Biology Syllabus & Information Packet 2017-2018

Mrs. D’Amour (916) 888-1400, ext. 610

John Adams Academy

Course Description:

Biology: "bio-" = life and "-ology" =study of…Biology is abranch of knowledge that deals with living organisms and vital processes.This course is a broad introduction into the various fields of biological sciences. Themes that we will be studying in this course include scientific skills, measurement and data analysis, cellular processes, biochemistry, genetics, natural selection, ecology, structure & function of living systems, basic botany, and the social implications of science on society.Biology is an exciting and rapidly growing field of study. My hope is that this course will inspire you to a passionate love of life and a greaterappreciation of the beauty, complexityand harmony within the biosphere.

Course Outline:

Unit1-Intro to Biology: Scientific method, Scientific Measurements, Lab Safety and Equipment

Unit 2- Organisms: Structure & Function, Growth, Development & Organization of organisms

Unit3-Ecosystems: Interactions Energy and Dynamics between organisms

Unit4-Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits within organisms

Unit-5-Biological Evolution:Natural Selection,Adaptation & Mutation as mechanisms of change within populations of organisms. Explore current scientific evidence supporting monophyletic & polyphyletic views of change within populations.

Unit6-Botany: Introduction to plant anatomy/physiology and classification systems

The California State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards for High School Biology will serve as the guides for this course.

NGSS standards listed at the following website:

.Necessary Student Equipment:

  • biology textbook – issued by the school, must be covered, used for homework assigned reading
  • biology notebook – provided by JAA to store notes from power points and lab write-ups Note:Your notebook is graded!
  • pen and/or pencil – (no iridescent gel pens or red pens, use pencil,black or blue ink ONLY for all graded work, except when directed to color an image in your notebook.)

**All equipment must be brought to classeveryday of the school year**

My Classroom Expectations:

Adherence to the following guidelines will insure a safe and enjoyable year for everyone:

  • Be courteous and respectful to your teacher and classmates.
  • Come to class on time and prepared to work.
  • Follow ALL safety rules and procedures (see lab safety rules handout).
  • Uphold high standards of effort, positive attitude and work ethic.
  • Actively participate in all labs and classroom discussions
  • Cell phones must be turned off and stored in backpacks during class unless otherwise instructed.
  • Backpacks must be stored near windows (only have your notebook and pencil on desk)
  • Late work accepted up to one week after the original due date with a reduction of points by 5% per day after the due date. However, if you have an excused absence you will have up to two class days for each day of absence to make up work for full credit.
  • If your family is planning a vacation during the school year, you must give me at least a two week notice to put together your home study materials. Upon returning, you must turn in the completed work within three school days of returning to school.
  • One final rule:I have a zero tolerance policy forcheating(copying other students or using cheat sheets on exams)and/orplagiarism(copying published work).Cheating and plagiarism will both result in a zero on the assignment and possibly a letter grade lower on your final grade in my class.This means that you may not receive an A if you cheat.This rule encompasses all work assigned, including homework (whether you are the one copying or the one providing the copy), reports, and exams.If you are uncertain if you are plagiarizing, ask me before the due date and I will be happy to help you.

Consequences for failure to govern oneself according to classroom expectations:

***Please Note: Major offenses such as failure to follow lab safety protocol, inflicting any physical harm to others, threats to others, or harassment of others will skip to the third violation consequence immediately on the first offense. These behaviors absolutely will not be tolerated in my class, and as such will incur a stricter punishment.****

Other Offenses that do not pose a physical threat to the safety of students and staff will be handled as follows:

  • First Violation – Verbal warning.
  • Second Violation – Student/Teacher conference and/or Parental Notification.
  • Third Violation – Lunch detention and/or Parental notification, restitution of any damage done.
  • Fourth violation - Discipline referral turned into administrative staff. Parent/Teacher conference.

My Grading Policy:

I will utilize Aeries to update your grades online regularly. However, it is your responsibility to retain all returned work.Only by keeping your returned work can unintentional mistakes be corrected. Please do not throw your work away until you have checked that it is accurately recorded in Aeries gradebook. Occasionally mistakes happen while inputting grades, so please check that your student portal matches the grade written on your returned work. Also, I recommend saving all your returned work until after the unit exam, as my feedback on your graded work may help clear some misconceptions before going into the unit exam. Occasionally I offer extra credit when a student has far exceeded expectations.

Letter grades will be assigned according to the following cut-offs: Over 100%=A+

93-100 = A / 87 – 89.9 = B+ / 77 – 79.9 = C+ / 67 – 69.9 = D+ / < 60 = F
90-92.9 = A- / 83 – 86.9 = B / 73 – 76.9 = C / 63 – 66.9 = D
80 – 82.9 = B- / 70 – 72.9 = C- / 60 – 62.9 = D-

Each semester grade is calculated by the following percentages:

•Homework/Classwork: 20%

•Tests/Quizzes: 25%

•Presentations/Projects: 25%

•Notebook (including lecture notes): 15%

Labs/Reports/Essays: 15%

Retesting Policy:

Test and Quiz grades below 70% are eligible for retesting. First, you need to schedule a time to come in for tutoring and to correct your original test in my presence. Then, you need to take your retest in my presence. This should be completed within two weeks of receiving your original test grade. You will receive the higher of the two scores with a maximum score of 89%. Exception: No retesting within 5 days of the end of a grading period (in other words, no retests within 5 days of the end of each semester).

