Physics with Barton Clark, M. Eng : 2017- 2018

general class information and policies

course overview	grading philosophy
grading categories	grading scales
effective technical communication through writing and layout	extra credit
electronic use policy

latework

Return to Physics introduction page

Return to Drake High School

Course overview

Physics is a year-long course designed to introduce students to topics ranging from forces and propulsion to electromagnetic induction and everything in-between.

Grading Scales. Note: Actual progress report "grades" are compilations of a variety of data points. Please see "grading categories below". Additional, various grading rubrics will be described to students (varying somewhat between assignments).

• 90% and greater is considered an A.
• 75%-89.9% is considered a B.
• 60%-74.9% is considered a C.
• 45%-59% is considered a D.
• Lower than 45% is considered an F.

Note: missing work will be described as "mi" on the grading sheets distributed to students and will count as a "zero" in the grade book until work is submitted.

 

Grading categories

Labs and projects: 40% of the grade. These will consists primarily of students writing simple lab summaries and Occasionally more detailed analysis.

Quizes and tests: 40% of the grade. There is usually some kind of "test" every couple of weeks. Sometimes they are quick 1-2 question "pop-quizes" and sometime they will be larger more structured exams.

Class/homework: 20%. This will be the weekely handouts, text-book assignments and short unit-specific projects. Extra credit points are placed into this category as well.

Late work

Weekly homework sets, due on Thursday, may be submitted through end-of-day Friday with no loss in points. They will not be accepted on a case-by-case basis after that.

Other classwork (worksheets, video notes, in-class activities) may be due the next class period, by end of week, or the following week, depending on the assignment. Late submissions will be negotiated on a one-on-one basis.

Lab write-ups and projects are more flexible, usually allowing anyware from three days and with instructor approval, up to a week of additional time to submit.

Effective technical communications through writing and layout

One of the challenges that many students face is how to effectively write about their meas urements and calculations. Writing about physics experiments, though often times based on a mathematical sequence is not just a matter of writing down the equation and then solving the problem. Students need to learn to write about why each step is taken, what the goal of the step is and what one hopes to learn from that step. Additionaly, there are often times groups of steps students take to solve problems "one piece" at a time. Students must consider how they lay out their measurements, drawings and writing to most effectively communicate the entire sequence of ideas.

extra-credit

Extra credit is frequently given for a) taking notes during class time b) doing exceptionally good work c) contributing to the overall classroom environment. In some cases, students who consistantly fall into one of the previous categories often times raise their "overal grade" by up to 1/2 a grade (i.e., B+ to A).

electronic use policy:

Electronic devices are now ubiquitous. At this time, a majority of students have cell phones, texting, smart phones, I-pads ,laptops and other personal, electronic devices. In general, students should sparingly use them during class unless otherwise directed by Clark. Part of growing up in this 21st century requires students learn appropriate use of these devices. Examples of appropriate use include: searching a historical name or statistic during class time upon the instructor requesting students to "look it up" or sending a text to your mother arranging a pick up time for a medical apppointment. Students may take notes on their smart phones during class. Examples of inappropriate use of the device includes playing video games during class time or taking pictures of a test page to send via text messaging to friends during a test. In the event the student is confused about appropriate use of their device, Clark may give verbal guidance or may take the device entirely (to be retrieved at the end of class).