“COLLEGE PREP”: Cordis is a college preparatory program. What exactly does that mean? Here is how the teachers of this Cordis understand and implement “College Prep.” First, we hold our students to high standards of responsibility, organization, neatness, and personal academic growth. We expect students to meet deadlines and produce high quality work to the best of their ability. Second, we require students to follow specific guidelines for homework and writing assignments that resemble those used by many colleges (see HOMEWORK and MLA STANDARDS below). Third, we introduce students to “real” material; primary sources (see the section defining and explaining the use of PRIMARY SOURCES below), great Classic literature, hands-on science experiments including dissection, et cetera. Rather than “dumbing down” material to (or below) students’ perceived level of achievement, we enable students to grow up into the knowledge and wisdom necessary for interacting with an education more like that our ancestors received in the great institutions of the 17th and 18th centuries—and the 4th century BC. Finally, we teach students to think. In addition to the memorization of facts, names, and dates, the writing of basic essays, the completion of math worksheets, and so on, we also provide them with a stimulating, secure, Christian environment in which to ask questions, discuss, debate, and look further into the assumptions behind the various books and worldviews they encounter. They are expected to develop and express opinions in their writing, rather than simply to regurgitate disconnected minutiae. We desire to direct each student in the shaping of his or her own holistic worldview, one that sees the causal links between historical events, works of art and literature, Biblical truth, and his or her own life. In short, we desire to prepare them both intellectually and spiritual for the studies, concepts, and people they may encounter in college and thereafter.
COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS: Microsoft 2000, XP, or Vista; Microsoft Office suite including Microsoft Word; access to Internet (preferably high-speed); printer.
HOMEWORK: All assignments in all classes will be due at the start of each class. Students will be allowed four “late assignments” for the year. These late assignments will be due a week after the assignment is due. Assignments will not be accepted after this time and student will receive a zero. Students are welcome to study together, but each student must complete his own work. E-mailing homework to instructors is prohibited.
Students should plan to spend from two to three hours each day on eachsubject; i.e., in each eight-hour school day outside of MAFA/Cordis (Monday, Tuesday, and Friday), each student should allot two to three hours each for History, Language Arts, Math, and Science. Some students will need to spend time studying on Saturdays; others will finish in a shorter time. Teachers are available to assist with time management and logbook keeping.
Students in grades seven and up must type all writing assignments. Please see MLA STANDARDS below for further information regarding typed assignments.
Students in fifth and sixth grades of Cordis Academy will be required to write all literature assignments in cursive handwriting. Cursive handwriting will be studied in class and will also be required homework throughout the year. Proficiency in this area is important and required for all students. Students in fifth and sixth grades must also follow MLA STANDARDS found below for all typed homework assignments.
Students attending the Cordis Academy will be given a log book where they will list their assignments for the remainder of the week. A fee of $12.00 will be charged for the replacement of this log book.
MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION (MLA) STANDARDS: Here are the MLA standards for typed assignments:
- Use white, 8 ˝ X 11 inch paper.
- Print on one side of the paper.
- Chose a standard, easily readable font, and use 12-point font size.
- Leave one-inch margins all around the text—top, bottom, and both sides.
- Do not justify the lines of your paper at the right margin.
- Indent the first word of a paragraph ˝ an inch from the left margin.
- Indent block quotes one inch from the left margin
- Double-space everything.
- Use one space (not two) after each period.
-
Use the following heading format at the top left-hand side of the page, flush with the margin
--Name (first and last):
--Instructor’s name (Mrs. So-and-so)
--Course title (i.e., History II)
--The date (due date)
- The title of the paper or identification of the assignment (i.e., Book Report on A Tale of Two Cities) should be centered, in plain font (not underlined, bolded, or italics, except for titles contained within it), only one double-space (not two) below the date.
- For papers longer than one page, use a header with your last name and the page number on the upper right-hand corner.
PLAGIARISM: The Oxford English Dictionary says that plagiarism is taking someone else’s work or idea and passing it off as your own. This can be done intentionally or accidentally; either way, it is wrong. There are many different types of plagiarism, so you need to be careful to avoid it when writing papers.
Deciding if something is "Common Knowledge": Material is probably common knowledge if . . .
- You find the same information undocumented in at least five other sources
- You think it is information that your readers will already know
- You think a person could easily find the information with general reference sources
How do you avoid plagiarism?
-
Proofread and check with your notes (or photocopies of sources) to make sure that anything taken from your notes is acknowledged in some combination of the ways listed below (your teachers may specify which method they want you to use):
o In-text citation
o Footnotes
o Bibliography
o Quotation marks
- Cite the source for every fact that you learned from someone/somewhere else, even if you do not quote that person or source exactly.
- Be careful when working with a classmate or a parent. Do not put in someone else’s ideas or words as if they are your own. You may share thoughts with each other, but do not write each other’s papers.
- Begin a summary with a statement giving credit to the source, such as: According to Jonathan Kozol...
- Put any unique words or phrases that you cannot change, or do not want to change, in quotation marks, then cite the source: ..."savage inequalities" exist throughout our educational system (Kozol).
- Double check to make sure that your words and sentence structures are different than the original text, but still tell where the thoughts and ideas came from.
(This plagiarism information comes from: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_plagiar.html)
Consequences for plagiarism:
If you are caught plagiarizing, you will receive no credit for the paper or project. Repeated incidents of intentional plagiarism may result in a failure for the class. You may use other people’s information; just remember to cite sources!
