Grading Policies:
The best way to stay up to date on your child's average would be to access the parent portal and view your child's current assignments, grades, and overall average!
Reading
+ averages will be based on class work, quizzes, and tests. You can always look through your child's binder in their reading section to see what they are doing in class and any grades that they may have received. Formal homework is rarely assigned in reading class, however, students should be reading from a book of their choice on a regular basis. Every night before bed is a great time for reading!
Math averages will be based on homework, projects, quizzes, and tests.
+ Homework: Homework will be assigned regularly in Math class. Completing homework provides students with the independent practice needed to learn and eventually master a new skill. Homework will not be excessive and should be able to be completed in no more than 20 minutes per night.
Full credit will be given for completing the assignment to the best of the student's ability on time. Students who have not completed their homework will have an opportunity to complete the assignment the next night to receive partial credit. If the assignment is still not completed, the student will be asked to come in during lunch, study hall, or after school to complete the assignment.
Most homework assignments are worth two points- but this does add up! If a student is consistently not turning in homework then I will contact a parent or guardian so we can try to work together to resolve the problem!
+Projects: Projects will be assigned at various times throughout the year. At the beginning of the project a letter will be sent home to parents to notify you of the project and when it is due. A grading rubric will also accompany each assignment so it will be clear to students what is expected of them and what their final grade will be based on.
+Quizzes and Tests: Students that receive below an 85% are allowed to make corrections on quizzes or tests to earn partial credit back (their final scores will not exceed 85%). Students who fail a quiz or test are required to make test corrections. Due to the fact that concepts build upon one another in Mathematics, it is crucial that students understand one concept before being able to move onto the next. I strongly encourage, and sometimes require, students to come in for extra help when making test corrections.
Challenge
During this year, I will ask students to take on part of the responsibility for their learning by challenging themselves when needed. There is a couple of ways that students can do this! (1) Complete the "challenge" homework questions. These will be "extra thinking" questions that are not required for students to complete but should always be attempted. (2) Try the questions from the "challenge yourself" bulletin board in the classroom. I will post questions on this bulletin board for every unit. These questions/puzzles require higher order thinking skills and are meant to be worked on during class or taken home. Students will keep the questions they are working on or have completed in a file in my classroom. Completing challenge work is one of the indicators I use to see if a student may or may not be suitable for Math 7 Honors next year.
Daily Organizational Tools:
*Organization is a key component for being successful in 6th grade.
Agenda: Students should be filling in homework for every assignment every day (even when no homework is assigned, students should be writing "no homework")! This is a great habit to get into to stay organized and always remember assignments.
Table of Contents: In your child's binder, each section will be designated for a different subject. In the beginning of each section students will have a Table of Contents page. When papers are handed out that need to be kept, students will record the page on their Table of Contents. This process is modeled by all teachers each day. All teachers also keep a master copy of a current Table of Contents posted in their classroom so students can always check if they have all their papers and if they are in the correct order.
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