2019-2020

AP Biology

Mr. Joseph Garcia

joseph.garcia@academylongbeach.org

Course Description

The AP Biology course is designed to be the equivalent of a two semester college introductory biology course usually taken by biology majors during their first year.  The class is designed for students who have shown a high aptitude and interest in science.  Students who do well on the AP biology exam (a 3 or better) may qualify for college credit and/or may be exempt from taking freshman-level biology courses as part of their college degree.  This course will cover the “Big Ideas” of biology; Evolution, Energetics, Information Storage and Transmission, and System Interactions.  These concepts will be interwoven throughout the curriculum.

During the course we will explore scientific methods and processes together and encourage each other to think critically about how science influences our daily lives.  Approximately 30% of the course will be devoted to planning, completing, and analyzing lab procedures.  We will use scientific methods of inquiry, in particular designing, carrying out, and reporting about experiments.  Over the course of the year, you will pose problems and design experiments; make predictions and see them tested; collect and analyze data; and draw conclusions that relate to your experiment and the world at large.  This approach will demonstrate that science involves making and correcting mistakes, reconfiguring procedures, and identifying and investigating the sources of inaccuracies in data, as well as connecting lab experiences to real-life problems and dilemmas.

“When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” – When Harry Met Sally

Intellectual Virtues and AP Biology

Like other science classes, virtues of curiosity, attentiveness, and thoroughness will be emphasised.  However, it is the virtue of tenacity that will be the key to success.  As we dive into greater detail and discuss more complex topics, you will struggle.  This struggle is a necessary part of learning, especially in science.  Without the struggle, it is hard to appreciate the complexities that make our lives possible.  Without the struggle, it is hard to feel the pride that comes from mastering the knowledge and understanding of how the world works.  The good news is, we will all be in the same struggle together, and through our virtues of humility and open-mindedness, we will guide each other through the struggle so that we all might find the success we desire.

“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.” – The Wizard of Oz

Units of Study

Schoolwide Essential Question(s):   Where does power comes from?

Over what parts of our lives do we have power?

“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”–The Usual Suspects

Grade Weights:

Labs - 40%

Tests/Quizzes - 50%

Home Thinking Assignments - 5%

In Class Activity - 5%

“Life is just like that sometimes...You’re hoping for a unicorn...and you get a goat.” – Despicable Me 3

Instructional Policies:

For a full list of the Academy policies, please see the handbook or our website. In addition to the school policies, this class includes the following additional policy:

•  Each class period will start at the designated time. You must be in the classroom on time or you will be marked tardy.
• Once class begins, please take your seat and get out the materials that you will need for the day.  The list of materials will be up on the board.  If there is homework due, please hand it in to the designated area before doing anything else.  Remember, if homework is not handed in when requested, it is considered late.
•  BE RESPECTFUL!  Respect your classmates, your teacher, and yourselves.  If you use this general rule as a guide, you will be very successful in my class.  This means using one voice (not talking while others are talking), raising your hand, and being prepared.
• If you have any questions that are not answered during class, feel free to talk to me after class or send me an email.  I check my email frequently but will stop checking it by 7:00pm so please email me before then if you expect a response that day.
• Do not pack up to leave until you are dismissed.  Some days we may end early and some days we may end late.  If you start packing up to leave before you are dismissed, you will be the last to leave the class.
• 1, 2, 3 Policy  You will receive two warnings (verbal or nonverbal) for behavior that disrespectful.  This includes but is not limited to talking out of turn, being off task, being unprepared, and being defiant.  If the behavior isn’t changed after the second warning, the student is given a referral.
• Laptop Use Policy:  Laptops are to be used as directed.  Misuse of laptops, such as playing games, social media, web browsing, etc will result in the following consequences:  1st offense = verbal warning.  2nd offense = student must use paper for note-taking for the remainder of the day.  3rd offense = student must use paper for note-taking for the remainder of the chapter.

“Nobody puts Baby in a corner.” – Dirty Dancing

Projects/Performance Assessment:

Because of the fast paced nature of the class, labs will be spaced out throughout the school year.  Each lab will take approximately 3-5 days to complete.  This time includes the setup and completion of the lab but does not include the lab write-ups.  All labs are student driven and inquiry based, meaning students will be mostly writing their own procedures and conducting their own experiments using materials provided and partial guidance from the AP lab manual.  The purpose of these labs are to help grow critical thinking skills as well as reinforce material being learned throughout the year.

“We’re all pretty bizarre.  Some of us are just better at hiding it, that’s all.” – The Breakfast Club

Learning in Class

Class engagement time is used to learn and practice content and engage with other learners in the classroom — both students and teachers. Learning is a collective endeavor as much as an individual endeavor. The teacher uses this interaction to track learning and form the next steps of instruction. In the case of an excused absence, learning in class can be made up or excused at the teacher’s discretion.

Rationale: In general, class learning is graded for engagement and participation. The goal of class learning is for students to explore meaningful questions either individually or as a group. Teachers strive to create a culture of thinking where the individual’s and the group’s thinking are equally valued.

