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FAQ | Documents and Lectures

Frequently Asked Questions .:. Top

Q: My child is going to miss your class for a week next month.  How should she prepare for her absence so that she doesn't fall behind?
A: You could have them look in the syllabus and find out what the readings are, and have another student take good notes for them.  If there are are lectures for that unit that are in PowerPoint format, you can download them off of the  "Documents and Lectures" link from the page above this one.  

Q: What is the best way to contact the teachers?
A: Follow the "Contact" link from the page above this one.  It is more convenient for you to e-mail me with questions, but voicemail works as well.

Q: My child never seems to have any homework.  When I ask her, she say that there wasn't any assigned.  Is this true?
A: This is almost never true.  I assign problems from the book or from worksheets on a near daily basis.  They have a syllabus that tells them what to do EVERY DAY.  You could get your own copy of their syllabus if you follow the syllabus link at the top of this page.  When there is not homework assigned, there is sometimes lab write up work that could be done at home.  Some students do get their homework done in class, or during their releases.

Q: My child doesn't know when to turn things in, or what is going on in class.  He says you don't remind him to turn things in, and that it would help if you did.  Could you do this please?
A: They have a syllabus that tells them what to do every day.  I generally expect my students to follow this themselves as a way to prepare for college.  You could get your own copy of their syllabus if you follow the syllabus link at the top of this page, and then you could remind your child, or if there is a special need, contact me and I can provide the needed reminders.

Assignments and Syllabi .:. Documents and Lectures .:.Top
 

About .:. Up
Getting a Syllabus and other documents and lectures: The syllabi on the "Documents and Lectures" page are in html format, as well as in MS Word format for browsing.  For each class you can either click the Browse link and go to a folder that has the word documents in it, or you can click on the particular link for the syllabus you want.  They are in chronological order, starting at the beginning of the year, and they have the dates for the classes on them.  Ones that start after today's date will either come up missing, or have the wrong dates, as they are updated every year.  You will also see links to a folder containing all the handouts that we use, should you need to download and print something, as well as a link to the PowerPoint lectures that we use in class.  Use the Back button on your browser to return here.

Reading the Syllabus: Once you have a syllabus, notice that the date of the lesson is in the left hand column, what is happening in class is in the middle column, and the assignments due on that lesson are in the right hand column.     
    If it says "Check" that means I stamp their homework.  They receive a stamp for completing or putting forth a noble effort forth on all problems.  They are to check their own answers in the back of the book.  
    If it says "Turn In" that means to turn that particular assignment in on that day.  Note that homework from the book is turned in in sets consisting of homework from several days.      
    If it says "Read" it is referring to the reading from the book that corresponds to the lesson for that day.  This means several things:  1. Good students who have time should read the book readings.  They help.  2. Students who miss class or are struggling should definitely read the book.  It's not a page turner.  If I spend 90 minutes explaining one and a half pages from the book, it might even take longer than that to read it.

General Tips .:. Top

How your child can be successful in Physics:

1. By doing the homework the night after they have had class, while it is fresh in their minds.
2. By trying every problem.  Some are really hard, some are pretty routine.  They just need to try their best.  If they don't know where to begin on a problem, have them do anything.  Draw a picture of the problem, write down what they know.  Calculate the final velocity, even if the problem doesn't ask for that.
3. By taking notes, participating in class, and reading the book.
4. By not missing class, or reading the book and getting notes from someone if they do.
5. By getting help the moment they fall behind.  I have students that are eager to tutor young hungry minds.

Physics is a very sequential topic.  That means that if they don't understand topic A of A, B then C, they don't really have a prayer of understanding B or C or D or E.  Most of my advice is in the category of "Don't wait until the last moment" and "Don't get behind"