Course Outline

Biology 20
Ms. Jacobson
Semester I - 2010 – 2011
Regina Huda School
Website: http://jacobsont.edublogs.org

Welcome to a brand new school year and an exciting course in Biology! The purpose of
this course is to serve as an introduction to Biology and we will spend a lot of time in this course
discussing the uses of biology in our lives. We will also be doing some labs in this course to
provide you with some hands-on experiences in this subject area.

Units of Study

Unit One: Introduction to Biology

In this unit we will discuss what biology is, careers associated with biology and how we
use biology in our lives.

Highlights of this unit include:

• Introduction to microscopes
• Discussing careers in biology
• Discussing the concept of a scientific theory

Unit Two: Ecological Organization

In this unit we will be analyzing a variety of ecosystems in order to understand more
about what affects them.

Highlights of this unit include:

• Analyzing how the different properties of soil affect plant growth
• Identifying food chains and food webs in different ecosystems
• Analyzing population changes in an ecosystem

Unit Three: The Diversity of Life

In this unit we will be discussing how plants and animals can be classified and just how
diverse the plant and animal population is on Earth.

Highlights of this unit include:

• Discussing how we classify plants and animals
• Recognizing the importance of things such as fungi and bacteria to our world
• Using a dichotomous key to classify different organisms
Unit Four: Agricultural Botany of Saskatchewan
In this unit we be analyzing the diverse plant population of Saskatchewan

Highlights of this unit include:

• Discussing the impact of agriculture on our environment
• Identifying different trees, shrubs and plants in Saskatchewan
• Discussing the impact of climate and pesticides on crop development

Evaluation

Exams/Tests/Quizzes 35%
Labs/Projects 15%
Assignments 25%
Homework Checks/Participation 5%
Final Exam 20%
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TOTAL 100%

** The final exam for this course will be a written comprehensive examination covering course
material from throughout the semester**

Expectations
1. Please bring all materials to class, this includes pens/pencils, paper and a calculator
2. Sit in your assigned seat.
3. Follow directions as closely and as quickly as possible.
4. Respect others by:
a. Listening to the teacher quietly without interruption when presenting.
b. Raise your hand to ask or answer questions.
c. Listening to other students when they are answering a question, asking a question
or presenting.
5. All assignments are to be handed in on the date they are due at the beginning of class.
6. All school policies will be followed.