Syllabus

 South High School Earth Science Honors 2010 Spring Semester Teacher Name: Ms. Rachel Aldrich Phone Number/Voice Mail: 720-423-6110 E-mail Address: Rachel_Aldrich@dpsk12.org Room Number: 130 Website: http://msaldrichscience.wikispaces.com/
 * __ Contact Information __**

Course Number: 03625

The student book contains activities and reading essays. The activities are the core of the program, and they drive the conceptual learning. Activities involve hands-on/ mind-on manipulation, laboratory activities, paper-and-pencil inquiries, and other activities. Homework will be assigned on a daily basis. You are responsible for turning it in when it is due. EarthComm textbook Composition notebook Black or blue pens ONLY—no other color pens or pencils Glue stick Colored pencils Highlighters 12-inch ruler Scientific calculator White-out (recommeded)
 * __ Course Format __**
 * __ Materials __**

Students are required to bring these materials to class each day. Any student who does not have one or more items has the option to purchase them (composition notebooks, pens, pencils, glue sticks) for a nominal price. These items are available for purchase only—no loans will be given.

Grading is based on weighted points earned from assignments, activities, assessments and participation:
 * __ Grading __**

A à 100-90 % B à 89-80 % C à 79-70 % D à 69-60 -% F à anything lower than 59%

Any student who finishes the semester with a final grade of D or F will be recommended for removal from Earth Science X and placement in a mainstream Earth Science class.

**__PARTICIPATION __**
20 conduct points are given each week. You are expected to come every day prepared and ready to work. Points are not given if you have an unexcused absence that day. 5 points are automatically lost for unexcused tardies. Failure to follow classroom rules will result in an automatic loss of participation points. **The rules are clearly posted on the wall, so you will not receive warnings.** If I repeatedly have to take away participation points, I will call home and arrange a conference with your parent(s)/guardian(s) to discuss your inability or unwillingness to follow the rules. I will also call your home if I see any behavior that causes me to be concerned about you as one of my students. Any dangerous or offensive/ aggressive behavior will be an automatic referral to the office. This is an honors course for which you were recommended, and you are expected to behave in a manner that befits your placement in this class. Conduct points are lost (5 per incident) when students: Earth Science X is an accelerated class. We will cover material at a faster pace as well as delve deeper into the subject matter by engaging in additional assignments and activities. You will be expected to complete these outside of class, the majority of which require access to the internet. If you do not have a computer at home, South High School has several computer labs available for student use, as does your local public library.
 * Arrive late to class
 * Do not participate in daily warm up
 * Have an unexcused absence/truancy
 * Bring food or beverages to class
 * Display a cell phone, MP3 player or other prohibited electronic device
 * Are disrespectful to the teacher, other student(s) or property
 * Do not bring required material(s) to class
 * Any other behavior that is detrimental to students’ learning
 * __ HOMEWORK/ASSIGNMENTS __**

**__ATTENDANCE __**
Regular attendance has a direct effect on student progress and achievement. The South High School Attendance goal, as part of the School Improvement Plan, is to reach a 92% school-wide attendance rate within three years. During the 2009-2010 school year our attendance goal is 92%. The IC System will make an e-mail/phone contact each evening to alert parent/guardians of absences. The Attendance Specialist will personally contact parent/guardians on the first and subsequent unexcused absence, within 48 hours of the absence. Parents may log onto the IC Parent Portal to track daily student attendance. (Refer to Parent Portal Information to access this site.) Absences will be excused by parent/guardian notification to the school attendance clerk or attendance line (720-423-6081). Notification may also be provided upon the students return to school by a written note, doctor’s note, or other documentation. It is the **__student’s__** responsibility to contact each teacher and arrange for make-up work. Students missing classes for excused absences, suspension, or school business related absences are **NOT** excused from completing class work. Students have one day for each absence to make up any missed assignments. Students with excused absences will be allowed to make up work for full credit. Any student who misses an assignment due to an unexcused absence will not be allowed to make up the work until the absence is excused, usually within 48 hours. Students who are truant will not be permitted to make up any assignments.
 * Parent/Guardian Notification **
 * Excused Absences **
 * Unexcused Absences/Truancies **

NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED—NO EXCEPTIONS, NO EXCUSES! Students are required to be in class when the bell rings. Teachers will allow a thirty-minute window after the bell for students to be admitted to class and marked tardy. Students arriving after the thirty-minute window will be marked as an unexcused absence and will be subject to the consequences of the school attendance policy.
 * __ TARDY POLICY __**

The students in Earth Science X are expected to abide by the following classroom rules:
 * __ CLASSROOM RULES/PROCEDURES __**

Students are expected to arrive to class on time and prepared. Any trips to lockers or the bathroom should be done during the seven-minute passing periods. Any student who needs to leave the room to go to a locker or the restroom will be required to present a **valid student ID** to the teacher for a hall pass. If the student does not have an ID, he/she will not be allowed to leave. Each student will be allowed **__three__** passes per semester, which may not be “transferred” to another student and expire at the end of the semester. The teacher reserves the right to refuse a pass to any student, or revoke future passes if the privilege is abused. Any student who interrupts the lesson to request a pass will not be allowed to leave. Passes will not be issued during the first and last 15 minutes of the period.
 * 1. Follow all School Rules - ** I will follow school policy regarding dress code. In accordance with South High School policy, no cell phones or other electronic devices (MP3 players, iPods, hand-held video games, etc.) are allowed in class. Any phone or device that is seen or heard will be confiscated and given to the Deans’ office and can be picked up AFTER SCHOOL. If subsequent violations occur, the parent will be required to pick up the device from the principal by appointment only.
 * 2 ** . **Be appropriate and respectful in the way you choose to present yourself–** I expect each of you behave as you would in any other professional environment – I will not tolerate cussing, belligerence or any other inappropriate behavior or disrespect of our classroom environment.
 * 3. Come to class prepared with all necessary materials – ** This means sharpened pencils, your notebook and textbook if I request it. Do not ask me to supply you with these items unless you plan to purchase them. Prepared means you will be seating in your seat and ready to start class when the tardy bell rings. We cannot afford to waste class time messing about. You should also come with a good attitude, and be prepared to work.
 * 4. When the instructor is talking, you will sit quietly and listen politely – ** By instructor, I mean myself, or any other person (including other students) who have been asked to speak to the class. If you have a question or comment, please politely raise your hand until you are called upon. This means you are not talking, sleeping, writing love notes, texting your friends, or distracting others for any reason.
 * 5. Keep your area clean and the room neat and organized. ** All trash belongs in the trashcan (not the floor or left on the tables). If you borrow something, put it back neatly where you got it. Plastic bottles, paper and other items are to be recycled in the box under the overhead projector cart.
 * 6. No eating or drinking during class ** . Bringing food and drink into the classroom encourages rodents and is detrimental to your health and education. Please finish all food before you come into the classroom. There is a trash can by the door. The hallway is not a good place to leave food.
 * __ Hall Passes __**

I recommended that students check my website at least once a week. It contains important information, such as:
 * __ Teacher Website __**

Earth Science X is a challenging and fast-paced course, and students may require additional assistance to help make good grades. I am generally available before and after school, and during my lunch and planning periods. I am more than happy to answer any questions you have or help with homework during these times, but it is up to you to arrange your schedule so that you can come and get help if you need it. This may mean you miss a practice or have to arrange an alternative way of getting home. There will be occasions where I will be unavailable due to meetings, other commitments or last-minute, unforeseen events. For the spring semester there will be three major concepts. These concepts are recurring themes that unify all Earth Science. Although you will see these themes in every unit, we focus on one theme in each unit.
 * Due dates
 * Class notes
 * Class schedule
 * Important links
 * My schedule and contact information
 * __ Earth Science Help __**
 * __ Course Outline and/or Major Course Topics __**

