Syllabus, Policies & Classroom Expectations

Syllabus

Policies & Classroom Expectations

Welcome!

Welcome to Mr. Bigler's class!

Physics will be fun, and probably different from most of the other classes and teachers you're used to.

"Is this class hard?"

Yes.

Physics will probably be one of your favorite classes, but physics is hard for several reasons. You need to use algebra, geometry and trigonometry—not just to get the right answers when someone gives you the equation, but to be able to figure out which equation(s) to use, visualize what the equations mean, how each variable relates to the others, where the equation is going, and to be able to follow it in your head to see the answer. If you struggle with any part of this process, then physics will be a struggle all year.

"How can I survive this class if it's so hard?"

Do as much of the homework as you can. Always. Start by doing as much as you can by yourself. Then get help or work with other students. Once you can do a problem with help, cover up the solution and do it again by yourself. Keep doing this until you succeed.

If you can't complete a problem, at least make sure you start it. Set up the equations and leave space. Pay attention when we go over the homework and ask questions! If you still don't understand, come in for extra help as soon as you can, because the next assignment will probably build on it.

Don't copy from other students or the internet; get your friends to teach you how they got the answer. If you use the internet, don't just write down the solutions and assume that you can study by looking at them later. You can't learn to play a sport or a musical instrument by watching someone else do it. You can't learn physics that way either.

Don't panic! Even if you get low grades on a quiz or test, you can get extra help and do retakes until you are satisfied with your final grade. The key to doing this with as little stress as possible is to keep up with the homework and get the extra help as soon as you need it. Over all of my teaching career, 98% of my students pass the course, and the only students who end up failing are the ones who don't come to class and don't try.

Arriving in Class

Attendance

There is a magnetic board with an attendance list on the closet just inside the door. Slide the magnet by your name to "present" when you enter the room. (Please don't mark other students "present" unless they are physically in the room.) In addition to marking yourself present you can place one of the following "special" colored magnets next to your name:

• A red magnet means "please check with Mr. Bigler". This works both ways.
  • If there is already a red magnet next to your name, it means you should check in with me (probably because I have something I need to give you or ask you about).
  • If you place a red magnet next to your name, it means you want me to check in with you. You might do this if it's your birthday and you want me to light you on fire.
• A yellow magnet means "Please read my check-in submission before the end of class." I ask that all students fill out a daily check-in to let me know how you're doing. Normally, I read them during my planning period or at the end of the day, but you can use a yellow magnet to ask me to read it while you're still in class.
• A clear magnet means "please ghost me&emdash;I need to be left alone as much as possible". If you place a clear magnet next to your name, I will do my best to avoid interacting with you unless it's necessary. (Please don't use a clear magnet every day—talk with me about how much interaction should be normal, and only use a clear magnet when you need to be left alone more than usual.)

Phones

LPS policy requires that students' phones be silenced and inaccessible during classes and in the corridors. There are pouches to the left of the attendance board. After you have marked your attendance, look at the number to the left of your name, and place your phone in the pouch with the same number. Note that the list is alphabetical by last name; the numbers may change if a student is added to or dropped from the class.

If you need to charge your phone, you may plug it in at the charging station instead of using one of the pouches.

Having your phone out and in use during class is grounds for a teacher detention (after school with me) or an office referral.

Leaving Temporarily During Class

If you need to leave the room for any reason during class, get a pass, sign out, and move your magnet to the appropriate column before you leave. (Remember to move your magnet back to "present" when you return.)

Note that you must leave your phone in the pouch in the classroom unless you will be gone longer than the end of the period and will not be returning to the room.

Bring to Class

• Something to write with.
• Some way to take notes. (Notebook, paper, etc.)
• Completed homework assignments.
• Your computer.
• Your Physics Reference Tables
• A folder or binder to keep worksheets, handouts, etc.
• A handheld scientific or graphing calculator that can handle exponents, trigonometry, and scientific notation. If you don't already have a calculator, a TI-30, which costs about $12, is sufficient. There are scientific calculators in the classroom that you can use during class.
  Note that school policy prohibits you from using your phone during class, including the calculator app. You may use a computer app such as Desmos on your school computer for classwork, but you may not use your computer for tests.
• Your brain!

