WELCOME TO MR. JAMAL'S SCIENCE CLASS
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Welcome to Mr. Jamal’s Science class! I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself in preparation for this new school year 2024-2025. I hope you are as excited about taking this science course as I am. We are going to be engaged in incredible discussions, learn new skills that you can apply to the real-world. One of my goals is to empower you to improve your science literacy, to appreciate and think critically like a scientist, so you can succeed not just in this science course, but beyond in college and/or any career of your choice.
First, a little background on myself. I am originally from Bangladesh. I went to Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn. I have a Bachelor of Sciences in Biology and a Minor in Business from Cornell University. I also have two Masters Degrees - one from Pace University in Secondary Science Education and a second Masters from Queens College in School Leadership. I also completed a Master Teacher Fellowship with Math For America (MfA) and I continue to be engaged with the MfA community as a lifelong learner.
My philosophy of science education is that learning is socially constructed, personal and requires deep reflections in order to make connections between science concepts and applying them to the real world. I am passionate about education, science and technology, and I am really excited to help develop your skills and to inspire you to better appreciate latest discoveries and improve your science literacy skills. Everything you need for my science courses can be found on our class website: http://www.pjamal.com
Welcome to Mr. Jamal’s Science class! I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself in preparation for this new school year 2024-2025. I hope you are as excited about taking this science course as I am. We are going to be engaged in incredible discussions, learn new skills that you can apply to the real-world. One of my goals is to empower you to improve your science literacy, to appreciate and think critically like a scientist, so you can succeed not just in this science course, but beyond in college and/or any career of your choice.
First, a little background on myself. I am originally from Bangladesh. I went to Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn. I have a Bachelor of Sciences in Biology and a Minor in Business from Cornell University. I also have two Masters Degrees - one from Pace University in Secondary Science Education and a second Masters from Queens College in School Leadership. I also completed a Master Teacher Fellowship with Math For America (MfA) and I continue to be engaged with the MfA community as a lifelong learner.
My philosophy of science education is that learning is socially constructed, personal and requires deep reflections in order to make connections between science concepts and applying them to the real world. I am passionate about education, science and technology, and I am really excited to help develop your skills and to inspire you to better appreciate latest discoveries and improve your science literacy skills. Everything you need for my science courses can be found on our class website: http://www.pjamal.com
Our Science Class Values and Expectations of Respect:
1. Be Kind and Curious
Judgement free zone but practice Professional Academic Talk!
2. Be Proactive
Communicate and plan early. Value our class time.
3. One mic
Respect the talking piece, Take Turns & Actively Listen to ALL voices
4. Speak your heart
Be authentic. Ask for what you need. Be Honest.
5. Be Open to Mistakes & Trying New Things
Mistakes help us learn, so practice a growth mindset
1) BINDER/Pen/Pencil: You need to be organized with a 3-ring Notebook Binder for this science course so that you can store class worksheets in an organized fashion. You should bring your own pen or pencil everyday. Organization is an important part of being the scientist scholar I see you as. There will be a science dictionary of prefix and suffix in your binder for you to improve your science literacy. Stay organized with your class notes. Random notebook checks are done that affect your class participation points.
2) Electronics, Headphones, Phone, Hats, Durags: Put away any electronics you have with you BEFORE entering my classroom. They tend to be distractions and keep you from taking part in the learning process. I will let you know when it is permissible to use electronic devices for learning purposes. DOJO points will be kept to help you track your positive learning habits which will translate to Python Points and habits for success.
3) Assigned seating: Where you seat in my classroom is entirely up to my discretion. You may request a seating based on a need that I will try to accommodate. I may ask you to switch seats at any time during lesson activities, so be prepared to move around and work with different partners or groups as we often work with other classmates in our class community.
4) Plagiarism/Academic Honesty: In the world of AI, always cite your sources. Do not plagiarize. Plagiarism of any kind or degree will be handled with severe consequences. When in doubt, always cite your sources as it is considered academic theft to steal someone else’s work without proper credit. Honesty and integrity are expected.
5) Entering Class: As you enter the class, take out your binder and begin your DO NOW immediately to finish within 5 minutes to receive reward stickers. You will hear DOJO point sounds for those who start right away.
