Classroom Management and Communication Plan

Classroom Management Plan

a. Grading
i. Components of the grade and relative weight
All grades can be viewed online through Aeries. Grades will be updated at least
once a week if not daily. It is the responsibility of the students, you, to check your grade
for errors and/or missing assignments. If you believe there is an error in your grade,
please see me with the name of the assignment and error as soon as possible. The class is
not graded on a curve.

ii. Grading Scale

Science this is a science class we will focus heavily on content and laboratory
work. For this reason, the percent of quizzes and exams and labs will be high than that of
participation, Interactive Science Notebook (ISN), and assignments. Grades are weighted
as follows:
Participation: 5%
Interactive Science Notebook (ISN): 10%,
Assignments: 15%
Labs: 20%
Quizzes and Exams: 40%
Final Exam 10%
100+ A+ 87-89 B+ 77-79 C+ 67-69 D+
93-98 A 83-86 B 73-76 C 63-66 D
90-92 A- 80-82 B- 70-72 C- 60-62 D-

iii. Academic dishonesty

Academic dishonesty includes plagiarism, cheating, inventing false information or
citations, and helping others commit an act of academic dishonesty. All forms of
academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. If any student is caught cheating, plagiarizing,
or falsifying information, then they will receive a ‘0’ on the assignment or test and,
depending upon severity, may be reported to the school and noted on the student’s
academic record. All students will provide original works for every assignment and test.

The rationale behind this grading method is based on school, district, and state policies,
to encourage that students achieve and perform proficiently, stems from my teaching
methods of cognitive and developmental learning theory.
b. Classroom Expectations
i. Expectations
- Respect one another, the teacher, and, most importantly, yourself.
- Stay positive
- Have high expectations of yourself
- Believe in yourself, strive to achieve, and you will succeed.
-Please ask questions if you are unsure about anything. I believe that there is “no
such thing as a stupid question”. We are scientist, we always ask questions.
- Students will use appropriate language. We must treat others the way we want to
be treated.

ii. Consequences and Rewards

Consequences:
· First Offense: Warning
· Second Offense: Student/ Teacher conference after class
· Third Offense: Call home and detention
· Subsequent Offenses: Office referral, administrative discipline, suspension,
Maturity Letter, and/or “0” on assignment or participation.

Rewards: Positive behavior and good deeds may result in results including
· ‘Help me out’ cards
- Extra day for homework card
- Do not have to do an assignment card (up to 5 point assignment)
· Everyone in the class passes a test I will bring in a treat

The rationale behind these classroom expectations are to create structure, an equal
and equitable environment, and safe learning environments.

c. Routines and Procedures

i. Absences and tardies
All absences can be viewed online through Aeries. There will be no make-up
assignments or tests unless there is a documented illness, emergency, or school event. If
there is a documented emergency, please notify me as soon as possible AND bring the
appropriate paperwork to verify the reason of your absence. If you are leaving class early
for anything school related, activity or event you MUST notify me through email at least
three days before the event, have your coach or teacher contact me prior to the event,
AND set up a time or date when you will make up the assignment or test. Attendance in
this course is mandatory. Students who accumulate three (3) absences will receive a
grade of no credit for the course. Students who miss thirty (30) minutes or more of a
class, this can be either at the beginning OR end of the class, will be considered absent
for that day. Three (3) tardies will be considered as one (1) absence.

ii. Collecting and returning work.

Homework will be collected at the beginning of class. Please be patient with
getting your work back; I want to put in the grades as much as you want to find out your
grades. For homework assignments, I will have them graded the night that you turn them
in, then I will upload the grades on Aeries the following night. Therefor, you will see
your grades two days after you turn them in. However, I may not return the hardcopy to
you right away if many students were absent and did not turn in the assignment. Grades
for test will be posted and returned once all of the students have completed the test.

iii. Managing late or missing work

All absences and related assignments can be viewed online through Aeries. There
will be no make-up assignments or tests unless there is a documented illness, emergency,
or school event. Students who have excused absences will have the equal number of days
of school missed to make up the work. For examples, if you miss three (3) days of school,
you will have three (3) days to make it up. Students may pick up the assignments they
missed from the front office.

iv. Daily routine for starting and ending class

-Students will take their seats at the beginning of class
-Students will take out their Interactive Science Notebooks (ISN) and other
necessary materials needed for the class as indicated on the board
-Student will write the title, page number, date, objective, and driving question of
the day’s lesson in their ISN
-Students will actively listen to instruction
- Students will either be working on their Chromebooks, listening to a brief
lecture and taking notes, or conducting a laboratory experiment.
-Students will partake in partner, group, and/or class discussions on what they
learned in the lesson and/or how it connects to the driving question
-Students will listen to directions for the next lesson.

v. Procedures for group work, transitions, and moving about the classroom
-We will be working groups and moving around quite often in this class. Group
discussions must be in your ‘inside voices’ with appropriate academic and disciplinary
language. When moving into your groups, please remember that this is a laboratory and
as scientists, we must be sure to be careful with all of the supplies in the classroom.
Therefore, we must be careful. There will be NO running, ‘roughhousing’, or
‘horseplay’. Be aware of your surroundings and walk at an appropriate pace. During
transitions, continue to wear the appropriate protective gear and clothing when needed,
especially during laboratory days.
-Please feel free to sharpen your pencil whenever appropriate. However, be
respectful of others. If it is quiet time or we are taking an exam please raise your hand
and I will give you a different pencil.
-Only obtain supplies when instructed to. Please return all supplies and lab
equipment the way you received them. (If there is an accident, notify me immediately).
- Restrooms. This is a 50-minute period and we need all of the time to learn. You
have a 7-minute passing period to use the restroom, get a drink of water, talk to your
friends, and walk to your class. Please use the restroom then. If there is an emergency,
then you will need to sign out of class and get a pass before you go to the restroom. If
you are gone for more than 5 minutes you will owe me time after school.

