ANALY HIGH SCHOOL

SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
P.A.C.E
Fall 2014

Ms. Garlocks
Course Syllabus

Instructor: Ms. Garlock Room: 10 Office Hours: TBD
caitlyn.garlock@students.dominican.edu
http://www.msgarlock.weebly.com

Course Description
PACE is the first year of a two-year science core curriculum incorporating Life,
Physical, Earth, and Space science topics.
Physical Science topics:
Physics (motion and energy)
Chemistry (atoms, bonding, chemical reactions)
Earth and Space Science:
Geology, volcanoes, and earthquakes
Solar system, galaxies and stars
PACE and Biology are designed to provide a solid understanding of basic high
school science for more advanced classes and to meet the California State
Science Standards for 9th and 10th grade. These two courses also fulfill the
high school science graduation requirement.

GOALS
Students will:
achieve scientific literacy by understanding some of the key concepts of
physical, earth and space science

become familiar with the natural world and respect its unity
have a capacity for scientific ways of thinking
use scientific ways of thinking for personal and social purposes.

Required Texts and Supplies
Physical Science with Earth and Space Science, 2
nd
Edition by Tom Hsu,
Ph.D., COP Science (2007)
You will need to bring the following to every class:
Hard 3-ring binder
Spiral bound notebook
Pen and/or Pencil
Calculator (TI-30 series is fine)

Exams
Exams are administered after every chapter and make up a substantial part of
your grade. All missed exams must be completed within 1 week or you will
receive a ZERO. Cell phones will be placed in front during the exam and
retrieved once everyone has finished.

Quizzes
Daily quizzes cover assigned homework or material covered in the previous
class. These may not be made up under any circumstances. Vocabulary
quizzes will be given throughout the unit and should be made up within 1
week of your return.

Labs
Labs are an integral part of the science curriculum, but can present a safety
hazard if students do not take care when performing experiments. Lab safety
guidelines must be followed at all times. Please use the allotted time wisely.

Homework

You will have homework almost every night and will always be due at the
BEGINNING of the class period. One-day late assignments will be accepted for
half-credit ONLY. After that, you will receive a ZERO. It is your responsibility to
check the website and make up work you have missed. I will not remind you!

Projects
You will perform 2 projects throughout the semester, which we will discuss at
the beginning of the unit of study. All students are expected to complete
these thoughtfully and to work in groups cooperatively with equal
participation.

Grading Policies
Your grade will be based on a curve (against classmates) with each
assignment worth the following:
Exams and quizzes = 50%
Lab Assignments = 20%
Projects = 15%
Final = 10%
Homework = 5%

Grading Scale:
A = 90% - 100%
B = 80% - 89.9%
C = 69.5% - 79.9%
D = 60% - 69.4%
F = 59.9% and below


Class Policies
Absences it is your responsibility to check the website and make up
missing work. Missed work is due 1 class period after your return. Missed

labs or exams must be arranged within 1 week of your return. Failure to
follow these guidelines will result in a ZERO.

Punctuality Students will be considered TARDY if not in their seats when
the bell rings at the beginning of each class period.

Restroom Policy 1 student to the restroom at a time upon my approval.

Lab Classroom Participation Since this is an activity based class, you will
be expected to be an active participant. Plan on contributing your energy
and personality whenever possible. I would like these discussions and
activities to be fun, but they depend on YOUR participation.

Food/drink students may drink water or snack in their desks, but meals
and/or large items are not permitted. FOOD IS NEVER ALLOWED IN LAB
AREAS.

Cell phones I will occasionally ask you to take out your cell phones to
use as a tool during class. They are NEVER permitted at any other time
and will be taken away immediately. You may retrieve it after class.

Beginning/end of class routine Class will almost always begin with a daily
5-question quiz and end with an exit ticket summarizing the lesson. This
means you will not be allowed to stand by the door and wait for the bell
to ring. Your departure will be dependent on handing in your exit ticket to
me.

Returned Work Homework, assignments, and tests will be returned to
you the class period after they are due or taken. You should use these
graded assignments to guide your understanding of the material and to
help you prepare for the unit exam.


Extra Credit Dont ask! I will tell you if and when it is available.

Academic Honesty Dont cheat. Just dont. Its not worth it. I will walk up
and down the rows for every quiz and exam to make sure no one is
cheating. The school requires the following sequence of events for ALL
forms of cheating:

1. A ZERO on the assignment with a parent notification
2. Referral to administration and a parent conference
3. Referral to administration and request for transfer from class
4. Referral to continuation school

I look forward to working with all of you. Lets have a great semester
together!

We cant help everyone, but everyone can help someone
-Ronald Reagan