West Florence High School

CP Biology I

Mrs. Howard

E-mail:

Website: www.palmettoiteach.com

Standards:

The information taught in this course is aligned with the South Carolina State Standards for Biology I. The questions for the End-of-Course Test will be drawn solely from these standards. You will be given a copy of the standards, you can access the standards through my webpage above, or you can access the standards at .gov/scdoe/assets/file/agency/ccr/Standards-Learning/documents/South_Carolina_Academic_Standards_and_Performance_Indicators_for_Science_2014.pdf

Course Content Units of Study:


- Unit 1 – Introduction to Inquiry and Engineering Design

- Unit 2 – Biochemistry

- Unit 3 - Energy

- Unit 4 – Cells

- Unit 5 – Cell Reproduction

- Unit 6 – DNA and Protein Synthesis

- Unit 7 – Mendelian Genetics

- Unit 8 – Evolution

- Unit 9 – Ecology

- EOC Review


Types of Assignment s :

Grades for this course will come from several different types of assessment including:

1. Labs

2. Tests and Quizzes

Midterm Exam – This will be given at the end of 1st Quarter on all material covered to that point. The mid-term exam counts as 10% of your 1st Quarter grade.

District Post Test – Students will take a diagnostic test early in the semester and then take the same exam at the end of the course to measure your growth in the content over the semester. The diagnostic does not count in your grades, but the second growth measure will count as one test grade in second quarter.

Final Exam - Students will complete a final exam on material covered in the course. Since the state End of Course Test must count as 20% of your grade, the final exam will count as one test grade on the second quarter grade. Students with a 90 or higher (A) in the course can exempt the final exam.

3. Homework /Classwork

4. Projects – Students will be assigned projects to pull together information across a unit of study. Students who complete the assignment along the prescribed timeline for each project will not experience any difficulty in completing them on time.

5. EOC Portfolio – When it is time to review for the end of course exam, students will work on an EOC review portfolio in class. That review portfolio will count for 10% of the 2nd Quarter grade.

6. State End of Course Exam - The final exam for this course will be a state-prepared end of course test consisting of multiple-choice, higher-order-thinking questions. The questions will be cumulative from the entire course. This test will count for 20% of your final course grade.

Grading :

All regular coursework, except for the midterm exam, the course portfolio, and the final exam, are graded on a total points system. To determine your average, divide the points you have earned by the total points possible.


Quarter 1 :

Coursework 90%

Midterm Exam 10%

Quarter 2 :

Coursework 90%

Portfolio 10%


Final Average Score:

First Quarter 40%

Second Quarter 40%

End of Course Exam 20%

Course Grade Percentages : Grades for this course are based on a 7-point scale:

A 9 0 -100

B 8 9-80

C 7 9 - 71

D 69- 6 0

F Below 59

Extra Help:

The instructor will be available Monday-Thursday from 3:30-4:00 for extra help, with the exception of days when faculty meetings are called. If students want help at any other time, they can request a meeting with the instructor by e-mail or by signing up in the classroom.

Classroom Rules:

A student record sheet is kept by the teacher outlining infractions of handbook policies, academic integrity violations, and discipline issues. The handbook will be followed in response to violations. There are 3 simple classroom rules to follow:

· Respect others and the learning process at all times.

· Do not cheat yourself – always do your BEST.

· Follow all handbook policies for dress code, ID’s, cell phones, etc.

Supplies:

The following supplies are needed for you to be successful in this course:


- Composition Notebook

- 1 ?” 3-ring binder

- Notebook Paper

- Graph Paper

- 10 dividers

- Markers/crayons/colored pencils (student choice)

- Glue Sticks

- Sharpie Marker

- Pencils/Pens


Free Biology Class Reminder Texts:

Text updates and reminders will be sent out to help parents be informed and help students remember when important due dates are coming up. If you would like to sign up for this opportunity, please test @howardcp to the number 81010 (shown to the right).

Access to Course Content:

All of the Biology I course content has been placed on a Schoology account to help you and your student keep up with the work in the course. Grades will not be stored in Schoology, but you can see the work we are doing each day and access assignments as needed. Your student will set up their account in class. Once their account is set up, you will be able to view anything we are doing in class through that account.

Please return the information below on Tuesday, August 16:

Contac t Information:

Please provide the following information so I can best support your student:

Parent/Guardian Name:__________________________________

Phone Number:______________________________ Email: ____________________________

Parent/Guardian Name:__________________________________

Phone Number:______________________________ Email: ____________________________

Student Name:__________________________________

Phone Number:______________________________ Email: ____________________________

Signatures :

Please sign below to confirm that you have read and agree with the information in the syllabus:

Parent/Guardian Name (Print):__________________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature:__________________________________ Date_________________

Student Name (Print):__________________________________

Student Signature:__________________________________ Date_________________