EARTH’S PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE

Syllabus

1. Welcome to EARTH’S PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE

Good afternoon, and welcome to the EARTH’S PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE!

My name is Mr. Colflesh and I will be your instructor for the course. I am looking forward to
working together and getting the semester started of strong. I want to welcome everyone, and I
would encourage you to post a short informal hello message in the “Introductions" discussion
forum just to let me know you received my welcome message, to briefly introduce yourself to
the class, and to say a few words about what you hope to get out of this course.

Course Outline (tentative and subject to change)

Module 1.0: Position of Our Sun

Module 2.0: Classifying Objects
Module 3.0: Moon
Module 4.0: Seasons
Module 5.0: Tools to Study Space
Module 6.0: Review

Requirements
Read assigned textbook chapters and online course content. Students should complete
assignments on time.

Delivery
This is an online course using multiple modules. There will be assessments and discussion
questions within each module. This is where you will be required to locate and submit
assignments as well as participate in class discussions.

Workload
Students will need to schedule at least 10 hours per week for this course. I recommend that
students have a specific time during the day dedicated to course work. To be successful, you
must have self-discipline which requires the balancing of priorities.
EARTH’S PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE
Syllabus

Zachary Colflesh

8th Grade Science

Myrtle Beach Middle School

zcolflesh@horrycountyschools.net

3. Course Information
Course Title: EARTH’S PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE

Prerequisites: Pass 7th Grade Science

Description: A general science class with topics that pertain to space.

Intended Audience: 8th Grade Students

Program: Middle School

School: Myrtle Beach Middle

Google Classroom Uur4fze

Code
EARTH’S PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE
Syllabus

4. Goals and Outcomes

Course Goals
The following course goals articulate the general objectives and purpose of this course. Students
will:

 Be exposed to the active engagement and concrete examples they require in order to
understand basic science concepts.

 Develop science skills including designing an entire controlled scientific investigation,

constructing explanations and drawing conclusions from data, and generating questions.

 Engage in a variety of learning experiences to accommodate various learning styles and

personalities.

Course Outcomes
After completing this course, students will be able to:

 demonstrate an understanding of technological design and scientific inquiry, including

process skills, mathematical thinking, controlled investigative design and analysis, and
problem solving.
 Demonstrate an understanding of the universe and the predictable patterns caused by
Earth’s movement in the solar system
EARTH’S PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE
Syllabus

5. Grading

This science class is graded on a weighted basis. The point breakdown for assignments is as
follows:

40% Level I (Assignments)

35% Level II (Discussions)

25% Level III (Quizzes)

Course Assessments
Quizzes
One quiz will be administered for 2 modules (for a total of 3). You will complete each quiz
online using Moodle. Each quiz will be open book. You may use all online course materials.
Each quiz must be submitted before the deadlines posted in Moodle. They will be due at end of
every other week.
Discussions
Module discussions are used to facilitate interaction with others in the course and provide
feedback and assistance when dealing with potential issues which may arise with online learning.
Discussion postings should be courteous and on topic.
Assignments
These online activities are opportunities for the students to demonstrate their abilities to apply
the knowledge gained in the course.
Assessment Weight

Quizzes 25%

Discussions 35%

Assignments 40%
EARTH’S PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE
Syllabus

Grades
Science 8 students must earn a grade of 70% or higher in order successfully complete the class.

Score Grade

90-100 A

80-89 B

70-79 C

60-69 D

0-59 F

Incomplete
A grade of incomplete may be granted to students who have suffered serious personal illness or
critical emergency circumstances during the academic term, resulting in failure to complete all
assignments by the end of the quarter. Documentation from a physician is required and must be
attached to the petition for a temporary grade of incomplete. Please see the college catalog for
additional information.

6. Textbooks and Supplies

Required Texts

South Carolina Science Grade 8 (Glencoe)

Recommended Texts
 DiscoveryEd Text
EARTH’S PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE
Syllabus

7. Schedule
Week Module

1 Module1.0: Position of Our Sun

2 Module 2.0: Classifying Objects

3 Module 3.0: Moon

4 Module 4.0: Seasons

5 Module 5.0: Tools to Study Space

6 Module 6.0: Review and Test

Time Management

An online course can take a considerable amount of time. As stated in welcome page, each
module requires up to 10 hours for readings and assignments/assessments. I recommended that
you begin each assignment early. Work on it regularly during your specified time daily, rather
than waiting until the last day.