6) Leaving Class: You might be asked to fill out Exit Reflection during the last 10 minutes of the class. As you leave the class, drop off any textbooks or materials you borrowed and push in your chairs. Be neat. Leave the classroom better than you found it.
7) CU Protocol: When answering multiple choice questions, you must always
figure out two OBVIOUS wrong choices FIRST with a reason. Circle keywords and underline Task verbs so you know that you did not miss important aspects of the prompt asked of you. Always ATP (Answer The Prompt).
8) Text Me Tuesdays on Remind App: Every Tuesday, you receive a weekly prompt via Remind App or Remind.com which helps me to get to know you better, help you reflect more deeply and improve on your communication skills. This counts as a Habits for Success assessment. It is secure as students use the @NYCStudents account to access Remind.
9) WONDER Wednesdays Exit Reflections: Once a week, you must post a WOW WONDER post that is well thought out regarding any of the concepts we covered that week. After posting, you RESPOND to your classmate’s questions with evidence-based responses. Our goal is to improve your metacognitive and research skills through this practice.
10) Dear Mr. Jamal Monthly Letters: Once a month, you take part in a reflection journal exercise where you discuss with me privately what is working well for you, what could improve and how. This is a chance to engage in a SMART goal on a monthly basis and I am looking for an improvement in the way you reflect and communicate from month to month.
11) Fun Fridays and Daily DOJO: We try to capture our special class moments and help you feel connected through DOJO Stories with what is happening in the classroom. DOJO points are meant to help you improve your habits for success and translate to PYTHON Points that you can use to pick up items from our school store. It is secure as students use the @NYCStudents account to access DOJO. Every Friday we also play DOJO island or some kind of review games!
We must ensure that all of us are learning together as a team. It is your personal responsibility to ensure that we have a safe, fun, and learning environment in this classroom. Feel free to contact me with questions/concerns.
1) BINDER/Pen/Pencil: You need to be organized with a 3-ring Notebook Binder for this science course so that you can store class worksheets in an organized fashion. You should bring your own pen or pencil everyday. Organization is an important part of being the scientist scholar I see you as. There will be a science dictionary of prefix and suffix in your binder for you to improve your science literacy. Stay organized with your class notes. Random notebook checks are done that affect your class participation points.
2) Electronics, Headphones, Phone, Hats, Durags: Put away any electronics you have with you BEFORE entering my classroom. They tend to be distractions and keep you from taking part in the learning process. I will let you know when it is permissible to use electronic devices for learning purposes. DOJO points will be kept to help you track your positive learning habits which will translate to Python Points and habits for success.
3) Assigned seating: Where you seat in my classroom is entirely up to my discretion. You may request a seating based on a need that I will try to accommodate. I may ask you to switch seats at any time during lesson activities, so be prepared to move around and work with different partners or groups as we often work with other classmates in our class community.
4) Plagiarism/Academic Honesty: In the world of AI, always cite your sources. Do not plagiarize. Plagiarism of any kind or degree will be handled with severe consequences. When in doubt, always cite your sources as it is considered academic theft to steal someone else’s work without proper credit. Honesty and integrity are expected.
5) Entering Class: As you enter the class, take out your binder and begin your DO NOW immediately to finish within 5 minutes to receive reward stickers. You will hear DOJO point sounds for those who start right away.
6) Leaving Class: You might be asked to fill out Exit Reflection during the last 10 minutes of the class. As you leave the class, drop off any textbooks or materials you borrowed and push in your chairs. Be neat. Leave the classroom better than you found it.
7) CU Protocol: When answering multiple choice questions, you must always
figure out two OBVIOUS wrong choices FIRST with a reason. Circle keywords and underline Task verbs so you know that you did not miss important aspects of the prompt asked of you. Always ATP (Answer The Prompt).
8) Text Me Tuesdays on Remind App: Every Tuesday, you receive a weekly prompt via Remind App or Remind.com which helps me to get to know you better, help you reflect more deeply and improve on your communication skills. This counts as a Habits for Success assessment. It is secure as students use the @NYCStudents account to access Remind.
9) WONDER Wednesdays Exit Reflections: Once a week, you must post a WOW WONDER post that is well thought out regarding any of the concepts we covered that week. After posting, you RESPOND to your classmate’s questions with evidence-based responses. Our goal is to improve your metacognitive and research skills through this practice.
