Mr. Nixon’s Biology Syllabus
Welcome to Mr. Nixon’s Biology class. I look forward to a great year of using hands-on and minds-on inquiry to learn the basics of Biology.
Personal Philosophy and The 4 Big Ideas
What is Biology? To me, Biology is more than just memorizing facts. While it is important to remember many important details and facts about Biology, I believe that the relationships in Biology are the key. When I learned Biology in high school, I memorized all the facts of Biology, but missed the true story. I want to provide a class for my students in which the relationships between the facts of Biology are just as important as the facts themselves. Through these relationships in Biology, my goal is to provide relevance and interest for my students. There are 4 big ideas of Biology that I plan to use to accomplish this goal. The 4 big ideas are Evolution, Heredity, Diversity and Interdependence of Life, and Cells.
Evolution- Topics include natural selection, mutation, genetic drift, gene flow, sexual selection, speciation, population genetics and gene frequency
Heredity- Topics include cellular genetics, structure and function of DNA and RNA, inheritance, mutations, DNA technology and modern genetics.
Diversity and Interdependence of Life- Topics include classification of life, and ecosystems.
Cells- Topics include cells structure and function, cell organelles, eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells, photosynthesis, chemosynthesis, cellular respiration, cell division, and differentiation.
These 4 big ideas will be common themes throughout the entire course. The relationships among the ideas will be discussed extensively, as well as interconnectedness of the big ideas with Michael Pollan’s book The Omnivores Dilemma.
Course Overview
My Biology course usually meets 3-4 days a week for the entire year depending on the rotating schedule. Each class usually lasts 55 minutes. Labs take up about 30% of the total class instructional time during the regular class and/or during the designated early bird or lunch lab time.
Course Texts
The course textbook is the Holt Biology book with the polar bear on it by Johnson and Raven. Students should be reading this book daily. Here is a picture of the book that should be going home.
The 2nd book used in the class is called The Omnivore’s Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat written by Michael Pollan. We will be reading the Young Readers Edition. This book will be used for classroom discussions and assignments throughout the year.
Moodle Page
Please visit Mr. Nixon’s moodle page. I will put various assignments, notes, and announcements on this page. The moodle page will also be a great resource for students that are absent. I am very new to the moodle environment for my classroom, so please be patient with me as I incorporate this amazing technology into my Biology class. The students will be trained on moodle in the first couple weeks of school. Once all the students are trained, I will begin to use the Ottawa Hills moodle site regularly.
Lecture Component
The lecture component of the class will include detailed power point notes with various pictures, animations, and videos to complement the content. Students will be given detailed outlines with blanks for them to fill in, and space for them to add in any necessary comments or information from the lecture. Students will also be asked to write responses concerning the short animations and videos.
Student Evaluation
Students will be evaluated in 4 major areas including laboratory investigations, homework/class activities, quizzes, and unit tests.
Unit Tests/Research Project 60%
Labs 20%
Quizzes 10%
Home Work/Class Activities 10%
The standard school grading scale will be followed.
A 92-100
B 82-91
C 72-81
D 64-71
F below 64%
- Tests will normally be worth 75-150 points
- Quizzes will normally be worth 5-50 points
- Labs, Activities, and Projects will be worth 25-75 points
- Binder checks will be worth 10-50 points
****Special Notice About Tests****
Under no circumstances will any tests leave my classroom. Once students have looked at their tests and have finished the test corrections, I will collect the tests and keep them. If students would like to study their old tests, arrangements can be made with Mr. Nixon to stay after school to view them. If parents or guardians would like to view the test, please email me to set an appointment time.
Binders
All students must have a 3-ring binder filled with paper for this class. Notes, Classroom Activities, Labs, Homework, and Tests and Quizzes will be stored in an organized fashion in your binder. Dividers are strongly recommended to help with organization. Random unannounced checks will result in 10-50 points per check.
Other supplies needed include:
- pens or pencils (no red ink)
- book cover (3 bonus points for each book that is covered within 2 days of receiving the book)
- Markers, colored pencils, and/or crayons are strongly recommended.
The Omnivore’s Dilemma
Students will be responsible for reading the book the Omnivore’s Dillemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat, written by Michael Pollan. The book will be read and discussed throughout the entire Biology course. Various questions, activities, and papers will also be completed throughout the year. The book provides real life examples of the content taught in the class.
