Honors Biology
Fall Semester Syllabus
Teacher: Ms. Sarah Crawford / Room C 7
Text: Biology - Dynamics of Life
Office Hours: Monday 6:50-7:20 a.m. and 2:15-3:00 p.m.
Cost of Text: $55.95
Or by appointment
Main office: (770) 972-7642
9th grade office: (770) 978-5086
E-mail: sarah_crawford@gwinnett.k12.ga.us
Materials Needed:
 1 in. 3- ring binder, to be used exclusively for Biology
 Notebook dividers
 loose leaf notebook paper
 pencils, blue or black pens only, colored pencils, and highlighter
 These classroom donations are greatly appreciated: Kleenex, Clorox wipes, hand disinfectant
Grading:
Your grade will be calculated using a point system with the following percentages as a guide:
Daily Work & Homework: 30%
Tests & Quizzes: 35%
Projects: 15%
A: 90-100
B: 80-89
C: 74-79
D: 70-73
Topics
Final Exam: 20%
F: 0-69
Chapter & Pages
Note: AKS 1-7 will be integrated throughout the school year.
Introduction to Biology (AKS 1-7)
Ch. 1, pp. 1-33
Ecology (AKS 11 & 12)
Ch. 2-5, pp. 34-135
Biochemistry (AKS 8)
Ch. 6, pp. 144-173
Cell Biology (AKS 8)
Ch/sections 6.2, 8.1, 9, 8.2, 10.2
Review of the cell
Cell transport
Cell energy
Cell division
DNA/RNA (AKS 9)
Protein Synthesis
Ch. 7, pp. 174-199
Ch/sections 6.2, 8.1
pp. 158-160, pp. 200-206
Ch. 9, pp. 227-255
Ch/sections 8.2, 10.2
Ch. 11, pp. 287-293
Ch. 11, pp. 294-313
Gateway Exam:
All students must demonstrate knowledge of the Gwinnett County Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS) curriculum. Students
will be provided a booklet listing each of these AKS by course at the beginning of the year. Ninth graders enrolling in 1998-1999
and beyond will need the pass the Gwinnett County Gateway Exam over the AKS before graduation. The Gateway Exam will
measure students’ ability to write effectively about the science and social studies AKS covered in the ninth and tenth grades. The
exam will be administered in the spring of the tenth grade year. Students will have several opportunities to retake the exam if they
are not successful the first time.
End of Course Test:
The state-mandated End of Course Test will assess students’ mastery of the biology content. This test, typically given in
early May, is comprehensive in nature and will count 15% of the Spring semester grade.
Academic Intervention:
The Freshman Academy will host extra help in room F1 for each 9th grade subject. More information will be provided in the
near future. Students may also come for extra help during the teacher’s office hours or make an appointment for a more
acceptable time.
Classroom Expectations:
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Follow the directions the first time they are given.
Be polite and respectful.
A. Respect your fellow classmates, the teacher, and the school.
B. Insulting each other will not be tolerated.
Be a participant.
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A. All students are expected to participate appropriately in all assigned activities.
B. Sleeping is not allowed in class and will result in detention
C. You are expected to do your own work- not copy others (see agenda book for cheating policy)
Be prepared.
A. Be on time to class. This means in your seat and not needing to leave the room when the bell rings.
B. Bring all materials to class each day.
C. Complete homework and regularly review the material in your notebook.
Follow policies in the Brookwood Students’ Handbook
Classroom Procedures:
Make-up work: It is the responsibility of the student to schedule to make up work missed due to an excused
absence within 5 school days. The student is responsible for scheduling a time for make up work with the
teacher. Make up work that is not completed in the allotted time will be assigned a zero.
Late Work: For every day the work is late 20% is taken off the final grade. Students are required to turn in
work at the announced time unless the student had an excused absence. In this case, the work is due the day
the student returns from the excused absence.
Laboratories: Labs will occur often in this class. Students are expected to follow all lab safety instructions.
Any student who violates lab safety rules may be removed from the lab, may receive a zero, may receive
detention, or may lose lab privileges for the semester. A pencil is the only writing utensil used for labs!
Journal: Students will keep a daily journal in which they address questions at the beginning of the class
period. Students are expected to be working silently on the journal when the bell rings. The journal will be
graded by an unannounced check or quiz.
Names on Papers: Papers with no names will not be graded and earn a “0”.
Cheating: Any student found to be cheating on a test, quiz, or assignment will receive a “0” and an
administrative referral.
Definition of Cheating
Brookwood High School aligns our policies on academic honesty with similar policies found at colleges. Cheating at
Brookwood High School includes any attempt to defraud, deceive, or mislead a teacher in arriving at an honest
evaluation of student achievement.
Cheating includes, but is not limited to the following:
1. Looking at a test, quiz, or exam of another student while taking an evaluation
2. Attempting to communicate information in any way during an in-class evaluation
3. Having cheat sheets, or information written on the body or other personal objects
4. Using programmed calculators or other electronic devices unless expressly permitted by the teacher
5. Looking at quiz, test, or exam materials prior to their administration
6. Failing to give credit for the ideas, words, or works of others
7. Giving information regarding an evaluation to another student who is scheduled to take the same evaluation
8. Submitting work through the use of technology that is not created by the student, including but not limited to file
sharing (submitting the same work with different header), copying files to and from disks and websites, or purchasing
solutions or works from others
The AKS that will address this semester are as follows:
1. Design and conduct scientific investigations.
2. Apply standard safety practices for all classroom laboratory and field investigations.
3. Use technology to collect, observe, measure, and manipulate data and findings.
4. Use valid critical assumptions to draw conclusions.
5. Apply computation and estimation skills necessary for analyzing data and developing conclusions.
6. Communicate scientific investigations clearly.
7. Read scientific materials to establish context for subject matter, develop vocabulary, and to be aware of current research.
8. Analyze the relationship between structures and functions in living cells.
9. Analyze how biological traits are passed on to successive generations.
10. Examine the relationship between unicellular and multicellular organisms and the increasing complexity of the systems.
11. Evaluate the dependence of all organisms on one another and the flow of energy and matter within their ecosystems.
12. Evaluate the role of natural selection in the development of the theory of evolution.