AP+Biology

Jeremy Goodreau jgoodreau@chinquapin.org // You may email me at any time. I will take calls/texts for homework help from 7 - 9:30 Monday through Thursday and Saturday afternoon from 1-6, excluding when the Cowboys are playing. //  I graduated from Rice University in May 2011, with a degree in Kinesiology and History. History was an academic hobby of mine, but Kinesiology was a passion. Over the coming year I hope to share this passion for the biological sciences with you. I get bored easily and have a tendency to be constantly moving and finding ways to occupy myself. I enjoy pushing myself and others around me to try new things and to work and play harder. I am passionate about several things including sports and cooking, but I absolutely hate hearing food (especially gum) being chewed and when people are late. To me, walking into a movie late while the person sitting next to me is chewing gum loudly is the absolute worst situation imaginable.
 * About Me: **

The class will be structured along the guidelines for an AP Biology course. This does NOT mean that the course is an AP course. The course //is// intended to be a college preparatory course. Accordingly, we will be pushing ourselves throughout the year to cover a wide breadth and depth in Biology. __This course will be difficult. However, with some work and perseverance, success is entirely possible__. We will be covering a wide range of subjects ranging from individual atoms to entire ecosystems. The course will constantly be building on itself and you will be expected to master and retain information throughout the year. We will concentrate on the development of scientific skills through the application of biological themes and basic academic skills. However, this approach does require a great deal of knowledge of biological topics and facts. As such, there will be a significant amount of outside reading in preparation for class. Assignment questions will be based on __both__ the reading and classroom activities.
 * The Class: **

You will quickly find out that I expect a lot out of you. To put this concisely I have come up with three overarching expectations for you-
 * Expectations: **

Main Idea: 1.

2.

3.

A final note- I fully believe that, while this is my class, the ultimate responsibility for your education lies with you. The saying, //“My class, my rules. Your education your responsibility”// succinctly describes this. I will set the classroom rules and procedures, but what happens in the classroom largely depends on you. The more responsible you are, the more I can trust you to take on more freedom in my class.

Over the course of the year, several procedures will be implemented in the class for a variety of routines. Everyone is expected to follow all procedures. Any disruption will result in a loss of valuable class time, and that is unacceptable. Disruptions and misbehaviors cost everyone in the class an opportunity to learn. __Therefore disruptions will often be compensated for with extra material for homework, so that the class will not fall behind.__ You are expected to be on time for class. By the time the bell rings, you are expected to be silently working on the Warm Up with everything you will need for the day out. __Failure to be in your seat and working with all of your supplies out when the bell rings will result in a tardy.__ If you know you will be absent, you are required to talk to me to discuss missed assignments and due dates before you leave. If you are unexpectedly absent, simply talk to me about it when you return. If you are absent for an extended period, it really helps both me and you if you can find a way to email or call while you are away. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated. Any work that is copied or paraphrased without citation will be given a zero, and will result in disciplinary action. I regularly compare students' work to check for this.
 * Rules and Procedures: **

For the course we will constantly be working towards a single big goal- **__we will all conduct the process of science__**. While I realize that some of you may have no desire to become engineers or lab researchers, you will all have the opportunity to experience the process of scientific inquiry and exploration. The projects and labs we will conduct in class this year will develop the skills necessary for you to conduct your own scientific inquiry. More importantly, scientific process skills are applicable to many aspects of life, and are generally good problem solving skills. The main way we will assess this goal is through your performance on labs and projects. Academically, over the course of the year, you should expect to master a wide range of themes, concepts, skills, and content that will align closely to those fostered in an introductory biology class in college. To repeat myself, the emphasis will be on the broad themes that the College Board has identified as being essential to success in college. Along these lines, we have identified 7 questions that we will be constantly coming back to throughout the entire course. They are-
 * Goals: **

What is biology? What is the process of biological discovery? How does it affect our society, life, and technology? How does energy flow through life? How do structure and function affect each other? How do living things affect and regulate their environment? How and why have organisms evolved, changed, or continued as they are?

These themes will be constantly referenced and included over the course of the semester. It is my final goal that all students will be able to thoroughly answer each of these questions.

You should expect a variety of labs, discussions, projects, and assignments. The breakdown for grading will follow the layout below for the first two quarters-
 * Assignments and Grading: **

Major Grades 50 % Minor Grades 40 % __ Participation 10 % __ Total 100 % = Final Grade

__ In the second semester, the grading system changes. __ At that point, you will no longer receive a grade for as minor assignments, and 90% of your grade will be based on labs, tests, and projects. While you will still be assigned homework and other small assignments, you will be responsible for grading them and coming to me with any additional questions. A few notes about assignments- The tests will largely be AP style and will have both multiple choice and free response questions. They will focus on material from that unit, but may require material from earlier units to be worked into the answer. Test corrections will be allowed for 50% credit on all tests. For the projects, the format and goals will vary, but you will have plenty of time to prepare. Discussion Sections are “round table” discussions that will be held once per unit and will require //all// of you to do research and discuss the topic in a group. You should expect to be asked to do quick research inquiries throughout the year. You will also have roughly one major lab per unit. Smaller lab activities will be done once or twice per week. Homework and unannounced quizzes will be given throughout the year as well. Finally, participation will be factored into the grade. Showing up, finishing all assignments, and answering questions when called on will earn 8/10 points. For full credit, you are expected to engage in the material on your own and come to class with questions. If you are responsible with your homework and in class assignments, as well as active in class, you should expect to have no trouble passing. I view in class assignments and homework as benchmarks that are there for your feedback, not punitive assessments. Finally, semester grades will be calculated as 40% for each of the marking periods and 20% for the Exam. Homework is due at the beginning of class unless otherwise noted. No incomplete **__or inadequate__** work will ever be accepted; it will be considered late. There will be a 25% deduction per day that work is turned in late. Extra credit will never be accepted late.

The course will be divided into 11 approximately 3 week units. The general structure for these units will be-
 * Schedule: **


 * General Content || General Content || Inquiry Day || Inquiry Day ||  ||
 * General Content || General Content || General Content || Pre-lab || Lab ||
 * Extension/Makeup || Discussion Section || Review || Unit Test ||  ||

Below is a tentative schedule of what we will cover and when we will cover it. Exact dates are subject to change, but we will stick very close to this schedule.

Lab Safety and Conduct || Research || Analyzing Data || Dissecting Animals ||
 * **// Unit //** ||  **// # of Days //**  ||  **// Topic //**  ||  **// Skills //**  ||
 * 1 ||  10  || Chemistry & The Science of Life || Note Taking
 * 2 ||  12  || The Cell || Microscopes
 * 3 ||  13  || Cellular Energetics || Writing Lab Reports ||
 * ||  || End 1st Quarter ||   ||
 * 4 ||  17  || Genetics and Heredity || Recording Data
 * 5 ||  13  || Evolution || Evaluating Charts, Graphs, Figures ||
 * ||  || End 2nd Quarter ||   ||
 * 6 ||  10  || Taxonomy || Methods of Field Research ||
 * 7 ||  15  || Diversity of Plants || Creating an Experiment ||
 * 8 ||  15  || Animal Diversity || Dissecting Animals ||
 * ||  || End 3rd Quarter ||   ||
 * 9 ||  15  || Animal Systems || Revisit Field Research
 * 10 ||  10  || Ecology || Sustainability in Science ||
 * 11 ||  10  || Final Project/AP Studying ||   ||
 * ||  || End 4th Quarter ||   ||