U.S. Update for the week of May 7th

[Wetzel, William]

Class webpage: www.district87.org/staff/wetzelw

 

This week:

 

I am usually available before school at 7:20.

 

Mon: Q4 QCT Test
Mon: DV Quotes, Images, & Clues Test II

Tu: U-pick Recital due

Fri: I will be absent

Coming up:

5/18: Last day of regular 8B classes
5/21: Last day to submit late or make-up work for Q4
5/21: 8B PRT
5/22: Six Flags Trip
5/23: 8:15 dismissal for summer break

General 8B Team information:

Our Final PRT will involve a trip to Shepard Park for a day of sun and fun on May 21st.  8B will be providing some food and refreshments, but we would welcome any parent donations to supplement what we make available.  If you are able to make a donation, please contact Mrs. Gallucci.

U.S. History Information:

Except for the U-pick Recital, all missing quarterly assignments and make-up work is a week or more late and should be submitted as soon as possible.  This is especially important for straight A award students: failure to earn an 'A' in 4th quarter classes will result in the forfeiture of the award.

Important Quarterly Grade information:
The posted grades include a zero for the U-pick Recital.  I did it this way so that students are aware of where there grade will be if they are not prepared for the recital on May 8th.
Earning full credit on any assignment will add 6% to a student's quarterly grade.  Earning half credit on any assignment will add 3% to the quarterly grade.
Information about all the assignments is available through the 'Audio Assignment Descriptions' webpage link on the class webpage.
I plan to get the test results from May 7th entered into the Internet gradebook by May 9th, so that I may provide students with an up to date printout of their status as the end of the quarter approaches.

The U-pick Recital is due on May 8th.  This assignment is challenging because of the expectation that students include interpretation and historical context in their recital.  Because it is already entered as a zero, a full credit recital will add 6% to the current quarterly grade.

The Quarterly Cumulative Test and DV Quotes, Images, Clues Half Test will both be given on Monday May 7th.  The QCT covers material from all the text chapters we have covered this year and the DV test is a repeat of the test that was given in Quarter 3.  In terms of preparation: there are practice tests posted for the DV Test, but students would have to go back over old practice tests for each chapter quiz for the Quarterly Cumulative Test.

Reruns from previous updates:

I will always be willing to offer flexibility with a deadline when a school or family emergency occurs.  Promptly notifying me of the situation is not required.  I do request that students include a reminder of the situation when they submit the work, so that they receive proper credit.

Students resubmitting work for increased credit should take the time and make significant changes to their work based on the assignment guidelines and the comments written on their paper or their score may not change and they will have lost the opportunity for grade improvement.

Parent Action: If you are cleaning out a closet or have other items that are working, but unwanted, please consider donating them to 8B for our P3 Auctions that are held every other Friday. 

Students who need extra time for questions or assistance before or after school should let me know.  My schedule varies, but I am usually in the classroom by 7:20 in the morning.  I have made arrangements for students to be able to come up to the room early without a pass.  After school, my availability is much less consistent.  When I know I will be available late on a given day, I will include that information in the update for the week.

If you send me an e-mail and do not receive a reply within 24 hours, please send me a follow-up.  I try to reply promptly to the e-mails I receive, but occasionally one slips by without a response from me.

Students who miss an in-class assignment should check with me, but they are usually excused from the assignment.  Students who miss a quiz, test or assessment need to make it up.  A zero will be entered in the gradebook until the assignment is completed.

I usually grade all the papers I receive during the week on Saturday and update grades on Sunday.

The class website provides access to resources to review, study, and explore areas related to the class.  Here are several highlights:
'Déjà vu Spiral': link to the main location for content information and notes from throughout the year
'Weekly Updates': an archive of all the weekly update messages from the whole year
'1112 U.S. Introduction Materials': the on-line version of the course overview packet provided to students at the start of the year
'Audio Assignment Descriptions': instructions and an audio explanation for every assignment
'Student E-mail Access from Home': allows students to log into their school e-mail account from home
'1112 Weekly Logs': a day by day breakdown of resources used in class and activities
'On-line Practice Tests': location for practice tests for tests and quizzes throughout the year
'Quia Review Games': review games for chapter quizzes and tests
'Quizlet Review Games': review games for Deja vu and chapter quizzes and tests
'Déjà vu Terms Reviews': learning and review resources for Déjà vu terms
'Textbook': Link to the on-line text

The category weighting and grading scale used to calculate quarterly grades is different in history class than other classes:

Categories:
21        Daily Work (Done in class)
21        Tests & Quizzes (Content knowledge)
16        Assessments (Content understanding)
37        Assignments (Skills/Comprehension)      
  5        Studio Habits (Engagement in learning)

Overall Grading Scale:

89.5 - 100        A

74.5 - 89.4       B

49.5 - 74.4       C

0 - 49.4            F

A quarterly grade of 'D' will be assigned to students who do not finish the quarter with a passing grade IF they develop and complete a plan to make up missed work by the deadline provided by the teacher at the end of the quarter.

Students who score poorly in a category or categories will notice a significant impact on their quarterly grade.  The downside of this weighting and scale is that it is confusing to explain, but the upside is that it allows me to create a situation that challenges students and rewards excellent learning without creating a situation that is too difficult for those students who are not ready for such expectations.

If you would like to add or drop an e-mail address for these updates, please let me know.  All students receive these messages each week in their student e-mail accounts.

 

---

THIS TRANSMISSION IS INTENDED AND RESTRICTED FOR USE BY THE ABOVE ADDRESSEE ONLY. IT MAY CONTAIN CONFIDENTIAL AND/OR PRIVILEGED INFORMATION EXEMPT FROM DISCLOSURE UNDER FEDERAL OR STATE LAW. IN THE EVENT SOME OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY RECEIVES THIS TRANSMISSION, SAID RECIPIENT IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT ANY DISSEMINATION, DISTRIBUTION, OR DUPLICATION OF THIS TRANSMISSION OR ITS CONTENTS IS PROHIBITED. IF YOU SHOULD RECEIVE THIS TRANSMISSION IN ERROR, PLEASE CALL US IMMEDIATELY AT 309.827.6031, DELETE THE FILE FROM YOUR SYSTEM, AND DESTROY ANY HARD COPIES OF THIS TRANSMISSION. THANK YOU.

Bloomington Public Schools School District87
Bloomington, Illinois