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Miss Wischner |
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FAQFrequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions asked by students and parents.
College Prep: Tests- 30% Quizzes- 20% Labs- 30% Homework- 20% Honors: Tests- 35% Quizzes- 20% Labs- 35% Homework- 10% See the policies section to get even more information about this. How do I get the work I missed when I was absent? Before returning to class, check the "Homework" page, the "Missed Work" page, and the "Newsflash" page to see if there are any notes, worksheets, or labs you can obtain. Notes can be written in your 3-ring binder. If you do not have a printer to print out the handouts and labs, still read them over and attempt them on looseleaf. Then visit the folder on the side counter upon returning to class to get copies. There is also a calendar on the front bullentin board labeled "Physical Science Miss Wischner" which tells you what was done in class. Check this immediately upon entering the classroom before class begins. If it is not updated, ask Miss Wischner directly. If the missed notes are not available on the website, the quickest way to make these up so you don't fall behind is to copy them from your lab partner or friend. Notes are to be copied on your own time and not during class. Doing so will cause you to miss the explanation and review of today's material. You must be on track with what the rest of the class is doing. How do I make-up missed quizzes and tests? You must get an after-school form from the front desk. Fill it out and return it to me, at least the day before you plan to stay (so I can get it ready for you). You can stay after Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday in activity period directly after school or in late study Thursday. You have 6 activity periods to make-up the missed quiz or test. Plan to stay right away. Do not wait until the last day to make it up. Something may come up which may prevent you from staying and then you lose the opportunity to make up the work. See the "Help/Make-Up Schedule" page of this website or the front bulletin board for dates, times, and room locations for activity period and late study. You can also visit www.absegami.net/Students/Default.aspx for the dates and room locations. Click on Science under the Tutor Schedule heading. The calendar page of this website (and the calendar on the bulletin board) post the last makeup day for each quiz or test. What can I do to get help if I am not understanding the material? A. First, make sure you are doing your homework, reviewing what we learned nightly, and asking questions in class. B. Fill out a form and give it to me in advance to stay after during activity period or late study. C. Visit our textbook online to see if there are extra practice worksheets. Be sure to bring your notebook and ask questions while you are there. D. If you have stayed after in late study a few times and still need more help, see your counselor in guidance about getting a National Honor Society tutor. Is homework accepted late if I forgot to do it, lost it, or left it in locker? No (usually). Once we go over the answers in class, you may not hand in late homework. Homework is due at the beginning of the period. You will not get credit if you are caught finishing it during class or if you try to tell me you just found it at the end of the period. Be prepared and organized. You may hand in HW late ONLY if you were absent the day it was collected or if we did not go over the answers. YES!!!!! Labs are not graded and handed back to students for several days. Ten points are deducted for every day late. If I have handed back labs in ANY of my classes, you can not turn it in anymore. Be aware that I may occassionally discuss some of the answers to the lab the day that it is due. This is to make sure everyone learned/observed the most important concepts from the lab. When this happens, you can no longer receive credit for the questions that I have discussed. You will receive credit for the rest of the lab however. So, try to hand labs in on time to be eligible for full credit. But, it is still better to hand it in late than not at all. Yes. Throughout the marking period there are various opportunities for extra credit. Sometimes there will be extra problems on tests or quizzes. We may compete for extra credit during test review games. Extra credit may be given somedays for having correct Do Now/Closing slips or handing in signed grade sheets. Occassionally, there are extra credit opportunities available on the website. Although there are a number of extra credit opportunities available throughout the marking period, do not rely on these to make up for not doing the work you're supposed to be doing. Do your homework, hand in your labs on time, study and stay for help if you are struggling. There is not enough EC to make up for not handing in a lab or a few HW assignments. Some extra credit assignments will only be available to students who are handing in their work. If you have a history of not doing homework or labs, you will not be eligible for certain EC assignments. If you can't keep up with the normal workload, you can't handle EC. Your time is better spent making sure you get your homework and labs done. Is it okay to work with other students on homework or labs? Sort of. It is okay to ask another student questions if you are unsure of directions but you should not be getting answers from another student. For example, you may have forgotten whether I said to make one graph or two for a lab. It is not okay, however, to do your homework (or labs) together so that you hand in identical/similiar papers. Sometimes when students work together, one student knows all the answers and then just tells the other student what they are. Any students found to be plagarizing (copying from other students, websites, or books) will receive a zero for the assignment and no chance to make it up. You should do your own work so that you learn the material because you work alone on quizzes and tests. If you are confused about homework/labs, ask another student to review and explain the example problems done in class. This way you get help but won't get in trouble for cheating. Is it okay to form study groups with other students? YES!!! Many students actually learn better by being able to discuss material with others or by teaching someone else the material. You can share your thoughts about the topics you understand and the other members of the study group can teach the areas they are comfortable with. Just be careful that the people you are studying with are positive that they know the material and not accidentally giving you the wrong information. It is beneficial to form these study groups at late study. This way you can ask the teachers questions when the group is unsure of something. (Study groups can review example problems completed in class, notes, and old homework that has already been checked and corrected. But, they should not be discussing current homework and labs.) I just took a quiz or test. When can I expect to get the grade back? I try to grade quizzes and tests as quickly as I can so you can get immediate feedback. You will usually get them within 1 to 2 days. If there are alot of open-ended questions (short answer, essay, free response math problems), it will take a little longer. How long will it take for me to get my lab back? It usually takes about a week to hand back labs. Since students may keep their returned labs with the corrected answers and comments on them, I don't hand them back until I'm sure I've gotten all of them turned in. There are always some students who will hand in their work late and then there are absent students who need to be given time to get their work in. When will I get my graded lab report back? I will grade lab reports as fast as I can but please be understanding as I have about 130 of them to grade. You are given time to write them (at least a week) so I need time to grade them all. It will usually take me about three weeks. In the meantime, I will probably have quizzes and tests to grade. These are very important to get back to you as fast as possible so you can learn from them and not continue to make the same mistakes. It takes me a long time to get these reports back because I have so many of them and because I have to spend time getting other grades back to you. Again, please be patient. I know you are desparately waiting to find out your grade. I promise you I am working as quickly as I can :) I want to review my quizzes and tests. Why can't I bring them home to study? I do allow you a few minutes class time to look them over but I must always collect them back from you. With every quiz and test, there are always absent students. I can not allow the answers (the corrected quizzes/tests) to be out there in case these students might see them. I can, however, leave the quizzes and tests after school so that you can review them with me or another teacher. I highly recommend this to students who got a "D" or "F" on a quiz. We continue to use "old" material that we've already been tested on throughout the year. Without reviewing the quiz or test, you will continue to make the same mistakes. What is an academic detention? Academic detentions are assigned to students who are not meeting the requirements of the course. If a student is missing several homeworks and/or labs, they may be issued one of these. At the academic detention they may be given the chance to do work to earn back points toward their homework grade. If this work is not turned in by the specified date, they will be issued a detention and their homework grades will remain a zero. If you did not go to your academic detention, I must be given a note or receive a phone call from your parent or guardian explaining why you were unable to attend. "I forgot", "I have work", or "I have practice" are not excuses. I give you several days notice of the detention in which you have ample time to tell me if something conflicts. If an emergency arose, we can work it out and the detention can be rescheduled. If you do not show, you may forfeit your right to make up the work and there may be subsequent consequences such as a referral. |
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