[RUEBEN KOKILEPERSAUD] June 10, 2013

Closing Letter biology 2013 grade 11

The information I learned from this course, was not only the basis of healthcare professions but also interesting as well. Throughout the entire semester I learned about different species, what makes a living thing alive and achieved an overall better understanding of how biological life behaves among us. In addition I also learned how the human body functions in the Internal Organs unit. This was interesting because it allowed me to understand the complex system of the human body. It gave be a better understanding about the functionality of all of the different organs and how they are necessary for our survival. Pursuing this further the genetics unit was interesting because it explained and answered many questions in my head regarding the human body. Genetics thought me how to predict how my offspring will be genotypically and phenotypically. This was an amazing piece of information because it explained one of the biggest questions people have, which is how traits are inherited. Lastly, through the first 3 units, other living organisms were studied as well. This open my mind as it made me realize that we are not the only people living on this planet, and that we must open up and respect all life forms since in term may benefit us in the future. Throughout this course I have gained a lot new information. I have learned about evolution which explains where we came from, to genetics which explains our body works and makes us a unique individual. When learning it couldve been seen that one idea built upon another and no previous ideas were disproved. Concepts which were taught, were an expansion of what was learned in previous years. In addition concepts were taught in a variety of ways. For example the topic of natural selection was taught using the wooly burger activity or blood genetics was reinforced by conducting the blood lab. My overall experience enhanced my understanding of biology in general and has given me new knowledge which will stay with me for a lifetime. This course has influenced many planning strategies. As experienced throughout course, workload is very high. To accommodate this I had to work on various time management skills such as time management. In order to finish all assignments on time and to the best of my ability I has to budget my time wisely so that I can hand in assignments on time and complete them to the best of my ability. Pursuing this further I have learned that it is important to prioritize your notes. This is important still because not all concepts which are taught can lead you to success. Some are more important or beneficial to others, and it is important to pick out his key concepts for it will lead you to achieve better in this class. In addition when a key concept is learned it is important to understand it rather than memorizing it. When ever given a test questions can be reworded in a tricky form which can mislead you from what you memorized. However if you have the concept understood you will be able to apply that knowledge to many other questions. This is also a course where it is beneficial to learn from your mistakes. For example upon receiving my grade for the first live it was not what I expected. However by learning from your mistakes you are able to correct this, and in term receive a mark worthy of your talents.

[RUEBEN KOKILEPERSAUD] June 10, 2013 Everyday throughout this course was an excellent learning experience. Activities such as the blood lab, fungi lab and wooly burger were fun engaging assignments that touched all key points of the unit as well. These activities were able to teach us the main concepts from the unit in a short time while still effectively communicating its ideas. On the other hand these assignments forgiven in very short timeframes. Activities and labs began to overlap thus leaving students at a disadvantage. Short time frames restrict the students ability to work at their best since they also have other courses to work on as well. He suggests him of improvement is to spread these activities out in a longer time span. This will allow students to work in less stress, thus improving the quality of work. In addition the E portfolio was an interesting task. It builds upon the main ideas of the unit as well as helping us learn additional knowledge as well. However information in the concept maps was repetitive. Concept maps were repetitive and time consuming. In addition the time schedule for the completion of this overlapped with other tests and labs. In the future the concept map can still be part of the portfolio however the work required to complete it should be shortened. In general if the workload of the course is reduced by a slight amount it will be able to be more enjoyable and fun to do. Sincerely,

Rueben Kokilepersaud