Mr.
WagnerÕs 7th Grade Math Class
FAQ
(Frequently
Asked Questions)
When can I come for
extra help?
How do my parents sign
up for the weekly email?
How do you want me to
organize my binder?
How much time do I
need to spend on homework?
I was absent—do
I still have to do the work for that day?
What are
Òchallenge problemsÓ?
How do you do
an error analysis on a checkin?
How long do I have
to complete a quiz or test?
How do I make up
points on my test or quiz?
When can I come for
extra help?
I have official extra-help afternoons
two days a week. Generally it will be Tuesday and Thursday, but that may change
on a particular week depending on meeting schedules, etc. You will need to come on one of those
days if you need to make up a test or quiz, take the basic skills test, or work
with me for an extended period of time.
However, if you have questions or things
you donÕt understand, it is often possible to get things cleared up with a
quick question or a short conversation. Please donÕt hesitate to find me and
ask me questions at other times, although I may not be able to talk for an
extended period of time.
You should also feel free to email me
with questions.
How do my
parents sign up for the weekly email?
If your parents arenÕt getting the
weekly email, they should email me at wagnerm@wellesleyps.org
How do you want me to
organize my binder?
You only need to have one section for
math. This section will contain
your book, and any handouts or work you are doing. Most of the work will be in
your graph paper notebook. You only
need to save the work from the current unit.
How much
time do I need to spend on homework?
On most days you should expect to spend
around a half on homework. If you
find yourself regularly spending more than that, please let me know. If you
find yourself regularly spending less time than that, then you may not be fully
correcting/reflecting on your homework, or you should do some challenge
work.
The most important thing is that you
understand the work. I'd rather you
spend more time on fewer problems and really understand them rather than
rushing to "answer" every question without really understanding.
I
was absent—do I still have to do the work for that day?
Yes—you are responsible for both
the class work and the homework.
Usually the classwork is MORE important than the homework. All classwork and homework is posted on
Google Classroom, INCLUDING handouts.
"I didn't know what we were supposed to do" is NOT a valid
excuse for not doing the classwork."
If you were absent for more than two
days, see me. We can work out a makeup plan. You will most likely need to spend
at least one day after-school with me going over material you missed.
In particular you should make sure that
you make up any checkins that you missed.
What
are Òchallenge problemsÓ?
Challenge problems are harder problems
that extend the regular material. In
some cases, students will be allowed to do challenge problems to replace some
of the homework problems or classwork.
Challenge problems can positively
affect your grade. If you find that
the regular classwork and homework is easy for you, you should be doing
challenge problems.
In order to access challenge problems,
you need to join the Challenge class on Google Classroom. Each investigation will have a list of
possible challenge problems. Some
of the challenge problems can be found in the book. Others are handouts that are available online
in the Challenge classroom.
Challenge problems are worth different
amounts of points depending on their level of difficulty.
Most challenge problems are meant to be
done collaboratively. You can work with classmates, parents, friends, etc.
It is important to note that you must
use CER (CLAIM, EVIDENCE, REASONING)
to show how you solved the challenge problem in order to get credit-- you can't
just turn in a piece of paper with an answer.
You can turn in challenge problems at
any time-- they don't have a due date.
You can turn them in by emailing them to me, or by putting a hard copy
in my inbox. You need to make
very clear what challenge problem you are doing and how many points it is
worth! Also your name must be
CLEAR.
Here is an example heading:
Joe Schmoe
Find My
Value Challenge
for
Accentuate the Negative 1 & 2
Worth 3
points
If you don't get the full credit for
the challenge problem, you are encouraged to retry the problem. You can do this
as many times as you like until you get full credit.
What
is a ÒcheckinÓ?
A checkin is a way for me to see what
you know, and a way for you to redo work on a topic until you are proficient. Checkins
may be in class, or they may be take home assignments.
When you turn in a checkin, you will
get it returned to you fairly quickly with a grade. The grade will be either
P
(proficient), N (not yet), or S (see me)
Any N or S grade REQUIRES you to do an
error analysis on the part that is incorrect. You must do the redo on separate
sheet of paper, attach it to the original checkin, and turn it in again for a
new grade. You may need to redo a
checkin more than once before it is proficient.
If you got an S grade, that means that
you need to see me about the checkin. You can do this after school or during
Lab if you have lab that semester.
