Syllabus: Principles of Biology I – for science majors
Course Number: Biol 1406
Semester & Year: Fall 2012
Instructor Information
Name: Karin Grisham
Office Hours: 8:00 – 8:50 daily
Telephone: 903-628-6551
E-mail: kgrisham@nbschools.net
Textbook Information
Title of Textbook: Campbell Biology; 7th Edition ($106.00 new)
WITH CD included in back of book ($10.00 for lost CD)
ISBN #: 0-8053-6777-2
Publisher: Pearson
Student Learning Outcomes for the Course
1. Define and distinguish atoms, molecules, compounds, chemical bonds.
Mechanisms of chemical bond formation, and to name and recognize the components of biological molecules
2. Demonstrate an understanding of basic organic chemistry and apply chemical concepts to living systems.
3. Examine pro- and eukaryotic cell structure and function and reproduction of cells utilizing the Cell Theory as a
unifying theme in biology.
4. Identify and describe the main types of membrane transport and relate this to cell functions.
5. Identify and describe the processes and energy relationships involved in Fermentation, Cellular Respiration and
Photosynthesis.
6. Identify and describe the stages and controlling factors in the cell cycle.
Student Requirements for Completion of the Course and Due Dates
Students will be given a minimum of 2 test grades every six weeks. There will be 1-2
major lab reports this semester, that will count as a test grade. Quizzes will be given 1-3 times
per week that will be over material previously covered in class. Homework will be assigned for
a grade to help learn certain topics, but students have ungraded homework following every
class.
Student Assessment (state how you are going to determine their course grade)
The following is how grades will be weighted.
55% Test/Lab Reports
35% Quizzes
10% Homework/Daily Work/Minor Labs/Spirals
ALL students, regardless of exemption status per NBHS, will be required to take a final exam. This exam
will be CUMULATIVE. It will be a comprehensive exam that will include all content covered during the
first semester. This exam will count 1/7 of their final grade.
Grading Scale
Below is the grading scale for TC AND for NBISD. Notice that is feasible to receive one
grade for TC and a different grade for NBISD.
TC GRADE SCALE
Grade
NBISD GRADE SCALE
Grade
A
90-100
A
90-100
B
80-89
B
80-89
C
70-79
C
70-79
D
60-69
F
69-below
F
59-below
Class Schedule - this is a tentative schedule
1st Six Weeks
- Chapter 1 – Exploring Life
- Chapter 2 – The Chemical Context of Life
- Chapter 3 – Water & Fitness of the Environ.
- Chapter 4 – Carbon
2nd Six Weeks
- Chapter 5 – Structure & Function of Macromolecules
- Chapter 6 – The Cell
- Chapter 7 – Membrane Structure & Function
- Chapter 9 – Cell Respiration
3rd Six Weeks
- Chapter 35 – Plant Structure
- Chapter 10 – Photosynthesis
- Chapter 14 – Mitosis and Cell Cycle
Attendance Policy & Make-Up Policy
We will follow the policy as stated in the NBISD Student Handbook.
Academic Integrity Statement
Scholastic dishonesty, involving but not limited to cheating on a test, plagiarism, collusion, or falsification of records will make the student liable for disciplinary action after
being investigated by the Dean of Students. Proven violations of this nature will result in
the student being dropped from the class with an “F”.
This policy applies campus wide, including TC Testing Center, as well as off-campus
classroom or lab sites, including dual credit campuses. This information can be found in
the Student Handbook at https://texarkanacollege.edu.
Disability Act Statement:
Texarkana College complies with all provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act and
makes reasonable accommodations upon request. Please contact Larry Andrews at
903.823.3283, or go by the Recruitment, Advisement, and Retention Department
located in the Administration building for personal assistance.
If you have an accommodation letter from their office indicating that you have a
disability which requires academic accommodations, please present it to me so we can
discuss the accommodations that you might need for this class. It is best to request
these changes at the beginning if not before the start of class so there is ample time to
make the accommodations..
Financial Aid:
Attention! Dropping this class may affect your funding in a negative way! You could owe
money to the college and/or federal government. Please check with the Financial Aid
office before making a decision.
This course is a two semester course (Biol 1406 & Biol 1407). Each semester is 4 credit hours. This
course is designed for those who are continuing in the sciences.
