6th Grade Earth Science

Spring 2013
Course: Earth Science Instructor: Mrs. Michelle Hague mhague@lyndonacademy.org (770)926-0166 Office Hours: I will be available in the virtual classroom to answer questions during the following days/times: Monday/Wednesday 9:00-10:00 am EST Required Texts: This course does not require a textbook. Communication: Communication is a vital part of online learning. There are three primary forms of communication. 1. Email - Emailing me is a preferable method of communication. I will typically check email everyday in the morning and late evening. It is expected that students will check their email daily as well. Emails will be responded to within 24 hours of receiving them. 2. Phone - Please feel free to call with questions. The number listed is the main school number. You are to please leave a voicemail, and I will return your call as soon as possible (within 24 hours during the school week). 3. Face-to-Face- In the course you have the option to attend a face-to-face meeting during my virtual office hours. Course Description: This course is designed to cover Earth processes and events. During this course, students will study how the Earth changes and has changed over short and long periods of time. The purpose of this course is to introduce the changes of the Earth through various labs, experiments, discussions, and model creations. Learning Outcomes: This course is correlated to Lyndon Academy Science Standards/National Science Education Standards. The Scientific Method in Earth Science Explain the scientific method and how scientists use it. Apply the scientific method to an Earth science investigation. Identify the importance of communicating the results of a scientific investigation. Describe how scientific investigations often lead to new investigations.
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The Composition of the Earth Identify and describe the layers of the Earth by what they are made of. Define tectonic plate. Explain how scientists know about the structure of the Earths interior. Describe Wegeners Theory of continental drift. Explain how sea-floor spreading provides a way for continents to move. Describe how new oceanic crust forms at mid-ocean ridges. Describe three forces thought to move tectonic plates. Describe three types of tectonic plate boundaries. Earthquakes Determine where earthquakes come from and what causes them. Identify different types of earthquakes. Describe how earthquakes travel through the Earth. Demonstrate how to locate earthquakes. Describe how the strength of an earthquake is measured. Describe how seismic studies reveal Earths interior. Volcanoes Explain how the composition of magma determines the type of volcanic eruption that will occur. Classify the main types of lava and volcanic debris. Compare different types of volcanoes. Explain the relationship between volcanoes and plate tectonics. Course Schedule: This course is scheduled to begin Monday, March 25th and will conclude Friday May 10th. The course schedule runs from Monday to Friday. Please take note that all weekly assignments will be due by Sunday at 12:00 midnight. The following is a tentative schedule for this course: Week 1:Introduction Week 2: Spring Break Week 3: Module 1-Inside the Earth Week 4: Module 2-Restless Continents Week 5: Module 3-The Theory of Plate Tectonics Week 6: Module 4-Deforming Earths Crust Week 7: Module 5-Final Exam/Webquest Project Class Participation: Students are expected to attend and participate in an online course as fully as they attend and participate in a traditional classroom course. During the fall and spring terms, students are required to login and perform work in the course at least 4 5 times a week, dispersed throughout the week, for approximately 5

10 hours a week for a .5 unit course (.5 Unit course) and 10-15 hours a week for a 1.0 unit semester course during Fall and Spring terms. During the shortened summer term, students should participate productively in the course daily. Summer term courses require 15-20 hours a week for a .5 unit course and 30-40 hours a week for a 1.0 unit course. Class participation is measured by contributions made through communication such as discussion forums, emails, Wimba sessions, and submission of assignments, projects, and tests. Participation will be considered when determining grades for discussion forums, Wimba sessions, and group projects. Each time you enter the course, participation will be automatically recorded and the length of time in each area is noted. Late Work Policy: During the school year we have weekly due dates. The assignments are due by Sunday at 12:00 midnight on the day listed. For each week day an assignment is late, 10% will be deducted. After 5 school days, a grade of 0 will be given. Please be aware of the pacing guide and due dates for all assignments extensions will not be granted. You may work ahead, but points are deducted for late work. Be sure you communicate with your instructor if you have any problems or questions. Grading Policy & Assessments: All assignments will be graded using the following scale: A = 90-100 B = 80-89 C = 74-79 D = 70-73 F = Below 70 Grades will be determined using the weighted system below: Category Assignments Discussions Quizzes Tests Projects Wimba Sessions Final Exam Percentage 25 10 10 20 15 5 15

