Hello Biology Student,
I am in the 9th grade and when I was starting this class like you I was 14 years old however I turned 15 in a week of school. I was interested in Biology so I took this class. My general approach to school is to do as well as I can and to learn as much as possible. Outside of this class I play the trombone in Band and am a member of the Robotics Club. On the first day of class I expected to take notes in class and review the topics for homework. BUT NO, the classroom was flipped so we took notes in vodcasts outside of school.
Mr. Orre expects us to finish the homework on time and to be respectful and attentive in class. The first thing we do when we come to class is get out our vodcast notes so that they can be checked. After that we write and answer the Do Now. Once we have finished that, someone in the group reviews the vodcast and the Do Now. After that, on a typical day, we do a lab or write something on blogger. On occasion we will have a test with a notebook check prior to it. And sometimes we will work on a project during the class period. On a typical lab there is a small packet where we fill in our data and observations, this packet also contains information on the procedure, or other background information. Once we finish the lab, we normally write a reflection on the lab on a blogger post. We have vodcasts, which are online videos we take notes on, almost every block day. This homework takes usually about 40 minutes. Around once a month, we have to take notes on sections in the textbook. This takes around 1 and ½ to 2 hours, however we usually have a few weeks to work on these notes. The tests and quizzes are normally multiple choice and if you study for them they shouldn’t be too difficult. We write all our notes and Do Nows in our notebook which is organized by page numbers and a table of contents, you will learn more information on this in the vodcasts in the rookie module. Over the year, we record lab reflections, and unit reflections on our blog. Mr. Orre expects each blog to be better than the one before it and an improvement over the course of the year. Over the second semester, we work on our 20-time project. The goal of this project is to spent 20% of our class time working on something we find interesting. Although I did not finish a prototype of my project, the research I did taught me and my partner many concepts. My favorite blog post is my 20-time Individual Reflection.
One of Mr. Orre’s pet peeves is presentations that contain too many words on the slides and not enough visuals. If you have the chance to make any kind of presentation for this class or different class, I would highly encourage having limited words on the slides and orally explaining the content in detail. Also having visuals that relate to the topic is also helpful. On my What On Earth presentation I tried this and it turned out very well. To earn a good grade on an assignment, you must give effort and time to the assignment. Homework is important for receiving a good grade in the class, not only because it makes up a large chunk of the grade, but because it helps you know and understand the topic that you will be assessed on in the test. To get a good grade on a test you must review your vodcasts and other notes before the test. Also, make sure that your notebook is always organized because many times the notebook check is worth more points than the test. To get the most out of this class I would suggest trying to make sure you still understand the concepts even after you have been assessed on it, because they will likely show up again in other times of your life. One mistake I made this year is I would sometimes get lazy and not do the CFUs, which are mini online quizzes after each vodcast. Since the CFUs are occasionally graded and many of their questions show up again on tests, I could have had more points if I had done them. Another mistake I made was not spending enough time on the conservation biology project. Although I met all the standards I failed to go above the average. One last mistake I made was forgetting to write a relate and review for the textbook notes a couple times. Although I knew I was supposed to do it, the fact it was different from a vodcast made me sometimes forget the write the relate and review. From these mistakes I have learned how to be a better student both in biology and in other classes.
Overall I would rate the class as a 10 out of 10. I liked it because I learned a lot about biology and other science topics. Although the vodcasts can be kind of tedious they are full of useful information. Next year I am taking Chemistry Honors because I want to learn more about science. Overall give your best effort and you will have a great year!
Sincerely,
Connor Galvin