RATIONALE FOR USING PRIMARY SOURCES: For years, historians and other educators have understood the value of primary sources in K-12 education. A primary source in literature is one that was written in the time period; in other words, any text (play, poem, novel, etc.) written between 1750 and 1830 is a primary source for our Classical period. In history, a primary source is identified by its proximity to the event on which it is reporting. Letters, journal entries, eyewitness accounts, trial and speech transcripts, and other first-hand documents as well as photographs and artifacts from the time period provide excellent evidence about historical events and their contemporary reception. Two key reasons for including primary sources in the curriculum are:
- Primary sources expose students to multiple perspectives on great issues of the past and present. History, after all, deals with matters that were furiously debated by the participants. Interpretations of the past are furiously debated as well, among historians, policy makers, politicians, and ordinary citizens. By working with primary sources, students can become involved in these debates.
- Primary sources help students develop knowledge, skills, and analytical abilities. By dealing directly with primary sources, students engage in asking questions, thinking critically, making intelligent inferences, and developing reasoned explanations and interpretations of events and issues in the past and present.
- In the study of history, we must find our information and evidence somewhere. Generally, schools use textbooks—which are secondary sources—to impart historical facts. While secondary sources can be an accurate record of events, nothing imparts best the events, feelings and personas of history than those who actually lived it! Even historians with the best intentions cannot help but have a viewpoint and angle when reporting history. Each historian leaves his mark on his work, whether consciously or unconsciously. Primary sources give the most accurate reporting of an event as they are recorded from a first-hand viewpoint.
- Not only do we get the most accurate view of the time period through primary sources, we are more apt to remember what we learn as a result of the unique source we use. Nothing can convey the sentiments Martin Luther King Jr. felt when he spoke the words, “I have a dream…” better than the speech itself. Indeed, many have tried and failed to do so.
- Finally, primary sources also allow us to form our own opinions about the past that are based on historical fact, not on another’s opinion from a secondary source. When we are able to dissect history from the vantage point of those who were there, we are best equipped to judge, analyze and evaluate. Historical education from primary sources enables and challenges young minds to think critically and evaluate each piece of information for truth and understanding.
(Above information edited from http://learning.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/fw.html)
RESOURCES FOR LITERATURE: In Language Arts we will be reading many primary sources—works that were written during our time period. Since the writing style, vocabulary, forms, and traditions of many of these works are unfamiliar to Twenty-First century Americans, your students may need help navigating through these texts. You are encouraged to let them use any and all of the following resources in addition to reading the primary text itself.
- Modern paraphrases
- Books on tape
- Books as PodCasts
- Cliff notes
- Spark notes
- Online Study Guides
- Movie versions of books, especially of historical novels
Remember, these resources are not to be used as substitutes for the actual text. They may only be consulted if your students read the books/poems themselves as well, preferably before consulting secondary resources. (Cordis literature reading list attached.)
RUBRICS: A rubric is a set of instructions or guidelines to be used by the student as a checklist of requirements and the teacher for determining the grade on a piece of work. It lists the teacher’s expectations for and analysis of the student’s performance in several categories. We indicate, by means of decimals, precisely what level a student has reached in each category so that students and parents can determine exactly what areas need improvement.
Many academic institutions use rubrics; however, the evaluation system at Cordis has one noticeable difference. Instead of giving letter grades, such as A+, B, C-, etc. we use a system of points that correspond to titles expressive of a student’s level of mastery of the material. These names are taken from the Medieval system of Guilds, in which a young person worked with an expert until he gained expertise and was capable of producing a “Masterpiece.” A student who earns a 1 is considered a “Novice”; he is just being introduced to the material; he is a beginning. The next level, at 2 points, is called “Apprentice.” This is the level that young students should be achieving; it shows that they are just beginning to understand and interact with the knowledge presented to them at a low level. This is a fine place to be; but no student should stay here for too long, just as no young man remained in an apprenticeship into adulthood. Three points indicates a “Journeyman” level, the stage at which a young person is capable of producing good work and shows competent knowledge. Four is the highest possible score in any category; we call this level “Master.” At this point, a student becomes his own teacher, fully understanding the material and learning how to produce his own original work. Student will be given a participation rubric as well as rubrics from each subject as needed.
Tests, as well as some quizzes and homework at the teacher’s discretion, will be graded using percentages (i.e., 85% out of 100%).
TESTS: Here are the guidelines for assessments that are taken at home:
- All take home tests must be taken in the presence of a parent
- Students may ask parents only questions regarding the test and parents must respond with leading questions that help students approach the problem in a correct way
- Student may use the following helps:
- Math: tool kit sheets
- Science: formulas
- History: class notes only when permission given
- Language Arts: all assigned texts (plays, novels, poems, etc.); timeline; literary terms sheet; themes sheet; study guides. Parents should encourage their students to arrange all texts in order within easy reach before beginning the assessment.
- Although students may study with other students as review before a test, and may ask their parents questions while taking the test, the work on the test must be the student’s own
- After the test is taken, a parent should seal the test in an envelope and write his/her signature over the seal of the envelope.
- A parent’s signature certifies that the above conditions were met.
PROGRESS REPORTS
Progress reports for each student will be sent to the parents after the conclusion of each quarter; i.e., every eight weeks. These will delineate the student’s level of achievement in each area of each class (with either a decimal on the 4-point scale or a percentage on a 100%-scale; see RUBRICS above). At the end of the year, it is the parent’s responsibility to average these together to come up with a final grade point average to show the evaluator. Teachers are available for consultation on the determining of the final grade.
|
