BIOLOGY 2 SYLLABUS
TEXT
NO TEXT WILL BE USED. YOU WILL RELY ON YOUR OWN NOTATIONS, OBSERVATIONS, AND LAB REPORTS.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Biology 2 is a natural continuation of the Biology 1 course. However, Biology 2 involves more field experiences in the biological sciences, and will further prepare the student for post graduation biology.
PREREQUISITE
A student must have completed two semesters of Biology 1, with at least a "C" average in both semesters OR by instructor approval. Chemistry or Physics is not required, but the content from these two classes will be utilized within Biology. Many students have taken Chemistry and Biology 2 during the same year with no problems.
COURSE CONTENT
During the course of the year we will study the following areas of study within the Biology curriculum:
1. Terrestrial Animal Studies
2. Animal Populations
3. Terrestrial Plant Studies
4. Genetics
5. Microbiology (protists, bacteria, and viruses)
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
In order for the student to achieve a passing grade, an accumulative grade of at least a 70% is required. Borderline grades will be made at the discretion of the instructor. Your grade will be based upon, but not limited to the following objectives:
| LABS/PROJECTS & QUIZZES | 15% OF THE TOTAL GRADE |
| ASSIGNMENTS | 5% OF THE TOTAL GRADE |
| TESTS / EXAMS | 80% OF THE TOTAL GRADE |
*Your final grade will be calculated using the above scale. This means that you MUST prepare for tests and quizzes. The way to do this is to complete you assignments carefully and on time. The only guarantee that you can count on is that if you do not do your weekly assignments YOU WILL NOT PASS THIS CLASS. The reason for the tests being weighted so high is the rampant cheating that goes on in study halls. Too many students just copy someone else's work and pass it off as their own. This is one way to prevent that from happening.
Cheating on assignments will not be tolerated. The results of cheating will be no credit for that assignment, even if it is a test. The person who provides answers to another student will also receive no credit for that assignment. Study hall teachers have been put on notice to let me know if someone is "helping" another student with their assignments. There will be no exceptions to this rule.
Answers that are "word for word" are a red-flag. Do your own work. This is your first and only warning on this issue.
Attendance Policy
Biology 2 students will follow the attendance policy that is outlined in the 2025-2026 Student Handbook. Students accumulating more than 10 total excused absences during a semester WILL NOT receive credit for the semester. Some discretion will be taken under consideration for extended illnesses or circumstances beyond the student's control. These will be handled on a case-by-case issue.
Unexcused absences will result in receiving no credit for the items missed during the time the student was absent. This includes assignments, labs, tests, or quizzes that were given on the day of the unexcused absence. This means that if you miss a test because of an unexcused absence, you will receive a zero for that test. The building principal will determine if the absence is excused or unexcused, not the parent(s).
It is up to the student to be responsible and be in attendance when school is in session. One of the biggest predictors of academic success or failure is attendance. Those that have good attendance records have a better chance of academic success. Those with poor attendance records do not. It is that simple.
SEMESTER TEST OPT-OUT OPTION
A student will be able to opt out of one of the semester tests provided during the year. If a student opts out of the first semester test, he/she will be required to take the second semester final exam.
Students who wish to opt out must meet the following requirements:
1. student must not have any computer or disciplinary violations during the semester
2. a student must have completed ALL assignments for Biology 2 (does not have any zeros in the grade book)
3. student must have at least a B- as a grade in order to be able to opt out
4. student can only opt out of one Biology 2 semester exam (if you opt out of the first semester. . . you must take the second semester exam).