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Come with Mrs. Ruffin to...The World of Chemistry at LHS! |
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Mrs. Ruffin! I have a question...Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions of students and parents.
Why do we have a math assessment at the beginning of the year? To be successful in Chemistry, you must acquire a strong background in certain math skills. Many Chemistry concepts are taught with the understanding that such foundation has been established. Because of the rigorous curriculum, time does not allow these math skills to be taught in the class. Should I have successfully passed Algebra II before enrolling in Chemistry? General Chemistry...No. However, for Honors Chemistry, students are strongly encouraged to have successfully completed Algebra II due to the nature of its curriculum. ALL students must at least be enrolled in Algebra II and currently in the 10th, 11th, or 12th grade. My math skill are not strong, but I would like to be successful... You could still be successful in Chemistry. We can discuss your math test results and set up a math tutorial while the year is new. This can help you prepare for the course curriculum. I would encourage you to enroll in General Chemistry because of the slower pace. Are you available for tutoring? Yes, I am. I am available everyday after school until at least 3:00. We normally have faculty meetings on Wednesdays, so I do not encourage you to come then. My scheduled tutoring days are Tuesdays, I will be available until 4:00. Any other time is by appointment only. Late homework is not accepted. Your homework consists of simply copying notes to prepare yourself for the following lecture. You will be given an open notebook quiz on these notes. It is not fair to others that you turn in "copied" notes late and receive the same easy quiz grade that they did. Classwork is considered late after the end of the next class day. You must turn in an alternate assignment and can only get half credit after this point. No classwork is accepted after papers have been graded and redistributed. Is make up work considered late work? According to school policy, make up work is to be turned in 5 consecutive days (not class periods) after an excused absence. After the 5th day, make up work is considered late work. When do I make up a quiz or test? If you have an excused absence on the scheduled day of a quiz or test, you will make it up on the day of your return. You will receive a 9 week calander with specific lessons, classwork, homework, labs, quiz dates and test dates. You should refer to your calander for the missing session. EVERYTHING is posted online. For every test given, the student does have an opportunity to retest. This retest is usually scheduled 2-3 days from the original test and is to be completed after school. THE FIRST TEST MUST BE SIGNED BY A PARENT OR GUARDIAN. You will not be able to retake a test after the alloted time. Do I have to take the Chemistry SOL? Yes. One of the course objectives (a required fulfillment) is to successfully pass the VA EOC Chemistry SOL. This is a mandatory objective in order to pass the class with a satisfactory grade. I have all of my SOL credits to graduate, do I have to take the Chemistry SOL? Yes. You are enrolled in a SOL core course and you are required to take the Chemistry SOL. You may log onto gradespeed to find out your grade at any time. Please do not ask me. What happens if I refuse to copy a paper from the book of consequence? If you choose not to copy a paper from the book of consequence, you will be disciplined according to school regulations. These actions may include after-school detention, a referral, and any recommendation made by the principal or assistant principal. Why is it important that I keep an interactive notebook? Besides the fact that it improves your notetaking, organization skills and deepens your understanding, it is worth a major grade (quiz or test) after each grading period. Is it possible to change my grade after the nine weeks is over? Believe it or not, this a commonly asked question. However the answer remains the same. Your nine weeks grade is a result of work received throughout that grading period. After the grading period is over, you receive your average. You can not make up work or redo work to better your nine weeks grade. WAIT! I can not do my homework because I don't have a computer at home! That sounds like a big issue. In the event that you do not have a computer at home, there are a number of ways to retrieve your notes. If you have a myspace account, use the computer that you go on myspace (or youtube). The notes are for the WHOLE UNIT, so if you only have limited access, you may get the whole unit (about 2 weeks worth of homework) at a time. If you have a computer class, you may access my website, or go into my teacher folder to retrieve the notes (I can give you step-by-step instructions on how to do so). If there is anytime in class after the lecture is complete, I will post the notes for THE NEXT LECTURE DAY. It will be your responsibility to use your time wisely and copy the notes. You may also come back after school to get the notes for the upcoming lectures. May I simply print the notes of the website and paste them in my notebook? Sure...but it will only be worth half the point value. So instead of homework counting 10% of your final grade, it will only be 5%. If you do this, you are no longer eligible to receive EXTRA credit. Assignments that may be done IN ADDITION TO mandatory assignments to get more credit. For example, if your nine weeks grade is a 93/B with all your assignments completed, you may obtain extra credit to receive that A. However, if your average is a 77/D with missing assignments, you can not obtain EXTRA points because you did not do the assignments the were mandatory. Chemistry is quite challenging if you do not put forth the effort of studying. You will need to remember everything from the beginning of the year because the information builds on itself (cumunlative). I have ways of teaching that allows you to remember the information quite easily, but you must do you part and come prepared. Have you ever heard, "I love you, but hate Chemistry?" EVERY YEAR! I love my job as a teacher, and I love my students, however, that has nothing to do with your grade. It is possible to fail a cool teacher, just ask...;o) |
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