon as I can.

·         Pencil Breaks: Every one should have more than one sharpened pencil at all times. If both break, raise your hand and ask for permission to sharpen your pencil. At the appropriate time I will allow you to sharpen it. The appropriate time to sharpen pencils is the first 5. Remember: don’t get out of your seat for anything.

·         A Restroom/Clinic Pass is Needed: You get 8 bathroom/hall passes per nine weeks, so use them for emergencies only! (Unused passes are extra credit towards your Notebook grade!) Wait for an appropriate time to raise your hand and asked to be excused. Fill out the information on your pass and then let Mrs. Morgan sign it. Time between classes is when you are to use the restroom. If you need to go see the nurse, raise your hand and I will give you a clinic pass. ***If you abuse it, you will lose it!

         

A NOTE TO PARENTS/GUARDIANS:

I am looking forward to working with your student and you this year. If we can work together to ensure your students’ success, it will be a great year! Please take a few minutes to read over my rules and procedures that way you are aware what I am expecting from your student this year. I am always available for your student, no matter what they need. All they have to do is ask me for help and I will stay and do some one on one so they feel better about the material. As their teacher, I want them to feel comfortable enough to come to me when they are having problems, so please encourage them to do so.

I want to make you aware that on Fridays, I will be distributing grade sheets to the students for them to take home and get signed. The ones that I get back will count as five points extra credit (5 x 18 = 90 points), which is a lot of “free point”.

A couple of pet peeves….Please check what your student is wearing before they walk out the door. For example…short shorts, spaghetti straps, low cut tops, pants hanging below the waist, sunglasses on, or hats or head coverings of any kind. All of these are in the LHS dress code and can be distracting to students… Please don’t allow students to bring i-pods, mp3 players, or CD players to school. They are not allowed to listen to them at school…Lastly…Please don’t call students during school hours. If you need to get a message to a student, please call the main office and they will get the message to them or e-mail their teachers. If is very distracting when a student holds up a cell phone in the middle of class and says, “it’s my mom/dad calling, can I answer it?”

I am asking that you and your student sign so I know that everyone is one the same page for this year. If you ever have any questions or concerns about your student’s progress, please feel free to e-mail me (tammy.newsome@polk-fl.net).

 

 

Parent/Guardian Signature

 

Student Signature