How to Succeed in Independent Study

1. How to Succeed inIndependent Study La Entrada High School Student Orientation 2015-2016

2. The Student Handbook Newly updated this year. Have a question? The answer is in there! • How do I…? • Where can I …? • How many credits does it take to go to…? • And much, much, more!

3. Where do I get these forms, and how do I fill them out?

4. State and DistrictTesting Requirements REQUIRED OPTIONAL

5. Accelerating Your Program All acceleration must be approved by the principal. How do I accelerate my program, graduate early or make up credits? Take an ROP classes. (10 credits per semester) Take concurrent high school classes (up to 10 credits per semester) Take community college classes (up to 6 credits per semester) Take online college courses (up to 6 credits per semester) Complete additional PE hours (up to 10 credits per semester) Complete additional Community Service (up to 10 credits in 4 years) Can I double-up on my weekly work to speed things up? No. In order to receive the full benefit of La Entrada’s courses, students should be spending 30 hours per week reading, completing the required work, and studying for the test. This rigorous schedule does not allow time for two courses.

6. Code of Conduct • Students should be well-skilled, on grade level, self motivated and have circumstances that make an alternative, independent study format an appropriate program to make progress toward earning a high school diploma. • My enrollment at La Entrada is continuously voluntary on my part and must be continuously approved by the principal. • I understand that I must complete and turn in my coursework each week and meet with my teacher. • I understand that I must meet with my teacher once per week at a scheduled time. • I understand that there is no such thing as an “excused” absence in the independent study format. If I miss my weekly appointment, my grade may be reduced by 20%, and I will be required to meet with my teacher by Friday at 9:00 am to grade my work and take tests.

7. Code of Conduct I understand that in the event I will miss class due to illness, my parent must call the office. Parents are required to meet with my teacher and pick up my assignments during the time of my appointment. If I miss my appointment two times in a semester, or do not have completed and acceptable work to turn in, or am not making adequate progress toward graduation, a conference will be held, and I may be dropped from La Entrada and returned to my school of residence. I understand I must attend the required direct instruction classes. I may, with approval, take 1 or 2 concurrent classes per semester at my resident school. I may earn up to 10 credits per semester through the ROP program. I may enroll in up to 6 college units per semester at a Community College.

8. Code of Conduct I realize I will need to earn 5 credits (60 hours) in Community Service and cannot accumulate more than 10 credits during my 4 years. I realize I must get the principal’s prior approval before each semester and summer school for Community Service, Online Classes, Independent Study PE, and Independent Study Electives. I understand that 60 hours of PE is required each semester. I realize that I will need to schedule at least four hours per school day for studying and completing my work. I realize my dress and conduct must be appropriate for school. I understand that this is a tobacco free campus. Smoking is not allowed anywhere on campus, including the parking lot.

9. Code of Conduct I realize that I may have a cell phone on campus, but it must be turned off at all times. I understand the initial credit-check is unofficial and will be updated as needed. Any errors on the credit check will not relieve me of any graduation requirements. As the parent of the student, I understand it is my responsibility to check my child’s work on a daily basis and provide transportation for my child to La Entrada for his/her weekly appointment. I understand there are no allowances in independent study for absences due to illness. All work is due on the assigned weekly appointment date. It is my responsibility to meet with the teacher during the scheduled appointment if the student is absent.

10. Weekly Work All components of the assignment are necessary for a passing grade. Work submitted that is missing the notes, test, essay, project, etc. = an F and ZERO credits for the week. All components of the assignment are due at your appointment including projects and essays submitted electronically. Anything turned in after your appointment is subject to the late penalty. All answers must be in complete sentences. Notes and answers to textbook questions must be handwritten. Students will follow rubrics for writing assignments, all projects, summaries, note taking, and art work. If required, rubrics will be provided by your teacher. A Completed Weekly Contract Work cover sheet is required when students turn in work each week. This cover sheet is available from your teacher.

11. Schoolwide LEARNER OUTCOMES(SWLOs) • Life –long independent learners who: • Assume personal responsibility for learning • Prioritize, plan, and take actions to accomplish goals • Effective communicators who: • Comprehend and interpret the messages of others • Write and speak with clarity to diverse audiences • Articulate thinkers who: • Apply learning to real-life situations • Reflect, analyze, and draw conclusions • Productive citizens who: • Develop respect for the ideas and values of others • Utilize traditional and evolving technology

12. GUIDANCE LA ENTRADA’S MANDATORY ELECTIVE COURSE Required for all students Students will earn 1 credits each semester for Guidance Students must earn a “C” or better to remain at La Entrada. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Attend all required classes each semester (KNAV, Test Preparation, Core Workshops, etc.) Attend your weekly appointment. Be prepared for your weekly appointment by having all work completed before you arrive at school.

