After you read the following information and advice, please feel free to go to my download page, http://www.sjusd.org/pioneer/high/school/staff_info/C8209. Here is a summary of the available materials that could be of further help:
Please see “Green Sheet 9th Grade Geography,” our green sheet of class policies and further advice for success.
***Advice on Homework Success***
I will always put every homework assignment in writing because it is so important to me for students to copy each assignment word for word, exactly as I have posted it on the white board. I often give advice and specific guidelines in the description of the assignment, and therefore I always give students more than sufficient time to copy it off the board. Also, I will often give many days, even weeks, notice regarding due dates for major projects and exams. With the exception of periodic binder quizzes (testing students’ note-taking and binder organization), there will never be a pop quiz or test. All daily homework assignments, projects and tests will be written on the board. Students are responsible for keeping all assignments for the entire semester in either 1. their daily planners or 2. a special section in their binders marked “Syllabus.” At the end of the semester, students will have a running list of every assignment due for the entire semester. There are several purposes of keeping this running list; the most important two are to help the student prepare for exams and to allow students to make up missing homework assignments.
A weekly schedule of lunchtime and after-school help times is posted each Monday morning in the classroom. Times and days will rotate, but generally I am available every day, either at lunch or after school. Please encourage your students to come for help as soon as trouble arises.
Please note that if a student wants to make up missing homework, I will not give assignment information again. Students are held responsible for knowing the specific instructions for each assignment. Work that does not meet assignment criteria will not earn credit. Virtually all homework assignments can be made up until the end of the semester for 75% late credit. The only exceptions are assignments that are specifically denoted as “On Time” at the beginning of the actual assignment name in the grade book. Completing these assignments on time serves some sort of important purpose for class, and therefore, these assignments are not eligible for late credit.
I also highly recommend that students and parents not wait until grade updates have been posted before addressing missing homework. Students’ syllabi list all assignments given in class; students can use the syllabus to plan proactively instead of reacting to grade reports that show zeros!
Please note that I do not post syllabi on the school website as it is important for me to hold students accountable for keeping their semester syllabi current and organized.
My best advice of all is to refer to our class’s Green Sheet! In it is an entire section on the criteria for strong homework assignments. Here are some excerpts from that section of the Green Sheet. Please refer to the Green Sheet for the full text.
Strong grades are earned on homework by meeting the following criteria:
- Answering the required questions directly and thoughtfully, including critical analysis and creative thinking
- Supporting conclusions with evidence (quoted and paraphrased) from the readings; students, make it clear that you read the assignment and use the text as proof for your own, original ideas
- Putting answers in your own words: students, simply copying large chunks of text is unproductive; rather, please use small passages from the readings as evidence and make the rest of the writing your own original words and thoughts
- Being reasonable in the length of your answers: students, please don’t be minimalists—be sure to sufficiently develop your answers—but be reasonable and don’t write two pages for a question that can be answered in one paragraph
Important notes about homework grading include the following:
- If you do not meet the requirements of a homework assignment, you will earn an “NC,” which stands for “not complete” and “no credit.” All NCs will be converted to zeros in the grade book at the end of the semester. If you get an NC, you must finish the assignment and hand it back in to get credit. Make-up NCs can earn only late credit, not full credit. Please be aware that I am strict in my definition of “complete.”
- Please note that having the right answers is not part of your homework grade. It is important for you to understand your reading, and we will discuss the accurate answers in class, but please feel free to guess and take risks in your thinking in your homework. General Douglas MacArthur once said, “if everyone in the room is thinking the same thing, then someone isn’t thinking.” Please get out of the habit of feeling compelled to be “right” and into the habit of being curious and willing to experiment with ideas.