Procedures

• Update the attendance board whenever you arrive in or leave the room (except when class is over).
• Pick up handouts, if any, from the front of the room.
• Sit in your assigned seat. Especially at the beginning of the year, it is easier for me to learn your name if you always sit in the same place. If you need to change your seat please ask and make sure I note the change. This will also ensure that I don't accidentally mark someone else present, give them credit for your work, etc.
• Get up out of your seat (without asking) when you need to, as long as you are non-disruptive about it. (E.g., to sharpen a pencil, get a tissue, wash your hands, get a drink, move to the front of the room when we go over a homework problem you had trouble with, or move back to your seat so someone else can move to the front.)
• If you were absent, find out what you missed by checking Schoology, checking with classmates, and/or checking with me.
• If you miss a quiz or test, arrange to make it up as soon as you can. Quizzes or tests that are not made up within two school days of your return will be marked as a zero for the first attempt, and you will take them as a retake.
• Be present! Participate! Ask questions! Volunteer for demos! Take part in discussions! Respond to questions! You will learn much better if you do these things.
• Take detailed notes on how to solve problems (not just the answers!) as we go over them.
• Complete and turn in any late work as soon as you can, because it's likely that the next topic will build on the current one.
• If you are confused, wave a "white flag of surrender" (piece of paper) to show that you're lost. This tells me exactly where we were so I can come back to the same point to clarify.
• Use the ASL "toilet" sign (the letter "T" doing the "potty dance") for bathroom requests, so you don't interrupt the discussion.
  

Behavior

• Let students learn! Be quiet and avoid doing anything that might disrupt the class or distract others from learning. It won't hurt me if you don't pay attention, but I can't let you prevent your classmates from being able to do well in the class. (This is one of my hot buttons.)
• Avoid doing anything I have just asked you or someone else not to do or to stop doing.
• Avoid asking to go the bathroom during the first 5 minutes or the last 5 minutes of class. This should be a non-issue because the bathrooms will be closed during those times anyway.
• Note that looking at or using your phone during a quiz or test will be considered cheating, and will result in consequences for cheating in addition to consequences for unauthorized use of your phone.
  If you want a copy of what's on the SMART board, ask me to take a screenshot of it and send it to you.
  If you need to take a picture or video of something during class, I have several cameras for student use. Borrow one and ask for a copy of the the picture(s) or video(s).
• Do not lie, cheat, steal, or antagonize your classmates (or me). If I catch you cheating (including using your phone) or plagiarizing, you will receive a grade of zero and a comment about cheating on the assignment/assessment in Schoology and/or PowerSchool.
• Do not leave trash (including food, food wrappers and gum) anywhere in the room other than the wastebasket. This includes drawers, sinks, cabinets, cubbies, under desks, on the floor, etc. The school has mice and cockroaches, and we don't want to feed either of them! (It's always OK to get out of your seat to throw something away whether or not you were supposed to have it in class.)
• Do not spend class time arguing with me about grades, etc. If you want to argue or debate, you are welcome to do so after school; I usually enjoy a good argument and I won't take it personally.
• Wear your LEHS ID on its lanyard around your neck. The only exception is that you may take your ID off to participate in certain lab activities and demonstrations where your ID could catch on something, such as the bed of nails.
• Be quiet whenever there is an announcement over the PA system. Even if the announcement doesn't apply to you, someone else in the room (including me) likely needs to hear it. If your class drowns out an announcement, I may find out what the announcement was and ask you about it in a pop quiz the next time we have class.
• Follow my one lab safety rule: "Don't do anything stupid." For each experiment or activity, I will make sure you know what the potential dangers are and how to keep yourself and everyone else safe.
• Always work in a safe, sensible manner. Follow instructions and ask proactively about anything you are unsure of. Above all exercise common sense! I recommend that you read the Flinn Scientific Lab Safety Contract because it contains a wealth of information about potential dangers and how to avoid them.
• Wear approved (by me) eye protection when instructed. Experiments that require eye protection may include working with projectiles, liquids, powdered solids, heat, pressure, or glassware.
• If I ask (or tell) you to do something, please acknowledge the request, do your best to comply, and save questions for afterwards. I am always happy to explain why I want you to do something, but I may not have the time to explain until later.
• I really dislike giving consequences. Any time I try to talk you out of one, I am trying to do you a favor. Please take me up on it. If you're struggling to de-escalate, use the ASL sign for "pause" (see below) and ask me to give you space for a few minutes.
• Do not put Kleenex Anti-Viral tissues in your mouth to find out if they taste like lemons.

