Serra Catholic High School

Grace Prep High School - 2010-2011 Physics Course Syllabus

Course: Geology Level: 1st year

Length: Two semesters Instructor: Dr. Andrew Sicree

Email: [email protected]

Meeting times: Mondays, Wednesdays, alt. Fridays

Mode of address: Students should address me as “Dr. Sicree” or informally as “Doc”.

Text: Earth Science by Tarbuck and Lutgens, Prentice-Hall Pub. Co. This text is for reference and assignments and will supplement the classroom teaching. The actual lessons taught are drawn from several sources. Attendance at class is important. If a person is absent, it is essential that the student get notes from those who were present. Tests and daily questions will be based on both the classroom teaching and the text assignments.

Labs: This course meets Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. We do not have an extra lab period but hands-on experiments will be part of the course. Labs will cover topics such as minerals, igneous (volcanic) rocks, sedimentary rocks, metamorphic rocks, map reading, earthquakes, volcanoes, etc. Note-taking is important. Typed formal lab reports may be required of some lab exercises.

Field Trips: Several field trips are planned for the course. These will be short trips to local sites to examine geologic features such as iron mines, faults, stratigraphic layers, caves, sinkholes, and streambed erosion. We will visit an active limestone mine, an underground coal mine, and a cave. Typed formal trip reports may be required.

Daily Questions: Some classes will start off with a “Daily Question.” These questions will test your knowledge of what was covered in the previous class. These questions will be graded and the grades figured into your performance percentage which will be used to assign grades (see below). Review of your notes and reading the relevant pages in your text is the best preparation for the daily question. You must do this prior to class. The daily question serves to encourage you to keep a steady pace of study and not wait to cram before a test.

Homework: Homework assignments will be given and graded. Lab reports, separate worksheets and special problems may also be assigned.

Notebooks: Good note-taking is key to success in science. Students are required to have a separate physics notebook that can be left with the teacher for grading. This notebook must be a large, cloth-bound notebook. No spiral bound or three-ring binders should be used. While clear handwriting is important (printing rather than cursive should be the norm), no pages should be torn out of the book (cross out rather than tear-out is my motto here). Use ink (although drawings and diagrams may be first penciled in, then inked over). This notebook must be turned in prior to taking tests and at other times requested by the teacher. Notebooks should be true notebooks – with class notes, problems, and assignments hand-written in chronological order. Keep it up to date. If you find something interesting or useful on the web or in a book – copy it into your notebook or write notes about it – put down the reference information so you can find it again. When in doubt, copy it into your notebook!

Testing Pattern: Short quizzes are usually given at the end of each lesson topic. All corrected quizzes and answer sheets will be returned to the student who is responsible to keep them for exam preparation. The exams will consist primarily of questions from the quizzes and daily questions. The student notebook must be turned in to the teacher prior to taking a test. Failure to do so will result in a point penalty on the unit test.

Grading: Grades are based on your performance percentages in relation to those of other students. Performance percentages are calculated as follows: Total points scored Performance % = ------x 100 Total points possible Your performance percentage tells you what portion of the class you are getting correct. Performance percentages of the class as a whole will be used to assign grades. Grades will be a function points awarded for correct answers on daily questions, quizzes, homework, exams, class participation, and notebooks.

Participation: Students are expected to fully participate properly in all classes, especially labs. Refusing to do so, or engaging in horseplay during a lab will result in a point reduction. Hopefully, we will be able to have one or two special tours of local physics facilities.

Major Lesson Topics:

 Minerals  Igneous (volcanic and plutonic rocks)  Sedimentary rocks  Metamorphic rocks  Erosion, weathering, and soil formation  Groundwater, streams, valleys, caves, and sinkholes  Glaciation  Desertification  Earthquakes  Interior structure of the Earth  Plate tectonic theory  Volcanoes  How mountains form  Fossils  Geologic history  Oceans  The atmosphere  The solar system

Bonuses: Bonus credit will be given for finding news and other magazine articles that relate to physics and making a brief report to the class about them

Grace Prep Integrity Statement Proverbs 12:22 says that the Lord hates dishonesty, but loves when people are truthful. A Grace Prep student strives to glorify God through honesty in all academic and personal pursuits. A Grace Prep student writes his or her own papers, formally acknowledges the input of other people and resources, and represents his or her own abilities and understanding when taking exams, quizzes, and other assessments. A Grace Prep student takes full responsibility for his or her words, actions, and decisions.