CONTACT INFORMATION
Mrs. Margaret Miller, Room 202 Phone: 924-3733
Email address:
COURSE OVERVIEW
Your student-centered textbook, BSCS Biology: A Human Approach,
is different from most science texts. It emphasizes: (p. xiii)
· the big concepts, rather than the vocabulary words
· more experiments or investigations that students design
· more connections between the biological concepts and you
· fewer lectures -- more hands-on activities, videos, labs, discussions
· learning through guided inquiry
· teamwork/cooperative learning
· many types of assessments, including: (p. xvi)
o quizzes and tests, with a variety of questions
o assessments of cooperation skills and performance of tasks
o group and individual written assignments and projects
o journals – all information is to be recorded, including dates and page numbers
o peer and self-assessment
o projects – including one on an imaginary organism
This book will help us accomplish these class objectives:
· development of academic skills in preparation for 11th and 12th grade and beyond
· development of twenty-first century skills, an emphasis of Madeira City Schools:
o collaboration
o ability to communicate clearly in writing and speech
o critical thinking
o responsibility and carefulness in group and individual work
o competence in use of technology
o understanding of science-related issues facing society
o preparation for the OGT
· creation of an interesting and fun class, involving useful and important information about YOU
Although the BSCS curriculum requires more of you than the typical lecture course, studies show that the effort pays off for those who embrace the approach and participate fully. Such students not only learn more, but also enjoy the course more. This is true for students of all learning styles and all levels of abilities. So, the main message for you is:
Buy in. Get with the program. Be a participant, not a spectator.
In other words, help design labs, collaborate with your group on projects, and
teach your classmates what you’ve learned. You’ll have fun, classes will be
engaging and interesting, and the time will pass quickly. The more you put
into the course, the more you will get out of it!
This curriculum requires you to be an active learner. Therefore, I expect you to be a responsible, productive member of the class. You are to:
· come prepared each day with:
o your textbook
o your journal, your stamp sheet, and any assignments due
o a pencil and pens of 2 different colors
o a calculator (the TI-Nspire you use in math)
o a folder or part of a three-ring binder for handouts
· come without your phone. I will take it if I see or hear it during class. Consistent with the rules in the plan book and in SAT/ACT testing, if you have it with you during a test or quiz you’ll get a zero.
· check your status regularly on Progress Book, do your assignments on time, and catch up in a timely manner after absences or missed work.
· ask me for help if you don’t understand or talk with a classmate who understands. (You can make an appointment with me for common time or after school.)
· pull your own weight in group work, including staying on task during planning & cleanup.
· do your own work in your own words in individual assignments. Simply copying work from a classmate does not merit a stamp. Nor does it help you learn the material. It is cheating and will be treated as such.
· accurately indicate in writing when the words in assignments are not solely your own, such as data you need to copy from another group or an assignment you’ve been told to do as a group.
· put information gleaned from research in your own words or use quotes and a citation. (Just changing a word or two in each sentence does not count as “in your own words”. It’s plagiarism and you’ll have to redo the assignment, with a loss of points.)
· follow all rules in your plan book, including the rule that you should not give or receive help from another student on a graded or stamped assignment.
· follow all rules in the lab safety contract (attached). In particular, there is to be no food or drink in the lab and only water in the classroom.
· contribute to the classroom spirit of cooperation, teamwork, efficiency, tolerance of differences, and respect for the property and learning needs of others.
Meeting all these expectations will allow you to accumulate the maximum quality work points and avoid consequences such as detentions. Quality work points and all points awarded on the assessments listed on the first page will contribute to the overall grade on Progress Book. Grades will be determined according to the ten-point grading scale adopted by Madeira High School.
Let’s have a great year!