• Mr. Thompson's Contact Information:

• Mr. Thompson's Duties and Teaching Schedule:

1. General Biology
2. Advanced Placement (AP) Biology
   
3. Pennsylvania Jr. Academy of Science (PJAS) Advisor
4. NHS Science Department Chairman (2007- present)
   

Teaching Schedule	Period	Time (Normal Bell Schedule)
AP Biology	1	8:18 am - 9:06 am
AP Biology Lab (A day = Mon,Wed, Fri) (B day = Tues, Thurs)	2	9:10 am - 9:57 am
Prep Period	3	10:01 am - 10:47 am
General Biology	4	10:51 am - 11:38 am
Lunch	5	11:42 am - 12:13 pm
General Biology	6	12:17 pm - 1:04 pm
General Biology	7	1:08 pm - 1:55 pm
General Biology	8	1:59 pm - 2:46 pm
Academic Support Period	9	2:50 pm - 3:24 pm

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S410  BIOLOGY/LAB (Required Science - Grade 10)

The Biology course will seek to present a broad, but detailed, overview of the biological sciences and relate the importance of biology in everyday life.  The course will focus on the diversity of life on earth and seek to emphasize the interrelationships between the student and the biological world.  Course topics will include: fundamental properties of life, basic chemistry, principles of cell biology, genetics and heredity, microbiology, multicellular plants, invertebrates, vertebrates and ecology.  Laboratory investigations, dissections, research problems in biology, as well as special projects and collections, are all a part of the required course work.

S411  AP BIOLOGY/LAB (Elective Science - Grade 11 & 12)

Prerequisite: Must have successfully completed Biology (with a recommended 90% minimum average, 95% for Juniors) and have completed, or be currently taking Chemistry. 

The AP Biology course is designed for students who have demonstrated superior academic ability and a desire to excel in science.  It is geared towards meeting the needs of those students who are preparing for college, or who are considering a possible career in biology, research, medicine or nursing.  This is a work intensive class; the textbook, course work, laboratory work, homework, and exams are all college-level.  This course will involve an in depth study of biological topics like: organic and biological chemistry, cell structure and function, energy and living cells, cellular respiration and photosynthesis, molecular biology of DNA and protein synthesis, Mendelian genetics, population genetics, speciation and natural selection, classification of organisms, microbiology and diseases, multicellular plants and botany, animal zoology human anatomy and physiology, reproduction and embryonic development, behavior biology, and ecology. 

Completion of the 12 specialized AP Biology laboratory investigations, dissections, written papers, scientific literature reviews, research problems in biology, as well as special projects and collections, are all a part of the required course work.  Students are required to take the AP Biology exam in order to receive credit for the course.

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Grading Procedures and Scale - Class grades and final averages in all Biology classes are calculated on the basis of a weighted percentage grading system, NOT TOTAL POINTS.  Each component of the class (i.e. tests, quizzes, etc.) will count for a percentage of the class grade.  The table below indicates the specific grade components and their weights for General Biology and AP Biology.  Final grades for the year are based on the cumulative weighted percentages, in each category, for the entire academic year.

GENERAL BIOLOGY	Weight	AP BIOLOGY	Weight
Tests	50%	Tests	60%
Quizzes	20%	Quizzes	15%
Labs	15%	Labs	15%
Homework	10%	Homework	10%
9-Week Projects	05%

Homework Policy - It is the responsibility of all General and AP Biology students to have all assignments ready to hand in when they are due.  Assignments will be graded either on completeness of the assignment, on accuracy and quality of the answers, or both.  For full credit, all assignments must be neat, complete, and submitted on time. Incomplete or missing work will result in major grade penalties; any assignment not handed in when collected will be considered late.  If a student should miss a class due to absence, illness, or school activity, it is still their responsibility to make up the work, get notes, or hand in any assignments that were made.  Students will always have the number of days they were absent to make up their work with no penalty; but when handing in their work, it must include an absentee HW credit slip for full credit.  If a student is in school and knows in advance that he/she will miss class, they are expected to check and/or hand in their assignments before their absence and are accountable for any/all missed work.

NOTE: ALL LATE ASSIGNMENTS (1 DAY) AUTOMATICALLY LOSE 25% OF THEIR TOTAL POINT VALUE; AFTER 1 DAY, THEY WILL LOSE 50%.   NO LATE ASSIGNMENT(S) WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR CREDIT AFTER 1 WEEK PAST ITS DUE DATE AND WILL RECEIVE A SCORE OF 0%.

Bonus Point Policy - Bonus points can be earned throughout the school year on selected assignments and all quizzes and tests.  All bonus points count and accrue within the grade category that they were assigned and add to the points for that grade category only.  In addition, students may lose bonus points by not following directions, submitting messy, late, and/or incomplete work, or engaging in misbehavior in class, including, but not limited to: inappropriate speech, talking, sleeping, distracting other students, coming to class unprepared, etc.  Please be aware that these are the only bonus points offered in this class; no other make-up work, papers, or projects will be assigned for extra credit, or to move a student’s average from one percentage to another.      

Test Return Policy - All assessments are generally returned to the student the next day following a test or quiz for student feedback and evaluation.  All class assessments will remain in the possession of the teacher for the academic year.  Pursuant to NHS policy, any parent or guardian who wishes to view their child's test or quiz paper along with a copy of that assessment has the right to make such a request in this class.  In order to maintain test security, it is recommended that in order to see a test or quiz, the parent directly contact the teacher in order to arrange a time to view the assessment, in person, at the school.  If this is not possible, then the assessment can be made available to go home to the parent for an examination period of 24 hours, whereupon the assessment must be returned back to the school. Arrangements to review a test at home should be made through the high school guidance office by calling (724) 658-5513 ext. 4108.  Please be aware however, that any  requests to view an assessment at home may be delayed until all student make-ups for that assessment are completed and that exam answer keys will not be provided for home examination.

Honesty in Learning Policy - Students are expected to do and submit their own work and act in an academically honest and responsible manner.  Acts of cheating and/or plagiarism will not be tolerated.  These can include, but are not limited to: copying or submitting work done by someone else, not giving proper credit (citation) when using an outside source of information, giving or receiving information about exams & quizzes; possessing and/or using unauthorized study aids during exams & quizzes, or changing and/or modifying answers during a post-exam review.  All cases of academic dishonesty will be brought to the attention of the school administration, parents will be notified, and the assignment(s) in question will receive a 0%.

Animal Dissection Policy - Animal dissections are an important part of the laboratory component of both General and AP Biology.  It is Neshannock High School policy that students have the right to abstain from any or all dissection labs.  Students wishing to abstain from dissection labs will have an alternate assignment that will meet the same educational objectives and will still be required to master and be tested on the same content, concepts, and objectives, as the other students who perform the dissection labs.

Evolutionary Statement Policy - The theory of evolution by natural selection is a fundamental area of study in the biological sciences and will be encountered in this class.   As a part of the General and  AP Biology curricula, it is important that students be exposed to and develop a general understanding of the basic elements of evolutionary theory and natural selection.  It is not the intent of this course to propose that students should either adopt, or accept a completely and entirely naturalistic view of the origins of life on Earth, but instead should consider all the evidence offered from both science and their religious faith.

From a scientific perspective, this class will hold that the great diversity observable in modern living species is the result of the process of natural selection working on genetic variation over time.  Additionally, this class will hold to the accepted “Old-Earth” model of geologic time and accept the current systems of phylogenetics and evolutionary systematics in describing and explaining biological relationships among living organisms.  Issues relating to human origins and human evolution will not be covered, or addressed in this class.

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