Biology I (1)

Course Syllabus

Terre Haute North High School

Instructor: Mr. Scott

Website: www.vigoschools.com/~bds/

Expectations

  1. General school rules apply
  2. Treat others as you want to be treated, including the teacher.
  3. Be in your seat and ready to work when the bell rings. Failure to do so will result in a tardy.
  4. Sit only in the seat assigned by the instructor.
  5. Talking without permission or passing of notes in class will not be tolerated.
  6. Please follow directions that are given. IF YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND THEM, THEN ASK FOR HELP!
  7. Bring all books and notebooks to class. Come to class prepared. Failure to do so will result in a warning the first time and penalties listed below each time after.
  8. Leaving class is discouraged. It will NOT be allowed during quizzes or exams. If leaving class becomes a problem, then a limit will be set. NO EXCEPTIONS!
  9. Respect everyone’s property AND opinions.
  10. Learn Something!!!

FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE EXPECTATIONS WILL RESULT A WARNING FOR THE FIRST OFFENSE. SECOND TIME WILL RESULT IN A DETENTION OR REMOVAL FROM CLASS.

Supplies

  1. A three-ring binder (1 ½ inches will work).
  2. A notebook or paper.
  3. 3” x 5” Notecards
  4. A pen (black or blue ONLY) or pencil.
  5. RECOMMENDED: A flash drive or disk for saving data from a computer.

Assignments and Labs Guidelines

1.  Each assignment or lab report will have a due date. Items that are turned in 1 day late will be worth full credit as long as I am notified. If you are handing in an assignment late, you must personally hand it to me. If it is placed in the homework box, it will not be graded. If you fail to turn in an assignment after 1 day late, it will go as a 0 in the grade book.

2.  IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO GET ASSIGNMENTS WHEN YOU ARE ABSENT AND TURN THEM IN ASAP! DO NOT EXPECT TO BE REMINDED! You are to come and ask for the assignments missed when absent.

3.  Each assignment should have the following information in the upper left hand corner:

Name

Class

Class Hour

Date

Failure to have all of this information will result a loss of 5 points from the assignment.

4.  All lab reports should have a single title page. Prior to the first lab, a description of the lab report’s contents will be covered in depth.

5.  Horseplay will not be tolerated during lab procedures. Any signs of this activity will result in a 0 grade for the lab the first time. A second event will also result in a 0 grade for the lab and failure of future labs.

6.  If you know you are going to be absent (field trip, doctor’s appointment, etc) for a lab, exam, or quiz please make prior arrangements with the teacher. Failure to make prior arrangements will result in a loss of 25% of the grade for the exam or assignment.

7.  If you miss an exam, you will be required to make up the exam either during the class period or at a pre-arranged time. Every attempt should be made to make up the exam as soon as possible. It is your responsibility to make arrangements Failure to make up an exam from the first six weeks prior to the midterm will result in that exam being given a 0 grade.

8.  If you miss a lab activity, you will have two options: 1) you may obtain the lab data from a classmate. This will mean you will have up to 10 points deducted from the lab for lab technique grade or 2) you may chose to collect the lab data at an arranged time.

9.  STUDY GUIDES: There are study guides available on the class website. If you choose to do the study guide and turn it in PRIOR to the exam you will receive 5 points added to that test score. The answers do not have to be correct, but they must be legitimate.

10.  AGAIN, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO KEEP UP WITH THE MATERIAL AND WORK.

Grading Breakdown

This class will be a total point class. Essentially, there will be an amount of points available and then the amount of points you earn. Based on that percentage, your grade will be determined as per the grading scale.

Portfolio Guidelines

Each student will use the 3-ring binder to organize all materials throughout the trimester. A various announced points during the trimester, the binders will be collected and graded based upon a rubric. There are multiple purposes for the portfolio.

  1. It will be a great study guide for any exam as it will have all of the material we have covered.
  2. If there is a question regarding a grade or missing assignment, then the student can easily reproduce the document.
  3. It teaches organization that is essential to academic success.

The portfolio should be organized as follows:

Section 1 – Notes

These are any notes taken during labs or lecture and should be organized by date. It may also include any study guides or additional handouts from the teacher.

Section 2 - Labs

This section includes pre-lab readings, lab descriptions, lab data, and graded lab reports.

Section 3 – Homework

This includes any assignments other than lab reports that are done outside of class.

Section 4 – Exams and quizzes

This section includes all quizzes and exams taken during the trimester.

*All items in each section should be in chronological order.

Grading Scale

A / 97-100% / C+ / 76-79%
A / 93-96% / C / 73-75%
A- / 90-92% / C- / 70-72%
B+ / 86-89% / D+ / 66-69%
B / 83-85% / D / 63-65%
B- / 80-82% / D- / 60-62%

Anything below 60% will be considered failing. When figuring grades, I will round to the nearest percentage (Ex. 66.5% = 67%, 93.4% = 93%). Your grade is a cumulative body of work. The first six weeks will account for 40% of your final grade, the second six weeks another 40%, and the final exam will be 20%.

I want this class to be as enjoyable as possible. If at anytime you feel that you are not understanding the material or just have questions, stop me and ask or make an appointment to see me.

Academic Dishonesty: Cheating in any form will not be tolerated. If cheating is suspected, work will be given a zero and parents will be notified. During tests and quizzes, DO NOT TALK and keep your eyes on your own work. For labs, please put explanations in your own words.

6 Week Grades

§  Six week grades will be figured as described above using the above grading scale.

3 Week Grades

§  Will be posted in class according you your student ID number

As always your grades will be posted once a week online for you to check.

Final Exam

The final exam is cumulative (i.e. it covers everything we cover during the trimester). It will consist of multiple choice questions from previous exams. The portfolio, as well as the study guides on the class website, will serve as an excellent resource when preparing for the exam. IF YOU FAIL EITHER OF THE SIX WEEKS YOU WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR ANY FINALS OPTION.

Course Layout

Lecture / Lab* / Tentative Exam Dates**
Biology in the 21st Century (Chapter 1) / Microscope lab / August 28, 2013
Chemistry of Life (Chapter 2) / Liver lab / September 11, 2013
Cell Structure and Function (Chapter 3) / Cheek cell lab / September 20, 2013
Cells and Energy
(Chapter 4) / Fermentation Lab / October 1, 2013
Cell Growth and Division (Chapter 5) / Onion Root Tip lab / October 16, 2013
Meiosis and Mendel (Chapter 6) / October 23, 2013
Extending Mendelian Genetics (Chapter 7) / Penny Lab / October 29, 2013
From DNA to Protein (Chapter 8) / November 5, 2013

*All lectures, labs, and exams are subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. Lecture and labs may be added or removed as time permits during the trimester.

**Exam dates are tentative. Exams may be pushed back, but will not be moved to an earlier date.