10) Dear Mr. Jamal Monthly Letters: Once a month, you take part in a reflection journal exercise where you discuss with me privately what is working well for you, what could improve and how. This is a chance to engage in a SMART goal on a monthly basis and I am looking for an improvement in the way you reflect and communicate from month to month.
11) Fun Fridays and Daily DOJO: We try to capture our special class moments and help you feel connected through DOJO Stories with what is happening in the classroom. DOJO points are meant to help you improve your habits for success and translate to PYTHON Points that you can use to pick up items from our school store. It is secure as students use the @NYCStudents account to access DOJO. Every Friday we also play DOJO island or some kind of review games!
We must ensure that all of us are learning together as a team. It is your personal responsibility to ensure that we have a safe, fun, and learning environment in this classroom. Feel free to contact me with questions/concerns.
Mr. Jamal’s LEARNING TOOLS:
- Survey.PJamal.com First Day Survey To Get To Know You
- JUPITER - Daily Assignments/Assessments/Daily Exit Slips
- GOOGLE CALENDAR - Stay organized and plan your day. Be ProActive!
- CLASSDOJO - Build Positive Classroom Habits!
- GOOGLE CLASSROOM - Schoolwide assignments
- JUMPROPE - Schoolwide Mastery Progress and Official Grades
- myAP CLASSROOM - Collegeboard Daily Videos / Progress Checks AP Bio
- GIZMOS- Virtual Labs that are inquiry based and helps you learn concepts
- EDPUZZLE - Watch Videos and answer questions to check for understanding
- STUDY.com | AP Bio | Env Sci- Review Science concepts
- KHANACADEMY | HS Bio | AP Bio - Review Science concepts
- QUIZLET | QUIZIZZ | KAHOOT - Play and learn
- ZOOM| GOOGLE MEET - Video Conferencing for Online Meetings
- Survey.PJamal.com First Day Survey To Get To Know You
- JUPITER - Daily Assignments/Assessments/Daily Exit Slips
- GOOGLE CALENDAR - Stay organized and plan your day. Be ProActive!
- CLASSDOJO - Build Positive Classroom Habits!
- GOOGLE CLASSROOM - Schoolwide assignments
- JUMPROPE - Schoolwide Mastery Progress and Official Grades
- myAP CLASSROOM - Collegeboard Daily Videos / Progress Checks AP Bio
- GIZMOS- Virtual Labs that are inquiry based and helps you learn concepts
- EDPUZZLE - Watch Videos and answer questions to check for understanding
- STUDY.com | AP Bio | Env Sci- Review Science concepts
- KHANACADEMY | HS Bio | AP Bio - Review Science concepts
- QUIZLET | QUIZIZZ | KAHOOT - Play and learn
- ZOOM| GOOGLE MEET - Video Conferencing for Online Meetings
- It's Okay to be SMART - Facebook | YouTube
- Smarter Everyday - Facebook | YouTube
- ASAP Science - Facebook | YouTube
- Bozeman Science - Facebook | YouTube
- VOX Science - YouTube
- SciShow - YouTube
- Veritasium - YouTube | Facebook
- Numberphile - YouTube
- KhanAcademy - YouTube
- Minute Earth - YouTube
- Crash Course - YouTube
- Ted-Ed - YouTube
- Nerd Snacks.Io on Instagram
- Science by Guff on Instagram
Which Science News websites do I love and you should subscribe to?
STEM People Worth Following on Social Media?
- Brian Greene @bgreene
- Joss Fong @jossfong
- Neil DeGrasse Tyson @neiltyson
- Paul Anderson @paulanderson
- Alice Keeler @alicekeeler
- NYT Science @NYTScience
- Brian Cox @ProfBrianCox
- Ezra Klein @Ezraklein
- Atul Gawande @Atul_Gawande
- David Pogue @Pogue
EduSciTech is also trying to organize the best resources out there for Science Teachers. Bookmark this page as new useful links get added very frequently. Let EduSciTech you know of other useful resources that should be added to this page. (Growing List)
TeamD has a Doctorate Degree (Ph.D)
3) Exit Reflections: Blackboard Discussions ONLINE
4) GLOW and GROW Feedback