One of the biggest changes from 6th grade to 7th grade is in the amount of homework assigned, and the expectation that the student will become responsible for keeping track of assignments and getting them in on time. Seventh grade is the middle year of middle school, and with each passing year more will be expected of students as they prepare for high school. Learning responsibility as well as organizational and time management skills is as important for success in school as learning content, maybe more important ! The team homework policy is intended to foster these good habits which will lead to that success.
Homework is extremely important and must be done consistently.
Homework must be done independently, on your own. Students who share their work will also share the grade, resulting in an "F" for the student who gives his/her work to someone else to copy and the student who copies someone else's work. Click here to read more about avoiding problems due to cheating.
The amount and frequency of homework will vary according to the units of study and classroom activities.
Homework will be collected and graded or checked and reviewed in class.
Homework assignments are worth 5 points each and half a point is deducted for late work.
There is a one day late homework policy. NO assignments will be accepted more than one day after originally due (except in the case of absence.) Late assignments are due at the beginning of the period on the late turn-in day, and are not accepted at the end of the day. Assignments which are reviewed in class with answers given out will not be eligible for late credit.
Assignments should never be left on my desk when I am not in the room or slid under the door when the room is empty. This is the best way to insure they are lost or swept away. If you are handing in something, make sure to give it to me personally or knock on the Staff Room door (across from the Main Office) and ask someone to put it in my mailbox.
All written work to be turned in must be done in dark blue or black ink only. Half a point will be deducted for work done in pencil or colored ink. Work done on the computer must be printed in black ink with standard 12pt. Times New Roman font and double-spaced. Student work WILL NOT be accepted on disks or CDs; if you can't print it yourself then do it the old-fashioned way and write it out.
Click here for links to web resources that may help you with some assignments.
Homework should be returned to the Social Studies notebook in date order after it has been graded and returned to students.
Rationale for Late Policy
(a note to parents)
In addition to teaching subject matter we need to model organizational skills and foster responsibility at the middle school level. Breaking rules and extending deadlines only serves to undermine this attempt and teaches students that exceptions will always be made.
It is unfair to the majority of conscientious students who do produce the work on time to make allowances for the few who consistently do not.
Most assignments are given in a timely fashion to correspond directly with classroom activities; they lose their application and meaning after time.
After students' papers have been graded and returned to them, allowing late-doers to complete the same assignments promotes copying and cheating and interferes with the validity of the grades. This form of cheating is rampant.
Students who are behind and consistently fail to turn in assignments get so caught up in completing "back work" solely for the grade at the end of the quarter, that they are often unable to give adequate attention to the work in progress; therefore, they fall further behind conceptually.
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