| PRE-ALGEBRA
Mrs. Alwin
Room: B131
Phone: 507-263-6800 ext. 3301
Email: alwin.jennifer@cannonfallsschools.com
School Website: www.cannonfallsschools.com
Textbook Website: www.pre-alg.com
Login: PREALG Password: mEdUw8ufr4
Text: Glencoe’s Pre-Algebra
Course Description:
Pre-Algebra is a required high school course typically taken by students who
are not quite ready to take Algebra I during their 9th grade year. However,
7th grade students can take Pre-Algebra during middle school as an advanced
mathematics course and 10-12th grade students can take Pre-Algebra as a
follow-up course to Applied Skills Math I & II. Topics covered in this
course include: problem solving, numerical and algebraic expressions,
relations, integers, absolute value, the distributive property, equations,
powers, exponents, rational numbers, fractions, decimals, percents, ratios,
proportions, inequalities, functions, linear equations, slope, intercepts,
and coordinate graphing. The curriculum is also highlighted by number
theory, probability, statistics, and geometry topics throughout.
Materials:
1.Agenda Book
2.Spiral Notebooks (70 sheets)
3.3-Ring Binder (with pockets)
4.Dividers
5.Loose Leaf Paper
6.Book Cover
7.Scientific Calculator (Texas Instruments solar)
8.Pencils and Erasers
Expectations:
1.Come Prepared
-Have all your materials and be ready to learn
2.Be Respectful
-Be on time, be in your seat, and raise your hand
-Respect yourself, others, property, and the teacher
-Respect other’s right to learn
3.Follow Directions
-Listen, do what is expected of you, and ask questions
4.Do Your Best
-Give 100% effort
In addition to classroom expectations, please refer to the Cannon Falls
High/Middle School Student Handbook for other school-wide behavior
expectations.
Consequences:
1.Verbal Warning
2.Loss of Daily Points
3.Conference with Teacher in Hallway, Isolation within the Classroom
4.Teacher Detention (1/2 hour before or after school) or Structured Lunch
5.Office Detention (1 hour on Tues., Wed., or Thurs. at 3:05 p.m. in B100)
6.Removal from Class for Office Visit, ISS, OSS, or Restorative Measures
In addition to classroom consequences, please refer to the Cannon Falls
High/Middle School Student Handbook for other school-wide behavior
consequences.
At any level of consequence, the classroom teacher reserves the right to
advance to a higher step in list to accommodate the severity of the
misbehavior.
The classroom teacher will make contact with the office administration and
the student’s parents or guardians for ongoing and/or severe misbehavior.
Tardiness:
When a student is tardy to the school day, he/she must report to the office
immediately to obtain a tardy pass to class. Whenever a student comes in
tardy to math class, they should not disturb the class that is already in
session, put their pass on my desk, and quietly take their seat. When the
student has an unexcused tardy to math class throughout the day, he/she will
face the following consequences. For each tardy earned, 5 daily points are
deducted. For excessive tardiness, teacher detentions are assigned. In
addition, CFHS/MS policy states that three unexcused tardies = one unexcused
absence.
Absences:
Either before an absence or upon return from an absence, it is the
responsibility of the student to get their make-up work. Students can get
make-up work from the school website, from their peers in class, or directly
from the teacher. Parents or guardians can request make-up work for pick up
in the office during a student’s absence. Teachers will provide the make-up
work to parents in this manner when a reasonable amount of time is given.
If make-up work is completed within a reasonable amount of time, there will
be no penalty to the student’s math grade.
Passes:
Each quarter, students are issued three passes in math class to use for
bathroom visits, locker visits, to get a drink, or to go to the nurse. When
a student has used all three passes, he/she can no longer leave the
classroom. Exceptions are made for emergency situations. When a student
has a pass from the office or another teacher, he/she may leave the room
when there is a natural break in the class period.
Strategies for Success:
First of all, students are expected to pay attention, listen well, and take
good notes during class. They are also expected to ask lots of questions if
they don’t understand what they are learning. In addition, students are
expected to copy down the assignment correctly and read all directions
carefully. They are also expected to put their name on all their
schoolwork. For math assignments, quizzes, and tests, students are expected
to show all their work because partial credit may be given for showing
work. The more work shown, the easier it is for the teacher to understand
what the student was thinking. Even if the answer is wrong, the process may
have been correct. Lastly, students are expected to complete all problems.
Problems on math assignments, quizzes, and tests should never be left
blank. Students should guess, even if it may be completely wrong. Success
cannot occur if no attempt made.
Extra Credit:
Some students try to rely too much on extra credit to get the grade that
they desire. As a result, they become lazy in their daily work because they
think they can do extra credit later to make up for it. It is my belief
that extra credit should challenge or enrich students above and beyond their
daily work. With that said, there are a few opportunities for extra credit
in math class. First of all, students can turn in their three unused passes
at the end of each quarter for extra points toward their overall grade.
Also, students can do challenge problems or extra assignments for extra
points toward their overall grade. Lastly, students can attempt bonus
problems on quizzes or tests for extra points on the quiz or test grade.
