U.S. Update for the week of April 16th

[Wetzel, William]

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

 

I am usually available before school each morning by 7:20. 

 

This week:

 

Wed: MAPS Testing continues- math (through 4/24)

Fri: Progress Report grades submitted

Fri: Learn & Teach Project Analysis due
Fri: Six Flags permission slips/ money due

 

Coming up:

4/27: STTA Issue Letter due
4/30: No school
4/30 - 5/4: I will be at Outdoor Ed
5/7: Q4 QCT Test
5/7: DV Quotes, Images, & Clues Test II
5/8: U-pick Recital due
5/18: Last day of regular 8B classes
5/21: 8B PRT
5/22: Six Flags Trip
5/23: early dismissal for summer break

General 8B Team information:

The recent loss of Brody Hageman continues to affect many students.  As a teacher, it is not always easy to tell who needs extra support and consideration.  Some students spoke to me about an extension for the quiz/ assessment and/or the reaction and it was granted.  If your student needs support but is reluctant to speak up, please let me know.  Counseling support remains available at school.  If you have information that would help us help our students, please let us know.

Six Flags permission slips and money must be turned in to Mrs. Pulido by Friday (4/20).

We will have MAPS Testing this week (W, Th, & F) and next.  Each student will take one math test.

U.S. History Information:

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.

The Internet gradebook is updated and Progress Report grades will be submitted this Friday.  I may be able to get some make-up work submitted during this week included into the progress report grade; however, much of it may not get entered until next weekend.  Unfortunately, progress report grades for students who received extensions may be lowered.  Two things to keep in mind are that the work will still be counted in the quarterly grade for full credit and the progress report grade is not part of the permanent record.

The Learn & Teach Project Analysis is due Friday.  It is a fairly easy assignment and students will score well as long as they take their time.

The STTA Letter assignment will be explained in class on Monday.

Students will have a chance to complete their U-pick Recital this week or next during their extended MAPS period.  The Recital is due on May 8th for students who do not complete it early.

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.

I am cancelling the Constitution Assessment for this year.  The remaining assessments will involve Chapter 14 and the DV Terms.  Information about those will be provided as the dates approach.

Reruns from previous updates:

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)
21        Assessments (Content understanding)
32        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.

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Bloomington Public Schools School District87
Bloomington, Illinois