Learning in this class will consist of a variety of different strategies including readings, thinking routines, labs, activities, videos, discussions, presentations, and more.  Students will be expected to participate, be engaged, and stay on task during all learning activities.  Everything that is done in class is designed for students to take ownership of their education and to help them interact with the material in a variety of ways.  This is a fast paced course and failure to stay engaged and on task will result in students falling behind and having to work extra hard to catch up.  By staying attentive to what is going on in class, you will save yourself a lot of suffering later on.

“Life moves pretty fast.  If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller’s Day off

Learning at Home

Home learning provides opportunities to extend thinking, consider new ideas, practice skills, and assess learning. Teachers can use these formative assessments as evidence of student progress to form the next steps of the learning plan. If absent, students are responsible to utilize Google Classroom or communicate with their teacher to find out what they missed.

Rationale: Teachers are intentional about naming the Home Learning’s purpose emphasizing the expected task, i.e.: home practice, home thinking, home dialogue, home study. These names help remind teachers, students, and parents the purpose and value of the assignment/s. Home thinking is a great place to practice intellectual autonomy, a capacity for self-directed thinking, since the students’ classmates and teachers are not present to support the learning. When parents are able to help with Home Learning, the document adopted from IVA, can offer some guidance. We want students to have the opportunity to struggle through complex learning and experience the reward of figuring it out for themselves. We also provide resources for students, and our hope is that parents will support students by apprenticing them in organization and troubleshooting so that students know how to use the provided resources. This apprenticeship into self-advocacy and intellectual autonomy is part of the foundation of a love of learning.

While most of the learning will go on in class, there will be times when students will be expected to continue that learning outside of class.  Home thinking will consist of specific assignments meant to help extend and reinforce the material being covered in class and may also consist of continuing assignments and activities that began during class time but were not finished.  For AP, there will be a lot of independent reading that will need to be done.  These readings will help students go deeper into the material and will provide a broader view of the topics discussed in class.

“Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss.” – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Testing & Retake Policy

Assessments, such as quizzes, tests, or performance tasks will be completed in class and cannot be taken home unless the teacher has otherwise stated. If additional time is needed, the assessment must be concluded during an intervention support period or after school. Retakes and test corrections must be requested by the student. Retakes and test corrections must be taken during school hours, or at a time approved by the teacher. The time limit and deadline regarding when students can retake/redo assessments is at the discretion of the teacher, or set forth by the intervention team. Please note: at regular intervals there will be a schoolwide deadline for ALL missing or retake assignments. The due dates will be widely published.

Rationale: In order to protect the intellectual integrity of the assignment and in order to use the assessment to inform our teaching, assessments need to be an accurate representation of the student’s understanding. High school is a time for students to develop autonomy and learn to advocate for themselves. This helps students take ownership over their own learning. We are also optimistic about the potential for personal growth, we embrace challenges and regard struggle as an opportunity to learn and improve.

Each subject matter department has their own grading policy regarding retakes and test corrections. In general, retakes or test corrections allow students to raise their grade by some portion of the possible points of the original assignment. Students may not be able to receive a full score for retakes; however, this is at the discretion of each teacher.

The AP Test

As part of the class, you will have the option to take the AP Biology Exam.  This exam is given through College Board and is standard across the nation.  This is a 3 hour test consisting of 60 multiple choice questions and 6 written questions meant to assess not just knowledge gained throughout the year, but also a student’s ability to analyze models and data.  The test will be given on May 11, 2020.  This is the only date the test is given and it cannot be rescheduled.  More information can be found on collegeboard.com as well as Google Classroom.

“Begin each day like it was on purpose.” Hitch

Late Policy

Most Home Thinking and Class Thinking assignments will not be accepted late if the student was present in class. Students who are absent will be able to make up assignments (one day for one day of absence) by checking with their teacher through email. If a student has an IEP accommodation for late work, they will only be given up to one extra week to complete the assignment.

Rationale: Learning at home should be done prior to the class discussion on the day it is due, so that students can participate and be engaged in class. If students complete the learning after the class discusses it, they have lost the opportunity to think about it independently or develop their intellectual autonomy. Learning in class is a measure of engagement in others’ ideas; therefore, it is not appropriate to be completed elsewhere. Students are always encouraged to talk directly with their teacher about extenuating circumstances. Students will not be excluded from learning if an assignment is late.

Scores for late Projects or Performance Tasks will be deducted 10% for each week it is late. For example, if a lab was due on Monday in math class, however is turned in by the following Monday, you will be deducted 10%. Late projects and essays can lose a maximum of 30% for being late. If a student has an IEP accommodation for late work, they will only be given up to one extra week to complete the assignment without penalty. Please note: at regular intervals there will be a schoolwide deadlines for ALL missing or retake assignments. The due dates will be widely published.

