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AP Biology – Mr. SchukowRoom: A-107Email: schukow@monroe.k12.mi.usClass website: schukowscience.Phone: 734-265-3507Office Hours: M-F, 7-7:20 am, 2:15-2:45pm, and by appointmentText and other materials (brought every day):Textbook –AP Edition Campbell Biology 9th EditionBinder containing section dividers for classwork/homework, labs, notes, and assessmentsA writing utensil (pen or pencil) and a calculator (graphing or scientific)Goals of the course:Develop a deep understanding of biological concepts, their relatedness to each other, and the connection of these concepts to one’s life.Develop a deep understanding of the science process through completing long and short term investigations focused on constructing biological knowledge.Develop a deep understanding of science literacy through reading about, writing about, and discussing a variety of biological focused texts.Overarching purpose: To gain the knowledge and skills required to be successful on the AP test and/or college freshman level biology.Expectations:You are planning on taking the AP test. If you have no intention of taking the AP test and/or pursuing a degree/career pathway which involves a deep understanding of biology, you should not be in this course. You understand this course is rigorous and plan to put in the time to be successful. This, by no means, is an easy course. Expect to work every day in class and every night of the week, you will need to put forth this time to be successful. If you signed-up for this course just because biology was fun, you should not be in this course.You will interact with your peers and me, as an adult. Since this is a college-prep course I expect that you are mature. If you are a student who is not prepared to engage in a course that requires collaboration to learn, you should not take this course. You will give me your very best every day. If you give me your very best, I will give you my very best. In order for you to be successful in this course, you need my very best. We are in a partnership in this course; this means that we will learn from each other. If you are not prepared to give me your best, you should not be in this class. You want to learn, not just to get an A. I want you to learn. Getting an A in this class should be thought of as equivalent to getting an A in a college biology course. If I have done my job preparing you and you receive an A in this course, you should stand a great chance of getting a 5 on the AP test. A 5 is the highest you can score. So, don’t expect “As” to be given out frequently. To be successful in here, I want you to focus on what you are learning. The more you learn, the closer you will inch toward the grade you desire. My promise: The expectations above are not meant to scare you, they are meant for you to evaluate your goals and readiness for this course. It is no fluke that you are in this class. You got here because you have excelled in prior course work. If you are not sure you can handle such a class, talk to me. I promise that if you meet the expectations above, I will do everything possible to see that you have a successful experience.Keys to success:Come to class on time, prepared, and ready to work each day. Complete all of the readings, using the reading strategies we discuss in class.Review each day’s material that night and study several days in advance for all assessments.Find others in class to learn from and learn with. Study groups may be a great idea.You must do the work. The person who is doing is the person who is learning.Always ask questions and seek the answers to those questions.Course overview: AP Biology is a rigorous, college preparatory course designed for students who desire a college/career pathway involving the biological sciences. Students will be challenged each day to construct understanding of biological concepts through reading, writing, and talking. Students will learn the study of biology through using the following mediums: technology, science texts, and the science process. The concepts covered in this course will be similar to those covered in introductory (freshman) biology, but at a level much deeper. Never assume that you completely understand a concept covered in this course just because you learned it previously. The greatest challenge of the course will be to see the interrelatedness of various concepts and truly understand the science process. Grading:Grading breakdown (%)Grading scale (%)Assessments 40 100-90 ALabs 40 89-80 BClasswork/homework 5 79-70 CFinal exam 15 69-60 D>60 EClasswork/homework: Classwork and homework will consist of problem sets, readings, reading/metacognition logs, collaborative activities, daily warm-ups, and exit slips. Work will either be collected or checked in class, at times for effort and at times for correctness. Problem sets are worth 15 points, while most other assignments are worth 5 points.Labs: Laboratory exercises are a critical component of this class. There are two distinct types of lab write-ups for the course: short and long. A short lab write-up involves answering lab questions and/or completing a portion of a lab report (15 points). Long lab write-ups involve completing a full lab report, poster, or presentation (worth 45 points). If you miss a lab, it is your responsibility to retrieve a classmate’s lab data so you can complete the write-up. Retrieving their data is not the same as copying their report. Lab notebooks: You will need to have a separate notebook for all of your lab data; this may be kept in your binder for the course. The lab notebook will be the place you keep the raw data from your labs. These notebooks will be checked periodically and a grade entered under labs. Each check will be worth 15 points.Tests and quizzes: Tests (worth 45 points each) are your opportunity to demonstrate mastery of material. If a test is missed it must be made up the day the student returns to class unless special arrangements are made. Typically, a test must be made up after school, but exceptions do occur. You will be permitted to retake any test one time in order to improve the grade. After each test, there will be a test retake day. In order to retake the test, you must sign-up. If you cannot meet on the test retake day, special arrangements can be made. The retake grade will replace the original grade, better or worse. If you have taken the time to review your test results and studied the problems you missed, you should never receive a lower grade on the retake. Per unit there will be at least one quiz. Quizzes (worth 15 points each) are much shorter than tests, will give you an indication of the important concepts to study for the unit test, and cannot be retaken.Absences: You are responsible for learning all of the material we cover in this class and completing all assignments, whether you are present or absent on a given day. There are multiple ways to find out the material you have missed (class website, fellow classmates, the board, etc.). To be clear, it is not my responsibility to figure out what you missed. If you have an excused absence, you will be given the amount of days missed to turn in the assignment without penalty. If you miss a quiz or test and have an excused absence, you will need to schedule a time to take the test with me.Class norms: As a class we will determine the class norms during our first few meetings. I will type-up these norms and submit them to you for signature. By signing these norms, you agree to the expectations for behavior needed for our class to be successful. Failure to meet these norms will result in consequences, starting with me contacting your parents/guardians and/or administrator. I must provide a safe environment where students fully engage in the study of biology in order to understand its workings and applications to their lives. If you decide to deny another student or students the opportunity of meeting this objective through your behavior, prepare to suffer the consequences.*Note: This syllabus is a guide to the class; therefore it is subject to change at the teacher’s discretion. You need to read over the entire syllabus, sign, and return. If you have questions, let me know!Student name (print legibly):_______________________________________________ Date:____________Student signature:______________________________________________________ Date:____________Parent/guardian name (print legibly):_________________________________________ Date:____________Parent/guardian signature:________________________________________________ Date:____________Parent/guardian phone number:____________________________________________ Parent/guardian email:__________________________________________________ ................
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