Online 7th Grade Life Science Class Syllabus

Morrill Middle SchoolTeacher: Nalini Suresh

Course Description

Students will be exploring and learning topics in life science. Life science is the study of various topics in sciences which include plant and animal cell biology, genetics, evolution, ecology and investigation using scientific methods.

Emphasis will be placed on understanding that living things are made of individual units called cell. They will learn cell structures and functions and how it is controlled by genetic material called DNA. They will explore variations in genetic code that will lead into topics in evolution.

Students will do several virtual labs by applying and practicing scientific methods such as investigating, prediction, hypothesizing, conduction experiments and coming up with results.

Course Objectives

Cell Biology

• Students will learn the structure and functions of both animal and plant cells and how these cells differentiate to form living systems as a whole.

• They will learn about single celled organisms and how they benefit mankind and the diseases they cause. Students will learn sexual and asexual reproduction and its role in maintaining diversity.

Course Objectives

Genetics • Students will explore the

timeline of the discovery of DNA. They will learn the structure of DNA and understand how DNA contribute to the genetic traits that is passes on from generation to generation.

• They will also learn and explore concepts in mutation to understand how some mutations can be helpful while some can lead to genetic disorders.

Course ObjectiveEvolution• Students will understand that

diversity in species occurs due to genetic variations which are driven by environmental factors and catastrophic events endured by our planet over 4.6 billion years, changing the climatic conditions drastically.

• Students also learn adaptation and how this contributes to extinction or survival of a species. Students study and analyze the lines of evidence provided by comparative anatomy, fossil records and DNA variations which became the basis for the theory of evolution.

Course ObjectiveScientific Methodology • Students will learn scientific

skills which include performing investigations, hypothesizing, making predictions, collecting data, analyzing information and making inferences and conclusions.

• Students will be doing virtual labs when possible to enrich their learning experiences.

Course MaterialsStudents will be provided with the following textbook:

Focus on Life Science - Glencoe/McGraw-Hill ISBN 13-978-0-07-879434-6

Students will also access student edition of Science Online at ca7.msscience.com for additional practices and study tools as instructed by the teacher.

Course Requirements

Computer with Internet connection (DSL, LAN, or cable connection desirable), speakers or headphones, and microphone.

•Word processing program such as Microsoft word or google docs, Gmail account.

•Web browser with appropriate plug-in like QuickTime player or windows media player to be able to create videos and watch videos related to curriculum.

•Access to web 2.0 tools such as Microsoft PowerPoint, Slide share, blogs and more as required by the teacher. These tools are required to participate in online discussions, create projects and in general enhance the online learning experience for the students.

Course Structure

This course will be delivered entirely online through a content management system called Canvas. Students will be allowed to register with canvas and form a 7th_grade_Life_Science_team community of learners.

This will include a discussion forum for this team where students will discuss the content materials. The structure and form for this discussion forum will be provided by the teacher for every chapter and facilitated by the teacher.

Teacher’s lesson on every chapter and its sections will be on slide share and posted on canvas. This might include links to videos which students have to watch.

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Course Structure

Assignments, homework, projects and any multimedia along with rubric for everything that they will be assessed on will be posted in the “Assignment” section on Canvas.

Students will take tests, quizzes and create projects that will be uploaded to canvas.

Students will receive regular feedback of all their work in an email format via Canvas.

Grades will be posted on Infinite Campus using their account.

Communication and Support

• For support with navigating Canvas, please visit http://guides.instructure.com/ and click on Canvas Student Guide.

• For support with course work such as questions about homework or any assignments, please feel free to post the questions on the 7thgrade_Life_Science_team discussion board that will be setup and facilitated by the reached. However, remember that once you post a question on the discussion board, all your classmates will be able to see the question and will have an opportunity to answer your question or get their questions answered too. The goal for the discussion board is to create a community of learners where we all learn together and from each other.

• For specific questions and concerns you need to ask the teacher, please email the teacher via Canvas.

Grading Policy

• Assessments which include test, quizzes and homework – 30%, Participation in discussion forums 20%, Projects 20%

Viewing Grades in Infinite Campus

• Points received on assignments, homework, tests and any projects including participation points will be converted to an equivalent letter grade and posted on Infinite Campus every Friday by 10:00 pm.

• Infinite Campus is an online progress tracking tool available for access from student portal which can be found in the school website. Also, parents can access their students’ grades using the parent portal. Parents need to register to access Infinite Campus when picking up the textbooks.

• Progress grades will be mailed to parents during mid-semester. Students will also receive report cards mailed to their homes at the end of every semester.

HOMEWORK POLICY

• Homework is due on the day specified at the time of assignment. If they turned after the due date, it will be considered late 20% of the total points will deducted.

• However, homework and quizzes will not be accepted any later than that unless there is a special circumstance and approved by the teacher. Make up work for homework and quizzes will be given unless pre-arranged with the teacher.

Academic Integrity• Academic integrity is very important in

an online learning environment because the teacher will not be able to monitor students testing and project work unlike face-to-face learning environment.

• For that reason and to make learning authentic and your own, please make sure your work is original.

Academic IntegrityFollowing ethical rules will be strictly enforced:• Plagiarism will not be tolerated.• Refrain from using offensive and obscene

language.• Bullying of any sort will be punished.• Please use appropriate language and be polite

to your peers when asking questions and interacting online.

• Do not copy or delete someone files and work that does not belong to you.

• Please report any wrong doing that you notice to the teacher in a timely fashion.