BIOLOGY 1 Syllabus
Introduction
Biology is the study of life We will pay special attention to the processes that support life and investigate the interactions between living things and the systems that support them. By the end of this course, a successful student will:
Other Required Materials Notebook/Binder & Paper Writing Utensils – Pen/Pencil, Highlighter & Colored Pencils School Agenda Classes are at, or near, capacity and backpacks are a safety hazard in the science classroom. (We work with expensive equipment, glass, fire and chemicals) Please try not to bring backpacks to class. Letter Grade & Percent Grades Scale A 94%-and above A- 93%-90% B+ 89%-87% B 86%-83% B- 82%-80% C+ 79%-77% C- 72%-70% D+ 69%-67% D 66%-63% D- 62%-60% F 59% and Below Quarter and exam grades will adhere to the UCS grading scale. Semester grades are calculated according to the district 40/40/20 rule. (Q1/Q2/ exam) Homework Credit Guidelines · Unless otherwise noted, homework assigned during one class period should be considered due at the beginning of the next Biology class period. · Credit for daily assignments will be based on completeness. Completeness refers to both quantity and quality of the attempt. Work lacking thoughtful answers or failing to address all parameters of the directions may be considered incomplete. Partial credit may be earned for some assignments if a sufficient or thoughtful attempt is evidenced. If 50% or less of an assignment is attempted, no credit will be earned. · While the initial (stamped) attempt at an assignment is not generally scored for accuracy, it is in each student’s best interest to fix or correct the homework as it is reviewed in class. Completed homework assignments will be a valuable resource for use on weekly homework quizzes and will allow students to earn credit towards 10% of the Biology 1 quarter grade under the “Homework Completion” category. · Weekly homework quizzes will consist of two questions. The first will directly reflect an answer or item found within an indicated homework assignment discussed that week. The second question will ask students to respond after considering a homework item and some “new” piece of information such as a graph or an opposing point of view. Each of the questions will be worth half the points for a total of 4-16 points. Students will complete homework quizzes during an allotted 10 minute period in class using only their own, personal homework assignment. · Students that are absent on the day homework is assigned or stamped are responsible for finding out about the work, completing it (within the timeframe of UCS absence policies) and seeking out the teacher before/after class to secure credit for the missed assignment on their stamp sheet. If an absence occurs early in the week, it is acceptable to present the absent (not late) work for credit while a later assignment is being stamped. Every effort needs to be made to complete missed work by Friday to afford all necessary resources for the weekly homework quiz. · Students that misplace, lose or destroy their weekly homework sheet will forfeit the points earned from stamps. Students without sheets will still have the opportunity to earn weekly points from Friday’s homework quiz.
Weighted Grades
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Class Rules/Policies
Simply put, students are to adhere to all school rules set forth in the UCS Student Handbook. In addition, there are a few specific areas highlighted below. ABSENT WORK POLICY: If you miss school or lose a paper, you must obtain it from the class website. You get one day to work on your assignments for each day that you were absent. You would also obtain extra copies of any lost papers/work from the class website. Tests completed after an absence may not get graded until the end of the quarter. LATE WORK POLICY: Late work is not accepted. Do your work and turn it in on time. Any work turned in after the due date may not appear in the grade book (PowerSchool) until the final week of the marking period. EXTRA CREDIT POLICY: Extra credit is only available to students with 0 missing assignments. Students may raise their overall grade a maximum of 10% through extra credit. Extra credit is available at any time to any eligible student. To view options for extra credit, please visit the class website and click on “Extra Credit” in the "Informational" section. Extra credit will be input before progress reports and report cards (twice a marking period). TARDY POLICY: You are expected to be in your seat when the bell rings. Otherwise, you are considered tardy. CHEATING POLICY: Any sort of academic dishonesty is considered cheating. This includes, but is not limited to, copying another students work and plagiarism. Students caught cheating will receive a zero for that assignment and citizenship grade will drop. CELL PHONE POLICY: Cell phones may not be active during class. Students will be asked to keep phones in provided holder during class. Active phones will be confiscated and turned over to administration. Having an active phone during a test can, and will be, considered cheating. FOOD AND DRINK POLICY: Food and drinks are not allowed in science class. HALL PASS POLICY: Students must record their time out and in on the sign out sheet as well as take the class pass (1) with them after obtaining permission to leave class from the teacher. Excessive hall pass use will result in a reduction in student participation grade unless doctors note is provided. |