Welcome to Biology at Red Mountain High School!
Hopefully this school year will be a great time of discovery for us all!
Mrs. Jennifer Klein
Room 157
jnklein@mpsaz.org
(480)472-8064
“Most learning is not the result of instruction. It is rather the result of unhampered participation in a meaningful setting.” - I. Illich
To give students the opportunity to become active constructors of knowledge.
Students will not only discover science concepts but also be challenged to develop their
creative and critical thinking skills.
Objectives
As members of the Red Mountain family, we pride ourselves on our dedication to
Courage, Respect, and Influence. Students are expected to meet specific positive
behavioral standards both in and out of the classroom. These behaviors, such as being
respectful and practicing academic honesty, are what make Red Mountain such an amazing
place to learn.
Materials
EVERY DAY --- Pencils, Notebook, Paper, and a GOOD attitude 
Try your best everyday!
Classroom
Expectations
Treat your fellow classmates and your teacher with respect.
Think!
Do your work.
Enjoy yourself!
Conduct yourself in a well behaved manner!
 Follow all school rules outlined in Student Handbook
 Absolutely no bullying or harassing will be tolerated! RESPECT!
 Respect other people’s property.
 Be prepared for class; bring all materials to class every day!!!
Classroom
Policies
 Be polite; listen and do not talk while someone else is addressing the class. Points
will be deducted from the current assignment/lab/project!
 Safety rules are enforced during lab activities. We will go over safety rules/laws in
class. Student and parent/guardian are required to sign the safety contract before a
student can participate in any lab.

Failure to follow safety rules and/or acting inappropriately during lab activities will
result in zero points earned for lab and any assignment attached to the lab.
Inappropriate behavior includes but not limited to:
* Misuse of lab equipment or materials
* Horseplay during lab, or while other groups are performing a lab
* Walking around the room when it is not necessary to do so (part of the lab)
* Intentionally distracting others and/or keeping them from completing work
* Please be aware, in some cases it is necessary on the part of me, the teacher,
to make a judgment call regarding what is considered inappropriate behavior.
General
Classroom
Policies
(Continued)

Students are responsible for keeping materials clean and in working condition.
Upon the completion of a lab or at the end of class if a student leaves our classroom,
before cleaning and returning all lab materials back to their proper place and/or leaves
their lab table/station not clean and/or materials not returned or not arranged properly,
participation points will be deducted from the current lab(approx. 20%).

The use of electronic devices: cell phones, iPods, laptops, and iPads can be used but
are limited to the current assignment or project, if it is feasible. If I see it being used
for ANYTHING else, I will confiscate it. See student handbook policies and procedures
for details.

Snacks and drinks are acceptable during lecture, quizzes, tests, exams, etc. but
this privilege will be revoked if trash or a mess is left behind or hinders others around
him/her.
NO FOOD OR DRINK IS ALLOWED DURING LABS OR ACTIVITIES!!!
Students are expected to review notes, concepts, and key terms on a daily basis; this
assignment is understood and not necessarily given verbally daily.
Homework
Additional homework will be assigned every night (except Fridays) over material/labs
completed in class. Assignments are due at the beginning of the class period! Yes two
minutes after the bell is considered late! Many assignments/portion of assignment we will
be going over in class! These assignments will be accepted at -30%.
Students may turn in work late for the current 9-week grading quarter with a 30%
reduction in point value.
Late Work
Major lab reports/write-ups and projects can be turned in late with the sliding
penalty: 10% deduction for 1 day late, 20% deduction for 2 days, 30% for 3 days. Time
restrictions are the same here, only work from the current 9-week grading quarter can be
turned in for credit.
 Once a week there will be a quiz. Quizzes are based 100% on homework and notes.
I call it a quiz but it is really nothing more than a homework check.
No prior notice is given for quizzes.
 There will be a test at the end of each unit, total of 4 or 5 tests per semester.
Quizzes,
Tests, and
Final Exams
 Each semester concludes with a final exam that is worth 20% of your total final
grade.
