Before school starts, what to bring to class

Read Advanced Placement Biology Mr. Worden 2017-18 Contact Information: dworden@uxbridge.k12.ma.us Student Expectations Students are held to the highest of academic standards and standards for behavior. Students should come prepared to class each day: • Materials- 3 ring binder or spiral notebook for class notes and notes from the text, notebook for lab notebook, covered text, pen, pencil, calculator, handouts for the unit • Homework assignment completed • Reading completed and notes taken on the text • Questions prepared about the assigned material, but not understood • A willingness to add to the discussion of the topic Homework: Parents and students can be assured that there is homework every night. This includes taking notes from the text and not just reading it; filling in notes from class; lab reports; worksheet assignments; making flash cards and studying vocabulary terms; writing take-home essays. Attendance Attendance is critical to academic performance. Labs are difficult if not impossible to make-up. Make-up tests are more difficult to discourage skipping exam dates. I will drop two quiz grades. If you have an excused absence, you will be given the number of days out extra to complete the assignments. If you miss an exam because you are out on that day only, you must expect to take it the day you get back. Retakes are available with evidence of preparation for the exam. Time issues Students should expect to spend additional time after school to finish labs. Extra study time is necessary to understand the depth of the material. Study sessions will be offered outside of school time to help prepare for exams. Students must study the material nightly, as it is too much to study for the night before an exam The AP Exam: Students must take the AP Exam.. Students should pick up a study guide for the AP test and work on each section as we learn it. These are not required, but students have said it makes it easier to pass the AP Exam. Past students have recommended: AP Test Prep Series or 5 Steps to a 5 AP BIOLOGY AP BIOLOGY 2nd ed. By Fred and Teresa Holtzclaw McGraw Hill ISBN-13: 978-0133458145 ISBN-13: 978-1260009941 Labs We usually complete nearly all of the 12 required labs. These reports may be up to 4-8 pages long. There will be a 2 day period from the finish date of the lab to hand them in. If you have questions on the lab, see me. Students must keep a record of all lab work in their lab notebook set up in a legal scientific format that is dated and signed on each page. The blog will refer you on how to keep a legal scientific notebook. There will be no copying or pasting in sheets of copied material. It is entirely hand written using a separate notebook. A spiral notebook will do. There is also a commercial lab notebook you can buy. Science Lab notebook ISBN-13: 978-1930882355 ISBN-10: 1930882351 Attitude A serious inquiring attitude is important to success. Stay positive about the course and be persistent in your work. Hard work pays off. Remember that this is a college course, and an indication of how you will perform in college. Most students return to say that the course is equivalent to the course they took in college. Leadership Leadership is encouraged by all members of the class. You can act as a lab leader to coordinate data, assign roles to groups for doing different parts of the lab. You can organize study groups. Syllabus There will be a detailed syllabus and study guide to help you focus on pertinent material. Topics include the Chemistry of Life; The Cell; Energy Processing; Mendelian Genetics; Molecular Genetics; Mechanisms of Evolution; The Evolutionary History of Biological Diversity; Plant Form and Function; Animal Form and Function; Animal behavior; Ecology. Grading There are a variety of assessments. Essays are given out periodically. They mimic the AP exam open-response question format. They are graded using a rubric. Essays and written work, lab reports, quizzes, tests are scored using a weighted point system. Tests have the most weight, labs and essays are weighted less, quizzes are weighted less (but are more frequent). Do not be intimidated by the material or the teacher’s expectations. Do the best that you can and frequently ask for help. I will make myself as available as possible. Please have your parents e-mail me that you and your parents have received these student expectations, I will use the information as a contact email if one has not already been provided. I am always available after school on Wednesdays and most other days with advanced notice. Contact Information: dworden@uxbridge.k12.ma.us Good luck and have a good year. Mr. Worden