Course Syllabus
Biology Syllabus
Mr. Matthew Hayes, E202
2022-2023
Course Description: Biology is the study of organisms and how they interact with each other and their environment. We will start with a study of Ecology, the broadest scope of Biology. Next we will look at the biochemistry that is the fundamental basis of Biology. Following this we will look at Cells, the smallest unit of life, and how they interact to form a functioning living organism. We will also study the molecule in the cell that is passed on from parent to offspring - DNA. With an understanding of DNA we will then look at the mechanisms of heredity and how they relate to evolution will make up an important unit in Biology. Lastly there will be a basic study of living organisms such as bacteria, plants, and animals will also be included in our survey of life.
Specific Goals and Objectives:
Link to Biology Standards- Click Link (Links to an external site.)
Public Lesson Plans
You can access the public lesson plans through the Daily Announcements. This is linked to the Announcements button on the home page.
What to Expect:
- Classwork is to reinforce the information we learn daily in class; few people retain what they learn when they only hear/see/do that activity one time.
- Homework will only be expected if a student is allotted time to finish classwork at home.
- Nightly review/study of the notes from class is a necessity to be successful in the course.
- Quizzes will be given almost every Friday, the students will have multiple attempts.
- Tests will be given at the end of modules. While students test I will be checking that their Notebook is completed.
- Office Hours will be available Tuesday after school. Other times can be scheduled as needed.
- I will make parent contact ASAP if I notice issues with student performance.
- The classroom should be a positive learning environment and we will follow the school-wide behavior circumstances.
- Cheating/plagiarism is a major offence and will result in an immediate zero and parental contact.
End-of-Course Exam: The North Carolina state-mandated EOC exam will count as 25% of your final grade in Biology. The remaining 75% of your grade will come from your three six-week grades.
Grade Calculation:
Grades are calculated on percentage scale
Assessments: Unit Tests and Quizzes: 60%
Assignments: Classwork, Labs, Projects, Notebook Checks: 40%
Office Hours
Office Hours will be offered Thursdays after school or by appointment.
Absent and Make-up Work:
If you are absent you will need to contact me directly for your assignments and this will be handled on a case-by-case scenario.
Make-up work is allowed as all assignments are a possibilities to learn. Make-up work will lose 30% of the possible points after the assignment due-date has passed. If assignments are not turned in by the end of the Unit/Module it will remain a zero.
Supply List:
- 2 Pencils & Red pens
- One-Inch Three-Ring Binder to hold notes, worksheets, and activities. (Important for Notebook Checks)
- Notebook Paper
- 10 Notebook Dividers w/ tabs
- Colored Pencils, Scissors, and glue sticks are highly recommended (some will be provided in class)
- Google ChromeBook (school-issued laptop computer)
- Headphones that will work with the chromebooks (some will be provided in class).
Extra Credit: I only assign extra credit to an entire class and not very often, so students should take advantage of any extra credit opportunities as they arise.
Resources:
- "EmpowerED Family Portal"- Click Link (Links to an external site.)
Online Learning Platform:
The majority of assignments not completed on paper will be submitted on our learning platform, Canvas. Assignments can be submitted a variety of ways including, uploading files, typing into text boxes, and sharing Google documents/presentations. Students will be shown how to submit assignments on Canvas as needed. Individual assignments will indicate which method of submission on Canvas is expected. If students need a refresher or have questions, they can access the Canvas Student Guide for specific instructions. It is the student's responsibility to ensure assignments are submitted on time and to contact the instructor if there is a problem. Please note that student activity is logged while in Canvas so instructors will be able to see if the student opened the assignment, if there was any activity including a log of student activities during on-line tests and quizzes. Students are not allowed to leave the testing window during assessments. Doing so is considered cheating and will be handled as set forth in the Porter Ridge HS handbook. NOTICE: Although many assignments are submitted and graded in our learning platform, Canvas, the "final" grades shown may not be properly weighted and do not contain assignments that were not graded in Canvas. For the student's official grades, please continue to access the parent portal through Powerschool. Login information is usually sent home with the students at the beginning of the year, and should be the same as last year. If you need assistance accessing the parent portal, please contact the school.
Course Outline:
- Intro to science, Characteristics of Life, Ecology
Basic science skills
- Prior knowledge test
- Scientific method
- Scientific method quiz
- Graphing activity
Characteristics of life
Ecology
- Intro to ecology
- Flow of energy and matter
- Population ecology notes
- Biodiversity notes
- Human impact
- Organic chemistry
Biomolecules structure and function
- carbohydrates
- lipids
- proteins,
- nucleic acids
Enzymes
- Cell Biology
Intro to cells
- Plant & animal cell
- Prokaryotic vs. Eukaryotic-
Organelles
Stem cells
Cell membrane and transport
Bioenergetics
- ATP
- Photosynthesis
- Cell Respiration
4. DNA & RNA structure and Cell Replication
DNA Replication
Protein synthesis
- Transcription & Translation
Mutations
Mitosis
Basics of Cancer
Meiosis
Asexual reproduction & Sexual Reproduction
5. Heredity:
Mendel’s genetics
Monohybrid, Dihybrid, and probability
Incomplete & codominance notes
Multiple Alleles
Sex-linked traits
Pedigree and human genetic disorder notes
Biotechnology and genetic engineering
DNA Technology and crime notes
Bioethics notes
6. Evolution/classification
History of life
Mechanisms of evolution notes
Microevolution
Macroevolution
Evidence of evolution
Classification
Virus
Intro to kingdoms and Bacteria
Protist & fungi
Plant Kingdom
Animal Adaptation
Animal behavior
7. Review for the EOC
Cell biology
Energy in cells & reproduction review notes & sample questions split between two days
DNA,Protein synthesis, mutations, enzymes review notes
Genetics and biotech
evolution , taxonomy and ecology
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|