"TURNITIN.COM" : HOW TO JOIN A CLASS

Beginning this month, students will submit electronic documents to the online resource 'TURNITIN.COM'.    This web site promotes student integrity by comparing student submissions with the entire Internet.  Perhaps more helpfully, it also provides a way for your instructor to GRADE your electronic document on-line, and send you feedback on how to improve your work on-line.

Mr. Hatfield has already created an account for all of his students using that student's district e-mail, and enrolled students in an on-line class.   Mr. Hatfield sent an e-mail to each of his students notifying them of their account's existence, and students will be expected to confirm they have read the email by sending an email reply.

The next step, for all students, is that students must be able to log on to their account.   For this, they will require a class ID and class enrollment key, which will be provided by Mr. Hatfield.



 

HOW TO "C.O.P.E." WITH MR. HATFIELD'S TESTS

On Friday,  September 6th, Mr. Hatfield's students took their first test in Chemistry.  The first test can be thought of as a 'lesson' on what to do, and what not to do.  Until students see the test for themselves, and know what it is like, it's difficult to prepare for.  

So, many students will be disappointed and discouraged by their first exam, when it is returned in class TODAY.  But know this: if you learn from the experience, you will improve, and you will even get opportunities to improve your original grade.    

Students who earn a percentage score higher than that earned on the first test can not only expect to earn a higher grade, but they are eligible for grade change on their previous test.

To achieve that, students need to consider the following, using the anagram 'COPE'.

C....(ontent)

Students need to know what's on the test. 

To make sure that students know what content will be covered on the exam, they need to obtain and complete a copy of the Study Guide or Guides, which become available a week before the test.   At the same approximate time, Mr. Hatfield will make the notes and practice questions available on the class blog. The sooner the students develop the habit of comparing their Composition Book with these materials, the sooner they will improve!

O....(rganization)

Students need to plan their time. 

Students should consider forming Study Groups with fellow students, perhaps after school on the day before the exam. They earn points by attending, and get valuable feedback about what is likely to be covered.  Students need to consider using time on lunch or after-school on the day of their exam as needed to complete their test. Plan ahead, students!

P...(reparation)

Students need to provide evidence that they have prepared for the test. 

One way to do this is to attend Study Hall during lunch, before the next test. Another, powerful way is to make sure that they bring their COMPLETED NOTES  to class on the day of the exam, inside their Lab Composition Book. To aid Students in completing their Notes, Mr. Hatfield makes them available on-line through this blog and gives a Study Guide for Students to complete to demonstrate that they have the Notes, and know what to do with them.  Bring evidence that you have prepared for the test, students, and you will be rewarded!

E...(ffort)

Students need to finish what they start. 

There is nothing more important than giving our best effort, all of the time. On an exam day, a good effort means that students attempt everything, even if that means they need to come back at lunch or after school. Show a work ethic, students, and you will not only do better on the test....you will do better in every aspect of your life.

PARENTS, ENCOURAGE YOUR STUDENT TO USE THESE STRATEGIES TO EXCEL!


One way to improve O(rganization) and P(reparation)  is to use the SYLLABUS for each Unit.   With that in mind, here is the SYLLABUS (the schedule of major events) for Unit 2:

NOTES FOR UNIT TEST 1: SCIENTIFIC METHOD AND CHEMISTRY

Students should use the Power Point below to complete their notes inside their Composition Book, as needed.  

Students ARE allowed to use their Composition Book on the day of their test, so . . . be prepared, students!

The topics of the notes include the relation of chemistry to mathematics and other sciences, what makes chemistry distinctive in terms of its content and practice, the nature of science, scientific method ("O.H.E.C.K."), evaluating hypotheses, experimental design, significant figures and scientific notation.

Students should download the Power Point Notes to make sure that their notes are complete, as from time to time their composition books containing their notes will be inspected and graded.

You can find that set of notes HERE.http://www.mediafire.com/file/adb9pexdajs18kw/Scientific_Method_and_Chemistry.ppt/file

VIDEO: "COSMIC VOYAGE"

Chemistry students will be viewing a 36-minute IMAX video in class beginning on Tuesday, September 3rd, and completing a worksheet based on part of the video. The film, 'Cosmic Voyage', was made in 1996 for the Smithsonian Institute and was clearly inspired by a classic science education film called 'Powers of Ten', originally produced in 1977 by the husband-and-wife team of Rae and Charles Eames.

'Cosmic Voyage' approaches the idea of using the metric system, which is based on powers of ten, to explore the question: "What is really large, and really small?" The film first zooms out from an acrobat's ring in St. Mark's Square in Venice, the place where Galileo first trained his telescope on the heavens.


