Regents Earth Science, The Physical Setting



Welcome to Regents Earth Science with Miss Cohn!

Contact: MCohn@NewPaltz.k12.ny.us Room: 211

Office: 232

Welcome to Earth Science Students and Parents! This course is designed to introduce major topics in geology (earth’s history, the formation of rocks and minerals, plate movement and natural hazards such as earthquakes), meteorology (the atmosphere, weather systems, forecasting, climate and climate change), and astronomy* (our solar system including the earth-moon system, and stellar studies). Sub-topics include coordinate systems, mapping skills, as well as understanding and interpreting data in numerical and graphical form. Our notes, lesson videos, a scanned copy of our textbook by chapter, announcements, assignments, and additional resources are posted on our class page, which is linked under my name in the faculty listing on the New Paltz High School website.

*The astronomy section of this course is taken in a separate quarterly class

Course Materials:

I. Utensils: Pens (notes, quizzes, exams) and pencils (for labs), basic calculator

II. Earth Science Reference Table (ESRT): We supply your initial copy

III. Three ring binder with pockets and dividers with the following sections:

1) Notes

2.) Homework/Classwork

3.) Quizzes/Exams

IV. An inside pocket OR separate pocket folder labeled LABS to store until due

V. Textbook: The textbook I refer to is titled, Prentice Hall Brief Review, Earth Science: The Physical Setting, Jeffrey C. Callister- The text and various chapter questions are scanned an included on our class page under each unit. Students may simply read and refer online, print out copies to highlight, OR you can even purchase your own used or new copy off Amazon! Any addition from 2013 on will do and these cost about $15.00. Using a review book throughout the year is very beneficial to ensure that students are prepared for the regents well before June.

Quarterly Grading:

Labs: 25%

Homework/Classwork assignments: 15%

Quizzes: 25%

Exams: 35%

*The Earth Science Mid-Term in January will be 20% of your quarter 2 grade

*The Regents Exam in June counts as 20% of your yearly grade

“The Nitty Gritty” of Expectations/Procedures

Labs: Earth Science is a very lab rigorous course, and it is imperative you complete all the assigned work. NYS requires that you have a MINIMUM of 20 lab hours (equivalent to 25 labs) and score satisfactory on all (25) written reports to qualify for the regents exam in June. Labs are initially done in pencil, and any lab scoring unsatisfactory (below a 65%) must be completed a second time in pen to prove a satisfactory understanding of content (65%). All students must cohesively contribute to the lab experience. Copied labs are a “0” until completely redone, and a drop in two letter grades for the student who supplied the work to copy. Any grade below a 65 in the gradebook is a clear indicator of a mandatory lab redo. Lab redo’s take place during after school hours. It is very important that students keep tabs on their laboratory progress over the year to insure that they meet the lab requirements of the class. We do have lab checkpoints at the end of each quarter as a class. If you were absent on the day of a lab, you must make up the work within one week of your absence. Lastly, late labs are deducted 10 points per day, or equivalent to a letter grade.

Quizzes: Quizzes contain anywhere from 5-20 questions pertaining to the current topic and are given periodically over the duration of a unit (every 1-2 weeks). Quizzes serve as checkpoints for the student, and will be reviewed prior to a major exam where the material will be covered again. There are no quiz corrections for grade enhancement.

Exams: Exams are typically between 25-50 regent’s questions and cover a larger section of a unit or a unit as a whole. Parents and students please keep in mind that no new material on exams is ever presented the day before exam and thus students are expected to take the exam regardless of class absence the day prior. If you have personal concerns or family emergencies, you must come to me in private to discuss rescheduling or contact me by email in advance of the exam. Exam corrections with proper explanation for errors and correct answers can be turned in for partial credit back. Students can earn one-point back for each question and explanation they complete on the required form available to all students in our classroom folder. Corrections without explanations/in the absence of metacognition are not acceptable for credit. Exam corrections are always due within one week of announcement/grade postings and are done with Miss Cohn during after school hours.

Homework/Classwork: Checkpoint assignments will be posted on . All students will be given time in class at the start of the school year to set up these accounts. To log in to castle learning, a student should enter “NPZ-normalschoolloginname” OR their school email can be used followed by the password they choose at set up time (Email me if you need a password reset). Castle learning assignments are graded homework assignments and are due at the start of class the day they are due. Students can correct their answers for full credit back during a second try on the assignment. Written homework assignments handed out in class will be given an effort grade based on completion and are reviewed at the start of class (100-done, 50-incomplete, 0-not done).

After School Hours/Extra Help: I have extra help hours between 2:30 and 3/3:15 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays after school. Should a student need extra time to make up an exam or lab experiment and need more than 30-45 minutes, arrangements can be made with our chemistry teacher who is here until 4 p.m. each day. The late bus arrives at 3:30 p.m. for students who stay after school.

Absences:

If you are aware that you will be out for more than one day, please send an email so that I may attach necessary course documents or simply request copies ahead of time. If you are out, you are expected to retrieve missed work from the absentee bin in our classroom. There are five shelves, one for each day of the week starting with Monday on top and ending with Friday at the bottom.

I really do hope you will enjoy this course! Earth Science is really a fascinating science and could lead you to a future career as a geologist, meteorologist, climatologist or even an engineer! The urgency for young individuals who want to invest their time to study earth systems is ever growing at this time. Go into this course with an open mind, and a will to work hard and succeed!

Cheers!

Miss Cohn

To Students and Parents:

I have read the above document and acknowledge Miss Cohn’s expectations and classroom rules for Regents Earth Science.

Student Name: _____________________________________________________________

Student Signature:__________________________________________________________

Date:__________________________________

Parent/Guardian Name: ____________________________________________________________

Parent Signature:________________________________________________________________

Date:__________________________________

Students: Check class page daily for assignments/announcements, review notes, and utilize the lesson videos for days you were absent or for topics you just need extra help with. Always feel like you can come to me with ANY concerns or questions!

Parents: Please consult the gradebook weekly to ensure your student is keeping up to date with assignments, lab investigations, and scoring satisfactory on exams. Email me with any concerns!

Is there anything additional you would like me to know to better the success of your child?

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