General Information
& Classroom Management Plan

 Classroom Management Plan

This plan applies to all of Mr. Adkins' classes.

Page Links:Lab Report Format Class Management Plan Behavior Policy Tardy Policy How to Be Annoying End of the Period Procedures Bathroom passes Lab Safety Internet Access Don't Sleep In Class Grading Policy Grading Scale Web pages Email Link to me Turning in electronic files Extra Credit How do I raise my grade? Late work and Amnesty Computer Access

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Lab Report Format

Generic lab report format
• typed
• single document integrated, no graphs or tables "stapled on" from other applications.
1. Title- must include "the relationship between" and name the independent and dependent variables; or state that it is an observation of a variable without seeking a relationship.
2. Variable list - list all variables and identify independent, dependent, interfering. List format, sentences not required.
3. Hypothesis - a single sentence which makes a prediction about how one variable will affect another. Usually accompanied by some sort of explanation about why you expect that to be true.
4. Procedure - step by step, reproducible instructions written for an intelligent but uninformed audience. Common activities such as how to turn on a computer or use a ruler should not be explained. May include "repeat the steps above." MUST address the following:
a. Equipment needed and how to use it.
b. How the independent variable will be chosen/measured.
c. How the dependent variable will be measured.
d. How the interfering variables will be controlled so as not to interfere.
5. Data - data tables for all measured and calculated quantities. Calculations should show formulas. All quantities must be identified by name and unit of measurement.
6. Graphs - Traditionally the independent variable is x and the dependent variable is y, although that is not a hard and fast rule. Axes should be labeled with scale, quantity, and unit. Lines of best fit should have their equations displayed in y= mx+b format.
7. Conclusion - should directly address the results of the lab in terms of the hypothesis. Was the hypothesis supported or disproven (why do we not say proven or disproven?) by the results and how do you know? Also, problems or extensions for next time are discussed here.
8. Abstract - a one paragraph summary of everything, including results. NOT just a repeat of the conclusion. Includes the hypothesis, a brief summary of the procedure, a description of the results, and the conclusion. When finished, the abstract goes at the top of the document.

Behavior Policy
My rules are very simple.
Don't cause me paperwork.
Don't interfere with the learning of others.
Don't waste my time by not doing your work.

Tardy Policy

Don't be late to class. It annoys me and is distracting. Sign in when you are tardy. . Consequences are assigned immediately.

#1-#4: increasingly unpleasant chores (starting with things like washing the board and ending with things like scraping gum off of desks. )
#5: referral

How to be annoying
Violate one of these rules...

• Dress Code
• Talking During Presentations or other disruptive behavior:
• Incomplete Work or Assignments.
• End of Class Procedures/ Food/Trash
• Chew gum

 

End of Period Procedures

• Put all lab equipment away and clean your station.
• Stay in your seat until dismissed.
• Class will be held in the room until these conditions are met. The last class of the day must stack chairs in the back of the room before leaving class and shut down all non-server computers.

Bathroom Passes
You get one bathroom pass at the beginning of the year. If you lose it, the teacher decides if you go.

Lab Safety

See the lab safety form provided by the teacher for information on Lab safety. A copy is available at the department web site (click on DV Science Depatment link at left to get a copy.) You must get a signed permission form and pass the lab safety quiz before you can participate in lab acitivities. Since this is a science classroom, the primary rules are:

1. If you don't know what it is, don't touch it...
2. No horseplay in lab
3. Dress appropriately for lab
4. Don't taste or sniffanything
5. Don't pour distributed chemicals back into the original containers
6. Don't play with fire
7. Don't mix stuff together unless you are instructed to
8. Don't hesitate to use safety equipment if needed; but don't use if if it isn't

Internet Use

You must pass the internet quiz provided by the Business Technology department before using the internet on a computer at DVHS. All applicable rules set by the BT department apply to the computers in the science lab.

Sleeping in Class/Inattentiveness

Sleeping in class is not allowed. Loud and/or embarrassing things will happen to you if you sleep in my room, involving photography, cold water, balloons and a duck. Prop your head up. Small electrical generators are available for those requiring electrical stimulation. A phone call home is also available if necessary to root out the cause of the problem. 

Other
See DVHS Student handbook.

Grading Policy

Grades in Mr. Adkins' classes are cumulative.  Point values accumulate, or add up, all semester, increasing for each quarter and progress report grade. Some assignments will only be checked for completeness; others will be graded in class; and others graded by the teacher. Each assignment is given a point value. First quarter and second quarter are weighted 50% and added together. There are no category grades.

 Grading Scale
Percentage grade = (Your point total ÷ Total points possible)x100.

In my science classes,

• > 100% = A+
• 90% = A
• 80% = B
• 70 % = C60 % = D
• below 60 % is failing.
• +/- may be added to a grade within 1 % of a grade level; 79.5% is a C+, for example.

Web Pages
http://homepage.mac.com/astronomyteacher/dvhs/ is the home page. For other pages, use the links on the home page. Each class has its own home page.

