Welcome to Ms. Romano’s AP Biology Class!
Memorial High School, 1227 Memorial St, San Antonio, TX 78228
Instructor: Kahli Hedrick-RomanoConference: 5th Period 12:39-1:32 AM
Tutoring: Thursdays 4:30-5:30 PM
/ Email:
Phone: 210-444-8300 ext. 3906
Room: 324
Dear Students and Parents/Guardians,
Welcome to the 2017-2018 school year! This letter contains all of the necessary information about our AP Biology class. Please review the information, sign, and return the attached agreement for my files. We will work hard and learn biology very well – and it will be an awesome year!
About This Course
Biology is the study of the living world around us.
This course is designed for students to master the first two semesters of college-level biology, covering: basic biochemistry, metabolism, genetics and heredity, evolution, and ecology. Students will be eligible at the end of this course to take the AP Exam. Passing this exam (3 or higher; see below) will earn the student credit for two courses in college biology.
The AP Exam
The AP exam is graded on a scale from 1 to 5:
AP Score / Recommendation5 / Extremely well qualified
4 / Well qualified
3 / Qualified
2 / Possibly qualified
1 / No recommendation
Success on the AP Exam
Though passing is defined as a 3 or higher, success is defined by the College Board as scoring a 2 or higher on the AP Exam. Since 2015-2016 school year, Memorial’s student performance has dramatically increased.
Success in Ms. Romano’s Class
I will be focused this year on looking at a student’s growth. No matter a student’s academic foundation in biology or writing/quantitative skills at the beginning of the year, the one thing that I want to see in my class is that every student improves throughout the year.
About Ms. Romano
I grew up in San Antonio and earned my Bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of Texas at Austin. From there I went to the University of Bristol in England to earn my MSc in Sociology. As a lifelong learner I am currently working on my PhD in Demography at UTSA! An education to me is a lot more than just getting a good job. Getting an education can open up your mind and self to new possibilities and experiences. Every day you learn you are experiencing something new and growing as a person. I truly believe knowledge is power, and it is something that can never be taken away from you. I believe in each and every one of you and know that you can achieve anything you put your mind to. I am always here to help- please ask!
Course Outline
The course is broadly divided into eight units. And detailed on my class website (below). Within these units, we will be conducting 8 laboratory investigations which will require critical writing and data analysis skills.
Class Website
All class materials, assignments, and supplemental videos and websites will be posted on my website, https://www.eisd.net/Domain/3748
Assessments
15 summative assessments will be given throughout the year, as listed below. Please note that unless otherwise indicated, exams are a combination of free-response (FR) and multiple-choice (MC) questions.
9/1: U1A (FR) / 1/19: U4A9/15: U1A-C / 2/22: U4B-D (MC)
9/29: U1 / 2/23: U4B-D (FR)
10/13: U2A-D / 3/26: U5 (MC)
10/20: U2 / 3/27: U5 (FR)
11/10: U3A-B / 4/13: U6
12/8: U3B-E (MC) / 4/23: Mock AP Exam*
1/5: U3B-F (FR)
*This is a full-length (3-hour) practice exam for which you will be pulled out of your morning classes.
Notebooks
Your notebook is your most valuable resource in this class. Taking neat, quality notes with your own questions and reflections is almost a guaranteed way to achieve success in AP Biology. At the end of the year, students’ notebooks will be due for a summative grade and graded on presence of titles, images, highlighted vocabulary words, and clarity. There will also be random and graded notebook checks throughout the year.
Weekly Questions
Every single task assigned in Ms. Romano’s AP Biology class is meticulously designed to enhance learning. Questions should not be viewed as tasks but as opportunities for learning.
Warm-Up Questions
Warm-Up questions are designed to stimulate thinking about previous learning and should be answered in the first five minutes of class every day. It is HIGHLY recommended that students review old notes in order to answer Warm-Up questions. The subjects addressed by the questions may be from the day before or from several months before, but are always highly relevant to the day’s lesson.
Critical-Thinking Questions (CTQs)
CTQs are designed to stimulate deep thinking, requiring the student to connect multiple domains from the day’s and previous learning. CTQs rarely have a definite answer and can NEVER be found on Google. All information needed to answer a CTQ is explicitly stated in the notes, but explanations during the lecture from Ms.Romano can provide useful insight in thinking about and answering CTQs. To that end, while missing class and retrieving the lecture’s notes or mindlessly copying the notes during the lecture without thinking about the material is sufficient to answering a CTQ, the vast majority of students are at a severe disadvantage by not mentally being engaged during a lecture.
Closure
Closure questions are designed to address key concepts which the student should take away from a lesson. In general, a student who can thoroughly answer a closure question has learned a significant portion of the day’s lesson. The closure question should be answered following the other questions with a reflective mindset of the “big picture.”