// Earth’s Natural Resources: Energy Resources…and Your Community // In this chapter, students are challenged to evaluate energy consumption and usage in the community relative to a hypothetical population growth of 20% and to suggest realistic alternatives to avoid an energy-supply shortage. Students are asked to write a report, aimed at a general audience, that explains the different types of energy resources, how they work and how they are formed, discovered and processed. Students begin the chapter with a review of energy concepts, including heat transfer processes and the conversion of mechanical energy into heat. Students determine which energy resources are used most for electricity generation throughout the world, the United States, and within their own state. Students learn how coal is formed, where it is distributed in the United States, how coal deposits are discovered and mined, how coal is used as a source of energy, and the environmental impacts of using coal as an energy resource. Students analyze the dependence of today’s society on petroleum. They learn how petroleum and natural gas are formed, how oil and gas deposits are discovered, and how oil and gas are extracted from a reservoir. Finally, students explore renewable energy sources, focusing on the potential for solar and wind energy as sources of power generation.

// Earth System Evolution: Astronomy…and Your Community // This chapter gives students a feeling of their place as a member of not only their local community, but also of the Earth community, the solar system, and the universe. Students are presented with a hypothetical situation in which an asteroid is predicted to pass very close to Earth. Students are asked to prepare a booklet for their community that discusses some of the possible hazards from outer space and the benefits of living in our solar system. Students begin the chapter by putting the scale of the solar system into perspective and learning how the solar system formed. Students then examine the relationship between the Earth and moon and the Earth and the sun. Students investigate how an asteroid collision would affect their community. Finally, students examine Earth’s place within the Milky Way Galaxy. By the end of the chapter students should understand that the history and size of their planetary community and the processes and events that occur within the solar system influence the Earth. They should also develop an appreciation of what the chances are of those events happening.

// Climate Change…and Your Community // As students move through the chapter they gain the knowledge needed to write the articles concerning how global climate has changed over time, what causes global climate change, and the meaning of “global warming” and its possible affect on their community. Finally, students are asked to use the knowledge they have acquired to write an editorial piece that states whether or not their community should be concerned about global warming, and what steps the community should take in response to the possibility of global warming.

// Oceans…and Your Community // Students begin the chapter with a review of the basics of ocean circulation by looking at wind and Coriolis forces as the driving mechanisms of surface ocean circulation and temperature and salinity as the driving mechanisms of deep ocean circulation. Students then examine the patterns of surface ocean currents and winds and look for variations between “normal” and “El Niño” years. Students look at sea surface temperature data during “normal” and “El Niño” years and make inferences on how El Niño events impact the ocean food chain, global climate, and specifically, their community.
 * __ Earth’s Fluid Spheres __**** : **

// Severe Weather…and Your Community // Students are introduced to severe weather through the study of thunderstorms. Students learn the conditions necessary to create thunderstorms and learn how thunderstorm clouds develop and mature. Students examine the techniques used by meteorologists to track thunderstorms. Students then move on to study causes of hazards associated with severe weather, specifically flash flooding, lightning and hi winds and tornadoes.

__ Spring Syllabus __ Energy Resources: Activity 1: Exploring Energy Resource Concepts Activity 2: Electricity and Your Community Activity 4: Coal and Your Community Activity 5: Environmental Impacts and Energy Consumption Activity 6: Petroleum and Your Community Activity 8: Renewable Energy Sources—Solar and Wind Astronomy: Activity 1: The History and Scale of the Solar System Activity 2: The Earth-Moon System Activity 3: Orbits and Their Effects Activity 5: The Sun and its Effects on Your Community Activity 6: The Electromagnetic Spectrum and Your Community Activity 7: Our Community’s Place Among the Stars
 * Earth’s Natural Resources **
 * Earth System Evolution **

Oceans: Activity 1: The Causes of Ocean Circulation Activity 2: The Deep Circulation of the Ocean Activity 3: The Surface Circulation of the Ocean Activity 4: El Niño and Ocean Circulation Activity 5: Weather, Climate and El Niño
 * Earth’s Fluid Spheres **

Severe Weather: Activity 1: What Conditions Create Thunderstorms? Activity 2: A Thunderstorm Matures Activity 3: Tracking Thunderstorm Movement through Radar Activity 4: Severe Weather Hazards: Flash Floods Activity 5: Lightning and Thunder Activity 6: Severe Winds and Tornadoes