Biology

A Modeling Approach

Course Description

Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organism, including their
structure, function, growth, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy.

What is modeling?

Modeling instruction is a method of teaching in which students construct their own model of the
physical world. Once an initial model has been developed students will continue exploring the model
further refining it as we go. Students will deploy their model to many different contexts and are
able to solve and analyze problems related to their current model. When the current model fails to
explain a phenomenon we will continue exploring to expand on the initial model. By the end of the
semester we will have a comprehensive model of biology.

Modeling is a student-centered process that allows students to create and manipulate concepts or
ideas based on their own exploration. The goals of modeling include but are not limited to: improving
the critical thinking skills of students, requiring students to reflect on their work and revise as
needed, using multiple representations to describe a situation, working collaboratively with their
peers and communicating their ideas supported by evidence.

Materials

Each student will need to bring the following items to class each day:

A composition lab notebook (provided)
Dry Erase Markers

Pen/Pencil

Classroom Organization & Participation

Collaborative group work is a key component of the modeling approach therefore ALL in class work
will be completed in small lab groups. Each individual student will be required to record their class
activities (labs, worksheets, etc) in their lab notebook. Keeping a neat and orderly lab notebook will
be critical to student success! Lab notebooks will be collected at the end of each unit and graded.
More on these notebook checks can be found below.

Students will participate in board meetings daily. All solutions to labs and worksheets will be
displayed by lab groups on whiteboards. We will gather as a class to share and discuss the solutions
to these labs and problems. All students will be required to actively participate in these board
meetings. Student participation is critical to their success

Grading

Standards
Lab Notebook Checks/ Other

80%
20%

What is Standards Based Grading (SBG)?

SBG is a grading system that measures studentsmastery of clearly definedcourse objectives.
The goal of SBG is to give students accurate feedback about which skills or conceptsthey have
mastered and whichstill need work.Too often grades can beinterpreted as a final judgment but
SBGallows students the opportunity to continue working, without penalty, until they areable to
demonstrate mastery of the standards

Why is Standards Based Grading (SBG) good for students?

1. SBG gives students a much clearer picture of the standards they have mastered or need to keep
working on than a traditional numeric grade.

2. SBG does not penalize students whodo not demonstrate mastery on thefirst assessment.

3. SBG requires students to reflect on their work in order toimprove their mastery of the
standards.

4. SBG teaches students to produce quality work.

How exactly will Standards Based Grading work in this Biology class?

Overview: Each unit of study will focus on asingle model of the physical world. Tohelp us develop
these models, I have identified key learning goals (standards) for each model.Standards will most
often be in theform of I can do or I know.The standards are designed to give students
chunks of knowledge and skills that they can focus on clearly. Students will be given themodel
standards at the beginning ofa unit. This practice will allow students to focus on the standards or
goals for each model.

Assessments

Student understanding of biology will be shown throughdemonstration of mastery of the standards.
There will be a test at the end of each model covering all that models standards.On any quiz or
test, I will rate a students mastery on each of the standards being assessed. Note that students
will not receive a traditional grade on their assessments (such as a 75 or an 89), rather they will
receive ascore (no mastery, developing mastery, or mastery) for each standard being assessed. The
current level of mastery of these standards, togetherwith the level of mastery on any past
standards will determine the course grade at thatmoment.

NM = No Mastery. The student is still working on the basic concept, or perhaps they have not even
attempted an assessment on this standard yet.

DM = Developing Mastery. The student has the basic concept, but still makes errors in applying it.
Most of the time, these are habitual errors thatthey make again andagain. They most likely need
more practice, with attention to reflection after each exercise.

M = Mastery. Mastery has been clearly demonstrated.

NOTE: M (Mastery) is the ONLY notation that receives credit. Students must continue working on
standards until they demonstrate M (Mastery) to receive credit. Grades for standards will appear as 100s
or 0s in PowerSchool. A 100 will be assigned if a student has mastered a standard and a 0 will be
assigned if they have yet to master a standard. This may be frustrating for students, however, the goal
and expectation for my students is to demonstrate full understanding of smaller segments of material.