Absence/Make-up Policy:

***After an absence, you are responsible for copying lecture notes or lab write-ups from another student, and obtaining the necessary handouts from the bins in the back of the room. You can also check google classroom for lecture slides or assignments given in class. Weekly assignments are posted on the whiteboard in my room as well as on my website.

  • Schedule time to make-up quizzes and tests A.S.A.P. – within one or two days, if possible.
  • Schedule tutoring time, if necessary.

You must make up any work missed due to an excused absence within three days of returning to school.If you miss a test, you must make up the test after school within a week of returning. Due to the inherent complex nature of setting up and cleaning up laboratories, missed labs will not be allowed to be made up. However, you may copy the lab write-up from a friend. It isyourresponsibilityto get make-up work. It is also your responsibility to turn in any work that was collected while you were gone. If you are absent the day of a review for the test you are still expected to take the test the day you return to school; again check google classroom or with your friends for any missing work.

Extra Credit

Biology is a college-preparatory course and, as such, there will be very few opportunities for extra credit.I expect you to maintain a satisfactory grade without extra credit; so please don’t ask. I only offer extra credit to scholars who have showed exceptional quality work that was completed on time!

Tutoring

I want each one of you to have a successful year! Toward that end, I am available for tutoring after school several days a week. I will post my tutorial times on the whiteboard. If these times will not work for you, we can make other arrangements.Please, do not hesitate to ask for assistance!

Final Advice

Biology is challenging, but you can succeed in this class if you follow these key steps:

  • Keep up with your assignments. Use your neighbor’s notebook, google classroom, and my handouts to catch up after an absence and avoid missing class whenever possible.
  • Ask for help when you need it. Whether that means asking a question during class or coming in for tutoring, I am here to help you in any way I can!
  • Take advantage of opportunities to boost your grade – corrections, retests, and occasional extra credit offered on tests. I will tell you what you can do for extra credit on various assignments and tests.
  • Participate fully in labs and classroom discussions. I learn from you as much as you learn from me. I enjoy listening to your opinions and views and expect a classroom environment wherein all students feel safe, respected and valued as individuals
  • Possible Films for Classroom Discussion:

The following list of films and videosmaybe used during the school year. If you (Student or Parent) wouldNOTlike to view any of them, please draw a line through the title and contact Mrs. D’Amour regarding your concerns.

  • Apollo 13 (PG)
  • October Sky (PG)
  • Lorenzo’s Oil (PG-13)
  • Awakenings (PG-13)
  • The Medicine Man (PG-13)
  • Gattaca (PG-13)
  • Artificial Intelligence (PG-13)
  • Island of Lost Souls (unrated, see below)

(PG-13 suggested rating by parent guide

Occasionally, I may take students off campus for field studies along the creek next to our campus. On these days, the office will be notified and we will have a walkie-talkie and my cell phone for communication with the front desk.

I reserve the right to alter the syllabus (i.e. due dates, course requirements, exam dates) for this class should it be necessary for any reason.Any changes will be fully explained to the students.

Your signature below indicates that you have read and agree to the aforementioned classroom policies and procedures, lab safety rules and approve of watching the above list of films (cross off any you do not approve of).

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Student signatureParent signature

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Legibly printed student nameLegibly printed parent name

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DateDate

Dear Parents;

I am looking forward to an exciting year working with your son or daughter.

Biology is a rapidly growing field of study that entails a close examination of how organisms live, grow, function and reproduce. This year, your scholar will demonstrate their observation and reasoning skills through scientific inquiry in an effort to gather evidence to support explanations of cellular function, reproduction, and various theories of organismal development. Students will build models to explain photosynthesis, respiration and the flow of matter and energy through organisms and ecosystems. Building upon a foundation laid in middle school life science, scholars will use mathematical models to develop their understanding of fundamental biological concepts of carrying capacity, and factors affecting biodiversity and population dynamics. Your son or daughter will broadly explore genetics, ecology, zoology, botany and various bioethical and environmental concerns related to the field of biology. I encourage all students to ask good questions, defend their positions with evidence and use concepts of probability and logical reasoning to explain scientific phenomena. Finally, your student will have plenty of opportunity to participate in exploratory labs, specimen dissections, and communicate how multiple lines of evidence support various explanations of natural phenomena. My hope is that your scholar will develop the ability to evaluate evidence of the conditions that may result in new species development, understand the role of genetic variation in natural selection, and discover how evolutionary constraints inherent in organismal developmental biology may affect changes in populations of species throughout time.

Should you have any questions or concerns about your child’s performance in my class, please don’t hesitate to email me at or call between the hours of 2:20 and 4:00 pm at (916) 888-1400, ext. 610. Email is usually the best way to reach me.

It is my desire to teach your child in a manner that resonates with their personal interests, strengths and learning styles and makes learning science enjoyable and relevant to their lives. In order to do that, I need your help in getting to know more about your child.

Parent Homework Assignment:Could you please write me a one page letter telling me about your child? Please include the scholar’s full name, nickname, siblings, favorite subjects in school, favorite sports, music, hobbies, foods, holidays or other personal interests. Did you do anything special this summer? What is your favorite family vacation? Is there anything you would like me to know about the way your student learns best or would you care to share any possible bad experiences he/she may have had with other teachers in the past and how you may have wished the situation were handled differently.

Thank you for taking the time to help me get to know your child and your family. I look forward to an outstanding year of learning together at John Adams Academy.

Together in Education,

Mary D’Amour, M.A.T. Science (Biology emphasis)

Secondary Science Teacher