School Security

In the event of a situation that requires increased security, it is important for everyone to be quiet so that announcements can be heard, and to follow instructions.

Medical Hold

• A medical hold is called when a person needs medical assistance. The purpose is to give first responders uninterrupted access to the area and person in need, while also addressing the person's HIPPA (privacy) concerns.
• When a medical hold is called, staff & students should stay in place until further notification. Classes and activities may continue as usual. However, all hallways must remain clear. Exit and entry to and from the building should be limited, and only done when necessary.

Shelter in Place

• A shelter in place is initiated when students and staff need to be inside the building for protection from outside dangers or for unsafe conditions in the immediate vicinity of the school, such as weather, flood, fire, or police presence in the area.
• It may also be initiated when there is an unsafe situation in an isolated area of the school campus, and movement needs to be controlled until the situation has been resolved.
• Students and staff are moved to classrooms or remain in classrooms, if already there. Normal classroom activities continue. Necessary movement can occur within a building, and the front office is unlocked and open for anyone seeking shelter.

Secure and Hold

• Secure and Hold means no one is allowed to enter or leave the building, with the exception of law enforcement or emergency personnel.
• This procedure should be used when it is desirable to secure the school due to an elevated risk that is occurring off the school property, but in close proximity to the campus.
• It may also be initiated when there is an unsafe situation in an isolated area of the school campus and movement needs to be controlled until the situation has been resolved.
• Students and staff are moved to classrooms or remain in classrooms if already there.
• If it is safe to do so, normal classroom activities may continue until an announcement is made that the incident has ended.

Lockdown

• A lockdown is initiated when there may be an immediate threat or hazard near or on the school campus.
• Students and staff are moved to classrooms or remain in classrooms, if already there. Each teacher should make sure the classroom door is locked. The door may be locked using the A1 key ("lockdown key") to lock any classroom door (in any school in the district) from the inside.
• Doors and windows should be locked, and shades drawn. Students should sit away from view of doors or windows. All classroom activities cease, and everyone is silent until the incident concludes. (Phone ringers should be silenced.) During a lockdown, the office will be closed, and phones will not be answered.
• If possible, Mr. Bigler will set up a webcam to monitor the hallway outside the classroom door, and will display the video on the SMART board.
• Students who wish to defend against an attacker may arm themselves with the metal poles at the lab tables.
• If the fire alarm goes off during a lockdown, everyone must ignore the alarm and remain in the room, unless there is evidence of an actual fire.

Evacuation

• Evacuations are primarily initiated by a circumstance that determines that being outside a building would be a safer alternative than remaining inside during a particular event (such as a fire).
• The purpose of an evacuation is to quickly get students and staff out of the building by a route designed to avoid contact with a potential threat, generally avoiding the location of a known threat inside the building, such as a fire, suspicious package, a threatening person in a specific confined area, or a hazardous material spill.
• In the event of an evacuation, turn left out of the classroom door and go down the stairs. Gather at our meeting spot, which is next to the large tree just outside door A1.
• Check in with Mr. Bigler once you reach the meeting spot. Teachers are required to have a class roster and daily attendance with them during an evacuation so they can report any missing students immediately to school administration.

Grades

Grading is based on a total points system. Typical point values for assignments and assessments are as follows:

*See additional details on retakes and rewrites below.

Note that some assignments and assessments may be worth different amounts of points from those listed above, depending on how significant they are.

Grades are based on a point system and are calculated by Schoology. It is your responsibility to check your grades frequently, either in Schoology or by asking me. If you believe that your grade was calculated incorrectly, it is your responsibility to bring it to my attention. I will check the calculation and adjust your grade if appropriate.

Progress report and report grades are exported from Schoology to PowerSchool. These grades should match, and I will manually adjust grades in PowerSchool if necessary. If they don't match, please let me know ASAP!

