Syllabus for Ms. N. Garcia’s Biology Class
2006-2007
The Class
Welcome to Biology! The word biology can be broken into two parts: BIO and OLOGY. Bio- means “life” and –ology means the “the study of” so the word BIOLOGY means: the study of life. We will learn about cells, genetics, DNA, ecology, evolution, and human body systems. You need to pass this class to graduate from high school (pass with me or spend your own time taking it after-school or in intersession). You also need to pass this class with a “C”
or better to get to college.
You will work hard but hopefully you will have fun too. We will take notes and read sometimes but we will also make posters, work on group and individual projects, do labs, visit the Fremont garden, have guest speakers, and take field trips. Field trips are by invitation only. I will not take you if I know I will have to babysit you.
About Me
My name is Noehmi Garcia you can call me Ms. Garcia. I will be your Biology teacher this year. My family is from Sonora, Mexico and my native affiliation is Yaqui. I grew up in Northern California where my family worked in the fields, graduated from a high school in the middle of nowhere with a lot of racist people, worked for a while at McDonalds and other places for a couple of years, went to community college, traveled, transferred to UCLA, graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, and then went to graduate school at UCLA. I just received my Master of Education degree in June 2006. That was a lot of work and a lot of fun. (Why do you think I want you to know all of this?)
What I want from you
Organization is very important for all of your classes. For my class, I need you to have a binder (I can give you one), a calendar (that I will give you), binder paper, black or blue pens, post-it notes (to write down your excellent ideas or questions), and a highlighter. To do your best in my class, you need to finish all of the assignments, ask questions regularly, study with other people and alone, read the sections in the book, and review your notes and assignments. When I give you an assignment, think about how that assignment relates to what we are learning in class…everything is connected. This should be easy for you to do, if its not you need to come ask me as soon as possible.
Expectations:
1. I expect you to succeed.
2. I expect you to ask me for help when you need it.
3. I expect you to ask questions in class.
4. I expect you to come to class prepared every day.
5. I expect you to go to college. (Do you expect this of yourself?)
Rules:
1. No hats
2. No gum
3. No pencils (black or blue ink only)
What you will get from me
I promise that I will try my best to listen to everyone’s ideas. I will try to be fair. I will try to make this class as interesting as possible. I will try to give you information about your grade on a regular schedule. I will only miss class when I have to.
The schedule!
We are on B-track so our year is broken up into four sections. I will call these four sections, quarters…as in four quarters make a dollar.
Quarters / Topics / Chapter in the textbook / Room #First Quarter
July 5 – August 29 / Macromolecules
Cellular Structures
Cellular Energy / Chapter 2, 7, 8, 9, 19, 20 / Room 501
Second Quarter
October 30 – Dec 22 / Central Dogma
DNA Technology
Meiosis and Mendel’s Law
Probability of Inheritance / Chapter 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
Semester Grades Due! Did you pass the first semester? Is it good enough for college?
Third Quarter
Jan 2 – March 2 / Mechanisms for Evolution
Evidence for Evolution / Chapter 15, 16, 17, 18
Fourth Quarter
April 30 – June 29 / Ecology
Body Systems / Chapter 3, 4, 5, 6
Chapter 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40
Semester Grades Due! Did you pass the second semester? Is it good enough for college?
Grades!
You earn your grade based on the amount of points you receive in the class. There is no grade curve. To calculate percentage you take [points earned / points possible] * 100 = %. Example: [585 my points/800 points possible] = 0.73 *100= 73%
90-100% = A
89-80% = B
79-70% = C
69-60% = D
Anything below that is a Fail.
Contact Info
Email:
Myspace: Noehmi Garcia
Cell Phone: (310) 625-9755 (I do not accept blocked calls)
School Phone #: (323) 758-4141 (save this #)
CollegeCenter: Rm 520 (Have you been there yet?)
Good Luck Fremont Pathfinders!