Biology CP Syllabus
Contact Information:
Ms. Ditlove
Room D-6
Email:
Phone #: 498-3676 x1306
Required Text:
Biology (Prentice Hall Publishing, © 2007)
Class Website:
Class Expectations:
You are expected to read the textbook. Any information covered in the reading but not discussed in class is still testable material. You will be outlining all of the reading assignments. I highly recommend writing down questions directly in you outlines and leaving space for the answers.
Course Description:
In the first sub-term of biology, we focus on the unifying principles of life: biochemistry, cells, energy, growth and development, and molecular biology. In the second sub-term, we explore genetics, the diversity of life and how living things have changed over time, bacteria & viruses, and ecology.
Required Materials:
3 ring binder with lined paper and dividers
Covered textbook
Pens (Blue or black), pencils, and a metric ruler
Colored pencils (for scientific drawings and sketches)
Highlighter
Colored pens (red, pink, or green)
Scissors, glue, and a calculator
Absent Work:
The agenda and the assignments are posted online and kept in a folder in the classroom. If you are absent, it’s your responsibility to look up the assignments and complete them. You can print the handouts off of the website or pick up copies found at the front of the classroom. Handouts are filed by date. If you need help with an assignment you may ask questions after school. Please do not ask for explanations during class or during passing periods, I cannot help you at those times. Absent work will become late work if you fail to turn it in within the same number of days you were absent.
Late Work:
Assignments that are collected must be turned in on time. If they are late you will receive a zero. You will receive two late passes that can be used to excuse you up to one week on a collected assignment. If you miss an assignment that is stamped, you may receive up to half credit for that assignment as long as it is turned in by the day of the chapter exam.
Making Up Quizzes and Exams:
If you are absent and you miss a quiz or an exam, you must make up that quiz or exam within the same number of days that you were absent. If you fail to do so you will receive a zero for that quiz or exam. Quizzes and exams make-ups are held after school. It is your responsibility to make an appointment with me to make up a quiz or an exam. You will only be allowed to make up two exams within the semester.
Tardiness and Truancies:
You have three days to have you parents excuse your missed classes. If they fail to do so any missed assignments will count as zeros, any makeup work will receive zero credit, and any quizzes or exams will receive zeros, so make sure you are excused. If you have an unexcused tardy, missed information will not be explained to you and missed quizzes cannot be made up. You will receive warnings for your first and second tardy, you will receive an after school detention for the third and fourth tardy, you will receive a Saturday school and a call home for the fifth tardy, and the sixth tardy you will be dropped from the class with an “F”. The only way that I will excuse a tardy is to receive a note from your councilor. If you are more than 30 minutes late to class you will be marked absent, not tardy. You will be issued a detention for the first two truancies, a Saturday school for the third truancy, and dropped from the class with an “F” for the forth truancy.
Grades:
Grading will be based on the following percentages, using category weights.
93-100% = A 73-76% = C
89-92% = A- 69-72% = C-
87-88% = B+ 67-68 % = D+
83-86% = B 63-66% = D
79-82% = B- 59-62% = D-
77-78 % = C+ 0-58% = F / no credit
Homework/ Class Work = 15% Quizzes = 5%
Participation = 5% Exams = 50%
Lab Write Ups/ Lab Final = 10% Final = 15%
Everyone starts with 70% for their participation grade, its up to you where it goes from there. Correctly answering question, volunteering answers, and contributing to class discussions will earn you points. Not being prepared or saying “I don’t know” to questions, or misbehavior will result in losing points.
Class Rules:
No cell phones or electronic devices in class. If I see or hear them, be prepare to tell your parents that they need to be picked up from the office. There is no eating or drinking with the exception of sugar-free bottled drinks. Even one bite of anything will earn you a detention. Take care of restroom needs before class, more that four restroom breaks will result in a decrease in your participation grade.