Test
Re-takes
If a student earned a grade below 70% on a test he/she can earn opportunity to retake a
test, tests only, no quizzes! Upon retaking the test the student can earn a maximum score
of 70%. Only 2 tests can be re-taken per semester. To earn this opportunity the student
must attend lunch tutoring twice, for 30 minutes, before they can complete the re-take.
After an absence, it is the student’s responsibility to:
-find out what was missed
-obtain any materials or information missed
-students have one day for each day absent to turn in work for full credit.
A binder on a specified table in class contains a calendar of work completed and a sample
of any handouts/labs distributed that day. Copies of all handouts are located in the filing
system on that same table for a student to retrieve their copy.
If missing work was not obtained by the student and/or discussed with instructor and as
a consequence not turned in within the allowable days the assignment will then follow late
work policy and the student will only be able to earn up to 70% credit no matter the reason
Make-up Work
for the absence and again must be turned in during the current 9-week grading quarter to
earn any credit.
If a student is absent on a day when we have a test or a quiz it is expected that the
quiz/test will be made up on the day of their return to school. Class time will not be used
to make-up quizzes and tests. Your lunch hour or after school is the time allotted to
complete make up work! I understand that sometimes in specific cases this might be
difficult. In those special situations students must still schedule a time on the day they
return; the scheduled date to complete the make-up quiz or test must occur within a few
days. If a student does not make up quiz/test upon return, no scheduling occurs, or makeup does not occur within the allotted time, the score will be recorded as missing and will be
calculated as a zero for the quiz or test until the student makes up the quiz/test but it will
follow late work policy and students will only be able to earn up to 70% credit.
**
Every student that has NO missing work has the opportunity to earn 20 points extra credit
each semester. Extra credit means extra work, this would include:
Extra Credit
Attendance
and
Tardiness
Plagiarism
and
Cheating
Appropriate
Dress
-Finding an article online, in the newspaper, in a magazine, etc. pertaining to a life
science topic and typing a short summary of the article. Please include a copy of the article
or the link when you turn in the summary. These article summaries can also be emailed to
me. Each article summary is worth 2 points.
Another option:
-Evidence of a visit to science related destination, such as: The Botanical Gardens,
The Arboretum, The Science Center, even the zoo; this also includes taking hikes and trips
to national parks! Evidence examples: pictures, ticket stubs, brochures; each visit will earn
you 5 points of extra credit. Even more can be earned by creating a poster of your
adventure with pictures etc. A poster can earn a student 8-12 extra credit points
depending on effort level.
Be prompt to class and ready to begin -- in your seat, not talking, and ready to work
when the bell rings, otherwise you will be marked tardy! Plan your 6 minutes of passing
time carefully! Students who are tardy to class will be issued the following consequences:
A student marked tardy twice in one week, or 3 times in 3 weeks that student will be asked
to serve lunch, before, or after school detention lasting 20 minutes. If a student is tardy to
class 5 times in a single semester a disciplinary referral will be issued per Red Mountain
policy.
All attendance policies and procedures set forth in the student handbook regarding
absences will be strictly adhered to.
Plagiarism and cheating is 100% unacceptable!! Failure to do one’s own work and/or
sharing one’s work with another student(s) will result in a total loss of credit for the
assignment, no matter what it is: quiz, test, or exam.
No make-up assignment, quiz, or test will be available.
Many of our labs and activities are completed in groups; working together can be very
beneficial and is encouraged but all work needs to be yours/in your own words!! Each lab
is a small assessment of the content discussed –I look through these grades and interpret
your understanding based on your scores it must be your work!
Red Mountain’s dress code policy is made clear in the student handbook and will be
supported and adhered to in our classroom.
Canvas
website
In the upcoming weeks a website will be available to students where I will post news,
due dates, assignments, a discussion board, our daily board questions, notes, and helpful
links on this site as well. This site will not only be helpful but participation will at times be a
requirement and will count as part of the student’s grade. The participation will be in the
form of an assignment to be turned in or contributing in an online discussion.
When this site is up and running and available for students we will discuss it in class so
students are aware and questions/concerns can be addressed.
There are 2 separate semesters of Lab Biology. All students must take and pass both
semesters in order to graduate from high school. Below is an overview of the content
covered per semester.