What is New In Biology? (Assignment On Moodle)
Science is changing all the time. In order to be good students of science, we all (including myself) must stay current with the new Biology discoveries and research. Throughout the year, each and every student in Biology will be responsible for finding an article on the internet that describes a new discovery or research in Biology to share with the class. The student will post the article to Mr. Nixon’s moodle page on an assigned Friday by midnight. The other students in the class are to find the article, read the article, and post a comment on the moodle page about their thoughts on the article by following Sunday evening at midnight.
5th Grade Science Expo
All students in 9th grade Biology will be mentors to 5th grade students participating in the science expo on November 28th. We will be traveling to the elementary building during class time to meet with the 5th graders. You will help the 5th graders pick science expo topics, design experiments, complete research, and the project presentation. You will also be at the actual expo on November 28th to help the student give their presentation. This will count as a lab grade towards your Biology grade.
Teacher/Student/Parent Expectations
As the teacher:
1. I will be prepared and ready to teach each day’s lesson and make sure that class time is used effectively to increase student performance.
2. I will be available to help students that are falling behind, become confused or need extra help. Students can schedule appointments with me any day after school. I prefer not to use before school as I use that time to prepare for class, however, that is a possibility.
3. I will provide an atmosphere where it is fun to learn, open to new ideas and is centered on the success of my students.
4. I will keep parents informed when a student is falling behind or having trouble.
As the student:
1. Your #1 goal in this goal in this class is to prepare for this course each and everyday. Proper preparation is the key to success.
2. You are expected to ask questions when there is a problem in your ability to understand the material.
3. You are expected to take care of all make-up work when you are absent. If you miss a lab it must be made up after school within one week.
4. You are expected to be responsible for your own actions and take full responsibility for your behavior.
5. You must realize that just because there in no written homework does not mean there is no homework.
As parents:
1. Please let me know as soon as possible if your student is experiencing problems in this class.
2. Make sure your student is bringing home their book and binder every night to study.
3. Students in my classes have homework every night. Please make sure your student takes time each night to study for this class. Please ask to see the Biology Hints Sheet I passed out today.
4. If at anytime you have questions or concerns please e-mail or call me.
Scope and Sequence
The following scope and sequence is to be used as a guide for Mr. Nixon’s Biology class. While this is the general direction I will take in the class, I reserve the right to change this as needed. Unit 1 will be a basic introduction to Biology, and Units 2-5 will cover the 4 Big Ideas discussed at the beginning of this syllabus. The units will follow the textbook for the most part, but you will notice that a few chapters in the scope and sequence are “out of order” or are missing. This is done to help students make connections in the content.
Unit 1: The Nature of Life
Chapter 1: Biology and You
Chapter 13: The Theory of Evolution
Chapter 2: Chemistry of Life
Unit 2: Ecology
Chapter 15: Populations
Chapter 16: Ecosystems
Chapter 17: Biological Communities
Unit 3: Cells
Chapter 3: Cell Structure
Chapter 20: Viruses and Bacteria
Chapter 4: Cells and Their Environment
Chapter 5: Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration
Chapter 6: Chromosomes and Reproduction
Unit 4: Genetics
Chapter 9: DNA: The Genetic Material
Chapter 10: How Proteins Are Made
Chapter 7: Meiosis and Sexual Reproduction
Chapter 8: Mendel and Heredity
Unit 5: Evolution
Chapter 12: History of Life
Chapter 14: Classification of Organisms
All rules and policies in the Ottawa Hills High School handbook are expected to be followed at all times, as they will be enforced in the classroom. Failure to follow classroom rules will result in appropriate disciplinary actions. Please take special notice of the Ottawa Hills Local Schools dress code policy as it will be strictly enforced at all times.
I am looking forward to an exciting year filled with great hands-on activities, labs, projects, and inquiry-based learning. Please feel free to contact me at Ottawa Hills High School at any time if you have any questions or concerns or would like to set up a conference. The main office phone number is 419-534-5376.
Please sign and return this sheet to me as soon as possible.
Thank you for your support.
Mr. Nixon
Science Teacher
Ottawa Hills Junior Senior High School
419-534-5376 ext. *412
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