12 Grade Capstone Syllabus

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Miss DeLong 2011/2012

Dear Parents and Students, I am excited to return to GWA this year and I am looking forward to working with each of you in Capstone. Overview: Capstone is a course designed to be a culmination of students secondary education that shows their proficiency in writing, research, time management, and public speaking. The objective of this course is to prepare our students for the academic writing that will be expected at university level. This year-long course will focus on improving students critical thinking and research skills. Throughout the course each student will choose an academic advisor to guide them through the process of researching and writing a college-level thesis paper. 1st Quarter Focus on citation styles, research skills, and academic writing 2nd & 3rd Quarters Focus on the thesis paper and ends with our presentation nights 4th Quarter Preparing for college, transitions, budgets, time management, good habits, etc. Grading Policy & Homework Philosophy: A major goal of this course is to help prepare you for the real world. Grading in this class is based on this real world philosophy. Homework graded in this class that perfectly meets the rubric expectations will receive an 85%. In the real world when you do what you are told, that is considered good; to be more than good you need to EXCEED expectations. Going above and beyond what is expected is how you achieve promotions, future contracts, raises, etc. Fulfilling the rubric requirements is good and perfectly acceptable; however, to receive a higher grade, students need to go beyond, not just quantitatively, but qualitatively. Grading for your thesis paper and presentation night will not be graded on the 100% perfect job equates to an 85% mark system. Their assessment will be based on a detailed rubric with the more traditional, 100% perfect job equates to a 100% mark system. Your grade for the year will be divided as follows: 60% Regular Work (weekly assignments, quizzes, etc.) 40% Thesis Paper & Presentation Night (Final Paper 25% and Project Presentation 15%) GWA Grading Scale A+ A AB+ B B97-100 93-96 90-92 87-89 83-86 80-82 C+ C CD+ D D77-79 73-76 70-72 67-69 63-66 60-62

Below 60 = F Assignments: All work must be typed and neatly done. All homework needs to be turned in with a rubric, unless otherwise specified. Homework will not be accepted without a rubric. All assignments must have a proper header, be neatly typed, grammar and spell checked, cited, be double-spaced, use 12-point Times New Roman font, have 2.5 cm (1) margins, be stapled (before class), and in all other ways be presented as a serious work. . Each weeks homework must used the Capstone Rubric sheet. Homework may NOT be turned in electronically, unless otherwise directed by the teacher. All returned homework must be kept in a neatly organized binder for future reference. Some assignments are used in later assignments; do not lose or discard old homework! While the binders are not graded, you must keep one.

12 Grade Capstone Syllabus

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Miss DeLong 2011/2012

Absences/Late Work/Tardies: Because homework is assigned at least one week in advance, homework passes are not accepted for any absences less than 4 days, and then only if it is due to illness. No other excuses are accepted for asking for extra time. If you travel, take your work with you. Plan ahead. You will be treated like adults in this class. Be sure to have the contact information for at least one other student in this class to call if you do not know the assignment. Weekly assignments will be available on moodle Assignments are due at the beginning of class. Students will lose 10% per day for late homework. After three days, the work will no longer be accepted and the assignment will be given a zero. Students are permitted only two late assignments per quarter. The third and all subsequent late assignments will not be accecpted; they will be automatic zeros. Students must be in their assigned seat when the bell rings. Unexcused tardies will result in detention as outlined in the school handbook. Meeting with your advisor is not an excused tardy. You are not permitted to skip the beginning of class to meet with your advisor. You should be seated, quiet, and ready to begin class before the bell rings. Classroom Expectations: This class is NOT a study hall. Students are to work during class time and to work solely on Capstone. Be respectful to yourself and others. Classroom disruptions will not be tolerated. Keep your desk space clean. Hats are not allowed to be worn in the classroom. You are expected to use English in this classroom, unless otherwise directed by the teacher. All GWA student handbook rules will be enforced in this classroom. No food, gum, candy, or drinks (with the exception of water) are allowed in the classroom. All assigned work is to be done on an individual basis, unless otherwise directed by the teacher. Cheating and plagiarism are unacceptable! Honesty is very important to succeed in this class as it is in life. Incidents of dishonesty, such as plagiarism, will be dealt with according to the GWA policy. Avoiding all forms of plagiarism is critical in this class. Capstone is not an optional class: Students who fail Capstone will not graduate; he or she will, instead be given an incomplete and an empty diploma case on graduation day. The course will have to be repeated over the summer. This class is not optional. Contact: You can always contact me via e-mail, be sure to carbon-copy any e-mails to me or your advisor to safeHS@gwa.ac.ma. This is school policy. Sincerely,

Miss Crystal DeLong cdelong@gwa.ac.ma Student Name (Printed) Parent Signature & E-mail