Biology 12 Course Outline
2012/2013
Cherri Gerber
Text:
Inquiry into Life, 12th edition. McGraw-Hill, 2008
Resources:
Biology 12 Laboratory Manual, SD23, Cunnian and Northcote, 2000
Biology 12: BC Curriculum Study Guide, 5th Edition, Prior Educational Resources, 2010
Evaluation criteria:
Term Mark
Labs
20%
Assignments 20%
Quizzes
10%
Notes
10%
Tests
40%
Final Grade
Term 1
40%
Term 2
40%
Final exam
20%
Grade scale
A
86 – 100%
B
73 – 85%
C+
67 – 72%
C
60- 66%
C50 – 59%
Labs
Lab safety will be discussed before the first lab, and then reviewed on a regular basis. Labs make up a significant part of this course,
and include a fetal pig dissection. Should you be ethically opposed to dissection you may do a virtual dissection accompanied by a
well thought out rationale for your views. Students who are unable to do labs on the assigned day may be given alternative
assignments to help them cover the same learning outcomes as the labs. This may mean considerable extra effort on the student’s part.
Daily Procedure
There will be a quiz each day at the beginning of class. This quiz will cover concepts from the previous day’s work. One rationale
behind these quizzes is to inform the teacher about any misunderstood concepts and information before moving ahead. Another
reason for these quizzes is to help students know which concepts the teacher considers most important.
Students will be expected to take notes in a notebook dedicated to the subject each lecture day. Notes should include sketches, graphs,
and charts as handed out or presented by the teacher. These notes will be collected on Friday of each week, and returned to students
the following Monday. Students who miss a lecture will be required to write a summary of the relevant sections of the textbook to
receive full credit for the notes taken that week.
You are required to have in class at all times the following supplies:
Your notebook and textbook
Pens (blue or black and red)
Pencils
Colored pencils
Eraser
Absences
All absences, excused or unexcused, will make the student’s work more difficult. Students and their parents need to be aware that
lectures cannot be made up. Work assigned before the absence is due at the next class the student attends. It is the student’s
responsibility to determine what work has been missed, and to make this work up within a mutually acceptable time. I expect that by
the time you get to senior high school you can tell time and be responsible for your own punctuality. While an occasional late is
sometimes unavoidable, continuously being late is rude and inconsiderate to both me and the other students. You should not expect to
leave class during the period; please come completely prepared every period.
Progress reports
Students will receive progress reports after each test, or every two weeks, whichever is shorter. Parents will be sent copies of progress
reports if their child is earning 60% or less in the course.
Course syllabus
Attached to the back of this outline is the syllabus (topic, dates, and text outline) for this course. I will not tell you to read each day –
it’s all there for you in the syllabus!
Read the text very carefully and thoroughly as you go. I would suggest that you read the appropriate section in the text after I have
taught it to you. Bring your text to class each day as I will regularly point out key diagrams and tables.