Course Topic Flow Document

The Living Environment
Possible Sequencing 2006-07

Topic                                            Time in Weeks                 

1. Introduction/Scientific Method                         1.5     

2. Populations                                                     1                         

3. Classification                                                   2                              

4. Basic Chem/Biochemistry                                2                               

5. Cells, Enzymes, and Organelles                        3.5                           

6. Cell Respiration                                               1                             

7. Photosynthesis                                                 1.5                                 

8. Thanksgiving                                                                                

9. Plants                                                              1                                             

10. Cell Reproduction (mitosis/meiosis)                  2                               

11. Human Reproduction & Dev. (part 1)              1                            

12. Mid-Winter Recess                                                                            

13. Human Reproduction & Dev. (part 2)              1                                                       

14. Chromosome structure/karyotype                    1                              

15. Regents Testing Week                                     1                             

16. Genetics (part 1)                                              3                               

17. Spring Recess                                                                       

18. Genetics (part 2)                                              1                               

19. Evolution                                                         2                             

20. Human Anatomy and Physiology                      5                               

21.           Locomotion/Nervous                             1                               

22.           Endocrine                                              1                               

23.           Respiration/Circulation                           1                               

24.           Disease/Immunity                                   1                               

25. Spring Recess                                                                                 

26.           Digestion/Excretion                                1                               

27. Ecology                                                           5                               

28. Review                                                            2                               

KLEIN PROCEDURE SHEETS  --  THESE PROCEDURE SHEETS   D. edited 6.09.05

              1.           Must be SAVED for reference all year
           2.           Will be tested on your first quiz

 LAB WRITE-UPS

 NEW YORK STATE LAB REQUIREMENT  --  A set of satisfactory lab write-ups is required for this course.  You must personally complete and satisfactorily write up (to your teacher’s satisfaction) labs based on at least thirty (30) forty minute periods of lab instruction.  (30 x 40 = 1200 minutes for the year.)  You may NOT hand in lab write-ups  unless you personally did the lab and discussion questions.  The teacher will grade each lab that you turn in.   If it does not meet a certain minimum score (at least about 65% of all items correct), the lab will be returned to you so that you will be able to make corrections.  You will NOT receive any additional points for lab corrections.  The lab will be judged as Satisfactory only when at least 65% of the items are correct. You cannot receive credit for this course unless you complete the state lab requirement.  All “30” labs (or their 1200 min. equivalent) must be Satisfactory by a standardized date (usually around June 1^st) to be eligible to take the regents exam later in June. 

COMPLETING THE ACTUAL LAB EXPERIMENT INCLUDING MAKE-UPS  --  There are several parts to doing a lab.  Refer to the separate sheet "Biology Lab Procedures" for greater details.  

a.                     All students will complete the experiments.   If you are absent, you MUST make up the

             lab work immediately upon your return.  You may do this by either staying after school

             (usually Thursdays when I stay late) or during a free period when the teacher is also free.

b.                     I usually run one lab each week.  To make room for the next lab, I must take apart and

             put away the prior lab.   If you missed a lab, it is your responsibility to do the make-up

            before the lab is taken apart.   This is especially true for labs that involve live organisms.       

c.              A forty minute period may not be long enough to complete some labs.   Making up labs

             is usually done alone or bring a friend who has already done it to help you through the lab.    

             Please do not make a habit of being absent, especially on scheduled lab days.   Home tutors will

             be provided with most labs if a student is absent for greater than ten continuous days

             and has requested home tutoring.  See your Assistant Principle for clarification of these rules.

d.             The first two microscope labs contain essential skills which will be used in later labs

             which use the microscope as a tool to investigate other facts.  You must master them to

             use the microscope in later labs.

 

WHEN LABS ARE WRITTEN UP  --  Once completed, the experiment must be satisfactorily  written up.   This may include organizing data in tables and graphs, answering discussion questions and writing a conclusion.   The only way you actually learn is by personally answering the questions  yourself.  Students who consistently copy answers from others may not learn the skills that are necessary to improve lab skills that will be tested on the June Regents exam.  When and where these labs are written up differs depending on which course you are in.   The next section will outline these differences.

a.              Bio R2 (not honors)  --  Students in this course may need some extra help.  Your team

             will be given plenty of time to complete the experimental part of this lab.  Once this is

             finished, if time permits, you and your lab partner must immediately start the write-up

             part of each lab.  Depending on the lab, the faster teams may leave the room with the

             entire lab almost ready for grading, while the slower teams may only have completed the

             experimental part of the lab.  Most are in between.   All students must individually complete

             the lab write-up (usually including tables and graphs, discussion questions and a conclusion)

             before the lab is due for grading.   Labs fall under the Shen. Plagiarism policy.

