Course Information for Students and Parents
A letter to the parents

           Why Study Biology?

Pick up any newspaper or turn on the news and you will at some point encounter an issue faced by human beings on a global level: acid rain, unchecked population growth, the shrinking of tropical rain forests, loss of species diversity, disease, pollution, genetic engineering, cloning, the extreme inequities in the distribution of the earth's wealth and resources, and so on.  

The future of individual human beings depends largely on knowledge of such global issues and our attitudes in dealing with them.  As the National Council argues, science can provide humanity not only with knowledge about our world, but also the effective solutions to its global and local problems.  The study of biology emphasizes and and explains the dependency of living organisms on each other and the physical environment.  When empowered with this knowledge, human beings develop an important respect for nature.  This respect is also intelligent: through it, we learn to tackle problems, examine evidence, develop logical arguments, and think critically and independently.  These skills will help every human being regardless of the profession he/she decides to pursue in life. 

Course Description

• This is a laboratory-based course where you will be allowed to generate knowledge about biology (a fancy term for the study of the living world) with your peers.
• Always remember, you are the learner here! You are the one who needs to actively acquire knowledge.
• The biology honors guide (a.k.a. teacher) will provide you some of the ways and means of acquiring knowledge about the living world but you will also actively construct and generate your own knowledge by interaction with each other, written text (books, magazines, newspapers, pamphlets, internet "stuff"), graphs and data charts, numbers, drawings yours and those of others), pictures and movies, sound, microscopes, test tubes, computers, specimens, EACH OTHER.... and the list goes on...

Topics

• Trimester 1: Evolution & Ecosystems

• Trimester 2: Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology, Genetics

• Trimester 3: Living Systems of Plants and Animals

Materials

1) Textbook: Biology by Miller and Levine (2004)
2) Three-ring binder with dividers
3) Lab notebook: A composition book

Classroom Policies

Absences: Tests or quizzes given on a day of unexcused absence will result in a zero grade.  Moreover, the school’s policy is to take 2 percentage points off your final grade for each unexcused absence. Our double period once a week counts as two periods.  Thus, if you are absent unexcused from a double period, four percentage points will be taken from your final grade.

 

Lateness: Three tardies result in one Saturday detention.  I know that the science building can be a walk but it is your responsibility to get to class on time.

 

Homework: Homework assignments are due at the beginning of the period.  Failure to turn in homework results in academic detention on the same day from 3:30 – 4:45 pm.  This is not a punishment system; rather, it is put in place to prevent the common situation of missing one homework assignment after another.  I will accept late homework, but it will have reduced credit.

 

Lab Reports: There is a format to be followed for lab reports, which will be given to you.  All lab reports are to be done in a composition notebook.  Lab reports will be due on official science test days, as set by the school.  Late lab reports will be accepted at reduced credit for each day that it is not turned in.

 

Grading:  A variety of assignments will be included this year to assess your learning including tests, quizzes, lab reports, presentations, group work, problem sets, papers, and projects.  The grading policy that will be used in class is as follows:

 

• Tests/quizzes: 40%
• Homework: 15%
• Projects: 15%
• Labs: 20%
• Class Participation and Effort: 10%