Through 23 powers of ten, we leave first the Earth, then our solar system, then the Milky Way Galaxy behind, until we reach the limit of modern astronomy, where we can see images from about 13 billion years past.


Reversing course, the video then zooms in on drop of water in the Dutch town of Delft, where Antonie Van Leuuwenhoek first trained his early microscope to discover the hidden world of microbes.



As we zoom in on a paramecium, we penetrate its cell nucleus, then zoom in on a molecule of DNA.


Within that molecule is a carbon atom, and the world within that atom is mostly empty space! Within the atom, the atomic nucleus contains virtually all of an atom's mass, made of particles called protons and neutrons. These, in turn, are formed from even smaller particles called quarks.

The film continues with a discussion of the search for a fundamental theory in physics through the use of particle accelerators like Fermilab, along with an overview of the likely "recent" events that led to our sun, our solar system, the Earth and life itself.

Here, presented on YouTube, is the entire film, if you wish to review the material or share it with others. As the narrator (Morgan Freeman) intones, 'we are all travelers on a voyage of discovery!'

THE SYLLABUS IS MADE FOR STUDENTS . . .AND NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND

What do I mean by that, students?   Simply this:  that the syllabi that I provide in each instructional unit are intended to help YOU manage YOUR time.   The dates shown in the syllabus, and the due dates, are meant to be suggestive, not inflexible.

Because this is true, students should not become alarmed if they sometimes are unable to hand in an item precisely when it is shown on the syllabus.  Students should not be surprised if sometimes an item is given out at a later date than shown.  

The important thing is that students should try to complete all the items before the end of the unit.
Once the unit is over, there IS a grace period of one week to hand in any items not completed.  After that date, they will not be accepted.

UNIT 1 SYLLABI FOR HONORS, REGULAR CHEMISTRY

The Honors Syllabus for Period 1 is shown below, in blue:

Periods 2-5 are found below, in white:

The two syllabi differ very little in the beginning of the year due to the logistical requirements of setting up different courses, but will diverge in sequence and in assessments during the semester.  Just remember, students:  HONORS syllabi will always be blue, while regular Chemistry syllabi will be white.

EMAILS AND DOCUMENTS

At this point, some students are concerned.  While most students have already demonstrated they can send their instructor an email, they may not be clear with how to handle the electronic documents they will be required to create in this course.  

They may be unsure what software to use to create their document, or they may be unclear about how they should save their documents, or have trouble figuring out how to attach those documents to email.  THIS POST ATTEMPTS TO ADDRESS ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS!

Mr. Hatfield recommends that his students use the program Microsoft Word to create electronic documents.   This program is part of a group of programs sometimes called 'Microsoft Office', but more commonly-called Office 365.

Not only is Office 365 available on all FUSD-supplied computers, FUSD students can get up to five FREE copies for their home computer or mobile device.   However, some students are either not aware of this, or they do not know where to go to obtain their free software package.

So let's show you "where to go".   First, go to a search engine and enter this character string:

portal.office.com

This may take you right to Office 365.  But sometimes, instead, it takes you to your student account with OneDrive, and you'll see this screen:

If that happens, look in the upper corner, where it says 'Office 365', and click on that.   When you do that, you should definitely arrive at THIS screen:

Now, a key point about all of this, is that once you have a word processing program on your home computer, you need to be able to save and email the documents you create.   The GREAT advantage of electronic documents is that they can be easily reedited in any way you want without either destroying the original or completely re-doing the assignment!   So, on your home computer, dedicate a folder where you store your classwork, so you can easily find previous work when you need to edit it, or attach it to an email.

And as far as emailing goes....look for one of these:

OK, actually not a literal paper clip.  But virtually all email programs use a "paper clip" icon as a means of attaching documents to an email.   I'm going to share some screen shots of some of the most popular email services below to make that point.....

So, if you've created your document....and you know where it's at on the computer you're using...look for the word 'attach' or a 'paperclip' icon in your email, and click on that item.   A window will open that will allow you to select the location on your computer where you've saved your document.   Find your document, select it, and it should be attached to your email...

"BUT WHAT IF I DON'T HAVE EMAIL?"


Ah, but every FUSD student has free email through the district.

You just have to know how to access your email account.   This post tells you how to do that.

So...all of Mr. Hatfield student's should know:

• how to get FREE copies of 'Office 365'
• how to store and attach electronic documents
• how to access their FREE email through the district

THUS....there should be NO EXCUSES.   Students who don't complete their 'Hidden Figures' assignment or other future assignments that might require an electronic document aren't really following the Course Contract, and thus might be assigned Saturday School.