TC CATALOG COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Biol 1406 (Principles of Biology I) (Fall Semester)
An integrated approach to cell and molecular biology with emphasis on biological chemistry, cell structure
and function, genetics and evolutionary theory. This course is recommended for science, biology, and preprofessional majors. Students are recommended to have a strong background in high school chemistry.
Biol 1407 (Principles of Biology II) (Spring Semester)
Continuation of Biology 1406. An integrated study of structure and function in biological populations.
Includes diversity of organisms and physiological aspects of transport, nutrition, gas exchange,
communication, reproduction and development. Prerequisite: Biol 1406. Recommended for science,
biology and pre-professional majors.
SUPPLIES
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1 ½ inch 3 ring binder, Notebook – you will be getting a lot of handouts
Pen/pencil
You will be taking a lot of notes (or printing them off). Bring paper to take notes, or have them
printed off and ready for class.
1 SPIRALS – for test reviews
LAB CONDUCT
Students must follow all safety guidelines discussed in class and prior to each lab. Failure to follow
safety rules will result in removal from the lab and alternative assignments will be provided until lab
privileges are returned to the student.
LATE WORK
Late Work Policy will follow the Student Handbook for Tests, Quizzes and Labs. However, there will be
NO LATE WORK TAKEN for Homework. Any homework assignment not turned in on time, will be given a
grade of ZERO.
TAKS
This subject is not a TAKS tested subject. This course is comprised of mostly of students who have
passed the exit level Science TAKS test. If you feel your student needs TAKS guidance, please feel free to
contact me and we can make accommodations.
TESTS
A minimum of 2 test grades will be given during each six weeks. This could be in the form of one test
and one lab report. Since this is a college class, students are not allowed to re-take tests or re-do lab
reports. If a student is not present the day the test is administered, an alternative test will be given and
must be taken in the appropriate time frame based on district policy. If the test is not taken in the time
period given, points will be deducted from the test grade. The alternative test will cover the same
material; however, number of questions and question format is at the teacher’s discretion. Students are
welcome to take the test in advance if they know ahead of time they are going to miss class.
HOMEWORK
Students will be assigned homework to help with the concepts that were discussed in class. Most
homework will be in the form of learning the material provided in class. There will be very little
assigned homework that will be graded. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that they
understand the material.
QUIZZES
There will be at least one quiz a week which covers all the material that has been taught since the last
quiz. If a student has been absent, it is their responsibility to find out the information they need to
know for the upcoming quiz.
FINAL EXAM
The semester final exams will be a comprehensive. Each semester exam will cover all the material from
the beginning of the semester. The exam will be 60-100 multiple choice questions.
LAB
Not all labs will be able to be completed during class time. Parts of some labs must be done outside of
class. Not all labs will be able to be completed in one class period and will require the students to come
in during study hall or before school and collect data. It is the students/groups responsibility to ensure
this done. Data collected depends on the final lab grade. Labs will have a completion date provided. If
labs are not turned in on time, then points will be deducted from the actual lab grade.
NOTES
All notes, powerpoints, and handouts will be available on the Schoology website. The web address is:
www.schoology.com .
Since this is a DUAL CREDIT Course, students are expected to follow the policies of both New Boston ISD
as well as TC.
DC BIOLOGY NOTIFICATIONS
In the past I have used e-mail address to notify those interested of upcoming information. This year I
am going to try something a little different. The test runs have worked out great, but as with anything
there is a learning curve. We will try this and see how it works. If you have questions about this, please
don’t hesitate to contact me (phone or email) and I can walk you through the step if you are interested.
DC BIOLOGY NOTIFICATIONS
If you are interested (parent and/or student) to receive information about upcoming
assignments (test dates, lab due dates, etc.), please following the procedure below:
Student Name_____________________________________________________(printed)
Block__________
Please return to Mrs. Grisham DC BIOLOGY
Returning this sheet signed by the student and parent/guardian, will earn 5 points on the next quiz.
Signing this states that you received a copy of the course syllabus.
Please provide any comments, concerns or information you would like me to know below. (Feel free to
use the back if you need more room).
Thank you for your time in completing this!!
Parent/Guardian Signature _______________________________________________ Date __________
Student Signature _______________________________________________________ Date __________