University
High School Illinois
State University
BIOLOGY
Instructor: Ms. Gleason
Classroom: Rm. 302
Laboratory: Rm. 315
Office: Rm. 301
Phone: (309) 438-8448
Office Hours: 12pm-2pm
You may also make an appointment to
see your teacher if you are unable to make it to office hours.
Required
Course Materials
·
Textbook: Miller and Levine Biology, ISBN:
978-0-13-366951-0 (A digital copy of the text will be provided
at no charge. You may decide that you prefer a hardcopy. It can be found on
Amazon and other discount websites.)
·
Scientific calculator (some
will be available for classroom use)
·
Binder with loose leaf paper
·
Pencil or pen
·
U-High issued netbook with tablet and pen
Classroom Rules:
- Come to class prepared with all necessary materials
each day on time.
- When you enter the classroom, find your seat, get
out any homework assignments and have them ready to turn in, and be ready
for class to start on time.
- Stay in your assigned seat unless directed
otherwise or until the class is dismissed.
- Leaving class will be on a very limited basis. In general, do not ask to leave class
during instruction or lab activities unless it is an emergency.
- Tardiness will be handled following the guidelines
of the student handbook. You will
be considered tardy if you are not in your seat when it is time for class
to begin.
- Treat your classmates, and your teacher, with the
same respect and courtesy that you want to be treated with.
·
No food or drink
is allowed in the classroom, lab, or halls on the third floor. Water is the only exception.
·
No warnings will
be given for cell phones. Cell phones
visible during class will be confiscated and given to the main office.
·
I-pods can only be
used with teacher permission, ask first.
- Horseplay and excessive loudness in class or in the
laboratory will not be tolerated
Homework: Students
will have class work on a daily basis. Some of these practice problems and activities
will be able to be completed in class, others will require extra time outside
of class. Students should be prepared to have something to do from Chemistry
every day. Homework will be reviewed in class or answers will be posted on
Blackboard. Students will be provided with opportunities to ask questions and
receive feedback on their work to improve their understanding of course
material. As such, homework will not be
collected and graded for points. However, it is strongly suggested that
students complete the daily homework to the best of their ability. In order to
hold students accountable for homework, homework quizzes will be given
periodically. These quizzes will contain questions and problems similar to
those in the daily homework and will count towards the student’s final grade in
the course. Students who show initiative and effort in their homework should,
in turn, score higher on the homework quizzes. It is expected that students
will put forth effort to do what is needed to master course concepts, as such,
some students may elect to complete all, part, or none of the assigned daily
homework depending on their level of understanding.
Re-dos and Retakes: Every student has the opportunity to
demonstrate higher mastery of the course material on exams and laboratory
reports than was demonstrated on the initial assessment. Students who want to improve their
performance, regardless of the initial score, may participate in the retake and
redo process. The grade on the retake or
redo will replace the original score even if it is a lower value. The ability to participate in this process
may be revoked at the discretion of the teacher on a case by case basis. Anyone
thought to be manipulating the instructor will not be allowed to the
opportunity. It is expected that students will need no more than TWO retakes
per semester. Retakes will not be allowed during the final week of grading.
Rationale: The learning of
concepts for students may occur at different rates or as a result of different
experiences or support. Since all
students will be measured against the content and standards for the subject
area, when students demonstrate mastery of the standards is not
significant. For this reason, retakes
are allowed for all students and required for those that have failed to meet
the minimum competency and mastery requirements of the standards. As the teacher is the authority in the
classroom, the teacher maintains the right to disallow a retake at their
discretion determined on a case by case basis. The opportunity to re-do an
assignment or retake a test is a privilege, not a right.
How it works: Students will be
required to catch themselves up with me and others on their own time. It requires extra work and effort, but
students will be expected to keep up with the current material in the course
while participating in a re-do or retake.
The student must submit to the teacher
when asking for a re-do or retake:
1. A
calendar that details deadlines for relearning material and when the re-done
lab report will be turned in or when the student will retake a test (Note:
Final exams are not included in the retake process)
2. A
plan of action for learning the material. What study techniques or measures
(meeting with a tutor, meeting with a teacher, additional completed assignments
from the text, etc…) are going to be utilized to better learn the material.
3. The
original version of the assessment with the signature of a parent or guardian.
4. Submission
of a typed essay detailing the mistakes and errors in thinking and process on
the first version
Note: The teacher may also
request the student to utilize specific activities or measures to improve
course understanding.
Late Work: Late
work will be accepted without penalty with prior approval from the teacher. It
is ultimately your responsibility to turn in assignments on the date they are
due. If work is turned in late without prior approval from the teacher there
will be consequences. However, these consequences will not result in a lowering
of the grade on the assignment but will take the form of a call home, spending
some time with me after school (most likely cleaning or washing lab equipment J ), or a Saturday school
(for a repeat offender). Remember, homework will not be collected for a grade
and most short labs will be done in class. Most of the assignments this will
apply to is formal laboratory reports and projects. That means there are not
many assignments that will require a deadline and students will be given plenty
of notice for due dates. However, if students want to receive feedback on
homework they should complete it on the assigned day by the teacher. As with
the re-do and retake policy, the nature of the consequence will be up to the
discretion of the teacher as will approval for late work with no penalty.
Make-up Work: Per
the U-High student handbook: "Students will have one day for each day they
are absent to complete make-up work." It is your responsibility to make up
all assigned work. For excused absences,
work due on the day missed is due on the day you return. It is your
responsibility to check Blackboard for missing assignments and make special
arrangements, if necessary, to catch up.
Tests and quizzes are announced in advance. Missing days after the announcement does not
excuse you from taking the test as scheduled.
If missing class because of a planned field trip, sporting event or
other school-related activity, assignments are due on the day you are gone and
does NOT exempt you from assignments due the next day.
Netbook Expectations: Students are expected to bring their netbook
fully charged to class everyday. Students who use the netbooks inappropriately
(gaming, social network sites, ESPN, etc.) will be given one warning. If the behavior continues, the student will
lose internet and/or netbook privileges for the class. Continued misuse of the
netbook or a violation of the U-High Acceptable Use Policy will result in a
referral to the vice principal.
Blackboard:
Almost all course information and assignments will
be posted in Blackboard. Students should
check Blackboard daily for assignments, announcements, and course materials,
especially after absences.
Lab
Practices: All students are expected to observe safety rules and
regulations in the laboratory; eye protection will be required during various
labs. Horseplay and excessive loudness will not be tolerated. Students should
not touch or handle equipment or materials unless you have the instructor’s
approval. Following labs and activities students are required to take care of
all equipment, return it where it was found, and clean the used laboratory
station.
Grading: Various
assessments will be given points. The grade received in this course will be
reflective of what the student has learned and mastered in the course. It will
be composed of laboratory activities, laboratory reports, projects, homework
quizzes, unit tests, and final exams.
Grading Scale
A = 90%; B = 80%; C = 70%; D = 60%; F = 59%
& Below
Academic
integrity is a must! All work needs to be your own. While we encourage students
to work together for problem solving and learning new concepts, asking for or
giving assignments is considered cheating and you will be in violation of the
school code for conduct. All instances of academic misconduct will be handled in
accordance to school policy.
Please read the following statement and
sign and date below.
I
have read, reviewed, and agree to the classroom and grading procedures for this
course. I also understand that these policies can be subject to change throughout
the year should circumstances allow for the improvement of the course.
Student
Signature: _____________________________ Date:
______________
Parent
or Guardian Signature: ____________________________________________ Date:
______________