Rationale: In order to prepare students for college, career, and life, we feel that it is important for students to gain experience of deadlines. We provide students with support in the development of time management skills through checkpoints to evaluate their progress towards the final product. As parents, you can support your child by sitting with your child to regularly check Parent Square for general school communication, Google classroom for assignments and notes, and Illuminate for grades.

Grading Discretion & Reporting

Teachers have the discretion to adjust any grade that falls plus or minus 2% of appropriate letter grade cut off. Gradebooks for all classes include at least one graded assignment every week that will be included in the online grading system, Illuminate. Students will receive a 33% for all missing work which will show up as an “m” in their grade book. Report cards include grades on each semester report card and comments that address intellectual character. Report cards will be emailed home within two weeks after the end of the grading period.

Grading written work requires thoughtful feedback and time on the part of the teacher. Please have your child check with your teacher to find out when they anticipate completing grades for larger assignments if it has taken longer than two weeks.

Rationale: Increase or decrease in student effort over the semester can affect their overall grade. Teachers will justify this discretionary grade adjustment in the comments. Report cards will be emailed and mailed to parents after the close of the semester in order to maintain an academic environment through the full semester. Teachers are provided time to carefully reflect on the character development of their students to give parents and students thoughtful commentary that can encourage contemplation and discussion.

Materials

The following materials are recommended:

-Notebook

-Paper

-Pencils, pens, paper, and erasers colored pencils/crayons/markers, highlighter

-colored pencils/crayons/markers

-Highlighter

“Here’s looking at you, kid.” – Casablanca

Academic Integrity

In class it is important that students recognize the value of learning is in thinking through assignments on their own. Students should avoid giving or receiving solutions from each other, from their parents, or from the Internet. Students will feel a great sense of accomplishment when they come to solutions using intellectual autonomy. Students need to always give credit when they have used a source of any kind. Students are to never use words (or other forms of text including art and music) that is not theirs without giving credit to the author. If a student is caught cheating/plagiarizing (copying someone else’s work, or allowing their own work to be copied) the incident will be brought to the Director’s attention, investigated, and as appropriate the student(s) will receive a zero for the assignment or test and their parents will be notified. The second offense will result in further disciplinary follow up and restorative action.

Rational: We value accessing new ideas through collaboration, research, and observations. We know this ignites the creative and critical thinking processes, inspiring connections to core concepts. However, in order to cultivate a culture of thinking, students must be able to access their own creative process to learning, and practice thinking for themselves.

“Carpe diem.  Seize the day, boys.  Make your lives extraordinary.” – Dead Poets Society

Electronics

Cell Phones and Accessories

Cell phones/electronic games cannot be used in the classroom unless the student has explicit permission from a teacher or staff member for a specified amount of time. If a teacher or staff member observes a misuse of a cell phone/electronic device, the following steps will address the infraction:  1. Warning: student will have cell phone held in office until the end of the school day 2. Second infraction: email or call home about the policy and the phone will be held until a parent can pick up the cell phone 3. Email or call home, which may result in any of the following: a. loss of privilege, b. behavior contract, c. parent conference, and/or d. restorative action.

Technology 

Students must sign the Acceptable Use Agreement in order to use Google Chromebooks, assigned academylbhs.org email, Illuminate, and Google Classroom. Each Chromebook is assigned to multiple students and shared between classes. If students are not able to follow teacher direction in technology use, they may lose this privilege. Digital citizenship is part of being a 21st century learner where the learning environment is extended beyond the classroom into shared technological spaces.

Rationale: We seek to develop competent Digital Citizens. These expectations are in place in order to maintain an academic and courteous environment. In order to support thinking and learning, students are expected to respectfully use technological tools at the right time and in the right place.

Communication

I will try to make myself as available as possible.  If you need to get in touch with me, please send me an email at joseph.garcia@academylongbeach.org.  I will be sure to respond within 24 hours of receiving your email.  You can also email me to set up a phone conversation or a face-to-face meeting.

We strive to maintain positive and open communication between students, teachers, and parents. Students are encouraged to contact teachers with questions and concerns, as well as take advantage of support systems. In the event that there is a concern or question first have your student talk to the teacher directly. If your concerns are not resolved we then welcome parents to contact the teacher via email or the teacher’s google voice number, included on the syllabi. If your concerns are still not resolved, we can set up a meeting with the administration, teachers, and students as appropriate.

Rationale: We want to help our students learn how to practice their intellectual courage. One way to engage in this practice is to persist in communicating with teachers in the face of any fear or shyness. Our teachers strive to be warm and inviting and believe that students should learn to practice autonomy by advocating for themselves. These are transition years where we want to encourage our students to practice communicating with teachers directly.

The Academy

Class Name and Grade Levels

Parent Letter and Syllabus

I have read the AP Biology Letter and Syllabus and understand it to the best of my ability. I agree to abide by these guidelines.

STUDENT NAME:____________­­­­­­___________________________  DATE:________________

PARENT/GUARDIAN:___________________________________   DATE:________________