Course Syllabus
Honors Geometry Overview and Policies 2020-21
Mrs. Bell – Room 428- bellc@wellesleyps.org
Website-https://wellesley.instructure.com/
“Inspiration is needed in geometry, just as much as in poetry.” -Alexander Pushkin
General Topics for 1st Semester: Properties, Definitions, and Constructions of Geometric Figures- Congruence and Similarity-- Linear and Angle Measurements-- Parallel and Perpendicular Lines—Transformations--Properties of Triangles and Polygons-- Inductive and Deductive Reasoning--Geometric Proofs—Extensions. (Primarily chapters 1-8 in the text.)
Text: Big Ideas Learning, Geometry by Larson and Boswell, 2015.
Materials: You will need pencils, pens, a scientific OR graphing calculator, a ruler, a protractor, graph paper, a highlighter, and a math notebook or binder section. (I suggest using a spiral bound notebook for HW and class notes and folders or a small binder or binder section for handouts and old quiz and tests.)
Grading Breakdown for 2nd Semester*:
- Delta Math and Text Homework Practice (15%)
- Class Participation (5%)
- Quiz/Challenge Problems (30%)
- Unit Tests (on paper in class) (50%)
*See this document for details on grading. Basically, you will get a grade for each unit and your semester grade will be the average of those 3 unit grades. You will often have a chance to revise quiz/challenge problems, but you will not be able to make revisions for credit on unit tests.
Attendance: You are expected to be present for all in-person and remote classes. Attendance will be taken and reported on Power School for each class meeting. If you cut class or are absent unexcused, you will not be able to make up the work you missed for credit. And you shouldn’t think that a 5 minute class recap from someone, even me, is equivalent to being in class asking, listening, thinking and problem-solving. Do your best to get to class!
Excused Lates and Absences: When you are out, please check our Canvas Class Page for information and check with classmates about what you missed. Any previously assigned work is due on the day you return to school. You can also always reach me via email.
Other Class Notes:
1.COVID-19- You must keep your mask on at all times in the classroom and keep 6ft. distance between you and others. Remember to wipe down your desks when you enter and to wash/sanitize hands throughout the day. Please help us keep our community healthy, keep our school open, and get through this pandemic.
- CAMERA ON- When you are remote on Zoom and we are working together, please keep your camera on as much as possible, especially in the breakout rooms. It will be good for us to connect face-to-face and make it easier for you to avoid distractions. I know there will be technology issues and privacy concerns. At the same time I hope that the majority of the time you can have face-to-face interactions. Please let me know if having the camera on most of the time is not an option.
- MATH LAB & Extra Help- The Math Lab schedule is posted on our Canvas page. It is a place you can go for help from a math teacher during school hours when you have a free block. Use it, it’s a great resource! (And this semester, I’m the math lab teacher Thursdays Gray block and Fridays Purple block.) I will try to be available for extra help as well. I’ll post any extra help hours on the Canvas calendar each week that it’s scheduled in advance. But feel free to email me if I don’t have hours posted and hopefully we can find a day to set up an Extra Help Zoom at 2:45ish.
- Food, Drinks, Electronics- Cell phones should be on silent and out of sight, unless I announce that they are permitted for class time use. No food in class. You may have drinks in class, but school rules apply. Please help keep our school and classroom clean. And, please recycle!
- Fire exit/emergency – Please adhere to the designed route and policy when we need to leave the building. Fire Alarm Exit Plan- RIGHT out door and then RIGHT down END of HALL STAIR WELL and outside to SEAVER ST. Be quiet, move with speed and stay with your classmates.
- Leaving class- If you must go to the restroom, sign out on the sign-out sheet and check off again when you return. Try not to leave class much, we’ll have a 5ish minute break most classes so that should help you stay present otherwise.
- Academic Integrity- When submitting work be honest about the sources used to complete the assignment. Do not pass off someone else’s work as your own. Any incident of cheating will result in a grade of zero and a phone call home. Repeated incidents of cheating could result in a zero for the course/year. It’s never worth it to compromise your integrity!*
*Refer to the Student Handbook for other details on academic integrity and for general WHS classroom rules and more on WHS Attendance Policy.
- See our “Class Contract” if we write one together for other agreed behaviors that everyone is asked to commit to so that our classroom (even when it’s remote) is a nice place to think, work, learn and just be.
- Enrich our classroom. You have the power to make our school and this classroom better! Be a positive force. Be respectful of all people and things. Do not get in the way of your own or others opportunities for learning and thinking and having a good day. We are all counting on you. Please. And thank you in advance!
Our Geometry Class Website- CANVAS:
Go to your Canvas page and login- https://wellesley.instructure.com/ Click on Geometry.
You will find the textbook by chapter in pdf. documents. I will post assessment dates and homework assignments and unit learning goals. I will post Smart Board slides from class at the end of each week (Wednesdays Green or Fridays Tan.) And you will find learning resources like videos and online geometry/math tools. We will periodically use the Discussion tab on our Canvas page to discuss “Overarching Questions” that you would each post a responses and replies to. This way we can “discuss" and hear from everyone without taking up too much class time.
Other Assessment Notes:
-If you have accommodations for assessments, please be sure to check-in with me at least 48 hours before the test so that the accommodations can be arranged in this hybrid year.
-Test dates will be announced at least a week in advance. We will likely have 3 unit tests semester 1.
-There are NO make-up/re-take tests students whose absence from class is unexcused.
-If you are excused absent and miss a test, email me ASAP to schedule a makeup time to take the test. (As it says in the student handbook, “A student needs to meet with their teachers immediately upon his/her return to school to schedule makeup work.”) Even if we do not have class the day you return to school, email me the day you are out or the day you return. I will need you to make up the test/quiz within 2 school days of your return to school unless you have missed more than 1 class leading up to the assessment. Makeups can be scheduled to start anytime between 7:30 and 2:30 on your in-person school days.
“Accumulate learning by study, understand what you learn by question.”
-Ming jiao, Jiufeng
Geometry 2020-21- Appreciate a challenge- Ask why- Be convinced and convincing!
Course Summary:
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