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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.Book Cover
3.3-Ring Binder or Folder
4.2-3 Spiral Notebooks
5.Loose Leaf Paper
6.Scientif. Calc. (TI-36X Solar)
7.Compass, Protractor & Ruler
8.Pencils & 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 their 1st period class. When a
student is tardy to math class, he/she should put their pass on my desk,
quietly take his/her seat, and try not to disturb the class that is already
in session. If the tardy to math class is unexcused, the student will face
the following consequences. For each tardy earned, some daily points are
deducted. For excessive tardiness, teacher detentions are assigned. Cannon
Falls HS/MS policy also 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 own make-up work. Students can
get make-up work from the school website, from their peers in class, or
directly from their teachers. 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
classroom 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 math class. They are also expected to ask lots of
questions if they do not 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 may become lazy in their regular 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 regular work. With that said, there are 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. Students can also do extra assignments or challenge problems
for extra points toward their overall grade. Lastly, students can attempt
bonus problems on their quizzes or tests for extra points on their quiz or
test grades.
Academic Honesty:
In math class, a student’s schoolwork is expected to be 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 textbook, copying
answers off of a peer’s paper, 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
is 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.
Classwork-15%:
Daily Points
Students earn points each day for just following the classroom guidelines
and school rules while in math class. When a student is absent, tardy, or
does not abide by the classroom guidelines or school rules, he/she
automatically lose some of his/her 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 what was missed.
Journals
Journal questions are given at the beginning of almost every class period on
the overhead projector. Students are expected to begin journaling their
responses to the questions upon their arrival to math class without
prompting by the teacher. Journal entries are collected and checked for
accuracy and completion about every three weeks. Completed journals have
all work shown with the answers. Journal entries are given point values
depending on how well they were 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 includes 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
also includes any handouts, labsheets, graph papers, and any other learning
materials that go along with the lessons.
The student will receive a letter grade A, B, C, D, or F on his/her
classwork notebook for each part of the chapter 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 math 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 completed 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,
assignment grades are based solely upon accuracy, while the other 50% of the
time, assignment grades are based solely upon completion. The teacher
designates days for each, however, students may not know ahead of time which
is which. Hopefully, this uncertainty will promote a high work ethic on all
assignments.
Whether assignments are graded on accuracy or completion, the following is
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 accuracy, the following is true:
-The student receives a score out of 10 according to the percentage of
correct answers on their assignment. (0-10 pts)
When assignments are graded on only completion, the following is 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)
Tests & Quizzes-60%:
All tests and quizzes are given with advanced notice throughout each
quarter. About 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 he/she knew about it ahead of time, the student is expected to
take the test or quiz that day. Mid-chapter quizzes are worth 50 points,
vocabulary quizzes are worth 25 points, and chapter tests are worth 100
points.
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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