Marco Behar Falcon Clan

mbehar@seattleschools.org

Current Expeditions: 
October 1-3 - 7th grade Camping Trip to Easton Glacier

Falcon Clan Syllabus

Math/Science & Expedition

Marco Behar

Math Syllabus

Sixth grade math curriculum and all middle grades math curriculum in Seattle Public Schools are guided by the Washington State standards. The Sixth -grade WASL test in April attempts to assess each student’s achievement of those standards. The standards are published and available on line at www.Seattleschools.org

The Connected Mathematics Project (CMP2) curriculum will be the primary vehicle for explorations in math topics. It will also guide investigations, problem-solving, and mathematical reasoning activities of students. Eight CMP2 units are expected to be covered this year. CMP2 paperback math booklets must travel from home to class without loss or damage. Additional resources will be used to secure knowledge, to generate activities, and to explore various topics.

Most class sessions will begin with a “daily warm-up.” This activity will usually be related to the math topics we are studying. Students often work together. Daily class work will often result in a written assessable product. In addition, weekly challenges may be given. All written work will be preserved in a Math/Science binder stored in the room. In addition, upon completion of each investigation in the CMP booklets a quiz will be give to assess your child’s progress.

Homework will be assigned most days. In your students home binder there is a Math Homework assignment sheet where students record their homework assignments. Your child will be given a new sheet at the beginning of each month. Please monitor your child’s homework.

Science Syllabus

Sixth grade science curriculum and all middle grades science curriculum in Seattle Public Schools are guided by the Washington State standards. The standards are published and available on line at www.Seattleschools.org

One of my goals is for our student’s to learn to design and carry out a successful scientific investigation. Students will be given opportunities to design and carry out investigations through working with living organisms such as microbes and plants. Our students will use microscopes to study the characteristics of living organisms. We will also have a unit on basic chemistry focusing on basic chemical reactions and the periodic table of elements. We will work on basic lab skills using a kit call SOLUTIONS & POLLUTION. In addition, we will have a 6^th week unit on Nutrition & Health in the spring.

Expedition Syllabus

Sixth-graders are participating in expeditionary learning. Expedition learning is an integrated, thematic approach to teaching and learning that lies at the heart of the Pathfinder School’s mission. The School wide expedition began on Friday, September 7 with a trip to the Seattle waterfront where students attended the “Salmon Homecoming” event organized by Seattle Public Utilities and local Native American tribes. This month students will take field trips to the University of Washington fish hatchery and will visit a wild salmon spawning site on the Cedar River. In addition, we will have several speakers come to our classroom to speak about various topics related to salmon. Students will research and present to classmates a Power point presentation about specific rivers and salmon in our state. This first Expedition is a short one and will be completed by the end of October. There will be a school wide celebration on Thursday, October 18^th.

We are also planning a Learning Expedition this spring which will focus on the question: How did the Universe begin?

The following grading system will be employed in the class:

• Class Assignments
• Quizzes
• Projects & Presentations
• Homework
• Classroom binder

Letter grades will be reported on mid-term progress reports and on quarterly and semester report cards. Grades are A, B, C, D and E. A,”D” grade is below standard and an “E” represents a fail of the class. Expedition grade will be part of the science grade.

Students will also receive letter grades for Effort and for Citizenship in this class. Students will be noted daily for preparedness, learning behaviors, and citizenship.

Finally students will have the opportunity to choose to do “Challenge” work in Math and/or Science on class assignments, homework and special projects. Upon completing above standard work on “Challenge” work students will earn an ‘H” notation next to their grade on their report card.

Grading Policy

The following is Pathfinder’s grading policy. Students will receive a grade in each of the following areas:

• Academic: Be here every day ready to work. The quality of your work will determine the quality of your grade. This includes class assignments, reports, and presentations.
• Citizenship: This part of your grade will be determined on how well you respect your teachers and classmates. Be a good listener and wait your turn to speak. Be a positive influence in all your classes by keeping them clean.
• Effort: School is your job. Give your best effort. Fix your mistakes and don’t blame others. Finish what you start.

You will receive a numerical report card grades in your classes. However on assignments your grades will be on the following scale:

100-90% = An Exceeds standards. This means that you have gone beyond what is expected at your grade level.

89-80% = B Meets standards. This means you do high-quality work most of the time. You complete all your Assignments, requirements are consistently met andyour work is turned in on time.

79-70% = C Approaching standards. This means you are close todoing the expected work, but you need to improve in areas such as consistently meeting assignment requirements and turning in all your assignments.

69-60% = D Below standards. This means you are barely passing. Your work is not of good quality and yourassignments are not completed. You need to put inextra effort to get up to standards.

>59 = E Below standards. This means you have made no effort to complete assignments. This will result in a parent/teacher conference to come up with a plan for you to improve.

PROGRESS REPORTS

Mid-semester progress reports will be sent home with your student at the middle of each quarter. Please sign mid-term progress reports and have your child return them to me.

Contact Information: You can contact me during my planning time each day from 10:10-10:45 at 252-9710 or e-mail me at Mbehar@seattleschools.org

I will accept late work, but I will deduct a grade from your assignment. Excused absences are acceptable for full credit on any assignment. It is highly recommended that you turn in your work on time.

Please bring the following materials every day.

• Pencil or pen (blue and black ink only)
• Science notebook. – Most class assignments will be recorded in your science notebook, which is Quad. Ruled Composition book (with graph paper)

In order to be successful we each need to feel like the classroom is a safe place where we can learn, experiment and make mistakes without being insulted or put down. To meet this goal I will hold you to the following:

• Show respect to all people who enter our school.
• Be responsible and fix your mistakes. Don’t blame others for your mistakes and finish what you start.
• Act like a young adult. Your job is to be a student. Come to class with your materials and always do your best.
• Be a good listener and wait respectfully for your turn to speak.

6^th Grade Schedule