Honors Biology 2015-­‐2016 Class Syllabus Instructor: Miss Lynn @lynnsanityBHS Room: 103 Email Address: [email protected] Availability: After/Before school upon request Class Website: http://www.bcsoh.org/site/default.aspx?DomainID=763 Required Daily Materials: •
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Textbook: MacBook Air/Chromebook Ear buds Honors Biology Binder Other Materials: • Calculator (non-­‐graphing) Honors Biology Summary Honors Biology is designed to be equivalent to an introductory biology course. The honors biology course differs from the usual high school course in respect to the range and depth of topics covered, the laboratory work done by students, and the time and effort required. Honors Biology is structured around concepts such as evolution, energy, reproduction, genetics, and ecological interactions. Because evolution is the foundation upon which the entire course is based, it will be referenced throughout the entire course, and science as a process, will be woven throughout both the investigations and the class activities outside of the investigations. Student-­‐Centered Course This course is not structured like a traditional teacher-­‐centered class. One of the unique features about Honors Biology this year is the ability for students to utilize their own laptop, and oftentimes can work at their own pace! This is different from most high school classes because it means that the student (not the teacher) is in charge of the learning process! Some activities will be done as a whole class, and some of the assignments will be completed individually or in small groups. The teacher’s role, therefore, is to provide assistance, clarification, and challenges for each student when necessary. Assignment Types Learning resources will be uploaded to the class website prior to beginning each unit, and throughout each unit to assist with the learning process. Assignment types include video lectures, textbook readings, concept checks, labs (both real & virtual), case study readings, activities and quizzes. ! Video Lectures: For certain topics, class time will not be used for whole-­‐class lectures. Students will be responsible for watching instructional videos during class or at home on their laptops. These videos will be used to help explain the concepts covered by the textbook reading. ! Checklists: For certain topics, I will provide a checklist of assignments that need to be completed. I might have you watch a video lecture and answer questions, visit a website, or take notes on the assigned reading. Checklists will be submitted to me via Google classroom. ! Concept Checks: A series of multiple choice questions will be used to monitor each student’s understanding of the material covered in both the video lectures and textbook readings. Concept checks may or may not be counted as a grade. ! Labs/Activities: Many hands-­‐on labs and activities will be conducted this year. Labs will be done on a whole-­‐class basis or in small groups depending on the nature of the lab/activity and the pace of individual students. Virtual labs will also be conducted by individual students when materials are not available or time is limited. ! Case Studies: Students will be asked to read / respond to many case studies and professional articles during the course of the year. These readings are intended to extend the basic concepts by applying them to real-­‐world situations. ! Quizzes: Students will take quizzes after successfully completing the assignments in each section. ! Unit Tests: All students will take a paper-­‐based test on the same day at the completion of each unit. The format of tests will be multiple choice, and short answer / essay and there are no retakes. I will also provide review days and after school study sessions when test days are approaching. Student Expectations I expect that every student will: 1. Come to class prepared and ready to learn! 2. Use technology for educational purposes only. Using personal or school technology for non-­‐educational purposes may result in the loss of this privilege. 3. Use the entire class period for Honors Biology. Do your other homework…at home! 4. Treat themselves, their teacher, and each other with kindness & respect. 5. Keep all food and drink away from the lab tables. 6. Use integrity by not cheating, copying, or plagiarizing another person’s work. 7. Openly discuss ideas and questions with the teacher and fellow classmates. Lab Activities The laboratory activities in honors biology abandon the traditional teacher-­‐directed content coverage model in favor of one that focuses on student-­‐directed experimentation and inquiry. This approach enables students to identify the questions they want to answer, design experiments to test hypotheses, conduct investigations, analyze data, and communicate their results. As a result, they are able to concentrate on understanding concepts and developing the reasoning skills essential to the practices used in the study of biology. In inquiry-­‐based laboratory investigations, students model the behavior of scientists by discovering knowledge for themselves as they observe and explore. By their very nature, such investigations are more difficult and take longer to conduct, but the successful completion of such labs lead to a better comprehension of the content as well as a deeper appreciation for the scientific process. Study Sessions Students in Honors Biology are encouraged to form study groups and to assist each other with learning the course materials. These study groups can be held at during class time, at lunch, someone’s house or a public place like the library. During these sessions you and your group members can review/talk about the concepts from class, predict test questions and quiz each other, as well as help one another better understand difficult concepts. There will also be scheduled after school study sessions in Miss Lynn’s room -­‐ especially as the date approaches for an upcoming test. Parents It is important that parents and students read through the syllabus together. For your student to be successful, they must understand the policies and procedures within this syllabus. If you have any questions or concerns throughout the year, please feel free to contact me. The quickest method is via e-­‐mail. I check my email during the school day, and will make every effort to get back to you within 24 hours during the school week. The Bottom Line In my classroom, I expect you to work as hard as you can, be respectful of yourself & others, and have fun time learning about biology. In return, I will do the same and make sure everyone in this class has the opportunity to succeed. Get ready for an amazing year!