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Course description


 
What defines the parameters of life and death?  Why is a rock nonliving and a barnacle alive?  How does a jellyfish function with no brain, no heart? Probe, observe, examine, dissect the three hearts of a squid, the taste buds of a fly, “fangs” on a spider, “breathing” apparatus on leaves, carnivorous plants.  Record your observations in a journal, a sketchbook or blog.   Discover a microbial wine and cheese.  Get dirty and explore our school garden. 

This course explores the universal processes of life from the tiniest microbe to a blue whale.  All living things have common traits and interconnections.  These traits can evolve and change in response to a changing environment. Our modern, urban life is accelerating environmental change at a rate that may exceed the ability for organisms to adapt.  There are over 6 billion people on earth.  3 billion are in cities.  By 2050, there will be 9 billion people on earth and 6 billion will be in cities.  If all the cities are exactly like ours, we would need four earths.  Biology 11 provides a biological, ecological context to inform our ability to design a sustainable future -  which you must do within your lifetime. 

COURSE MATERIALS
Biology 11 textbook, as reference. lecture will be based on this text
Access to a computer and internet connection at school to download and print lecture notes, make blog posts, read blog posts made by other students. Laptop or netbook allowed but not required for note-taking. 


Sketchbook or digital camera to record field observations.
WORKING GROUPS
individually or in a pair. Any bigger grouping will require a pie graph showing what each individual did and what % they contributed to the work.  This pie graph will affect the final mark.  
FIELD STUDIES
Students are expected to conduct field studies in any weather.  Students are expected to arrive at the field location on their own and conduct themselves with exemplary behaviour.  Any question about the ability of the student to comply with rules will result in revoking  field excursion privileges.  School drug and alcohol policy in effect.





FORMAT
EXPECTATION
EVALUATION, PER TERM
Lectures
Actively participate and listen during lectures.  Download the lecture notes from biology11 blog.  Review them frequently.  Comment on them to participate. 

Participation: 5%
You are actively participating in the lecture or class activity and actively engaged. 
Quizzes and Unit tests will be multiple choice and long answer format.   based on lectures 70% Part of the test will be a summary of your blog posts.

Lab and field study journal

Complete the classroom lab activity or field study and record observations in your team box.  Include photos from your lab and scanned, labeled drawings


Observations will be evaluated for completion.  10%
Scientific experiment

Conduct a quantitative scientific experiment.  Include an abstract, hypothesis, treatment, observation, conclusion.
Draft reports cumulating in a Formal On-line Lab Report on a scientific experiment 15%

bonus marks: Creative assignment: 
Group assignment
choose a lecture topic and do something creative and memorable.  Share with class
Creative assignment up to 2%
Example:  song, rap, music video, puppet show, drama, poem, model, interpretive dance. 

Bonus marks:
civic participation


Bonus up to 3%
Participate or volunteer in a community event relating to sustainability.  Examples include: camosun bog restoration, sustainability lectures, conferences.  Summarize what you learned for the class in a poster.



Third Term: Sustainability Leadership project:
This project will be worth a significant portion of third term.

FIELD TRIPS:  Parents or volunteers are welcome to join us on the field excursions. Take this opportunity to learn with your student!
On-going field excursions:  Our class may visit these sites during class time. Our study area includes the school neighbourhood and grounds during class time: Travel to and from these locations may require the student traveling on their own on public transit and meeting the teacher at the study site.  travel time may include:

for a first period block: meeting on site and dismissal on site to provide 45 min to get back to second block in time for class
for second block: leaving during silent reading or recess and traveling on public transit to meet the teacher at the site.  dismissal on site.
for third block: spending part of third block traveling to and from the site
for fourth block: meeting on site, dismissal on site.

travel to and from site is the responsibility of the student and is not supervised by the teacher.
1.  Trout Lake
2.  Pacific Spirit Park, also UBC endowment lands
3.  Camosun Bog, 19th avenue and Camosun street, Vancouver
4.  Gladstone area neighbourhood, for neighbourhood mapping exercises.
5.  All of UBC campus, West Point Gray campus
6. Central Park

VSB PHOTO RELEASE AND MEDIA RELEASE FORMS:
Please fill out the media release form provided. 

ESTIMATED COURSE FEES: subject to change.  No student is excluded from a class trip due to inability to pay.
           
TERM 1
Evolution and classification Field trips: 
Camosun bog, Pacific Spirit Park,  half day field trip: TOC cost $7
Plant evolution and classification:  UBC Botanical Garden Canopy walk:  
per student rate:  $16 +HST = $18.40, half day TOC cost $7
Beaty Biodiversity museum, $ 7, half day TOC cost $7 


DNA: UBC Michael Smith laboratories:  Polymerase Chain Reaction lab (limited seats): one full day TOC cost:TBA paid by those who sign up for this.  Note that participants will learn the same technique used to identify DNA at a crime scene. 

TERM 2
Invertebrate Zoology: Intertidal Marine Invertebrate lab: with live animals:
Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, cost:  $12.50 + HST= 14.28, TOC costs: $7

TERM 3
Ecology and Sustainability: 
C.K. Choi Building Sustainability Tour, UBC, $0, TOC costs:  $7
Plant biology: 
Camosun Bog Buddy Program, TOC costs,  $14


total costs:  to be announced in class.  the above numbers need to be verified (particularly TOC costs).  



DEADLINES
Deadlines.  Anything handed in after a deadline will result in a penalty of 10% per 24 hours.
Assignments can be accepted as links to a box account or handed in person or by email. 
Absent for tests:  An alternate test will be taken upon receipt of a note excusing the student from the test.  If you have a field trip with another teacher, you must arrange to take the test on the same day (come back to school). 
Failed unit test:  take the alternate test for a maximum of 60% credit.  Quizzes will not be subject to a retest.

ABSENCE
Repeated absence will impact participation in the course.  Notes will not be signed unless a scanned copy of the note is emailed to the teacher.