13. Late Work All work is due on appointment day at your designated time. It must be complete. If you are unable to make your appointment due to illness, a PARENT (not student) must notify the SECRETARY (not teacher). Work must be dropped off at the school on appointment day and a makeup appointment must be scheduled to occur before Friday at 9 am. If work is not submitted on time, not complete, or appointment time is missed without prior office notification, the assignment will be marked down 20% and a new appointment must be scheduled with the teacher. All incomplete work from the 4-week assignment period must be complete by Week 4. Incomplete work will result in a failing grade and/or loss of credits.

14. Why take notes? • Second most effective educational strategy • A written record of the ideas you thought were important while reading or watching the videos • Causes you to • Relate ideas within your course • Review • Think critically • Prepare for exams; and generate ideas • The act of writing notes keeps you focused • Handwritten notesare required each week for ALLLa Entrada classes. • All tests are open notes, but not open book. • Read the passage BEFOREtaking notes • Notes are turned in and are graded. Please follow the rubric provided by your teacher.

15. Easy Two Column Notes In Two Column Notes, the main topic is written across the top. The sub topics are written on the left. The details are written on the right. T = Polluting Gases and Destruction of Ozone Layer carbon dioxide - combusition engines > cars and trucks - 50% of pollution chlorofluorocarbons > A/C, refrigerator, foam insulation - 20% of pollution

16. Cornell Notes Date / Course • 2 Columns • main notes column • key word column • Cornell notes are arranged with two columns • The wider column is used for the main notes; the narrow column is for key words, key phrases, questions, and your own ideas.

17. Cornell Notes • Main notes column (done in class) • Key word column (done after class) Notes taken in class are written in this portion of the page. Ideally, use point form notes and focus on main ideas and important details. Key words that you make after class go here.

18. Impressment • Battle of Tippecanoe • Feelings of resentment Causes Key People • Francis Scott Key • Andrew Jackson • Dolley Madison • William Harrison • Tecumseh • James Madison Great Britain on the Offensive • Burning of DC • Fort McHenry Effects of War Early Battles • national pride • secured territory • entered US on world stage • Battle of Lake Erie • Battle of the Thames • Battle of Horseshoe Bend Chapter MapsA Visual Form of Note Taking War of 1812

19. How Do I Know if I Have Good Notes? • Have I listed all of the main ideas? • Have I indented to show subtopics? • Are the notes brief words and phrases? • Have I used my own words to restate ideas? • Do the words and phrases convey the meaning of the text? • Do my notes make sense? • Are they complete and legible? • If used, is my graphic note-taking easy to follow?

20. Reviewing and Adding Color • More Research… • Unless notes are reviewed within 24 hours, a student will forget 50% of the information! HOT TIP! While reviewing, add colorto make clear how ideas and details relate to each other.

21. Essay and DBQ Basic Requirements Must be typed using MLA format. Instructions will be provided by your teacher. 500 word minimum (1 and ½ pages), double-spaced with font size no larger than 12. Essay must include an introduction, body and conclusion if it applies to the directions. Your essay should have four to five paragraphs. Writer must include specific examples from his/her reading or research to clarify and support the ideas that are presented in the essay. Any sources need to be cited using the MLA works cited format (www.citationmachine.net or www.easybib.com) Use spell and grammar check before final copy is submitted.

22. www.turnitin.com TurnItIn.com is an interactive online tool to provide feedback and recommendations for improving your essays. This will help you become a better writer. Writing assignments will be graded online, and you will be able to see your grades and feedback from your teacher when you log in. All writing assignments will be submitted through TurnItIn.com. You will be creating a free TurnItIn.com account as part of your Orientation assignment. Instructions are located in the packet provided by your teacher.

23. Plagiarism La Entrada High School expects a full commitment to academic integrity from each student. In the following slides you will learn more about plagiarism and the standards for our school. What is plagiarism? What can I do to make sure I am not plagiarizing? What happens if I do plagiarize?

24. Plagiarizing is: • Copying a source exactly word for word and calling it my own work. • Copying another student’s work. • Asking other students to do all or part of your work for you. • Taking someone else’s work, rewriting it, and calling it my own. • Letting another student copy your work. • Cut and pasting from the Internet.

25. Plagiarizing is NOT: • Citing your source and giving credit to the person who said it originally! • Using “quotation marks” when you cannot possibly rewrite the idea in your own words. • Using facts that belong to general knowledge.

26. Plagiarism at La Entrada • Copying answers from the answer key while correcting work • Changing your answers in your work to match the answer key • Copying another students work • Having someone do your work or project for you • Copying large amounts of text from the internet (Wikipedia, etc.) • Purchasing an essay from an essays-for-sale website

27. A Little Lesson on Plagiarism The original text from Elaine Tyler May's "Myths and Realities of the American Family" reads as follows: Because women's wages often continue to reflect the fiction that men earn the family wage, single mothers rarely earn enough to support themselves and their children adequately. And because work is still organized around the assumption that mothers stay home with children, even though few mothers can afford to do so, child-care facilities in the United States remain woefully inadequate.