Notecards
Notecards are meant to familiarize the student with key biology vocabulary, the understanding of which is essential for learning new concepts and answering questions. Each notecard must contain the word, a picture, the definition (in your own words), and usage of the word in a sentence. Googling the word and transcribing the definition is mindless work, not an opportunity for learning, and is thus a waste of your and my time. Instead, the definition should be original and produced following reading and thinking about the word. Similarly, referencing Google Images or lectures for pictures should only be done for inspiration, and mindless copying of a picture is as pointless as mindless copying of a definition.
Example Notecard:
Grading
Warm-Up/CTQ/Closure assignments are graded as follows:
+30% completion of questions
+20% completion of vocabulary notecards
+50% grading for accuracy and depth of explanation of five questions
+2% for each bonus question
-10% for each day the questions are late (up to -30%)
Reflection
A week after the assignment is due, Ms.Romano’s recommended answers to the CTQ questions will be provided upon request. Please note that these are not the “right” answers as much as the recommended accuracy and depth of complexity which the question requires. There are, in this class and in life, seldom “right” answers.
Can I Not Do Weekly Questions and Still Pass?
No. They comprise the majority, if not entirety, of your formative grade, which is 50% of your final grade. Furthermore, failure to complete assignments makes it highly unlikely that you will do particularly well on assessments, which comprise your summative grade.
Late Work
Normally, assignments are given at the beginning of the week and due in class at the beginning of the next week. Assignments may be turned in physically or emailed to Ms.Romano, but any assignment that is not in Ms.Romano’s inbox or turn-in box by class time on the day it is due is late. Following a week after an assignment was due, late work will no longer be accepted. For example, an assignment which is given on Monday the 5th which is due on Monday the 12th is no longer accepted after Monday the 19th. Following this time, a zero is a zero – no exceptions.
I’m Not Satisfied with My Grade – How Can I Improve It?
Extra credit is only available to students caught up on their assignments. Extra credit can be provided in the form of supplemental questions, but is generally much more difficult than regular assignments.
Why Should I Do Ms. Romano’s Assignments?
You SHOULD NOT do Ms. Romano’s assignments to avoid trouble from your parents or guardians.
You SHOULD NOT do Ms. Romano’s assignments to be competitive in class ranking.
You SHOULD NOT do Ms. Romano’s assignments because being compliant is something you have been programmed to do by the Education-Industrial Complex.
You SHOULD do Ms. Romano’s assignments to enhance learning.
You SHOULD do Ms. Romano’s assignments to find what is unclear and to generate questions.
You SHOULD do Ms. Romano’s assignments to promote curiosity and thinking about the natural world.
Tutoring
Tutoring will be available on Thursdays from 4:30-5:30. Attending tutoring is highly encouraged, whether or not a student is struggling. Special appointments can be arranged in advance with Ms.Romano
Grading Policy
Formative (60%): Critical-Thinking Questions (CTQs), as well as warm-up and closure questions, count for one formative grade per week. Projects will comprise one formative and one summative grade.
Summative (40%): Exams, quizzes, lab reports, and projects will make up approximately 3-4 grades per 6 weeks.
Absences
This course is fast-paced and rigorous, and planned absences are extremely discouraged. When a student is absent, he/she should make every effort to receive remedial tutoring as quickly as possible. In general, I expect any absent student to spend an hour at home or in tutoring reviewing the material and answering missed questions.
A Note to Parents/Guardians:
My number one goal in this course is that your child grows academically and learns biology. I see this goal as a triple partnership, between myself, your child, and you. AP Biology will be a difficult course, but it is very manageable if the student stays focused during class and for approximately 10-20 minutes at home each day. If I challenge your child in class, you challenge your child at home, and your child challenges him/herself all day, I know with absolute confidence that your child will succeed with flying colors in this course. To this end, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me regarding your child’s education. Please let me know the best way to get in touch with you. I’m looking forward to a fun and challenging and very productive year!
Sincerely,
Kahli Hedrick-Romano
AP Biology Class Contract
By signing this contract, I acknowledge that I have read and understand all policies of Ms. Romano’s class. I agree to uphold all expectations of Ms. Romano’s biology class syllabus every day.
Student Name (PRINT): ______
Student Signature: ______Date: ______
By signing this contract, I acknowledge that I have reviewed with my child all policies of Ms. Romano’s class. I agree to support the policies and contact Ms. Romano immediately with any questions or concerns.
Parent/Guardian Name(s) (PRINT): ______
Preferred Language/Idioma Preferida: ______
Parent/Guardian Signature: ______Date: ______
Email Address: ______
Phone Number: ______Contact Preference (circle one): phone / email.