Grading will be on a 5 point scale. You will receive 1 point if you turn the exercise in on time.Thus, we highly recommend that you turn in your assignment each Friday. A second point will be awarded for the rough draft that shows significant editing and corrections. This need not be done by hand - two different drafts from a word processor is fine. You will not receive any credit for the assignment if it does not reach your TA by noon on Tuesday. However, if you are ill for an extended period of time, we will make arrangements for accepting late work. Note: if you are sick over the weekend or sick on Monday, contact us by phone or email. Go ahead and send in the work you did prior to becoming ill and we will give you partial credit.
Points also will be awarded for the quality of the written work as follows:
| 3
points |
The essay is well-organized at the paragraph level. Sentences are smooth and carefully crafted. There are virtually no errors in punctuation, spelling, grammar or usage. Words are chosen with precision. The essay sounds like it was written by a human being for another human being. The essay is tight, not wordy. The chemical content is first-rate in all regards. |
| 2
points |
The essay is well-organized, but the paragraph structure is sometimes disjointed or unclear. The essay may have a few awkward passages and some errors in punctuation, spelling, grammar or usage. At times, the language may be too general and it may lack the precision of a 3 point essay. None of these concerns, however, is glaring or highly distracting. The chemical content is correct, but perhaps not complete or relevant. |
| 1
point |
The essay is basically well-organized, though some paragraphs may be disunified or misplaced. Generally, though, the essay shows that the writer has followed a logical plan. The writing is competent but wordy, general or imprecise. Sentences may sometimes be constructed awkwardly, but their meaning is clear. Grammar, punctuation and spelling are not highly distracting, but there may be some errors. The chemical content may be inadequate or contain errors. |
| 0
points |
The essay is
poorly organized. Some parts may be so confused that their meaning is not
clear. Words may be imprecise, inappropriate, incorrect or vague. These
errors distract the reader. The chemical content contains errors and is
inadequate. |
|
|
NOTE: By the end of the semester, you will have completed 14 of these assignments, 5 from each of two categories and 4 from the third. Midway during the semester (before you leave for spring break), you will submit the first 7 portfolio assignments. Revise any one of them, and it will be regraded for 10 points. At the end of the semester, you will turn in the entire portfolio, again with one of your pieces revised.
Reflective Activities
The reflective activities allow you some choice. During the semester, you need to complete three of these. You may select from different categories or all from the same. The idea is to be self-reflective, that is, to take the time to think about something you are learning (or not learning) and write about it. These can include the following - feel free to suggest other activities of your own:
- Exam critique
Go back through a Chem 108 exam you took and reflect on your performance. What did you do well? What do you need to improve? Do you get the big picture? Are some of the details escaping you? How will you study differently next time? Did the test show what you knew? Did you get credit for some things that you didn't know (or did you lose points for things that you did know?). Feel free to pose your own questions.
- K, W & L for a chapter of the text
...what you Know, what you Want to learn, and what you actually Learned
This reflection applies to any chapter in Chemistry in Context. Note that it has three short parts - two that you write before you read the chapter and a third that you do afterward. Have your TA initial the draft of your first two parts.
- Personal Goals
When you get back an assignment, take time to reflect on your writing. First, identify 2 or more goals that you have for improving your writing. Then, three weeks later, use any of your written work to demonstrate the progress (or lack thereof) that you have made towards your goals. Again, have your TA initial and date the goals that you set.
- Personal Connections
Take time to reflect on what you are learning in this course and how it relates to other courses you are taking, your job, or something else in your life. Write about how you have used something in this course in your life. For example, you may see an article in the newspaper and say, "Oh, now I understand this!". Or perhaps you made a personal decision relating to something you have learned. Or perhaps another of your professors is talking about a related topic.
Course Point System
Points: 5 for each weekly writing assignment (Connections, On The Web, and Consider This) for a total of 75 points, 10 points for each reflection activity for a total of 30 points, 10 points for the mid-semester evaluation of your portfolio and 10 for the final evaluation.
Thus, there is a total of 125 points possible (about 15% of the total possible points).
| Quizzes |
150 points |
15 points/quiz |
| Hour exams |
300 points |
100 points/exam |
| Weekly writing work |
125 points |
10-15 points/week |
| Writing Projects |
100 points
|
|
| Final exam |
200 points |
|
| TOTAL |
875 points |
|
Grades are not assigned on a curve and you are not competing with your classmates for a grade. Please recognize that these point allocations for lab/quiz activities are estimates; if for some reason something extra is added or something does not take place, the scale will be adjusted appropriately.
At the end of the semester, each person's grade will be assigned as follows:
| A |
810-875 points |
| AB |
795-809 points |
| B |
720-794 points |
| BC |
700-719 points |
| C |
620-699 points |
| D |
580-619 points |
| F |
below 580 points |
Connections
Consider This
On the Web