Homework: I do not assign nightly homework because I know that many students have after school activities that make it difficult to keep up with nightly work. Therefore, all homework for the chapter will be due the day before the test. All of the homework will be in the binder that your student receives on Wednesday. The student can work at his/her own pace to complete the homework. I suggest that they complete a little each night as possible, rather than waiting until the night before it is due. I do this to teach the students responsibility and how to budget their time wisely.

Vocabulary Quizzes: Because Biology has a unique way that it names things, we will have a weekly quiz over the Greek and Latin roots upon which these names are based. The quizzes will generally be on Fridays, but may be on a Monday if there is a test on Friday. The vocabulary words and the additional questions that I will begin adding to each vocabulary quiz in the next few chapters are attached to this page. On every quiz, I ask students if their books are in class and covered. If they are in class AND covered, the student will receive one bonus point on the quiz. Over the course of the year, the students earn about 40 bonus points for having their books covered. The covers may be the stretchy ones that you can buy, or even covered with a grocery bag or wrapping paper.

Tests: We will have a test over each chapter. Each chapter takes about a week to complete, so there will be a test almost every week. The power points will be attached to this page as well. 

Notes: All of the notes that are in the orsmge book (binder), will be filled in during class, using the power points that I have prepared. The power points are available on my webpage in case your student is absent and would like to view the notes that he/she missed that day. Please note that the items that are underlined on the power point indicate that that information will be on the test.  

Contacting me: My planning period is from 1:30-2:00. I will return any emails or phone calls during this time. You may email me at [email protected] or call my room (which will automatically go to voicemail) at 724-883-2310 *2216.

Webpage:  You can access my webpage by going to www.jmsd.org. Please choose “Contact Us”, then “Middle/High School Staff Directory” & click on my name to access my webpage. All of the student's homework, Power Points, and assignments are located on this page. 

Google Classroom Codes:

Academic Biology: 9u0n5pq

Biology 2: st5erh

Anatomy: 5z7ke4

Zoology: 1i69u0n5pqpl5k

I look forward to working with you and your student this year. Biology is a challenging subject, but I know that if we work hard, we will survive! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or your student’s Learning Support teacher.