vi. Requesting help

- If you have any questions in class please feel free to ask because someone else
may have the same question. If you have many questions or are confused about some
topic or concept, please come before or after school or email me. If you have a question,
but are embarrassed to ask (remember there are no stupid questions so you should never
be embarrassed) there is a Question Box with Question Cards at the back of the class that
you can drop your question in. Any inappropriate questions will result in a Maturity
Letter to each student in every class. Do not ruin it for everyone. The school offers free
tutoring in the library before and after school with appointment. Additional resources for
success at posted on the class website. Click the hyperlinks and explore your options. I
will conduct test reviews after school one to two days before a test for one hour. Please
utilize all these opportunities to learn and grow.

The rationale behind these routines and procedures stem from preventing safety
hazards, creating a professional environment, promoting student learning, and abiding by
school, district, and state rules and regulations.
 Parent/Guardian Letter

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Hello and welcome to Mrs. Crook’s Biology classes! Before we begin our semester, here
is a little bit about me. I received my Bachelor’s in Biological Sciences from the University of La
Verne and Master’s in Environmental Studies- Environmental Science and Technologies from
California State University Fullerton. I worked as a biologist, regulatory specialist, and project
manager for an environmental consulting firm before obtaining a Single-Subject Teaching
Credential in Biological Sciences from California State University, Fullerton. I love nature and
anything related to biology. I look forward to this spectacular scientific journey!
The purpose of education is to teach students, help them to understand and create
curiosity while always asking why, gain essential academic skills, build and educate on ethics
and social justice, and to create rational citizens that contribute to society. The role of the teacher
is to educate, facilitate information, guide, and create a open, safe, and equitable learning
environment for all students regardless of background, culture, ethnicity, identity, and
socioeconomic status. Instead of producing myopic thinking and “academically” oriented
individuals, I believe education should welcome diversity, creativity, and equitable opportunities
for all. I want my student to ask ‘why’. I want my students to explore their interests let their
emotional intelligence guide them and allow them to get to know themselves, their peers, and the
world around them. To hear more about my philosophy of teaching please visit this website:
https://view.knowledgevision.com/presentation/177a9e4057fc48c5a8dc7bf9700efd98
This course is an introduction to the Biological Sciences for 9th grade students. In this
course, students will focus on the structure of DNA, the functions of cells in the body,
photosynthesis and cellular respiration in plants and animals, genetics, and variation of traits as
demonstrated in the Next Generation Science Standards for High School Life Science. By the
end of our semester, students will be able to identify and pose scientific questions, hypotheses,
and construct results and conclusions. Students will engage in laboratory experiments, thoughtful
discussions, creativity, and creating expository texts.
Please feel free to contact me via email at vaness.crook@csu.fullerton.edu or visit our
class website at http://mrscrookbiologydna.weebly.com/, https://vanesscrookbio.weebly.com/ or
http://mrscrookbiology.weebly.com/. Parents and guardians, if you would like to schedule an
appointment or meeting there is a information sheet that can be filled out on these websites.
Please write your first and last name, your email, and in the comment section write your students
name and what the request is regarding. Students, you may also fill out this information sheet if
you would like to ask me questions or meet with me regarding missed assignments or grades.
To connect and find out more information in the future, the school will be having a Back
To School Night (BTSN) in September and Open House in March. Please feel free to come and
discuss anything with the staff, teachers, other parents and guardians, and me! I am also involved
in the PTA and I suggest that you join if you would like to become more involved with the
school. Please visit the school site if you have any more questions about ways to get involved or
regarding dates and times of these events.

I look forward to meeting you and having a great and productive year.

Sincerely,
Vaness Crook
 Communication Plan

During the first day of school, students will receive a syllabus with all of the information
regarding grades, classroom expectations, policies, routines, and procedures and a Safety
Contract regarding proper classroom and laboratory behavior and safety. Students and parent(s)
and guardian(s) will sign these papers and return them to me the day to follow. Parents and
guardians will also receive a letter that further describes the class and my contact information.
All of these documents will be posted on my class website
http://mrscrookbiologydna.weebly.com/.
Parents and guardians will also have access to their student’s Aeries account where
classes, schedules, assignments, grades, and behaviors will be posted. Parents and guardians will
receive their student’s Aeries information before the semester starts and can easily regain this
account information by contacting the school directly. All grades can be viewed online through
Aeries. Grades will be updated at least once a week if not daily. It is the responsibility of the
students, you, to check your grade for errors and/or missing assignments. If you believe there is
an error in your grade, please see me with the name of the assignment and error as soon as
possible. The class is not graded on a curve.
Expectations for our students include: respecting one another, the teacher, and, most
importantly, yourself, staying positive, having high expectations of yourself, believing in
yourself, striving for the best, asking, and using appropriate language. Parents and guardians are
encouraged to use these expectations within their own household and to model these behaviors to
our students. Parents and guardians can find these expectations on the syllabus, classroom
management plan, and the class website.
Again, if the parents have any questions they can fill out the information sheet on my
website or they can contact me directly at vaness.crook@csu.fullerton.edu.