Office Hours- Tuesdays after school 2:30-3:30

I'm also in the math lab block A on Days 2 and 6 and available for Extra Help most block As and often after school too.

Video for Parents and Guardians

Honors Geometry Overview and Policies 2023-24

Mrs. Bell – Room 428- bellc@wellesley.ps.org

Website-https://wellesley.instructure.com/

 “Inspiration is needed in geometry, just as much as in poetry.”  -Alexander Pushkin

Course Overview: Honors Geometry will study Euclidean geometry with an emphasis on proof. This course will deepen a student’s understanding of plane figures and their properties. Students will generate conjectures based upon their observations. They will present convincing arguments using deductive reasoning to prove or disprove these conjectures and other propositions. Geometry and algebra will be integrated throughout the course.  Students will practice and be evaluated on their work to: Model, Analyze, Communicate and Interpret, Calculate, and Make Connections with the Geometry and mathematics we study.

Text: Big Ideas Learning, Geometry by Larson and Boswell, 2015.  (The text pdfs are on our Canvas page by chapter, you may sign out a real book if you would like to.)

 

Term Grade Breakdown

• Quizzes and Tests 85%

(Unit tests carry double the weight of typical quiz and cumulative tests, given approximately once a term, count triple quiz weight or 1.5 unit test weight.)

• Classwork and Homework 15%

(Max score 95% or, if higher, your quiz and test average.)

Year Grade Breakdown

• Term 1 22%
• Term 2 22%
• Term 3 22%
• Term 4 22%
• Final Exam 12%

Note- Student transcripts only show a student’s grade for the year.

Classroom Policies:

1. Extra Help/Open Classroom/MATH LAB- You are strongly encouraged to come to room 428 or the Math Lab when you have questions or just want to do some math work with a teacher nearby for support if needed. I will post my Block A and after school Extra Help hours on Canvas each week. The Math Lab is open all blocks of the school day, A-F.  The Math Lab is in room 452 during A block and is held in room 426, right next to our classroom, the rest of the school day.  It’s a great resource, use it!  (I’ll be in the Math Lab 5 blocks per cycle this year.)

 

2. Food, Drinks, Electronics- NO CELL PHONE USE IN CLASS- TAKE A BREAK FROM THEM- IT WILL FEEL GOOD! You will put your cell phone in your assigned pocket number on the cabinet door when you enter class and you can pick it up again when class ends. Drinks are permitted if they have tops.  Keep snacking to a minimum and be sure to clean up after yourself.  Thanks!

 

3. Fire exit/emergency – Please adhere to the designed route and policy when we need to leave the building. Fire Alarm Exit Plan- LEFT out door and then RIGHT and down MAIN STAIR WELL and out back of school to SEAVER ST. Be quiet and move with speed!

                                   

4. Leaving class- If you must go to the bathroom, sign out on the sign-out sheet and check off again when you return. Only one student is allowed out of the classroom at a time unless there is an extenuating circumstance. Try not to leave class much- you miss out and we miss you!

 

5. Enrich our classroom. You have the power to make our school and this classroom better!  Let’s make our Geometry class fun and positive.  Be a force for good!  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!       

Attendance: 

• If you are late to class without a pass, sit down to work as quickly and quietly as possible. Each unexcused late is recorded and brings down your Class Participation grade. Also, the WHS policy is 3 unexcused lates =1 cut.  Being late is a distraction to the class, a hassle for the teacher, and it will make class more difficult for the late student.  Be respectful- please do your best to be on time! 

·       You will receive a zero for any HW, quiz, in-class assignment or test that you miss due to an Unexcused Absence or a Cut for our class.  If you need to talk to me about exceptional cases then do so ASAP.   Do the math; zeros hurt your grade a lot.  Plus, you’ll miss out on good mathematics- come to class!  

• Check Canvas when you are absent. And email me or see me when you return to check in also.  It’s also smart practice to talk with a classmate about what we did in class.  After an excused absence, any previously assigned work is due on the day you return to school.  If you miss class on the day of an assessment, you must communicate with me as soon as you are back to school (or before) and schedule a time to take a make-up assessment within 2 school days of your return to school. Makeups can be scheduled to start anytime between 7:30 and 2:45 on most days.

 

Please refer to the Student Handbook for more on the WHS Honor Code, Attendance Policies and other school rules and policies.

Canvas:

https://wellesley.instructure.com/  Click on Geometry

I will post homework assignments (plan on 15-45 minutes per class), assessment dates, some Smart Board slides from class, handouts, other resources, and I will periodically use the Discussion tab on the Geometry page to post “Overarching Questions” that you would each post a response to.

 

Assessment Notes:

-Test dates will be announced at least a week in advance. 

-Mid-unit quizzes will be announced at least 2 classes ahead of time.

-Short/unannounced quizzes can be given anytime and your notes are allowed as a reference.

 

Academic Integrity:  Please read and follow the Honor Code located on page 1 of the Student Handbook.  If you use reference, cite the source(s) used to complete the assignment.  Do not pass off the work of others as your own.  If you cheat on an assignment or assessment, I will notify your counselor and call home and you will get a zero on the assignment.  Keep your integrity- your best is enough!

 

Materials: You will need pencils, pens, a scientific calculator, graph paper, a charged laptop and a math notebook or binder section.  (I suggest using a spiral bound notebook for HW and class notes and a couple folders or a small binder or binder section for handouts and old quiz and tests/assessment notes.)  You will access our textbook through pdf documents posted on our Canvas page.  Please see me if you want to sign out a text book or are concerned about getting any of the materials and we will make it work.

 

“Accumulate learning by study, understand what you learn by question.”

-Ming jiao, Jiufeng 

Appreciate challenges-  Use pictures- Be inquisitive, convinced and convincing!Geometry 2023-24