| Biology |  | Biology Syllabus
Biology is a Level 2, yearlong course in which we will learn about the living world through many hands-on labs. We’ll gain skills to use in the lab, like microscopy, and in the field, like plant identification. We will extract DNA from bananas, breed dragons, and see the world through strange goggles.
Course Outline
Semester One
Introducing Biology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 weeks
Ecology Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 weeks
Cell Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 weeks
The Human Body Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 weeks
Materials You’ll Need
1. Bring something to write with every day.
2. A paper grocery bag or book cover
3. A lab notebook ($2 from Megan or buy your own), clothbound with graph paper.
4. A formal lab notebook ($1.50 donation appreciated) for your science portfolio.
5. A copy of McDouglal/Littell Biology, our lovely textbook.
Evaluations
The 3 categories for science work are:
1. Class work: group labs and activities — 30%
2. Individual work: homework, bookwork, quizzes and worksheets — 30%
3. Formal assessments: formal lab reports, creative projects, presentations, and exams — 40%
70% or more of the points for this work earns a satisfactory evaluation.
Expectations
ATTENDANCE AND ACTIVE PARTICIPATION ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TOWARDS SUCCESS IN SCIENCE CLASS. Please try NOT to schedule doctor’s visits and other controllable absences during science class – you can’t make up labs. In the case of excused absences, it is the student’s responsibility to provide evidence of excused absences and ask for and complete missing assignments. I am here to help, so please communicate with me in a timely fashion. I can excuse up to two labs per semester if you bring in a note proving that your absence on a lab day was excused.
On-time assignments will have priority over late assignments when it comes to grading. Assignments will be accepted up until one week past the unit test. Unexcused late assignments will earn partial credit.
Students are also expected to take credit only for work that they do themselves; plagiarized assignments will receive a score of 0 and cannot be rewritten. Copying words or images from the Internet counts as plagiarism.
You are expected to abide by the Social Contract writen by Open School students in the Constituional Convention, as well as the basic classroom routine guiedelines explained in the first week of school. All science students are also expected to follow the safety guidelines outlined in the Safety Contract.
Parent Invovelment and Communication
If you would like to sign up for email updates, please enter your email address in the space below. My email address is megan.hall@spps.org. Please contact me through email with questions, concerns, or if you are willing to volunteer as a guest lecturer or field trip chaperone. Our science website, http://www.open.spps.org/Science.html, will have news and updates.
Signatures
Please read, sign, and return this syllabus and the safety contract by Monday, September 8. This is your first individual assignment, worth 10 points.
Student Name _________________________________________________
Student Signature ______________________________________________
Parent Signature _______________________________________________
Parent Email Contact ____________________________________________
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