Mr. Shiraef's

8th Grade Physical Science Class

8th Grade Physical Science Course Syllabus


Instructor: Mr. John Shiraef Contact email: jshiraef.lms@catoosa.k12.ga.us

Parents, Guardians, and Students,
My goal this year is to prepare students for the 9th grade using the best science classroom experience possible. This document serves as a guide for you and your student to be successful in the science classroom so please read it carefully and in its entirety.
Classroom textbook (provided by school and will remain in class): Interactive Science: Physical Science 16th Custom Edition ISBN 13: 9781323240601 Online textbook(s) are accessible in the "Important Links" Section of this class website.
Communication:Please contact me with any questions or concerns that you may have by email or by a note sent with your student.I would also be happy to meet with you using a virtual platform. Just send me an email to arrange one.jshiraef.lms@catoosa.k12.ga.usOffice hours for online parent conferences are:
Wednesday's 9:00 - 10:00 AM and 3:00 - 3:30 PM during the first semester.
Class related updates and information will be pushed through Remind @shiraefTo connect by computer or other device: click on the Remind link aboveTo connect by cell phone: text @shiraef to the number 81010
Class Website: sites.google.com/catoosa.k12.ga.us/shiraefscience/homeThe class website is where we will post basic class information.Student assignments will be posted in Google Classroom and managed through the Clever platform. A link has been emailed to each student's school gmail account for access and parents may also request access to their student's Google classroom by emailing me a request.jshiraef.lms@catoosa.k12.ga.us
First Period Cohort 1 Google Classroom Code: lzgayfdFirst Period Cohort 2 Google Classroom Code: sywrzl4Third Period Cohort 1 Google Classroom Code: micv4svThird Period Cohort 2 Google Classroom Code: fvax6q2Fourth Period Cohort 1 Google Classroom Code: b6fdii4Fourth Period Cohort 2 Google Classroom Code: udetqroFifth Period Cohort 1 Google Classroom Code: wbpk7lwFifth Period Cohort 2 Google Classroom Code: rnocjp5
The curriculum for 8th grade physical science at LMS will be driven by the Georgia Standards of Excellence. Students and parents may access these standards here. Students will be taking a benchmark pre-test at the beginning of the course and at the end of the course in the Spring.
Science Topics to be covered this year (units of study):
First Semester:Unit 1: Think Like a Scientist Unit 2: Force and MotionUnit 3: Force and DistanceUnit 4: Properties of Matter
Unit 5: States of Matter
Second Semester:Unit 6: Classifying MatterUnit 7: Energy Unit 8: Heat Unit 9: Waves
Student responsibilities:
WARM-UPS: Students will generally begin each class period by answering a series of questions in their online science notebooks regarding the previous lesson and in preparation for the upcoming lesson. Students will be expected to come in quietly, sit down, and to complete the warm-up within the first 5-10 minutes of class. All students are expected to complete the warm-up and It is the responsibility of the student to complete their warm-up for any days they are absent from class.
HOMEWORK: Students will have graded homework assignments to be completed during the days they are not on campus. SCIENCE NOTEBOOKS: Each student is required to maintain a dedicated online science notebook in Google Docs. QUIZZES: Weekly quizzes will generally be given at the end of the Cohort week: Fridays for Cohort 1 and Tuesdays for Cohort 2. Students will also have regular, daily formative quizzes during the week.TESTS: Graded Unit tests will be given at the conclusion of each unit of study. These tests will be designed to reflect the types of questions that students will encounter on the Georgia Milestones test (Note: this does not apply to the 2020-2021 year).
On-campus EXPECTATIONS: Each student must come to class prepared to participate with the following materials:Pen pencil paper and a charged Chromebook. Charging stations will be provided in class and supplies can be purchased from my school store with Warrior ones.
CALCULATING COURSE GRADES: A 90-100B 80-89C 74-79D 70-73F 0-69
Daily Participation 30%Quizzes/Labs 20%Classwork/Homework 30%Tests 20%
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Each student is responsible for their own work. The following will not be tolerated and will result in disciplinary action:• Direct copying of in-class work, assigned homework, quizzes, or test answers • Copying from any print or internet source without a proper citation. • Allowing another student to copy your work.
MISSED/INCOMPLETE ASSIGNMENTS: Students will be allowed to make up missed assignments by the end of each quarter. They will be penalized points at the rate of one letter grade per week for a maximum grade of a 70 if more than three weeks have passed.
Classroom COVID-19 precautions:Students will be allowed to remove masks during class if there are less than 10 people in the classroom but not during transitions to and from class. They will be seated as far apart from each other during class as possible and will be provided daily with three available hand washing stations at the back of the classroom and three hand sanitizer dispensers are in the classroom. Students will not be allowed to enter the classroom until the previous class has left. Classroom will be sprayed with disinfectant at regular intervals.
If you have any suggestions or concerns please let me know. I am at your service and am honored to be your science teacher this year.It is great to be a Lakeview Warrior. Let's own this!
Sincerely,John Shiraef