 

b.             Bio R2 Honors  --  Students in this course may need extra help only on certain more

             difficult (honors level) labs.   The amount of time allotted to them for completing regular

             regents level labs is often less than that for Bio R2 (not honors).   To make room for

             other lessons, little time will be allotted for completing the lab write-up during the class

             period.  Labs fall under the Shen. Plagiarism policy.

 WHEN LAB WRITE-UPS ARE DUE  --  A lab will be graded about one calendar week after it is finished.  The A/B schedule makes this complicated.  Labs are usually done during double periods.   Labs completed during a Mon.-Tues. double period this week, will be discussed and graded during the Mon.-Tues. double period next week. Labs completed during a Wed.-Thr. double period this week, will be discussed and graded during the Wed.-Thr. double period next week.  Generally speaking, if Monday is an A day this week, Monday will be a B day next week unless this week is a four day week.  Since this is somewhat confusing, the weekly lesson plan will tell you the exact due date of each lab.   Don’t wait until the last evening to complete the write up.  It will take less time, you can ask the teacher for help & you’ll remember it more if you write it up the same night it was done.

 LAB GRADING  --  Labs will normally be graded on a four (4) point system.  A lab is satisfactory (referred to as a SAT lab) if it has received a 3 or 4 (out of 4).   Points are awarded  based on both effort and accuracy.   I will read most words that you write on most labs.  You will be given the chance to ask questions in class to find out the answers to many questions that you are not sure about.  Those labs which contain a grade of 2/4 or less (including those not handed in) are marked unsatisfactory (UNSAT) both in my records and on your Table of Contents in your lab pocket folder.   For UNSAT labs, all missing &/or incorrect parts of the lab should be corrected within a few days of obtaining the UNSAT grade.   No additional points will be given.  It is to your advantage to hand in complete labs on time.  A lab that is one day late receives a one point penalty.   After that. you get a zero for the lab.   Zeros can kill an average.   If you are legally absent, the late penalty will not be imposed.   The lab inside a pocket folder will be handed in including the following:

1.   A completed Table of Contents entry (correct title entered on the correct number line.)

                 2.   Any UNSAT labs will be found on TOP in the pocket on the right

           3.   The new lab will be found beneath any UNSAT labs in the pocket on the right

           4.    Do NOT hand in already graded Satisfactory labs.  They wlll only slow us down.

 QUARTER LAB BONUS  --   A few students each year have learned the hard way that getting behind on satisfactory lab write-ups can be big trouble for everybody.  Each quarter, the teacher requires that all labs for that quarter be Satisfactory before the end of that quarter.   The end date will be found on the weekly lesson plan.   If all labs are satisfactory, the teacher will add bonus percents for that quarter grade.  (Bio R1 (if it exists) +3, Bio R2 +2, Bio R2H +1).  This is a major help, so don't fall behind on lab write-ups. 

 WHERE UNSATISFACTORY LABS ARE LOCATED  --  This consists of two different steps.  As soon as you redo an UNSAT lab, you should hand it directly to the teacher.   As soon as the teacher re-judges the lab (the original grade will not change), the teacher will place the lab (usually within 24 hours of when it was handed in) in a plastic bin on the front of the teacher's desk.  The teacher will NOT look through the plastic bin on a regular basis.   No student will ever place a lab in this bin.   I will NOT accept the excuse that a lab was handed in to the bin.  

 EXTRA CREDIT

 My reasoning is that extra credit may not be done at the expense of required class work.  There are a few students who don't like doing regular homework and labs and then want to get bonus credit late in each quarter.   This will NOT be allowed.  Restrictions to be able to do extra credit will be explained.  Extra credit normally consists of selected general readings and quizzes based on the readings.  Prior approval contracts to do the extra credit must be granted by the teacher.  The rules to qualify to do extra credit differ depending on which course you are in.   The following rules apply to students in all three levels of regents biology:

a.                     The student does not have any UNSATISFACTORY lab write-ups for any quarter

b.                     Extra credit may be for bonus points or to replace a zero due to a quiz/test not taken

	Bio R1 (?)	Bio R2 (non honors)	Bio R2 Honors
1.  % of homework total to qualify if total grades do not otherwise quality	85	85	90
2.  or 2
3.  minimum total grade average (%) and	65	70	80
4.  minimum homework handed in (%)	65	70 1	80 1

¹ Homework may also include grades on the lab mini quizzes

² There are two ways to qualify for extra credit Row 1 or (Row 3 & Row 4)

 HOMEWORK

       1.      ... may be collected on the day it is due or any day soon thereafter

2.      ... is required and counts heavily in the quarter point total

3.           ... may be accepted if it is on time or only one day late only. Legal absences will extend the due date. See me IMMEDIATELY after your return & show me your work.

