TEACHER: Mr. Ken Rutkowski
"The knowledge at which geometry aims is the knowledge of the eternal."
--Plato
"Philosophy is written in this grand book--I mean the Universe--which
stands continuously open to our gaze, but it cannot be understood unless one
first learns to comprehend the language in which it is written. It is written
in the language of mathematics and its characters are triangles, circles and
other geometric figures, without which it is humanely impossible to understand
a single word of it."
--Galileo Galilie
"Games and mathematical problems . . . give us, for the smallest initial
structures, the greatest complexity."
--Marvin Minsky
YOUR TEXTBOOK: You should understand that the Holt, Rinehart and Winston
text is not your geometry book. It will only provide a blueprint for
the geometry book which you are responsible for creating. In this class, your
notebook will become your geometry textbook. It will be your primary resource
in the course.
YOUR NOTEBOOKS: At least one looseleaf notebook is required. (Plastic
binders are acceptable if they have rings.) You should bring your notebook
to class
each day. Many of your quizzes will be open notebook.
Notebook Section I contains: Class notesheets and notes, Quizzes, Tests, and
other Major Assessments or Portfolio Activities
Notebook Section II contains: Assignment sheet and
Homework assignments (numbered).
(note: You can have one big notebook containing both Sections or two
smaller notebooks containing each Section separately)
MATERIALS: You should have the following geometry materials with you
in class every day unless told otherwise:
Compass Pencil and Pen
Straight-edge (metric ruler)
Graph paper
Protractor
Colored Pencils or Markers (optional but fun)
Scientific Calculator
SCHOOL POLICIES: The class will follow all school policies in regards
to absences and tardies as listed in your student handbook.
ACADEMIC POLICIES: See the Academic Policy Statement for Mathematics,
2010/2011. Please pay particular attention to the policy regarding unexcused
absences:
"A student who has an unexcused absence on the day of a test or a quiz will
receive a '0'."
Make up Tests: See the Academic Policy Statement for Mathematics, 2010/2011.
Students absent on review days prior to tests are still expected to take tests during the normally scheduled time.
GRADE PERCENTAGES: (Approximate)
For each term:
Tests, Projects, Assessments: 70%
Quizzes: 20%
Homework/Daily work: 10%
HOMEWORK: Homework is assigned because it is essential that you
practice applying the skills and concepts which you learn in class.
It will usually
be assigned every day. As per school policy, I consider approximately
45 minutes an appropriate amount of time to spend on math homework each
night. This is
just an average so please realize that this will not always be true--especially
when you are reviewing and studying for tests or doing projects!
Math teachers, like coaches, know from experience that the greatest
factor leading to a persons lack of success on the playing field
or in the classroom
is lack of practice. In geometry, this means not
doing your homework or it means not giving homework your best effort.
You should always strive to show all work necessary to solve a problem.
This means that a list of answers does not give anyone evidence that
you are trying
your best. A list of answers is not considered a completed homework
assignment.
CONFERENCES: If you are failing in the course, you are required
to set up a conference with me at least once a week.
CALCULATOR INFORMATION : A scientific calculator is required
for the course. If you are interested in purchasing a graphics calculator,
see me
for a recommendation.
COMPUTER SOFTWARE: We will use the Geometer's Sketchpad (Key Curriculum
Press) software for lab explorations and for demonstration purposes.
Homework Credit: Rutkowski
Homework will usually be checked every day.
I use a variety of methods for assigning credit :
* Grading on %of problems correct
* Short homework quizzes over the material
* Most often, completion checks graded on the following scale:
10 -- Complete work and /or substantial effort shown on every problem. Explanation of area of confusion for each problem not completed (Don't just say, "I didn't know what to do.")
5 -- At least half completed but not sufficient effort for full credit.
0 -- Less than half completed.
RUTKOWSKI'S GRADING SYSTEM
GRADING RUBRIC FOR PARTIAL CREDIT
Whenever possible, I like to award partial credit on test/quiz questions. Here's how I do it.
0: no significant progress made.
1: some understanding evident, but no significant progress made.
2: substantial progress made, but analysis, conclusion and or/answer. were incorrect.
3: full credit: analysis sound and complete and answer/conclusion correct.
For shorter, less complex questions I may just award 0, 1, or 2 points based on the quality of the work.
On tests and quizzes, I add up the total number of points earned and your grade is the percentage of points you earned out of the total possible points.
QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR GRADES
Grades are supposed to be a communication to you concerning my judgment about your progress. If you have questions and/or you disagree with your grade, then you have the right to talk with me about it. Since this can often be an emotional situation, it is important that our communication be professional, respectful of each other's feelings, and (hopefully) productive. This means that if you have an issue concerning your grade, your responsibility is to arrange a time with me outside of class where we can sit down and discuss the situation one on one. You do not have the right to jump up in the middle of class and demand an immediate explanation for why you got the grade you got. The professional way to handle the situation is to come up after class, mention that you have some questions about your grade, and arrange a time for us to meet.
One exception: if you believe that I misgraded your paper
(marked something wrong when it was really correct, or vica versa), then simply
put a note on your paper directing me to the problem and leave it with me
so I can take another look at it.