U.S. Update for the week of March 5th

[Wetzel, William]

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

 

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

 

This week:

 

Mon: Quarterly Cumulative Test

Tu: ISAT from 10:30 - 2:00

Wed: ISAT from 10:30 - 2:00

Th: ISAT from 10:30 - 2:00

Fri: there will NOT be a Ch.12 Quiz/Assessment (it will be March 14th)

Fri: End of Q3 for new work

 

Coming up:

3/14: Chapter 12 Quiz/ Assessment
3/16: deadline to submit late or make-up work towards any grade except a 'D' is 3:00
3/21: Constitution Test
3/23: 11:35 dismissal/ Spring Break begins
4/6: No School

General 8B Team information:

Students will take the ISAT exams on March 6, 7, & 8 from 10:30 - 2:00.  Please do your best to have students in school and rested during testing.

U.S. History Information:

Students who are resubmitting work for grade improvement should take time to consider the comments provided and ask questions before they resubmit.  I provide this opportunity to encourage reflection and revision and it does provide students with an opportunity to improve their score; however, to really work, it requires student attention to detail.  The grade does not change when appropriate revisions are not provided and the student's opportunity for grade improvement has been lost.

The Internet gradebook has been updated to include all work I received by Friday EXCEPT Learn & Teach projects that were submitted or resubmitted last week.  By Friday, I will get these grades in the gradebook along with the QCT Test results so that I can provide students with a very accurate indication of where they stand with two weeks left to submit work for Q3.  Information about all of the assignments is available from the 'Audio Assignment Descriptions' webpage that is linked to the class homepage.  As promised, I have dropped the lowest Assessment score from each student's grade calculation for Q3.    

The Quarterly Cumulative Test on Monday will include a random selection of questions from all the text quizzes we have taken this year.  Since the questions are selected randomly, the best way to study is to go back through the review activities and practice tests from throughout the year.  If you want to see all 98 possible questions at once, you can use Quizlet  to create a 98 question multiple choice or true/false practice test.

The Chapter 12 Quiz/Assessment will be on Wednesday March 14th.  Several students requested that it not be at the end of the ISAT week and it was a request I could easily accommodate.  The Quiz/ Assessment information has already been sent out by e-mail, but I will resend it as the date approaches.  As a result of the date change, the Chapter 12 Quiz/ Assessment will be included in the Q4 grading period instead of Q3.

Quarter 3 is the most challenging of the quarters.  I will be offering a credit contract for a 'D' to students who are struggling with the difficulty of this quarter.  Students who complete the contract work will probably get to a 'C' anyway, but if they complete the work and don't reach a 'C', the contract will guarantee them credit.  For anybody interested, the contract will require a 'C' or better average on the quarterly assignments along with a 'C' or better average on the DV Quotes and Quarterly Cumulative Test.

We will spend the two weeks before Spring Break preparing for and passing the Constitution Test.  Although this is a state requirement, it is nothing for students to be anxious about; however, it is a great opportunity to score a very high test grade.

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)
21        Assignments (Skills/Comprehension)
11        Teaching (Content exploration & skills development)
  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.

The Bloomington Public Library offers a link to a service called tutor.com that has a great reputation as a source for help with all sorts of homework; however, I am not personally familiar with it.  If any students are using this site and want to provide me with some guidance, I will try to spread that information to the other students.

Free Tutoring by ISU and IWU students is available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4:00 - 6:00 at Mt. Pisgah Church (801 W. Market Street) for all subjects.  This resource is available on a drop-in as needed-- no appointment or long term commitment required basis.  If anybody uses this resource and finds it to be helpful, please let me know and I will pass on your endorsement.

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