Welcome to Mr. Griger's chemistry course!
Traditionally... you have just been talked to about things that we know and why we know them. Then you have been expected to practice these ideas on worksheets and hope that you remember them for a series of paper tests. This will not be the case in this course.
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It is my intent to change this model to that of one where you discover many of the things we already know for yourself through investigation and research. Your journey will begin by investigating fire, my personal favorite phenomenon.
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It has occurred to me that some of things we will do are 'dangerous' and yet that is the nature of the course and of life itself. Even under the old ways dangers lurked about every corner as burners were lit, acids were handled, and glass was accidentally broken. Safety will therefore be a constant discussion and you will learn to consider things that might hurt you, those around you, and how to mitigate them. Further, a part of this course is science and social ethics: just because we can do something doesn't mean that we should do it.
General grading:
1. Journals 20% -- general notes and questioning 2. Quizzes 10% -- 3 questions per topic 3. Exams 20% -- occur twice a grading period 4. Class labs 20% -- will support current topics 5. Projects 20% -- must pass related quiz to unlock 6. Citizenship 10% -- your general respect for our learning environment and the people around you |
As part of the course change you will be expected to DO THINGS. As opposed to traditional homework, I will present you with a series of projects from which you get to choose what you would like to further study. None of these projects will require you to purchase anything, but prefer that you recycle things.
A perfect example of this is the stone project. While its perfectly acceptable to order a piece of obsidian off the internet, it is certainly not required and I actually prefer you to either A) get outside and go find a suitable rock or B) find yourself a suitable bottle that would otherwise be thrown away. CITIZENSHIP
Your citizenship grade surrounds your personal responsibility and interaction with your peers. 1. If you are asking me for pencils, paper, and such, your citizenship grade will suffer. 2. You should show respect for your peers: play nice. 3. Clean up after yourself. If you're leaving a mess for someone else to clean up, you aren't a very good citizen are you? |