HON Biology Mrs. Albergato

HON Biology – Mrs. Albergato Ridley High School Spring Term 2014 Room B302 E-mail: [email protected] [email protected]

TEXTBOOK: Biological Sciences Curriculum Study. (2006) Biology: A Molecular Approach. Columbus, OH: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

CONTENT: This course is designed for high school students, who are beginning to study biology at an honors level. This program will investigate the following units: The Chemistry of Life, Energy & Environmental Interactions, Photosynthesis & Cellular Respiration, Structure, Growth, & Development, Genetics, Molecular Genetics, and The Origins of Life/Evolution.

GRADING: All grades will be done on a percent basis, according to the following scale:

Percent Letter Score Grade 98-100 A+ 92-97 A 90-91 A- 88-89 B+ 82-87 B 80-81 B- 78-79 C+ 72-77 C 70-71 C- 68-69 D+ 62-67 D 60-61 D- 50-59 F

GRADING DETERMINANTS: a. Assessments (Tests/Projects) 70 % b. Quizzes 15 % c. Labs 10 % d. Classwork/Homework 5 %

It is your responsibility to keep track of your grade on PowerSchool. If you have a question or a concern about your grade, you must see me after class or before/after school.

Please do not ask me about grades during class time. MAKE-UP & LATE WORK:

It is your responsibility to turn in make-up work. I will not pursue you about your missed work.

If you miss a lab, be sure to schedule a time before or after school with me to make it up.

Major projects and assignments will go down one letter grade per every day late. You will receive an F after 3 days late.

Daily homework assignments (outlining, worksheets, reading, etc.) cannot be turned in late. Most of our homework is graded based on completeness.

QUIZZES:

Typically there will be ~1 or 2 quizzes given each unit. There will be a wide variety of formats, but they will almost always be announced. They CANNOT be re-taken, so make sure you study.

TESTS:

Tests will include a multiple choice section and an open-ended section. Obviously they are the most important component of your grade, so it is important to do well on them. STUDYING is the best way to prepare for them. We will spend a little bit of time discussing some strategies, but it’s important that you figure out studying strategies that work for you – the SOONER the BETTER.

You will be able to make test corrections on the multiple choice section of the test ONLY. These must be done with me before or after school. You will be able to earn half the points back that you have lost. There will be a deadline for when this must be done by – pay attention – I’ll post it on my board.

RULES: Be on time! You should be in your seat and ready to work when the bell rings. Be prepared! Bring the required materials to class everyday. Be respectful! Show respect to both me and your classmates at all times. Class ends when the bell rings! Do not line up at the door at the end of class. Follow the dress code. If you don’t, you will be referred to the office.

This is a very fast-paced course, in which we will cover a lot of information. Our tests are given on 2-3 chapters at a time. You will be expected to do a lot of reading/outlining at home before I start a new topic. If you start to fall behind or are absent for any length of time, make sure to come in for help as soon as possible so that you don’t fall too far behind.