Assignments, discussions, tests, and projects will be graded within one week of submission. ONLINE TESTING - Assessments in this course may be randomized, timed or projectbased in order to discourage academic dishonesty. Conduct & Academic Honesty:
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Students must not engage in any form of cheating or plagiarism. Students must complete their own work and write their essays and assignments in their own words. To avoid plagiarism, students who use an idea or passage from another author must acknowledge their debt both by using quotation marks where appropriate and by proper referencing such as footnotes or citations. Students may want to reference websites that demonstrate proper citation such as http://citationmachine.net/. Cheating and plagiarism are major academic offenses. All assignments will be screened with plagiarism detection software to check student work for authenticity. In order to maintain the integrity of all grades, instructors may choose to facilitate random oral assessments and/or face to face exams. If a student has cheated or plagiarized work in any manner, the student will be subject to consequences determined by the administration and may be removed from the course with a failing grade. Assessments in this course may be randomized, timed or project-based in order to discourage academic dishonesty. Acceptable Use Policy: Students are expected to be aware of and comply with the requirements of the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) when participating in this course. Inappropriate use of electronicallyaccessed data or information may lead to a students removal from the course and other appropriate academic discipline.

Student Right to Privacy: Personally identifiable information from student educational records will not be disclosed without a written release from the appropriate parties, except as allowed in FERPA or other applicable law. Online Communication Guidelines: Below are some guidelines for you to follow when communicating with your teacher and peers online:

When sending e-mails: o Please place your name and the course in which you are enrolled in the subject line (ex: Jane Doe - Astronomy 101). o Configure your email signature to reflect your full name and contact information. o Please allow at least a 24 hour response time from your instructor before sending another e-mail on the same topic, unless its an emergency. When asking a question: o Please be as descriptive as possible. If your question is unclear, I may need to get more information from you which will lengthen the time before you get your answer. When responding to classmates posts: o Add something pertinent to the discussion.
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Praise new ideas, ask clarifying questions, share new ideas and experiences, offer affirming statements, ask new questions, make an oppositional statement supported by personal experience, facts or related research, contribute thoughts, ideas, insight and analysis. o Stay on topic. o Check assignment for length of posts and number of posts required. Use Standard English at all times, on all communications and assignments. Abbreviations such as those used in text messaging are not acceptable. ALL CAPS indicates yelling, please avoid use of all caps, this makes communications difficult to read. Proofread and spell-check all assignments and communications prior to submission. It is very important to be aware of the many ways that a statement may be taken. Be careful with humor and sarcasm. Avoid using statements that may be inflammatory. Refrain from lashing back at poorly behaving students, and do not engage in a flame war! Vulgar, obscene, slang, racial, discriminatory or satirical language has no place in the online classroom!
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Discussion Forums: Most modules contain class discussions. This is a good way for your instructor to assess your knowledge and understanding of concepts and for the class to enjoy other classmates ideas and opinions. Students will read and respond to two (2) of their peers online postings each week. Enrich the discussion with your response by praising new ideas, asking for clarification, sharing new ideas and experiences, offering affirming statements, asking new questions, making an oppositional statement supported by personal experience, facts or related research, contributing thoughts, ideas, insight and analysis. Participation in the discussion forums is required and graded.
Discussion Rubric for Online Postings 0-1 pts.
Content Displays little understanding of the course materials and the underlying content being discussed. Use of course materials and other information to support points is incoherent or missing entirely. Does not contain any new ideas, rather a rehashing or summary of other comments. Makes limited, if any, connections, and they are often vague and general. No real analysis or insight is evidenced. Written responses contain more than three (3) grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors. Errors interfere with communication. Postings made at the last minute without allowing for response time.

2-3 pts.
Displays some understanding of the course materials and the underlying content being discussed. Limited use of course materials and other information to support points. Contains new ideas. Makes connections to previous or current content or to real-life situations, but the connections are not really clear or they may lack depth and/or detail. Some insight and analysis included. Written responses are largely free of grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors. The style of writing generally facilitates communication. Some postings not made in time for others to read and respond to.

4-5 pts
Displays an excellent understanding of the course materials and the underlying content being discussed. Uses course materials and other information to support important points. Contains rich and fully developed new ideas and connections to previous or current content and to reallife situations. Full of thought, insight, and analysis. Written responses are free of grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors. The style of writing facilitates effective communication. Makes postings early in the discussion and throughout the discussion. Total Points ____/5 x 2= ____/10