Homework

In general, expect some homework most days, but I don't want to drown you in it. Taking notes on reading or videos should take a maximum of 15-20 minutes. Problem sets should take no more than 45 minutes to an hour of focused time to complete. (Note that "focused time" means without distractions such as Instagram or SnapChat. If you are distracted, expect to spend much longer!) If you spend that much time on a problem set, you may stop at that point even if you are not finished.

• Must-Do problems (also known as "stamp problems" or "required problems"): In order to get credit for these, you must have a mini-conference in which you show them to me and I make sure the work is fully complete and correct. If I'm not sure that you understand a problem, I may ask you to explain it. If there is something wrong with one of the stamp problems, I will tell you what's wrong and send you back to your seat to fix it. Once the problem is complete and fully correct and you have explained it satisfactorally, I will stamp it with my "awesome possum" stamp. Must-Do credit is all or nothing. You must have stamps for every one of the "Must-Do" problems in order to receive credit for the assignment.
• Should-Do problems (also known as "recommended problems"): I check these only for completeness. You can show them to me in a mini-conference or submit them in Schoology. All Should-Do problems are fair game for test questions. Credit is not available for Should-Do problems after the test on the unit that they are related to.
• Aspire-to-Do problems (also known as "bragging rights problems"): These are more challenging problems than I expect most students to be able to do, and will not appear on tests. However, if you expect to study engineering, physics, or any other "hard" science in college, you should make sure you can do the "Aspire-to-Do" problems.

Except for extraordinary circumstances (usually involving a directive from a vice principal or guidance counselor), late homework will not be accepted after grades have closed for the quarter.

Late Tests & Major Assignments

If you are absent for a test, you must make it up within two school days of your return to school (whether we have class those days or not). After that, if you have not made a different arrangement with me, the test will be scored as missing (grade of zero), and your test will count as a retake when you take it. (Maximum grade 90%.)

If you decline to take a test on the day it is given (without prior notice), you must take it on the next day that we have class. After that, the test will be scored as missing (grade of zero), and your test will count as a retake when you take it. (Maximum grade 90%.)

For lab reports and other major assignments, a late penalty of 2% per school day is deducted for the first 10 school days (2 weeks). After that, the maximum grade remains at 80% until the last two weeks of the quarter. During the last two weeks of the quarter, an additional 2% per school day is deducted; this means that a lab report that is turned in on the last day of the quarter is worth a maximum of 60%.

If you started a test but did not finish, you must finish it after school or during the next day that we have class. After that, I will grade what you completed. (You will, of course, be eligible for a retake.)

Cheating and Plagiarism

Cheating on an assessment (test, quiz, etc.) or plagiarizing all or part of a lab report or major paper will result in a grade of zero. This includes papers generated by AI. The first time this happens, you may re-take the test or re-submit the assignment, for a maximum of 75% of the original credit. (This 75% maximum will be applied to any subsequent retakes or rewrites for that assignment/assessment.) If it happens a second (or subsequent) time, zero credit will be given and you will not have an opportunity to make up the assignment or assessment.

All instances of cheating or plagiarism will be written up as a disciplinary referral (so that it will be noted in your file) and noted in the "Comments" section of the assignment in Schoology and/or PowerSchool. The comment will remain even after the assignment is made up.

Cheating may include (but is not limited to):

• Copying from someone else. (If there are multiple versions of a quiz or test and your responses include numbers that were on another version but not on yours, that is considered evidence that you copied.)
• Use of unauthorized materials or sources, such as the internet during a quiz or test (unless explicitly permitted).
• Use of phones, "smart watches", or other unauthorized electronic devices during a quiz or test, regardless of the reason you were using them.
• Discussing or sharing information about a quiz or test with other students who have not finished it yet.

Plagiarism may include (but is not limited to):

• Presenting any information that is either copied or paraphrased from another source (including a classmate or AI) without an appropriate citation.
• Knowingly allowing someone else to present your information as their own without citing you as the author. (If this happens, it's like a DUI. You are assumed to be guilty until/unless you convince me otherwise.)
• Lending or giving your work to someone else who subsequently copies all or part of it and presents it as their own, with or without your knowledge or consent.
• Note that copying someone else's work and changing some of the words is still plagiarism, because plagiarism refers to the content (ideas), not the specific wording. If you copy someone's paper and change a few of the words, all that does is prove that you copied with intent, and I will not be lenient about applying the penalties!