Email

school: jeffadkins@antioch.k12.ca.us

Link policy

Feel free to link to any of my pages, including deep linking; please acknowledge the source. I reserve the right to change the structure and address of pages and references at any time, without notice

Getting Files to Mr. Adkins

Web based email is prohibited by current board policy. Send assignments to the address above . Email assignments should be 2 MB or less. If you bring a disk to class, I prefer CD-R. I can also read DVDs, ZIP 100 MB removable hard drives, USB drives, and Firewire devices.

Extra Credit

Extra credit is possible on any assignment. You are encouraged to consistently go above and beyond the call of duty on anything required for this class. However, there are a few conditions:

• Extra credit cannot be earned if the assignment it is based on is not completed correctly.
• Don't expect extra credit to raise your grade more than about 10% (a letter).
• Extra credit assignments are offered to the entire class or not at all.
• Extra credit can be earned on any assignment if you can find a way to exceed the standard expectations.
• More is good, but Better is Best. Don't expect to get double credit for working twice as many problems.
• There is, generally, no extra credit for typing as most assignments must be typed anyway.

Will this raise my grade?

1. It's a lot harder to make up a zero than it is to make up for an F that is just under a passing grade. It may take 5 or 6 good grades to make up for one failing grade.(see example below)
2. If you get a grade better than your average on any particular assignment, your grade will go up, a little.
3. If you get a zero on any assignment, your grade will go down a lot. A zero has a bigger negative effect than a perfect score has a positive effect.

For example: You have earned 350 points out of 500 possible. Therefore your grade is:

350 ÷ 500 x 100 = 70%, a C.

To find out how much a specific assignment might affect your grade before you get a grade on the assignment, add the points possible to the total possible, and add what you think you'll get on the points earned to make the prediction. Using the example above, if you think you'll get a 40/50 on a new assignment, your predicted new grade would be:

(350+40)÷(500+50) = 390÷ 550 = 70.9%

Note that even though you got a "B" on the new assignment, your overall grade remains a "C". It will take many many B's to make a C turn into a B. Or one big B.

Let's consider 10 assignments, each worth 10 points. If you get a low "C" on each one you'd wind up with 70 points. Then you get an "A" on the 11th assignment. "Will this bring my grade up?" you ask. Calculating you find that you have now got 80/110 points, which is still a C. Another "A" gets you to 90/120, which is still a C.

(70+n*10)/(100+n*10) > 0,8 is the formula needed to calculate how many A's you would need, where n is the number of assignments after the 10th "C", to raise your grade to a "B". The answer? FIVE.

You need 5 A's to bring a string of 10 C's up to a B.

 

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Amnesty Cards

The idea behind Amnesty Cards is that everyone has a bad day once in a while. Suppose you did something bad (forgot an assignment, didn't do an assignment, did a very poor or sloppy job on an assignment) and you are asking for permission to re-do it. However, if all makeup work were allowed just whenever you wanted to do it, then there would be no consequences for doing poorly. That is clearly not a good idea.

If you get an amnesty card, you get permission to turn in ONE late piece of work, make up ONE assignment with a bad grade, or go to the bathroom ONCE. It is possible to get more than one card, but only one is guaranteed.

The best grade you can get on a major assignment using Amnesty credit is a "C". This is to discourage you waiting to copy someone else's work using Amnesty credit. Minor assignments such as homework and participation grades will be given full credit.

Amnesty credit cannot be used for major projects, tests, or finals.

Amnesty Day cards can be used for bathroom passes.

Unused Amnesty Day cards can be exchanged for extra credit (10 points) for each grading period.

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Computer Access and delivering files.

Students are expected to have access to the internet either at home or school. Computers will be provided in the classroom to allow access to course websites, computer software, sensor equipment, and so on.

Reminder: Students are not to surf indiscriminately at sites unrelated to school work. This includes sites like sports sites, shopping sites, music or other sites.

To deliver a file to Mr. Adkins, email it to jeffadkins@antioch.k12.ca.us if you want him to get it at school. Attachments are OK for documents in most formats. If you want him to get the document at home, send it to astronomyteacher@mac.com. Keep in mind your ISP or the school may not allow files larger than 2-3 MB to go through the system. Large files should be sent to my home address.

If you bring a disk to school, the following formats are acceptable: Floppy disk (Mac or DOS format), CD-RW or CD-R (ISO 9000 or Mac format or Hybrid format), ZIP 100 disks (Mac or PC format), DVD-R (UDF Format). In general, try not to use a floppy unless absolutely necessary as they are very sensitive to having the drive rotation speed exactly right, and they wear out faster too. A full floppy from a PC will not work on a Mac because the Mac needs to write icon information on the floppy. External Firewire (ISO 1394) hard drives should mount.

The following formats will not work: Multisession PC CD-ROMs, Zip disks larger than 100 Mb, DVD formats other than -R, and other formats not listed above.

 

Calendar

Lesson Plans

Web logs: News

Master Index

Astronomy and Space Science
Astronomy and Earth Science
AP Physics
CP Physics
Astronomy and Physics Research
Planetarium Production
ESPACE Academy
Spitzer AGN Research

California Science Standards

Click here to see the standards for all grades and subjects

 

 

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