Academic Honesty:
In math class, it is expected that each student’s schoolwork is a true and
accurate representation of his/her own effort and knowledge. Academic
dishonesty or cheating is defined as “using someone else’s words, work,
answers and/or ideas and claiming them as your own.” Cheating in math class
may include, but is not limited to copying answers from the back of the
text, copying answers off of peers’ papers, or using a calculator when
instructed not to. Any violation of this academic expectation will result
in zero credit for the schoolwork submitted. Any student involved in an
incident of cheating is subject to this consequence.
Food/Beverages:
Students may bring water bottles into math class, but pop and other
beverages are prohibited. Students may chew gum in math class as long as
it’s not visible, but candy and other food items are prohibited. The
teacher may designate exceptions for special occasions such as holidays or
birthdays.
Semester & Quarter Grades:
Your semester grade consists of two quarter grades and a cumulative semester
final. The semester final is worth 10% of your semester grade. Each of the
two quarters is worth 45% of your semester grade. Each quarter your grade
is made up of the following three components: classwork, assignments, and
tests, quizzes, & projects.
Classwork-15%
Daily Points
Students earn some daily points for just following the classroom guidelines
and school rules while in math class. When students are absent, tardy or do
not abide by the classroom guidelines or school rules, they automatically
lose some of their daily points. If daily points are lost due to an excused
reason, a student can earn back some points by visiting with the teacher
outside of class time about the curriculum that was missed.
Journals
Journal questions are given at the beginning of almost every class period on
the overhead (about 27-33 per quarter). Students are expected to begin
journaling their responses upon their arrival to class without prompting by
the teacher. Journal entries are collected and checked for accuracy and
completion about every three weeks. Completed problem solving journals have
work shown with the answers and completed paragraph journals consist of four
sentences or more. Each journal entry is worth up to 5 points depending on
how well it was completed. Journal entries can be made up before or after
school and during work time in class.
Notebook
At the end of the first half of the chapter and the end of the second half
of the chapter, classwork notebooks are checked for neatness, organization,
accuracy, and completion.
The classwork notebook grade will include defined vocabulary words, class
notes & examples, and all work & answers from the standardized test
practice, mixed review, getting ready for the next lesson, and practice
quizzes. It will also include any handouts, labsheets, graph papers or
other learning materials that go along with the lessons.
The student will receive a letter grade A, B, C, D, or F on their classwork
notebook for each section based on the following rubric:
A:All classwork is neat, organized, accurate, and complete.
All assignments were accurate and complete.
B:All classwork is organized, accurate, and complete.
Most assignments were accurate and complete.
C:Most classwork is organized, accurate, and complete.
Some assignments were accurate and complete.
D:Some classwork is organized and complete.
Some assignments were complete.
F:Very little classwork is complete.
Little or no assignments were complete.
Assignments-25%
Assignments may consist of book problems, worksheets, handouts, labs, or
activities. There is an average of 3 assignments per week (about 27-33 per
quarter). Students are expected to take out their assignments upon their
arrival to class without prompting by the teacher. Assignments are checked
daily for completion and accuracy. Completed assignments have all work
shown with the answers and are done according to the directions given with
each problem. A late assignment is only accepted for full credit when it is
make-up work from an excused absence. About 50% of the time, grades on
assignments are based solely upon completion, while the other 50% of the
time, grades on assignments are based solely upon accuracy. The teacher
designates days for each, but students may not know ahead of time which is
which. Hopefully, this uncertainty will promote a high work ethic on all
assignments.
When assignments are graded on completion or accuracy, the following holds
true:
-If the assignment is turned in 1 day late, the student receives only
partial credit. (0-5 pts)
-If the assignment is turned in 2 days late or more, the student receives no
credit. (0 pts)
When assignments are graded on only completion, the following holds true:
-If the assignment is entirely complete, the student receives full credit.
(10 pts)
-If the assignment is over ½ complete, the student receives only partial
credit. (5-9 pts)
-If the assignment is less than ½ complete, the student receives no credit.
(0 pts)
When assignments are graded on only accuracy, the following holds true:
-The student receives a score out of 10 according to the percentage of
correct answers on their assignment. (0-10 pts)
Tests, Quizzes, and Projects-60%
All tests, quizzes, and projects are given with advanced notice throughout
each quarter. About 4 pre-tests, 4 mid-chapter quizzes, 3 vocabulary
quizzes and 3 chapter tests are given each quarter. Retake tests and
quizzes are not given. Test or quiz make-ups for full credit must be
completed within one week of the student’s return from an absence. After
that, only partial credit is given. If a student returns from an absence on
the day that a test or quiz is given and they knew ahead of time about it,
the student is expected to take the test or quiz. Chapter tests are worth
100 points, mid-chapter quizzes are worth 50 points and vocabulary quizzes
are worth 25 points. Pre-tests do not count towards a student’s grade
unless the pretest score is higher than the chapter test score. Projects
vary in point value.
Grading Scale:
A+ 97-100%
A 93-96%
A- 90-92%
B+ 87-89%
B 83-86%
B- 80-82%
C+ 77-79%
C 73-76%
C- 70-72%
D+ 67-69%
D 63-66%
D- 60-62%
F 0-59%
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