Mrs. Hunter's Schedule
First Semester
1st Block- Biology
2nd Block- Honors Biology II
CATS
3rd Block- Planning
4th Block- Biology
Please feel free to call and leave a voice mail message at the following number, 704-855-7297 ext. 2131, or email me using the link at the top of this page if you have any questions or concerns.
Biology Information:
Biology
Mrs. Hunter
I am looking forward to you being in my biology class during the 2008-2009 school year. I am sure we will have a great semester with cooperation from both you and me. It is your responsibility to keep up with assignments and to do your best at all times. It is my responsibility to teach you the material required, to the best of my ability, giving you any assistance you may require. This means a lot of work for both of us. My goal is that every member of this class leaves with a good basis for the future as well as an acceptable grade average.
Classroom Expectations:
1. Students are to be in their seat before the tardy bell begins to ring.
2. Students are to be prepared each day with the necessary materials listed below.
3. Pencils should be sharpened before the tardy bell. ALL assignments MUST be done in black or blue pen or pencil.
4. Remain seated unless otherwise instructed.
5. Take care of your world--- No writing on desks, no trash thrown on the floor, no food, candy, or drink in the classroom.
6. Do not converse without permission.
7. Treat the school personnel and each other with consideration and respect. (Be careful with your language.)
8. Keep all four chair legs on the floor.
Necessary Daily Supplies:
1. Three ring binder notebook.
2. Loose leaf notebook paper.
3. Pens, and #2 Pencils.
4. Colored pencils or markers.
Attendance/Make-up Work:
Regular attendance is necessary to be successful in biology class. If you are absent, consult the syllabus for assignments. All missed assignments and notes must be made up. (Refer to the Code of Conduct.) If you anticipate an absence, see me to get your assignment. All make-up work is to be turned in accordance to the system policy (add one day to the amount of days missed; example: if you miss two days of this class, you have three school days to make up the work.) This policy does not apply to absences from class for SGA meetings; school sponsored field trips, guidance visits, etc. Be sure that you see me before going to the aforementioned activities so that I can give you your assignments. You will be held responsible for the assignments even if you fail to see me. If you need to go to guidance or the office, YOU NEED TO GET PERMISSION FROM ME FIRST.
Homework:
Homework is an important component and will be assigned every night. I will check homework on a regular basis. When I check homework, it is due before the tardy bell or I will not accept it. Therefore, late work is NOT accepted.
Quarterly Average:
Quiz average = 20% Homework = 30%
Classwork/Lab = 20% Tests = 30%
*Projects are equal to a test grade.*
Classroom Procedures:
Upon entering the classroom, check the board, or overhead projector to find out what you should be doing. Please place book bags underneath your desk, not beside the desk. Have required materials on your desk and be ready to work for the entire period. Do not work on any other subject during biology class.
Tardy Policy:
You are tardy if you are NOT in your assigned seat, when the tardy bell BEGINS to ring. If you are tardy, sign in and quietly take your seat as to not disturb the class. If you have a note, hand it to me as you take your seat. I will follow the departmental and school wide tardy policies so please do not come to class tardy.
Tutorial Sessions:
I will establish office hours, Wednesday, from 2:30-3:30pm, of each week, so that I can assist students on an individual basis. Please take advantage of these help sessions so that you will not fall behind in your biology class. Students who stay will receive a homework pass for an assignment of their choice.
Study Groups:
You are encouraged to form small study groups. These groups could provide you support, help on homework, help when preparing for tests, and even to find out what you missed if absent. These study groups have the potential to be an excellent resource both academically and socially.
The Internet:
There are many sources of science help that can be found on the “information highway.” If you have internet access, you can find many places to help you get started and review so that you can become comfortable with the information. If you find any useful sites please feel free to share them with me and your fellow classmates. Your book provides many useful sites- go to- www.glencoe.com for each chapter.
Students whose grades fall below a C average will be required to attend a Personal Education Plan Conference along with their parents. This PEP conference will outline some areas that I as your teacher, you as the student, and your parents can work together on to bring your average to at least a C. This is all in an effort to assure that you perform to the best of your ability in the class and score at least a Level III or IV on your End of Course (EOC) Test. Students must have an active PEP in order to retest on exam retest day.
I hope that we will have a very interesting and enjoyable year together. Feel free to ask questions in class or refer to my School Notes site for class assignments. If you need to contact me please do so via email at: hunterag@rss.k12.nc.us , or phone: 704-855-7297 ext. 2131.
Let’s get started working. Together we can accomplish great things!
Mrs. Allyson Hunter
Biology Teacher
Jesse C. Carson High School
Honors Biology II Information:
Advanced Placement Biology
Jesse C. Carson High School
Allyson Hunter
The Advanced Placement (AP) Biology at Jesse C. Carson High School is an intensive and rigorous course taken by Juniors and Seniors. These students must be willing to work hard in class and be willing to devote six hours of outside study and preparation time for the class each week. AP Biology is a college-level course and will be treated as such.
AP Biology will consist of First Semester Biology II and Second Semester AP Biology. The class will run the whole year. This may seem to be ample time to complete the course requirements, but we will be challenged to cover all of the required material in the upcoming year. Many students will be involved in extracurricular activities and may be taking other AP courses. I am going to try and be mindful of this and remind myself that AP Biology is not the only course that they may be taking.
This course will use the text Biology by Campbell & Reese, 5th edition. Many other widely used texts are kept in my professional library and are available for student use as well.
A variety of teaching methods are utilized, including lecture/discussion, student presentations, demonstrations, critical thinking exercises, and laboratory investigations.
Audio-visual aids will be incorporated when applicable. Examples include short videos, PowerPoint presentations, laser disk segments, internet sites, and computer simulations. Some material is self-taught with a follow-up question/answer period and written assignments such as take-home essays.
Tests are fashioned after the AP test. There is always a multiple choice section and at least one essay, usually two. Tests are given over large sections of material (several chapters) and are designed to test the students’ ability to integrate important concepts and relationships. The test questions will be gathered from test banks, released AP exams, and teacher written questions. They are designed to be thought provoking, tough, and fair. Much class time will be spent practicing how to answer the essay questions and explaining how they will be graded. I will grade their essays as the AP Readers will score them. After the test we will discuss the grading rubrics and how I scored the answers. A copy of this rubric will be sent with every test for further assistance.
Approximately 25% of our class time will be allotted for laboratory experimentation. We will perform twelve mandatory labs along with several others. Laboratory reports will be one of two types.
1. Formal reports with background information, purpose, hypothesis (independent/dependent variables), materials, procedure, observations, data analysis, and conclusions/discussions.
2. Shorter lab reports will be less intense, but will serve the same purpose.
Lab reports receive letter grades based on thoroughness, accuracy of interpretation, and understanding of the concepts tested. These lab practicals allow me to test the development of student lab skills.
Materials:
Three ring binder
Loose leaf notebook paper
Composition book for labs
Blue or black pens and pencils
Colored pencils
Grading:
Tests = 30% Labs = 30%
Homework = 15% Quizzes = 25%
Students will be held accountable for their own learning and must be willing to devote the necessary time and labor to be successful in the course. The course will be rigorous, interesting, and will prepare them for the college science courses they are going to encounter in the very near future.