1st Semester
Scientific Method: Reasoning, Experimental Design, Variables/Controls: investigation steps,
designing own experiments, dependent and independent variables, formal lab write up,
graphing and interpretation of graphs, and problem solving.
**this will begin our year BUT we will be consistently practicing this throughout the year!!
Classification: we’ll look at a few ways scientists arrange and organize the living world.
Kingdoms, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species. Cladograms and dichotomous keys.
Ecology:
Levels of organization, movement of energy, populations, biotic/abiotic factors, cycles of
matter: water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Greenhouse effect, hazards: ozone
depletion, chemical/pesticides/clear cutting/fire/water pollution, and biomes.
Evolution:
Geologic timeline, fossil record, vestigial and homologous structures, and natural selection
Molecules and Cells:
Content
to be
Covered
All components/organelles and their functions will be studied! Some will be covered
during this 1st semester but most of the cell’s specific functions will be covered during 2 nd
semester.
2nd Semester
The specific functions relating to 4 specific organelles will be covered;
chloroplasts -photosynthesis, mitochondria - cellular respiration, and lysosomes -enzymes
activity. The nucleus will be covered throughout genetics.
Genetics:
Mendelian: meiosis, individual traits and characteristics and how they are passed on.
Molecular: mitosis, DNA- replication, structure, and interpretation leading to proteins.
Plants:
Parts and functions of seeds, plants, flowers, and fruit, their reproductive differences
and cycles.
Animals:
Vertebrates/invertebrates, levels of organization, few of the main body systems –
their parts and individual functions including digestive system, circulatory, respiratory,
reproductive systems, and the nervous system including effects of drugs and environment.
I am here every day after school until at least 3:30 if you need/want to come in for extra
help. There are some days when I have a previously scheduled meeting, so although you
are welcome to stop by or stay after school for extra help, there is a chance I will be
unavailable. Making arrangements with me first would definitely be beneficial! I am
Tutoring/Extra scheduled for lunch tutoring on Tuesdays and Fridays during 5th hour lunch; but every day
Help
during 4th and 5th hour lunch there is a teacher that can help/tutor you in biology. Please
refer to the tutorials schedule online and also displayed in our classroom.
Grades will be determined by point accumulation. Students will be responsible for
tracking their own progress! A gradesheet will be handed out and reviewed in class for
students to help keep track of their grades.
A standard grading scale will be used.
Grading
98% - 100% = A+
93% - 97% = A
90% - 92% = A-
88% - 89% = B+
83% - 87% = B
80% - 82% = B-
78% - 79% = C+
73% - 77% = C
70% - 72% = C-
68% - 69% = D+
63% - 67% = D
60% - 62% = D-
59% and below = F
Each category of student work is valued at approximately the following percentages:
Homework = 10%
Labs and Activities (hands on assessments) are 25%
Quarter Projects (larger concept assessments) are 10%
Tests and Quizzes 35%
Final Exam 20%
My phone number is (480) 472-8064
My email address is
jnklein@mpsaz.org
If you have any questions and/or concerns, please don’t hesitate to call or email me. I am looking forward to a
successful and exciting year getting to know and learning with your student(s)
Thank you!
Welcome to Biology at Red Mountain High School
Your student’s 2015-16 Lab Biology Syllabus is located online.
The directions for locating it are as follows:
1. Begin at Red Mountain High School Website.
2. At the top of the page choose the option labeled Staff
3. Scroll down to the Science department, find and click on my name Jennifer Klein
4. Choose the class your student(s) is/are enrolled in and from there you can find the
syllabus.
Please read through the syllabus. Sign and date in the designated space below and have your student
return this page to class, it is due by Friday August 21, 2015 for credit.
If you have any questions please feel free to call me (480)472-8064 or send me an email
jnklein@mpsaz.org
A copy of the syllabus will remain on my teacher page throughout the school year, please refer back to
it if/when necessary.
Thank you!
Jennifer Klein
We have read, understand, and will adhere to the policies explained on the 2015-2016 syllabus
Student name (please print) ___________________________________________________________
Student signature: _________________________________________________ Date: _____________
Parent/guardian signature: ___________________________________________ Date: _____________