Classroom Policies!
Greetings,
Honors Biology students and parents!! August,
2005
Here
you will find important information about biology class and my classroom
policies. In order to be sure that
everyone understands these policies, I ask that both students and
parents read the following items.
1. The required text for this class is Biology
by Kenneth R. Miller and Roger Levine.
Also required are:
o
A looseleaf
notebook (for organization; may be shared with other subjects)
o
Lined and
unlined looseleaf paper
o
Colored pencils
o
Ruler (12 -
15", ruled in metric and English
units)
o
Approved safety
goggles and a lab apron will be required for some laboratory exercises. If safety glasses are required for an
activity, students who do not have safety goggles on lab days will receive a
zero for the lab activity.
2. I expect students to respect the right of others to learn. Tardiness and misbehavior will not be
tolerated.
3. There may be times when you are unsure of material that we covered
in class, or would like some extra help.
I encourage you to talk to me anytime about questions or problems. I will post times for extra-help sessions,
but I am always willing make other arrangements if those times are not possible
for you -- just come and talk to me and we'll set up an appointment.
4. You must come prepared to class.
It is difficult to learn information about biology when you are not
prepared, and it is difficult to learn when the student next to you is being
distracting because he or she is not prepared.
Paper, pencil or pen, and textbooks are required AT ALL TIMES. Students will be instructed as to other
necessary items for particular occasions.
Students who are not prepared must accept the consequences, including
making up missed work. In addition, on
test days, you must always have a #2 pencil with an eraser.
5. Your grade in this class will be calculated as follows:
50% tests
25% lab work
25% homework
and quizzes
As a suggestion:
Work diligently and consistently all the time, so you are not faced with the
difficult task of trying to bring your grade up in the last week of the grading
period. It is heart-breaking for a
student work hard at the end of the year, only to be unable to overcome too
many missed assignments and poor test grades from earlier in the year.
6. Homework is due AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CLASS PERIOD on the due
date. Keep homework assignments
separate from class notes so that assignments can be collected. Assignments that are not ready when they are
collected or checked will be considered late.
(Leaving an assignment in another book or in your locker is not a valid
excuse for late assignments!) Late
assignments will be accepted, but points will be deducted from the grade for
each day that the assignment is late.
Nameless papers will have points deducted as well.
PLEASE NOTE: There is a special case considering
assignments that is worthy of special mention.
For some laboratory exercises, a written pre-lab assignment will be
required, which will usually be assigned as homework the night before the lab
exercise. Because of the extreme
importance of being prepared for lab on the day of the exercise, students who
come to class on the day of the lab without the preparatory assignment will
be dismissed from the lab and will receive a grade of zero for that lab. This goes for students who do not do the
assignment as well as students who left the assignment at home or in their
lockers.
7. Lab reports are due AT THE BEGINNING OF THE
CLASS PERIOD on the due date. Finishing
up lab reports (for example, stapling, adding lab partner's name, etc.)
at the beginning of class will not be allowed.
If your report is not ready when they are collected, it will be
considered late. Lab reports emphasize
format, procedure, and scientific principles, so you should follow the required
format (to be explained later) carefully.
Failure to follow the required format (for example, writing on the back
of the page; writing the body of the report in pencil; lab report not stapled;
no signature and date at the end of the report; lab partner's name missing)
will result in points off. Late lab
reports will be accepted, but with a deduction for each day late.
8. ****Any work that is turned in late must be turned in TO ME
PERSONALLY and put IN MY HAND. Students
will receive NO CREDIT for work left on my desk, in my mailbox, or anywhere
else. THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS TO
THIS RULE.
Naturally,
I am excited about biology, and I hope that you will be, too. We will be off to a great start if we
understand these policies and ground rules clearly. Let's have a great year!
Sincerely,
Dr. Lisa
Hellstrom
Special
note to parents: I hope to have a chance to meet or talk with
you as well. If you have any
questions, I can be reached through
B.E. (849-9599, ext. 320). Please leave
a message, and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Alternatively, I can be reached through
e-mail: lhellstr@behs.com
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