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OCEANOLOGY I AND II

Mr. Hardison

ghardison@stoningtonschools.org

www.hardisonoceancep.com

The Basics

1. All students are subject to all school rules and policies as described in the student agenda planner.  This also applies to all field trip activities associated with this course. 
2. Food and drinks are not allowed in the classroom.  There is also no gum, candy or snacks of any kind allowed.  You may have WATER in a clear plastic bottle, as allowed by school policy.  This does not include Vitamin Water, Gatorade, etc.  This is due to a state mandate for laboratory science classrooms. 
3. iPods, CD players, phones, or cameras are prohibited from use during class time (unless otherwise specified).  If these items are found during class they will be confiscated and can be retrieved at the discretion of the teacher.
4. Please do not move any chairs or other objects in the room unless you have been directed to do otherwise by an instructor. 
5. The fish tanks and plant life in the room will serve as projects for credit for students in the classroom who wish to participate.  Please refrain from contact with them unless you are one of the students involved in the project. 
6. Please stay out from behind the instructor’s desk unless otherwise specified.  If you are supposed to be there, you will be called there. 
7. The prep room is off limits to all students, unless you have been directed to be there by an instructor. 
8. Respect everyone in the classroom; no inappropriate language or behavior will be tolerated.  All students are subject to the rules of SHS Student Handbook in the classroom. 
9. Follow all laboratory safety rules as outlined in the laboratory safety contract. 
10. Always have something to read…..

Failure to follow the classroom rules will result in the following actions:

First offense……………………………………………warning

Second offense…………………………………………teacher detention and/or call home

Third offense…………………………………………...referral to administration

I don’t want to have to call home (unless it’s for something good) or write you a referral.  The rules stated above are very basic rules that apply to most, if not all, classrooms in this school.  Do what you know you’re supposed to do, and don’t do what you know you’re not supposed to do, and you’ll do well. 

Also, please respect the classroom.  Think of it as if it were your own room.  You wouldn’t want people going through your things, leaving trash on the floor and in the sinks, moving stuff without your permission, and leaving things where ever they wanted to.  So please, throw away all of your trash, don’t put it where it doesn’t belong, clean up and put away any materials that we have used at the end of class, and push in your chairs and put them back where they were at the beginning of the period.  Thanks.   

Grading Policy

Your grade will be based on total points.  Everything done in class will have a point value.  At the end of the marking period, your total points will be added up and divided by the number of possible points, resulting in a percentage.  This percentage will equate to your letter grade.  Remember, the grade you get at the end of the semester is not the grade you were GIVEN by me; it’s the grade you EARNED.  Simply do what’s asked of you and you will all do extraordinarily well. 

Tests/Assessment: There will be a test/assessment at the end of each completed unit.  If you miss a test, it is your responsibility to make arrangements to make up tests on the day you return to school.  E-mail will also work effectively in scheduling as well.    

Missing Work: If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to talk to your classmates to get any information that you missed in class.  If there none of your classmates are available to you, it is your responsibility to seek me out during either X-Block or one of my free periods to get your missing work.  Or E-mail.

Research Papers/Projects: You will be required to write one research paper, and will be assigned projects throughout the semester.  Further information will be given when assigned. 

Journals: Each student will be required to have a spiral bound notebook that will be kept in the classroom.  This should be a fairly large notebook because we will be writing in it every day.  This will be a great opportunity to ask questions, express ideas, make connections, and reflect on and react to what we have done in class on a particular day.  Journals will be checked at the end of each quarter.  Accommodations will be made for missed journal entries for excused absences only.  

Lab Reports: Lab reports will depend on the lab.  For write-up labs, follow lab report format.  Write-up labs will be graded using a rubric, which will be given.  There will be other formats used to turn in lab reports….

Homework: Homework in due at the beginning of each class.  Late homework will be accepted for ½ credit only, and must be turned in by the next time our class meets 

Class Participation: Will be worth five points daily, and will include being to class on time, having your ID, having your agenda, having your notebook, and positive participation and behavior in class.  If you miss a class, you can make up the points by turning in an article abstract.  Details will follow.  

Field Trips: You are expected to go on all assigned field trips.  If you miss a field trip, you must submit an essay (2-3 pages minimum, typed, double-spaced, 12 pt. font) on a topic of my choosing related to the trip.  This paper will be due one within two class periods of being assigned, and will relate to a topic that was explored on the trip. 

Extra Credit and Bonus Points: Both will be available in this class.  Be aware, however, there is a distinct difference between the two….Extra credit is exactly that, EXTRA work for more points.  Extra credit assumes that you have done ALL (not most, not some) of the work required for class, and you are willing to do some EXTRA in order to improve your grade (if it needs it, and this will be assessed on a case-by-case basis).  Bonus points will be awarded for students who do a variety of classroom projects and tasks that need to be done.  For more information, you must ask me if you can do one of these tasks, and they will be given on a first come first serve basis.