Critical Thinking

____/5

Quality of Writing

____/5

Timeliness

____/5

____/25

A 23-25 pts; B 20-22 pts; C 18-19 pts; F Less than 18

Discussion Rubric for Responding to Peers Postings Response #1 Response #2 (Two responses required) 0-1 pts. Displays little evidence of comprehending others posts or engaging in some critical thought about the content provided by peers. Rarely uses any of the following strategies: Praising new ideas, asking clarifying questions, sharing new ideas and experiences, offering affirming statements, asking new questions, makes an oppositional statement supported by personal experience, facts or related research, contributing thoughts, ideas, insight and analysis. I agree with you statement is used with little explanation of why. 2-3 pts. Displays evidence of comprehending others posts and engages in some critical thought about the content provided by peers. Occasionally uses some of the following strategies as appropriate: Praising new ideas, asking clarifying questions, sharing new ideas and experiences, offering affirming statements, asking new questions, makes an oppositional statement supported by personal experience, facts or related research, contributing thoughts, ideas, insight and analysis. 4-5 pts Displays a high level of critical thought about others posts. Responses demonstrate that student has compared, contrasted, synthesized, evaluated, and/or applied content posted by others. ____/5 X2=

Consistently uses many of the following strategies as appropriate: Praising new ideas, asking clarifying questions, sharing new ideas and experiences, offering affirming statements, asking new questions, makes an oppositional statement supported by personal experience, facts or related research, contributing thoughts, ideas, insight and analysis. Total Points ____/10

A 9-10 pts; B 8 pts; C 7 pts; F Less than 7

Technology Requirements: You will need regular access to a computer and Internet service. See the specific technical requirements below.
Technical Requirements Component Operating System Internet Speed Component Word Processor Browser Required PC Windows XP, Vista, or 7* MAC OS 10.5 - 10.6* 56K modem with Internet Access Required Recommended PC Win XP* MAC OS 10.6* Cable or DSL

Microsoft Word (Word 2003 or earlier preferred) PC - Internet Explorer 7.0 - 8.0*, Firefox 3.5 - 3.6 Mac - Firefox 3.5 - 3.6 , Safari 4.0 - 5.0 Google's Chrome Browser is NOT supported * IE8 in compatibility mode The email account must accept attachments and blind copied emails. Java JRE plug-in (very important so that everything in the system works properly!) Microsoft Office Viewers (for viewing and printing Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Visio files) Adobe Acrobat Reader (for viewing and printing PDF files) Real Player (for viewing streaming video or listening to streaming audio clips) QuickTime (for viewing QuickTime video) Flash Player (for viewing animations or using interactive content) Shockwave Player (for viewing animations or using interactive content) Windows Media Player (for viewing streaming video or listening to streaming audio clips) Wimba Classroom and Voice Tools require students to have an inexpensive headset with microphone (approx $15). During the student tutorial, students will complete a wizard that checks their computer for all the components needed to participate in Wimba Classroom and use Voice Tools.

Email Address

Software (free downloads)

Peripherals

Meeting technical requirements is just a part of what you need to be successful in an online course. Additionally, you will need basic computer skills to be successful in this class, such as locating web sites, sending and receiving emails and attachments, and using word processing, spreadsheet and/or presentation software. Online learning is different from classroom learning in that you have much more responsibility for your own learning. You must be organized, self-motivated, and willing to challenge yourself. It's not for everyone.

READI--Readiness for Education At a Distance Indicator--is a web-based tool used by thousands of potential online students, like yourself, as an indicator of the degree to which distance learning will be a good fit for you. Upon completion of READISmarterMeasure, you will receive a score report which will not only help you understand your strengths and opportunities for improvement, but will also provide you with resources to help you succeed. Remember, this assessment is strictly for your benefit. Take the time to rate yourself honestly. READI - http://goml.readi.info/ Username: Teacher Password: Georgia Tech Support: If you are having technical problems (problems related to accessing course material, etc.) contact your instructor immediately. To prevent problems, back up everything and back it up often. There is heavy Internet usage in the evening between 8 and 10 PM. If you are having trouble getting your work done during these hours, you may want to log in at different times. You are responsible for submitting your work on time. You need to determine two backup places that you will go if your Internet access fails. For example, if you try to get on the Internet and you find your home access won't work, where will you go? Can you go to the local library? Friend's house? If you don't have a backup place to go, then you don't need to take this course. In other words, if your Internet fails, it may severely hinder your progress in this class. You are required to login to the course 3-4 times per week to check for announcements, e-mail messages, etc. My computer crashed is not an excuse for missing an assignment, just like I missed my bus is not an excuse for missing school. In case you experience technical difficulties or other emergencies, you must have another computer option available to use (school, library, friend, or neighbor). Copyright Statement: All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced, displayed, modified or distributed without the express prior written permission of the copyright holder. For permission, contact lmurdock@lyndonacademy.org. Materials used in this online course are developed by the author unless relevant citation is included identifying the original source. ADA Statement: The instructor provides accommodations for students with a current IEP or 504 Plan. To have accommodations implemented in an online class, the instructor must receive a current copy of the student's Accommodations page (must include both Supportive Aids and Services and Assessment Participation). As soon as this information is received, it will be reviewed and modifications that are applicable to the online environment will be implemented.