Youth and the Law
Course Syllabus
Mr. Carnahan
Email: carnahan_chris@salkeiz.k12.or.us
Room: Portable 32
Website: Throughout the semester I will maintain a web log (blog) that you can access any time. The website will contain each day’s agenda as well as links to assignment instructions. If you are ever absent please check the website to see what you have missed. If assignments or notes are linked please print them out. If you need additional information or materials please see me when you return to class. The site can be accessed through the school’s web site (http://www.spraguehs.com) under staff information or directly at http://mrcarnahan.googlepages.com/home.
Course Description: Youth and the Law is designed to provide students with an understanding of their legal rights and responsibilities, a knowledge of the everyday legal problems, and the ability to analyze, evaluate and resolve legal disputes. This course addresses general problems in the areas of criminal law, juvenile law, family law, and individual rights and liberties.
Main Text
Arbetman, Lee P., et al. Street Law: A Course in Practical Law. St. Paul: West Publishing, 2005.
Course Objectives: This study is designed to enable students to:
Course Outline:
Grading Procedures: Grades will be determined by the percentage of points possible earned. Letter grades are assigned according to the following scale:
A = 90-100%
B = 80-89%
C = 70-79%
D = 60-69%
F = Less than 60%
Attendance: It is always to your advantage to attend class. Students who miss class miss important instructional activities that cannot be adequately attained in other ways. Students are urged to keep all absences to a minimum and to make up work and tests promptly when an absence is unavoidable. You have as many days as you were gone, plus one to make up work for full credit (Example: assignment that was due Wednesday is due Friday). Remember that a parent must clear absences within three school days of your return to school.
Late Work: Any late assignment can be turned in up to one week from the assigned due date for up to half credit. AST- At the discretion of the teacher, students who establish a pattern of not turning in assignments will be assigned an After School Tutoring session to complete course work.
Tardies: Being located in the portables can make life more difficult for you as a student. Do your best to navigate the crowded halls and show up on time. Any time you know that you are not going to make it on time please go to the attendance office and pick up the appropriate tardy slip.
Behavioral Expectations:
1. Bring your materials each day. Bring your textbook and writing materials to class.
2. Dress appropriately. The school dress code is enforced in this classroom.
3. The use of cell phones is not allowed in class without explicit permission. Any cell phones that are seen or heard will be confiscated and may be picked up at the office.
4. Keep it neat! Throw trash in the wastebasket, put paper in the recycling container, and don’t write on desks, walls, or each other. Put away any supplies used during class to their appropriate spot. Bottom line: Take pride in your work space.
5. Always be polite and considerate. Raise your hand and wait to be called on. There will be many opportunities for class discussion. Please be respectful of your classmates and wait your turn to speak. Harassment of any kind and inappropriate language will not be tolerated!
6. Respect other people’s possessions. These include the materials provided by the teacher. The area around my desk is off limits unless you have permission.
7. The hall pass will be located on my desk and permission is needed for its use. Please try and limit your trips to the bathroom due to the fact that we are in a portable.
8. Substitutes are to be treated with respect. If your name is given to me by a substitute you will be rewarded with an automatic Thursday school—no questions asked. Depending on the report additional measures involving administration may also be taken.
Academic Integrity:
ALL WORK is expected to be your own. When you submit any assignment (including extra credit), journal exercise, or test it must be an original work containing your own thoughts and ideas. Submitting another person’s work (even in part) constitutes cheating; you will not receive points for the assignment, and the violation will be noted in your discipline record. Likewise, if you assist another student in the process of cheating, by allowing them to copy your work, for example, your assignment will also be counted as a zero. On many of your homework assignments, you may work together to discuss the questions and possible answers, but the final product must reflect your own work. It is not acceptable for one person to complete questions 1, 3, 5, and 7, and another to complete 2, 4, 6, and 8, and then exchange answers.
Violations of academic honesty include, but are not limited to the following:
Plagiarism, Collusion, Cheating, Falsification, Alteration, Multiple Submission, Sabotage, and Tampering. For additional information on these types of academic dishonesty, please see the school web site or ask your teacher.
Finally, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure his/her understanding and compliance with the terms of academic honesty. When in doubt, always consult your instructor.
TAG
In each subject/course students will be pre-assessed on the knowledge and skills that will be learned in the subject/course. The purpose of this pre-assessment is to find out what students already know and are able to do to avoid repetition and to give the student access to advanced and/or accelerated content.
Formal or informal pre-assessments may include end of chapter/unit tests, student input and self-evaluation, placement test, specific teacher observational data, lab demonstration or test, work samples, fist of five, thumbs up/thumbs down, or other forms of pre-assessment. Below is a list of differentiation strategies that may be used.
Differentiation Strategies
Differentiation:
Enrichment Multiple Intelligences
Acceleration Compacting Learning Styles
Independent Study/Project Tiered Assignments Critical Thinking
Assignment Modification Flexible Grouping
Cluster Grouping Contracting
Notes:
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Please remove this page of the syllabus, sign it, and return it next class for points. This is a required assignment. Retain the first page (front/back) to review as the semester progresses.
Student Name: ________________________________________ Period: __________
We have reviewed the above policies, and understand that late work will be accepted for one week from the due date for up to ½ credit.
_____________________________________ _________________________________
Parent Name (please print) Student Signature
_____________________________________ _________________________________
Parent Signature Parent email (if available)