Honors Science 8

Honors Science 8 students are included in the regular classroom. Honors Science 8 follows the same course outline as Science 8. Honors students are required to do "Level 3" work on all assignments, and they are required to do one "Honors Project" each quarter.

Differentiation means providing different tasks and expectations to different people.  Equality in this class means equal opportunity for everyone to learn at his or her own level of personal challenge.  Some students struggle with certain aspects of learning and excel at others.  By providing opportunities for extra help or for extensions or enrichments, each student should be able to learn at their appropriate level for that activity, assignment, or unit.  The expectation for ALL students is that they will choose the level that challenges them to learn, and is not too easy or too difficult.

There are five elements that can be differentiated:

• Content – the standards and objectives that are being taught
• Process – the methods used to learn the material (reading, writing, experiments, research, etc.)
• Product – what is handed in; how knowledge and understanding are communicated at the end of the activity, assignment, or unit
• Environment – where students work, who they work with, how much time they have, etc.
• Assessment – the way tests are given, rubrics or scoring guides modified, etc.

In general, the three levels will challenge the way you think about and process the material.  Most of the time they will fall into these categories:

• Level One – Knowledge and comprehension:  demonstrate basic understanding of concepts and curriculum; follow directions.
• Level Two – Application and analysis: transfer knowledge learned in one situation to another; understand how parts relate to a whole; explain data.
• Level Three – Evaluation and synthesis: Support judgment with data or evidence; create new techniques or tools; critique and defend decisions.

Not every assignment will have a choice of levels.  On those assignments that have levels, students will be allowed to select the level appropriate for them.  A student who struggles with reading may opt for Level One on a chapter reading assignment, and then select Level Three for a lab.  Most students will probably choose Level Two most of the time.  If a student is enrolled in the Honors section of Science 8, then they must satisfactorily complete Level Three at least 90% of the time to receive an “A” in Honors Science.

If you start out with a certain level on an assignment and want to switch levels, most of the time that will be OK, as long as you are completing the assignments on time and to the best of your ability.  If you consistently finish early, you are probably choosing too easy a level, and the teacher will ask you to challenge yourself by completing a higher level.

Grades will be determined by the quality of work you do on the level that you select. Therefore, someone who selects Level One can still earn an “A” on the assignment since the grades reflect understanding of the science standards, and this can be accomplished with most Level One assignments.  Occasionally, there may be assignments where completing Level One will only earn a “C” grade, but these will be clearly communicated ahead of time and will be determined by the level of understanding expected in the science standards.  The important thing to remember is that school is a place for you to learn as much as you can in the time we have together.  Real learning is forward progress from what you know to what you don’t yet know.  It takes effort to really learn.  Don’t cheat yourself out of a good education by taking the easy way out.  Honor the differences in each other.  Challenge yourself.