Re-Assessments

Students will have the opportunity to completean additional assessment, or re-assessments, on any
standards they have not yet demonstrated mastery.Re-assessments will only cover standards not
yet mastered and must be initiated by the student.Upon completion of the re-assessment, if a
student demonstrates mastery of standards not previously mastered their grade will improve
without penalty for the delay in mastery. To qualify for a re-assessment, a student will need to:

o Have all required items in their lab notebook for that model (via notebook check)

o Complete the additional practice for the model that the teacher will assign

Tests- Tests will be given as we conclude each unit. Tests will be mostly free-response and multiple
choice. For multiple choice items, students will have to write a justification as to why they chose
the answer they picked. This will help me understand the thinking and logic behind each answer so
that I will know what I need to clarify.

Lab Notebook Checks At the beginning of each unit students will receive a list of the items we
will complete throughout the unit. These will be the items that I will be looking for when I collect
lab notebooks for grading. Grading will take place at the conclusion of each unit (on test day).
There will also be a running item list in the classroom so that everyone will be on the same page
with numbering.

Labs- We will do plenty of labs this semester! Please follow all safety guidelines!

Other Assignments- From time to time we will have short quizzes on ideas that are very important
to make sure you are following along with me. Also, I may collect and grade class work as needed
to make sure you are on task.

Final Exam- Each student will take a state mandated exam during the designated exam period for
our class which will count as 25% of your final grade for the course.

Miscellaneous

Folders- You will each have a folder in my classroom. We will use the folders to keep up with your
tests. Test will be returned to you so that you can see them and then they will be placed in your
folder unless you take a test home to make corrections.

Late Work & Absences- You should always strive to turn in your work on time! However, I will
accept work 1 day late for half credit. This is the only time late work will be accepted! If you are
absent, you are responsible for getting any missed labs or worksheet solutions from your lab group.
If you are absent for a school related function then you are responsible for making arrangements
to receive and complete your work ahead of time!

Cheating- Cheating will not be tolerated on any level in this course. If you are caught cheating you
will receive a zero and your parents will be notified. Cheating via storing information in your
calculator will result in a loss of calculator privileges for the rest of the semester. Basically,
cheating is the one thing you really do not want to do in my class so please do not even think about
it!

Website- We will actively be using technology in this class including Google Forms, my website for
our class, and other online resources. I will be posting all of the course information on this class
webpage. This will be your home base to find out what is going on in class each day, find
assignments, take quizzes, etc.

Classroom Rules

Respect yourself, your classmates, your teacher, and the furnishings of the room

Come to class on time and prepared (always bring your notebook!)

Ask permission before speaking and getting out of your seat

Distracting yourself and others is not acceptable

Contact Information

Name: Amber Dew

E-mail: amber.Dew@wilsonschoolsnc.net
Website: dewscience.weebly.com

or

scienceteacherstuff@gmail.com

Student-Teacher-Parent Agreement

Student - I will

Do my best to be in class every day.

Come to class prepared, pay attention, follow directions, and maintain a safe lab and working
environment.

Complete all of my assignments, classwork, and homework to the best of my ability every day.

Ask my teacher when I dont understand.

Strive to master all learning standards.

Always treat others the way I would like to be treated.

Realize that my education is the key to success.

Teacher - I will

Explain my expectations, instructional goals, and grading systems to the parent and student.

Align my teaching to the North Carolina Essential Standards.

Stress to students the importance of working at their potential and of meeting personal targets
and promotion standards.

Employ various teaching methods.

Provide enrichment and remediation opportunities for the student as needed, and allow for reassessment opportunities for students so that they can master the learning standard.

Provide a climate in my classroom that is safe and encourages students to learn.

Parent - I will

Do my best to ensure that my student is in class every day, prepared, and following all directions.

Support my students effort to achieve mastery of all learning standards.

Contact my students teacher if there are questions or concerns.

Celebrate good news and achievements with my student and encourage my student to do his or her
best.

By signing this, you are stating that you understand the grading policies, assessment and re-assessment
policies, and all other classroom procedures that will be used for this Biology Honors class. The standards
that are to be mastered with count as 80% of your grade and lab notebook checks and other items will
count as 20% of your grade. You understand that you have multiple opportunities to re-assess for each
standard and that your grade is based on your mastery of the material. You understand that there will be
no partial mastery grade in PowerSchool, and that the only level of mastery that will receive credit is
mastery. If there are ever questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me directly.

Student Signature: ______________________________________________ Date: __________

Parent Signature:

______________________________________________ Date: __________