This means that you must always cite your sources. You must do this even if the authors have given you permission to copy their works, placed them under a Creative Commons or similar license, or placed them in the public domain. E.g., if you copy your friend's paper and turn it in with your name on it, with or without permission, you and your friend are both guilty of plagiarism, and you will each receive the same consequence. (For example, Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream is no longer under copyright. This means that I do not need permission to put excerpts from the play in anything I write. However, because I did not write it, I still need to include a citation that attributes the work to William Shakespeare.)

This also means that you should not give a copy of your paper to a friend. The phrase "I just want to see how you did it." is always a lie. Despite promises to the contrary, the person you lend it to will end up turning it in as their own work and you will both receive the consequences for plagiarism. If they ask, feel free to show them on your computer and explain what you did, but do not give them a copy.

Retakes & Rewrites

If you are unhappy with your grade on a quiz or test, you can do a retake, which will contain similar but not identical questions. You get to keep the better score, up to a maximum grade of 90%. All of the "Must Do" problems (stamp problems) from a unit must be turned in in order for you be eligible for a retake. (This is for your benefit. Students who do badly on tests usually do so because they have not done the homework. Students who retake tests without completing the homework usually get the same grade on the retake.

If you left something important out of a lab report or other major assignment, write the addendum on separate paper and re-submit both the graded original (with the graded rubric sheet, if there is one) and the addendum. I will add the difference in credit between the original and the rewrite, up to a maximum overall grade of 90% for the assignment.

Note, however, that any late penalties or plagiarism penalties still apply, and lower the maximum grade on a rewrite or retake.

Extra Credit

Extra credit points are called "up quarks." Each "up quark" adds ¼ point to your final grade for the quarter, up to a maximum of 3 points in a quarter.

You can earn "up quarks" by:

• impressing me (in a good way) during class
• coming in for extra help and working on physics for at least 20 minutes except for:
  • retakes, because they already bring up your grade
  • coming in for extra help when you have detention, because you are already being rewarded by being in a more pleasant place than the detention room
• bringing in something for the "brag board"

Note that because there are ample opportunities to re-take tests, re-submit lab writeups, and and turn in missing homework late for partial credit, I do not give extra credit assignments.

Extensions, Etc.

If you need an extension on an assignment or for a test, please ask in advance (unless something unexpected comes up that makes this impossible). I will usually say "yes" to any reasonable request.

Absences

If you need to be absent from school, check Schoology for assignments so you can stay caught up. When you return, check with your classmates and/or me to make sure you know about everything you missed. You need to make up any missing assignments, tests, etc. within one week unless you make a different arrangement with me.

If you are absent or unable to do schoolwork for an extended period of time, talk to me. We can work out a reduced workload so you can catch up on concepts and understanding without getting buried in work.

Extra Help and Communication

I am available for extra help most Mondays and Thursdays after school. I am generally not available on Tuesdays (when the Science Team meets or has a competition) and Fridays (when the RPG Club meets). Also, I am not available any other time I am required to attend meetings. If you plan to meet with me after school (from 2:30 until about 3:30-4:00pm) for extra help, please check with me during the day to make sure I can actually be there.

I can often be available to meet over Zoom outside of school hours. Talk to me if you need to schedule an appointment.

The best way to communicate with me outside of school is by email, by a message in Schoology, or via Discord.

Please make sure to tell me anything you want me to know. You'll find me to be friendly, patient and understanding, but I can only help you if I knows that you need something. Even if you have an IEP or Section 504 accommodation that I should already be aware of, mistakes and omissions sometimes happen—it's always safest to talk with me specifically. Remember that throughout your life, you will always be your own best advocate. If you don't stand up for what you need, who will?

Finally, please be aware that your well-being is far more important to me than physics . If it appears to me that something might be wrong or bothering you, I will check in discreetly. This is an invitation to talk with me to whatever extent you're comfortable, and an opportunity for me to offer whatever help I can (including but not limited to flexibility around deadlines). I won't feel slighted if you don't want to talk to me or you don't want his help, but please do let me know if there is anything I can do.

Post Script

Do you talk like this in class?

Yes, and usually way too fast. Feel free to ask me to slow down as often as you need to.