First Days of

School

Mr. VanHaaren
Grade 9 Applied Science

Learning Goals
Big Picture Ideas
Relate Science to technology, society and the
environment
Develop the skills, strategies and habits of mind
required for scientific inquiry
Understand the basic concepts of science

Main Topics
Matter, Energy, Systems and Interactions,
Structure and Function, Change and Continuity

Behaviour
Respect
Important to pay respect to fellow classmates in order to
create an optimal, safe and comfortable learning
environment
Must raise hand before speaking out

Attendance
Being present in class is key to success !

Punctuality
Important to be in class on time so as to not disrupt lesson

Attentiveness
Paying attention is important to maximize your own and your
classmates learning potential !

Materials
Classroom Equipment
Beakers, Flasks, Burners, Clamps, Brushes,
Tubes must all be handled with care and
responsibility in order to avoid damage

Learning tools
pencils, pens and erasers should be brought
to every class. If forgot, student has 3
opportunities a month to grab forgotten
item out of class extra bin. After 3 times,
students must start giving back time at
lunch in increments of 5 minutes

Routines
Seating
Seating will be assigned each month

Washroom Breaks
Students will be granted 1, 5 minute washroom break per
lesson. If break time is exceeded, extra time must be made
up after class. Hall Pass must be obtained from teacher

Each lesson will begin with an open ended discussion on

students previous nights extra-curricular activities.
*Science Fact Of The Day/This Day In Science*
Teacher will bring in a fun fact with regards to science that
will be revealed at the beginning of class

Day 1
Take attendance, reveal seating chart
Tell personal history and how I got there from
own beginnings in the discipline
Share philosophy of teaching with students
Hand out informative, artistic, user-friendly
course syllabus
Class roundtable: go around to each person to
reveal name and tell one interesting fact about
themself

Day 2
Have Students write out their expectations
for the course and their own goals
Provide substantial content to set the tone
for the year
Hand out supplemental study aids: library
use, study tips, supplemental readings and
exercises
Explain types of tests that will be given out
and how to study for them

Day 3
Diagnose students pre-requisite learning
by a questionnaire/test and give them
feedback
Hand out study questions/study guides
Have students write questions on index
cards pertaining to what they expect out of
the teacher and the course
Find out about students via questions on
index cards

Day 4
Set up buddy system so that students can
contact each other about assignments and
coursework
Arrange helping trio of students to assist
each other in learning and growing
Help students form study groups to
operate outside the classroom
Solicit suggestions from students for
outside resources

Day 5
Make appointments with all students to
address the first week and talk to them
about their goals/where you think they can
go and what they can do from here to
reach their potential in this class. Also talk
about their role in the classroom and role
as a student.
Gather student feedback
Conduct fun, end of the week game