Organization is important
for success in science.
This life skill will be taught, stressed, teseted and graded during
this school
year.
This is more difficult for some students than for others, but every
student can learn strategies and develop good habits. Each student will be expected to
bring his or her science binder to
science class every class day.
The format for filing and organizing materials within this binder is
very clear and specific.
It would be very helpful if parents would assist their children in
maintaining a neat, organized binder.
Parents and/or students may request a conference after school to obtain
assistance with organization!
Tab
Dividers
Parents
would assist students greatly by setting up 5 tab
dividers in each
student's science binder.
For all grades, each of five tabs should have one of the following
labels: PROCEDURES, HOMEWORK,
CURRENT UNIT, PROJECTS, AND BLANK PAPER.
Students will be given directions in class regarding where papers are
to go. The science header will also provide information on the
location of student work.
The "HOMEWORK" section will
be used to contain work the student must do for the next day (or
Monday). Once students complete work, it should be placed in this
section for submission when due. Please check this for material
referenced in the
student's assignment pad.
Students are responsible to bring (and replace) blank notebook paper to
school. There should be a ready supply in the "BLANK PAPER" section
of the
student's binder. Preparedness is graded in science.
Failure to have assigned materials will result in a zero - this is an
ongoing homework assignment.
Exercises
and Homework
This
section of the binder (as noted in the "TAB DIVIDER" section)
contains homework to
be done each night.
It could take the form of a worksheet
distributed to the students in class. Another possibility might
be a hand written question or
questions to answer. There could also be reading assignments from
the text or another source. For assignment
specifics - consult the student's
assignment pad.
Students
must be take care of
their assignment pads!!!! These cannot be lost or
misplaced. Your assistance in reinforcing the importance of this
useful tool cannot be overemphasized!!
Procedures
This section of
the binder
tells the students "the way we
do things in science."
New pages will appear daily
during the first few weeks of school.
During the year, as new
procedures are required, others may be
added.
Students will be expected to
follow these; quizzes covering these
procedures will occur frequently.
These pages are to remain in
the student's binder all year long.
Students will be expected to
reinforce these pages so that they are not
torn from the binder.
Sample topics to look for: CLASSROOM RULES, VOCABULARY
GUIDELINES, LAB PROCEDURES, ZION SCIENCE HEADER, GRADING POLICY,
CRITICAL THINKING GUIDELINES, SCIENCE EXPO FORMAT AND DUE DATES &
SCIENCE WEB PAGE.
The above can be located in the Homework Helps section of the
science web page:
http://www.kathysnyderscience.com
Both students and parents should become familiar with the resources
available here.
Current
Unit
This section of
the binder
contains the notes, worksheets, completed homework and informational
handouts covering the current unit under study.
New pages will appear at
regular intervals.
It is important that these stay in
the binder until the test or
assessment of the unit is completed.
When these papers are not
needed any longer, they will come home (stapled and with a cover) for
filing or disposal! :)
Students
will be expected to
reinforce these pages so that they are not
torn from the binder.
If students lose pages they will not
be
prepared for assessments.
There are times when the notes are
used
during quizzes - another incentive to keep these in order.
Should a student be absent
from class, a xerox or type-written copy of
materials missed will be sent home.
It is the student's
responsibility to make sure he or she understands material missed due
to absence.
