SYLLABUS

10th GRADE BIOLOGY

MS. VOGT

2016-2017

MS. VOGTS CLASSROOM

SELF INTRODUCTION
My name is Abigail Vogt (Ms. Vogt) and I will be your 10 th grade Biology teacher this
year. I believe that every student is a unique individual. Each student has a different
learning style, a different take on what they consider priorities in their education,
different emotional and social needs, and different intellectual levels. In order to
foster all those aspects of student development, I know that my classroom must
foster a secure, engaging and caring atmosphere so that each student feels they
can bring their weaknesses to the table and try to make them stronger. In order to
do this, both the teacher and the students must work together and meet the
expectations of classroom rules and procedures as set forth below.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Biology is a huge field of study. Its intriguing, jaw-dropping, challenging; the list
goes on and on. My love for biology as surpassed my passion for any other field
(even though other fields are just as important) and I hope that by digging into the
curiosity of my students and the wealth of knowledge lying in the living things
around, I can place some of that same passion and love for learning within my
students when they walk out of the class. I hope that they will understand that
being curious about the world and nature can be intellectually stimulating and
engaging.
This is a year-long course focusing on the inquiry process, the history and nature of
science, science in personal and social perspectives and life science (biology)!
We will cover aspects of the living world such as the cell, the molecular basis or
heredity, interdependence of organisms, biological evolution and matter, energy,
and organization in living systems (including human systems). It is a lab based class
where we will be in a laboratory setting with about 28-32 students.

SYLLABUS

10th GRADE BIOLOGY

MS. VOGT

2016-2017

CLASSROOM PROCEDURES

Absent/ Late Policy

Attendance and participation is a huge component in this course. The class is very
hands on and activity oriented. That being said, it is very difficult for a student to
catch up on an in class- experiment or activity if a student is late or absent.
- The first three absences are considered free absences with no questions
asked. The student
will be directed to a folder where they can find the information and
assignments they missed
that day (see Late/ Missing Assignments).
- If a student misses four days, there final grade will be lowered by 2%, 5
days they will be
lowered 4%, 6 days 6% and so on up until the student is passed the legal
amount of absences
allowed by the state of Arizona (see www.azed.gov or speak to
administration about the state
and school truancy program).
- If a student is more than 15 minutes late to a class that is considered one
absence. Arriving
late but before the first 15 minutes of class will be considered a tardy.
Three of these tardies
are equivalent to one absence.
Please note that there are no make-up points to receive credit for an absence. If a
student has an extraordinary circumstance, handouts and in class-information may

SYLLABUS

10th GRADE BIOLOGY

MS. VOGT

2016-2017

be given to the student before the day they are going to miss. Excused absences
will require documentation approved by the teacher.

Grading/ Managing Student Work

Once a student has handed in an assignment, it will be graded within 48 hours or if
it is turned in on Friday, it will be graded by Monday. In order to avoid passing back
papers in the middle of class, there will be a filing cabinet where each student will
have a folder for graded work and they can pick their work up at the end of each
class. Grading will be based on a point system where each assignment is worth a
certain amount of points.

Homework Assignments
Quizzes
Notebook
Projects and Assessments
Final Exam

25%
15%
10%
25%
25%

Missing/Late Assignment Policy

When a student misses a day, they will be instructed to grab their assignment from
a folder on the wall with that days information inside. Any student that does not
turn an assignment in on the day it is due will have three school days after the due
date to turn the assignment in for half credit. Any assignment that is not turned
in three days after it is due will not receive credit.

Beginning/ Ending of each Class

At the beginning of each class, every student is expected to find their seat and
begin working on the bell work that is on the white board or was passed out to each
student at the door. The student will have a notebook where they will put each days
bell work and it will be graded bi-weekly. There will be bell work for EVERY CLASS
in order to get students thinking about what is going to happen for the day.
Similarly, there will be a ticket out for every class that is to be wrote in the same
notebook on the same day. The bell does not dismiss you, I dismiss you.
Once your ticket out is complete and the bell has rung, I will dismiss you.

SYLLABUS

10th GRADE BIOLOGY

MS. VOGT

2016-2017

_____________________________________________________________________________________
__

My classroom is a place where I want students to feel

safe, comfortable and engaged. In order to do this, there
must be consequences for behavior that takes away from
student learning and disrupts the classroom. The
following consequences will not be waved for any student
unless the instance is for an extraordinary circumstance
(diverse learners). See further below for policy on diverse
learners.

