1. Mrs. Lafrate Earth Science 8th grade
Welcome!
Mrs. Lafrate
Earth Science
8th grade

2. Units Unit 1: THE UNIVERSE Unit 2: SOLID EARTH Unit 3: FLUID EARTH
Earth’s history
Plate Tectonics/Rocks/Volcanoes/Earthquakes
Unit 3: FLUID EARTH
Hydrogeology
Oceans
Severe Weather
Unit 4: EARTH SYSTEMS
Unit 5: CLIMATE CHANGE

3. District Common Assessments and Standards
Students will complete 2 district common assessments this year. Assessment #1- Universe and Solid Earth Assessment #2- Fluid Earth, Earth Systems, Climate Change

4. Key working agreements
Students chose their top three behaviors students must demonstrate to have a successful classroom.
Tallied all of the sheets (over 400!) and the top 5 are part of our key working agreement for the classroom.
Students who do not adhere to these will receive consequences outlined in our discipline plan.

5. Classroom Discipline Plan
1st offense: Students will receive a verbal warning and discuss behavior with me.
2nd offense: Students will be put on the school wide step plan for discipline outlined on the school’s website.
STEP 1 on that plan is discussion with students and call home to parents to discuss the behavior.
Severe behavior issues (fighting, cheating, etc.) students will be placed on the step plan immediately or sent to office for disciplinary action.

6. Classroom Websites mrslafrate.weebly.com agendas announcements
calendar of events

7. I HATE GRADES!
Research provides that when students who are led to focus on grades are compared with those who are not, three conclusions were reached:
Grades tend to diminish students’ interest in whatever they are learning.
Grades create a preference for the easiest possible task.
Grades tend to reduce the quality of a student’s thinking.
Kohn, Alfie (2011). The case against grades. Educational Leadership

8. FACTS to Ponder . . . Grading is not essential for learning
Grading is subjective/emotional
Faulty grading damages students
Teachers don’t need grades to teach well. Further, students don’t need them to learn.

9. What is the PURPOSE of a Grade?
The primary purpose for grading should be to COMMUNICATE with students and parents about the achievement of learning goals.

10. GRADING Students final grades will be tied strictly to assessments.
The standards listed as ASSESSMENTS in PowerSchool are the skills students are expected to master in this class.
The standards on the report card are the Power standards determined by the district. Not all of our assessments will link to a Power standard.
Students must receive 80% or better on an assessment to meet the standard.
If students earn below 80%, they have the opportunity to retake the assessment upon completion of additional practice.

11. Grading, cont’d
Assessments are the only factor used in determining a grade.
One assessment may contain up to 5 different standards or skills.
Students will receive a % for each standard/skill, not for the assessment as a whole.
Students who earn below an 80% are required to submit practice and reassess on the particular standard/skill that they have not mastered.

12. How can I help my student achieve mastery of the standards?
Review Parent Portal. Ask your student about retakes and what they are working on to help them meet the standard.
Some feedback will be immediate during class activities, and verbal. It will be the student’s responsibility to utilize all written and verbal feedback to meet the standards.
Encourage students to reassess any standard which they earned less than 80%
Students have until the week before the quarter ends to take any reassessments in order to meet the standard for the quarter.

13. Work Habits Homework is not included in the final grade.
Homework is the major factor in determining your student’s work habits grade.
Homework is also entered on a 1 point scale.
You will see the following codes in PowerSchool:
I=incomplete (0 pts) L=late (.5 pts)
NHI=not turned in (0 pt)
Students can change I and NHI to L for additional points anytime during the quarter.

14. The BEST part is………
An extremely important piece of Standards Based Grading is that any student can work towards attaining the learning goal at any time throughout the course of the marking period. If, during this time, the student has shown attainment of the learning goal, their overall grade will improve.

15. Struggling students
I am available every day at lunch and after school on Mondays until 3:30, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays until 4 pm.
If student has an IEP, I will work closely with their case load teacher to ensure student success.
Please contact me through at any time there is a question regarding an assignment, assessment, etc.

16. If you have further questions, please return when curriculum night ends.