Participation
Depending on the class activities, you are responsible for completing weekly assignments,
participating in discussion groups, and checking in to the course site on a consistent basis.

Deadlines
You will always be given explicit instructions on where to send your assignments. Assignments
are usually due on a weekly basis – the exact dates will always be found in the activities. If you
wish to complete an assignment prior to the due date, you may (however, a group assignment
must be completed during the week assigned OR upon approval of every member of the group).
NO LATE SUBMISSION WILL BE ACCEPTED. PLEASE BE AWARE OF THIS POLICY
AND SUBMIT YOUR WORK ON TIME. This policy will be strictly enforced in the summer
session due to the condensed schedule.
EARTH’S PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE
Syllabus

Turnaround Time
The instructor will be monitoring the discussion board on a daily basis. Submitted assignments
will be graded and feedback will be provided within 3 days after the module is concluded. E-
mail messages will be answered within 24 hours on weekdays and 48 hours on weekends.

Academic Integrity
Under all circumstances, students are expected to be honest in their dealings with faculty,
administrative staff, and fellow students. In speaking and/or correspondence with members of the
college community, students must give an accurate representation of the facts at hand. Students
must submit work that fairly and accurately reflects their level of accomplishment. Any work
that is not a product of the student’s own effort is considered dishonest. Students may not submit
the same work for more than one course. A student may be suspended or expelled for academic
dishonesty. Please refer to the Student Handbook for additional information regarding the policy
on academic honesty.

Academic Integrity Code

https://www.horrycountyschools.net/Page/12454

Statement of Community Standards:

HCS Virtual takes the integrity and authenticity of student work very seriously. Students are
responsible for submitting and protecting their own, original work.

In simple terms, the Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines integrity as: “the quality of
being honest and fair” and “the state of being complete or whole.” In an academic sense,
integrity means that student learning is demonstrated through student work products that are
completely true and original. Cheating, plagiarism, and falsification are categories of academic
misconduct which violate the principles of academic integrity.

Honor Pledge: (required of all entering Myrtle Beach students)

On my honor, I pledge:

 That I will take responsibility for my personal behavior; and

 That I will actively oppose every instance of academic dishonesty as defined in the Code
of Student Conduct.
EARTH’S PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE
Syllabus

From this day forward, my signature on any University document, including tests, papers and
other work submitted for a grade is a confirmation of this honor pledge.”

Technical Supports

If you ever encounter any technology difficulties, please contact the instructor as soon as
possible (zcolflesh@horrycountyschools.net)

9. Other Information

E-mail and Its Etiquette

Students must use their school e-mail accounts for all correspondence with their teacher. This
will help ensure that e-mails are secure and that Myrtle Beach staff can assist students with any
e-mail related technical problems.

It is expected that all E-mail correspondence to the instructor will be conducted in a professional
manner. When utilizing E-mail for this class, you should:

1. Include the course name in the E-mail subject heading “Science 8” for example,

2. Utilize proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation,

3. Close with your full name.

Computing Requirements
Required Hardware
To access e-learning courses, a multimedia-class computer (PC or Mac) with Internet
connectivity is required. The minimum system configurations required to view e-learning course
content are described below.
EARTH’S PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE
Syllabus

PC Macintosh

 500 MHz Pentium III  400 MHz G4

 Windows 2000  OS 9.1 (OS X recommended)
 128 MB RAM (512 MB  128 MB RAM (512 MB
recommended) recommended)
 1 GB free hard disk space  1 GB free hard disk space
 56K modem (broadband  56K modem (broadband
recommended) recommended)

Required Browser
Students must have an Internet browser installed on their computers to view and interact with
online courses. Mozilla Firefox, version 1.5 or better, is recommended. Please note that browsers
may need to be further optimized if courses utilizing multimedia require any browser plug-ins or
ancillary players.

Modification of the Syllabus and Schedule

The instructor reserves the right to modify the syllabus and schedule at any time. Notice of any
change will be E-mailed and posted as an announcement.