For the following rules, the consequences for each

violation are as follows:
1st Violation:

Verbal Warning

2nd Violation:

Moved to the Front of the Room

3rd Violation:

30-minute After-School Detention

4th Violation:

Call to Parent/ Guardian

5th Violation:

Principals Office/ Administrative Action

Food and Drink/ Gum

Food and gum is not tolerated in the classroom because it serves as a huge
distraction to other students for many reasons. Drinks are allowed in the classroom
if they are in a closed container.

Bathroom
Students will be given four bathroom passes a semester. When the student uses one
of these passes, they will have to sign out (name, date, time) in the folder next to
the door and take the hall pass with them and when they come back they need to
sign back in (name, date, time).

Getting out of your Seat (tissue, sharpening pencils, etc.)

Students are not allowed out of their seat without permission. If a student needs to
get out of their seat, they must signal to the teacher what they need to get up for
by using the teachers number system. A student who needs to go to the bathroom
will have to hold up a 1 with their finger. A student needing to sharpen their pencil

SYLLABUS

10th GRADE BIOLOGY

MS. VOGT

2016-2017

will hold up a 2. A student needing to use a tissue or throw something away will
hold up to a 3. Any other reason a student will hold up a 4 and the teacher will
consult with them when the time is appropriate.

Harassment/ Bullying
Bullying is not prohibited in the classroom for any reason. Students are not allowed
to call each other names; they are not allowed touch each other (hitting, pulling,
shoving, etc.); any form of offensive comments, slang or teasing on the basis of
race, sex, gender identity, age, religion, national origin, disability or sexual
orientation.

Professionalism
Swearing, sexual displays of affection, etc. are not allowed in the classroom. The
classroom should be a professional environment and students need to avoid vulgar
behaviors in order to assure a safe, focused, engaging classroom environment.

_____________________________________________________________________________________
__

SYLLABUS

10th GRADE BIOLOGY

MS. VOGT

2016-2017

Academic Integrity/ Plagiarism

Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated. If a student is caught plagiarizing in a
lab report or any assignment that assignment will not receive credit. If a student is
caught cheating in any form (looking at another students test, copying answers for
an assignment, etc.) the student will receive a zero for that assignment. If the
student is caught plagiarizing or cheating multiple times, the student will be sent to
the principal for further consequences.

Assigned Seating
There will be a seating chart for the first month of the school year. After that, if the
students can prove that they can chose their own seats, it will be open seating.

Communication with Parents

As a teacher, I make it a goal to call at least 2 parents to tell them something good
their child as done in school for every call to a parent I have to make to tell them
their student has done something bad. These calls will be professional and logged.
Parents can call me any time when class is not being conducted on the rooms
phone. Before school, lunch time, and up to one hour after school is preferred.

New Students
For whatever reason, I understand that some student do come into the classroom
after the first month school has been in session. For this students, there will be
several meeting between the student, parents and teacher in order to find out what
accommodations need to be made for the student in order for them to catch up (if
needed) or if the student need supplemental practice as they wait for the rest of the
class to catch up to them. Whichever the case, the new student will have to work
and communicate closely with the teacher so that the students needs are
understood and accommodated.

Accommodating Individual Needs and Diverse Learners

I try to make my lessons plan effective for every type of learner in my class.
However, if a student feels that a lesson or multiple lessons are not effective to their
learning, it is very important that the student communicates with the teacher so
that the teacher knows they need to come up with a plan to cater to that students
needs. Communication is key in these situation so that I can accommodate
accordingly. This holds true with disciplinary issues as well. However, I will not
simply do away with a consequence because the students has an excuse. If there is
a student who does feel their consequence was not appropriate, we can arrange a
meeting between the parents, the teacher and the student to discuss the issue.
There are certain laws and policies of both state and federal standard that can aid in
diverse learners education. Students with IEPs (Individualized Educational Plan)
and/ or special learning needs such as ELL (English Language Learner) are more

SYLLABUS

10th GRADE BIOLOGY

MS. VOGT

2016-2017

than welcome in my class and I am will to accommodate the needs of those

students.

Specific Laws effecting the Discipline of Diverse Learners

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Equal Education Opportunities Act of 1974
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001

Citations
Brown University. (2014). Retrieved April 30, 2016, from
https://www.brown.edu/academics/educationalliance/teachingdiverse-learners/legal-provisions-education-englishlanguage-learners