4.           ... may temporarily be assigned two designations which are not number grades.  These designations are Ab (absent at the time it was collected) and H(old) (student states that the work is done but has been left someplace else.)   Both the Ab and the H grades should be made up the very NEXT day.   H(old) may only be used up to three times per quarter.  If I find the holds are being abused (over used, I will cancel this policy!)  The student should find me to make the grade changes OTHER THAN DURING CLASS.   If not, the teacher will soon change these grades to zeros.  

5.           ...  may include mini quizzes on the labs to be read (Bio R2, R2 H only)

6.           ...  must be done individually (not in groups).    If this is violated, it falls under the Shen. Student Integrity (Plagiarism) policy.

 QUIZZES/ TESTS

         1.     Will usually be mostly multiple choice + small amounts of writing

2.           If missed MUST be made up within 2 school days of your return to class if you missed a

single day of class.  If you missed two days of class, it must be made up within 3 schools

days from your return.  It is your responsibility to schedule the make-up.   On Mondays, I may do some of the make-up scheduling, but you can NOT rely on this.  If you return on any other day of the week, I will rarely chase you for the scheduling of the make-up.   It is also your responsibility to request an extension before any deadline

3.           Are usually on the last day of each school week (usually Fridays) and are announced in writing on the weekly lesson plan sheet

4.      Will stress reasoning based on facts, not just the facts themselves   (This is very consistent

         with the way the new regents will test you in June.)

5.         I do NOT believe in curving grades and very rarely do so.  Homework and extra credit

         articles provide the means to better yourself.  On difficult topics. I will often find a way to

         help you succeed.  One such way is allowing students to omit some questions on a

         quiz.   In this way you earn the points instead of being handed them.

6.      May be constructed based on your text book reading assignments.

 

                                                     LAB TESTS

 1.         … may be taken jointly with your lab partner(s) if you wish when  …

            a.         neither partner has any UNSATisfactory labs for the year.  It is to your advantage to help                          each other get labs completed so that one of you does not fall into a penalty situation.  Please                        do NOT copy answers from each other, but instead explain the confusing materials. 

            b.         both/all partners are similar in ability.  If one member of the team has an average greater

                        than 15% higher or lower than the other member(s), then these students are probably not

                        good to be paired for doing labs and taking joint tests.  One member is much stronger than

                        the other(s) and the learning will not be equal.  The teacher will try to rearrange teams if

                        this happens based on random seating.  If you see this approaching, tell me beforehand.

            c.          both/all members desire this.  Sometimes, one or both partners feel that either they work on

                        tests better alone, or they can’t agree on answers.  This request is possible but unusual.

 

 CLASS PROCEDURES

        1.           Handouts will be either in stapled packets or loose pages.

2.           I prefer to hand out all/most materials for the entire week on the first day of that week.  

3.           The best organizer for you is a fat (at least 1.5 " diameter) 3-ring binder.

4.           I will try to provide a 3 ring punch for use in the classroom; usually only on the first day of the week. 

5.           Grading is numerical based on total points for each quarter.

6.           FACT --  The period from mid first quarter to mid-second is often the hardest of all.  First quarter is the time when most students work the hardest in their courses.   I often see a grade drop during this hard part of the year.  Most students find that ecology is our easiest topic.   At least part of ecology will take place during the early part of the first quarter.   Most of it will be in May.

7.           This is a busy course.   When the bell rings, I must be working on an activity with the whole class and not talking with individuals about personal concerns.   Please talk to me about make-ups, extra help and other individual matters during open times.   Such times are before class, after a class, during the 5 minute break, during a lab or sometimes during an in-class activity.   Classes start on time.

8.           When the bell rings at the start of each class, be in your seat (not just near it) and ready to begin.

9.           If your partner is absent when handouts are given out, please pick up a spare set.

10.       If you need extra help, please see me early.  You (not your family) are now the person most responsible for your success or lack of success in a challenging course.  The greatest difficulty often takes place when students are frequently absent.   I'm not talking about the student with a broken leg or mono who misses a few weeks all at once.   I'm talking about the student, for whatever reason, who misses one day nearly every week.   These students have a history of not completing the lab requirement and not passing the course.   If this has been your pattern of attendance in the past, do something to correct it.

 

                                                           EXTRA HELP

 1.            Weekly sessions take place after school (usually Thursdays).

2.            My schedule of free periods/lunch will be posted in or near the classroom.   Make an appointment

at least 24 hours in advance if possible.   I may often help several people during the same free period and sometimes on different topics.   Please be patient with me.

3.            The National Honors Society provides tutors if requested in writing through Guidance.  Such requests are usually honored during the first quarter.   There is a limit on the number of NHS tutor's available, so if you need help, please make the request early.   Sometimes your teacher may have the NHS request form in the classroom.   It must be completed and returned to the Guidance Center.

4.            Paid tutors are sometimes available.    I have a small list of paid adult tutors in the region.   Some are current biology teachers and some are retired biology teachers.