28. Here are some possible uses of this text. As you read through each version, try to decide if it is a legitimate use of May's text or is it plagiarism. Version A Since women's wages often continue to reflect the mistaken notion that men are the main wage earners in the family, single mothers rarely make enough to support themselves and their children very well. Also, because work is still based on the assumption that mothers stay home with children, facilities for child care remain woefully inadequate in the United States. Plagiarism! In Version A there is too much direct borrowing of sentence structure and wording. The writer changes some words, drops one phrase, and adds some new language, but the overall text closely resembles May's. Even with a citation, the writer is still plagiarizing because the lack of quotation marks indicates that Version A is a paraphrase, and should thus be in the writer's own language.

29. Version B As Elaine Tyler May points out, "women's wages often continue to reflect the fiction that men earn the family wage" (588). Thus many single mothers cannot support themselves and their children adequately. Furthermore, since work is based on the assumption that mothers stay home with children, facilities for day care in this country are still "woefully inadequate." (May 589). Plagiarism! The writer now cites May, so we're closer to telling the truth about the relationship of our text to the source, but this text continues to borrow too much language.

30. Version C By and large, our economy still operates on the mistaken notion that men are the main breadwinners in the family. Thus, women continue to earn lower wages than men. This means, in effect, that many single mothers cannot earn a decent living. Furthermore, adequate day care is not available in the United States because of the mistaken assumption that mothers remain at home with their children. Plagiarism! Version C shows good paraphrasing of wording and sentence structure, but May's original ideas are not acknowledged. Some of May's points are common knowledge (women earn less than men, many single mothers live in poverty), but May uses this common knowledge to make a specific and original point and her original conception of this idea is not acknowledged.

31. Version D Women today still earn less than men — so much less that many single mothers and their children live near or below the poverty line. Elaine Tyler May argues that this situation stems in part from "the fiction that men earn the family wage" (588). May further suggests that the American workplace still operates on the assumption that mothers with children stay home to care for them (589). This assumption, in my opinion, does not have the force it once did. More and more businesses offer in-house day-care facilities… No Plagiarism  The writer makes use of the common knowledge in May's work, but acknowledges May's original conclusion and does not try to pass it off as his or her own. The quotation is properly cited, as is a later paraphrase of another of May's ideas. http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/mla/plagiarism.shtml

32. What happens if you get caught cheating or plagiarizing? • 1st offense • Student conference with teacher. • A zero grade and no credit for the assignment • Parent notified • 2nd offense • Consequences from 1st offense and • Dropped from course • 3rd – offense • Consequences from 1st and 2nd offenses and • Conference with principal • Possible referral to resident school. TurnItIn.com is a very effective plagiarism detection tool. Please, don’t plagiarize!

33. Cell phone usage • Students may bring cell phones to school. • Cell phones must be on silent and not visible. • Any cell phone use in the classroom will result in a failing grade on tests or work. • Phone calls to parents or to coordinate transportation must be completed outside the school building. WHEN IT DOUBT, TAKE IT OUTSIDE.

34. Dress Code Reminders PLEASE DRESS FOR SUCCESS! • No offensive language, symbols, and pictures on your clothing. • Clothing must cover all undergarments. • No short shorts, bare midriffs, or low cut fronts or backs. • No pajamas and/or slippers.

35. What Factors Lead to Success in Independent Study? Organization Learning skills Motivation Parental Involvement Time Management

36. Why is Time Management Important? • Major reason for not finishing assignments • Major reason for dropping out of college • Leads to procrastination (Davies, 2011; Huie et al., 2008) • A skill linked to college success • Good time management skills linked to better academics (Britton & Tesser, 1991; Tuckman, 2003)

37. The Survey Says • Approximately ¾ of students plan their week and when they will do their assignments • However, 46% try to do their school work in two days (not good practice) • 41% let other activities take priority over their school work • 1/3 admit to procrastinating with their weekly assignments

38. What we have learned from independent study students Many do not have a set schedule for their weekly assignments Many put it off until the last thing every day Half of the students try to do their work in two days, but the work quality and grades suffer. Procrastination and making school work the lowest priority makes for poor work habits and poorly done assignments, as well as lower grades

39. Put yourself on a time management plan! • 92% improvement in overall assignments • Improved grades • Improved attendance • Improved quality of work • Lower stress levels • Better prepared for college

40. Thank you for viewing the orientation powerpoint. May you have an enjoyable and successful year at La Entrada!