How do you
do an error analysis on a checkin?
Staple
your error analysis to the original checkin and put it in Mr. WagnerÕs inbox.
Keep track of
your checkins; it is YOUR responsibility to make sure they are redone to
Proficient. The last grade on
the checkin is the only one that counts. You MUST redo all checkins until they
are proficient. Don't throw away checkins; use the checkins to help you study
for your tests.
Yes. Generally you can choose whether or not
do work on the IPad or in your graph paper notebook. There will be some
assignments (typically turned into Google classroom) that you will be required
to use Google Docs.
If your
handwriting is poor, I may require you to use the IPad to type your
explanations.
How
long do I have to complete a quiz or test?
My
quizzes and tests are designed to be completed in less than a class period (45
minutes). My policy is to allow you
some additional time to finish if needed.
However, I expect that you will finish the quiz on the day that it is
given or the next morning before school starts (so that I can correct and hand
the quiz back as soon as possible).
This
means that if you are nervous about finishing the quiz during class, you should
make arrangements to stay after school that day to finish the quiz , or to come
in early on the next day. If you cannot finish the test that
afternoon, we can make other arrangements, but I will need you to bring in a
note from a parent or guardian explaining why you couldnÕt come to finish the
quiz or test that afternoon.
I
don't like my test/quiz grade. Can I make up the grade?
You have the opportunity to make up
test or quiz grade. The maximum depends on the quarter:
Q1: B-
Q2: C
Q3: C-
Q4: D
What you will need to do depends on the
specific test or quiz. Generally you need to see me to go over the material,
and then do a full, written error analysis of the test or quiz. In some cases you will need to take a
makeup test or quiz. You can do
this during an extra-help session (or lab).
Tests and quizzes should be made up by
a week after the test or quiz was returned unless there are special
circumstances.
What
is ÒSkills MasteryÓ?
See the basic skills page
for more information.
What
is my grade for the quarter?
Your
quarter grade is based on the following:
á Your
test and quiz average. A unit test is worth twice that of a quiz. Generally
each quarter there will be around four or five unit tests or quizzes. You have the opportunity to take
optional challenge tests or quizzes, which are more difficult than the regular
tests or quizzes.
á Checkins. Your grade is not based on the original
grade of the checkin, but whether or not you have shown me that you are
proficient on the material on the
checkin by redoing it.
á Collaboration
and participation: Are you working
appropriately with your group? Are you a helpful skeptic? Are you doing harder challenge problems
and tests if appropriate?
á Class
process, including whether or not you have your materials, you are ready at the
beginning of the class, you get extra help when you need it
á Successfully
doing challenge
problems and tests will increase your grade
á Skills mastery.
For the first three quarters, your grade is based on your progress (unless you
are already a Skills Master) —
á you
turned in your skill evidence weekly
á you
have passed the required skill tests
á if
you passed all your Skill Level tests in a previous term, you must pass the
Skills Mastery Test by the end of the quarter
In
the last quarter, your skill grade will be based on whether or not you have
become a Skills Master by the end of the year. Remember, it is REQUIRED that
everyone become a Skills Master.
I generally donÕt compute the final
grade until the end of the quarter.
Remember that in this class, a B means
you have met the expectations for the class. To get a better grade, you need to
exceed expectations by getting test and quiz scores in the 90s, by clearly
explaining your work on your homework and classwork. To get an A in this class you will need
to exceed expectations on classwork and assessments, AND you will need to do
challenges problems and challenge tests and quizzes.
I will go over the grading policy early
in the year, and will give out the following grading
rubric .
Can I use a
calculator on my homework?
It depends on what the homework
is. The assignment will say whether
or not you can use a calculator.
However, if you are a Skills Master you
are allowed to use a calculator on any homework assignment.
You should understand the concepts in
the handout Calculators and Rounding if you
are using a calculator.
What
math class should I take in 8th grade?
See the
Wellesley Middle School Program of Studies (available online at the Wellesley Middle School Website
(http://www.wellesley.k12.ma.us/wms/).
Mouse over Publications and then select Program of Study.)
My role in
the 8th-grade math course selection process is to provide my own perspective on
the class that is most appropriate, Algebra 8 or Algebra 8R (accelerated), or
Concepts in Algebra.
The
document Level Choices is a good
resource to help you decide which is the best level for your child.