Per state law, no phones ever. No phones during my class. No phones during RtI! If I see it, I will take it. This applies to electronic communication devices.
These classes are demanding. Be there, be on time, and participate. I plan activities for your benefit and learning. So, if you get to class and the door is closed, then the bell has rung and you are late. You need to get a tardy pass. If a teacher made you late, then ask that teacher to write a pass for you; a pass is better than a phone call or email. And no, you can't drop your stuff off in the classroom and then go to the bathroom. You need to be in the classroom at the start of the class period.
And to be clear, you need to be in the room when the bell rings. You can't put your stuff in the room and then leave to use the restroom. That makes you tardy.
Mrs. Bird would like to emphasize that these classes are demanding and you need the in-class activities to learn the material and develop your skills. But absences do happen, so my policy depends a little on why you're gone. If you're sick, then first you need to get better. If possible, email Mrs. Bird and let her know that you're out sick.
If you are gone for something school-related, then you need to look at Mrs. Bird's lesson plans and ask her questions before you are gone. Keep an eye on Google Classroom as well because several assignments are posted there. Also, assignments that you receive before you're gone that are due while you are gone for a school event or activity are still due and need to be turned in on time to avoid a late penalty. Assignments that you miss while you are gone, such as lab activities and tests, can be done when you return. Either way, go to Mrs. Bird's lesson plan for your class and check the last column to see what assignments you missed. They'll be marked as "Make Up." That means that you must make up that assignment.
Mrs. Bird does grade many assignments based on completion and timeliness. She expects effort, not perfection. The majority of assignments are due one week after they're given. So, complete your assignments, do them as best as you can, follow the instructions, and turn them in on time. You'll get a fabulous grade (usually 100). This applies to most daily work and project/lab assignments. Remember, your focus needs to be learning. Mistakes are part of learning. Mrs. Bird will not penalize you for that.
Quizzes and tests are graded on correctness. You need to do as well as you possibly can to get the highest grade that you can. But again, Mrs. Bird prioritizes learning and mistakes are part of learning. See the Test and Quiz Corrections section for what to do if you don't love your grade on a test or quiz.
One last thing. You're in high school. You're a young adult. You know how to put your name on things. Do that. Your name (first and last!) must be on paper assignments, or you'll lose 30 points. If you forget to put your name on a test, then don't expect to get your score with the rest of the class. You'll need to put your name on your test so that Mrs. Bird can finish scores.
Incomplete assignments will earn, at most, a 60 from Mrs. Bird. That's less than you'd get by submitting the assignment late. It's a lot less than if you'd finish the assignment as best as you can and turn it in on time. Do your work on time.
It is important to get assignments submitted on time. Failure to do so impedes the learning process and impedes class progress. Therefore, Mrs. Bird will not accept late work without sacrifice on your part. You must either submit a bonus pass or extra credit assignment for Mrs. Bird to accept the late assignment. There will still be a late penalty. If the assignment is late by one week or less, the maximum score that you can get is a 75. If the assignment is over a week late, then the maximum score that you can get is a 50. However, you can use additional bonus passes and/or extra credit to regain an additional 25 points. To be clear, if an assignment is late and you want to get full points, give Mrs. Bird a bonus pass or do an extra credit assignment, and then give another bonus pass or do another extra credit assignment to get the late penalty removed. If the assignment is over a week late, then you need to use/do a total of 3 bonus passes or extra credit assignments for full points: one for Mrs. Bird to even grade the assignment, and two more to remove the late penalties. See the Bonus Passes/Extra Credit section for more information on those.
A final note, assignments on Google Classroom must be submitted with the submit button in order to be graded!
Usually by the start of the following week. If the assignment is late and you've done the necessary work to turn it in, then I'll get to it when I can. If you want the assignment graded quickly, then turn it in on time.
It's going to be one of two things. First, Skyward may have automatically marked it as missing. Skyward will automatically mark any assignment without a numeric score as missing. This means that as soon as Mrs. Bird types the name of the assignment in Skyward so that she can enter scores, Skyward immediately lists the assignment as missing. It's frustrating, and it's beyond Mrs. Bird's control. Don't panic about missing assignments. Be concerned if you see a 0 instead, because that means that Mrs. Bird didn't get it or it wasn't done at all.
Lastly, if you have concerns about grades and you've waited a week or more after turning it in, it's best to send a polite email to Mrs. Bird. You can find her email address on the home page.
You cannot leave class for the bathroom or water during first 10 minutes or lasts 10 minutes of class. Mrs. Bird does respect that you're a young adult. You can manage the bathroom without help. So make sure that your ID is on and visible, wait until Mrs. Bird is not addressing the whole class, then quietly sign out and go. Please do not raise your hand and ask for permission to use the bathroom. Again, as a young adult you have permission to go during the middle of class, just be as minimally disruptive as possible.
Since some students ask, the grade book is structured as 50% tests, 30% projects (meaning lab activities), and 20% daily work assignments. Extra credit goes in the test category.
First, Mrs. Bird does not have you retest. She doesn't see a point to giving you the same test again if you struggled the first time. She does allow students to do test and quiz corrections. To do corrections, come during Mrs. Bird's RtI or tutoring times and politely ask to do corrections. You will then get your test or quiz; it does not leave Mrs. Bird's room! At that point, you will correct every question that you missed. For FRQ corrections, write your modifications on the test paper in a different color, or on a separate paper and staple it to the back of your test. For quizzes and MCQ corrections, you need to reanswer every question you missed by identifying the correct answer option and justifying it. Explain why the right answer is right. This applies to multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and true/false questions. Make sure that you give a scientific reason for the answer. Mrs. Bird is expecting to see a connection to science (you may want to use your notes), not "I know the answer is false because I put true the first time and got it wrong."
The purpose of these corrections is to learn from your mistakes. Mrs. Bird is expecting mistakes to happen. She wants you to identify your mistakes and and misunderstandings, and then do something about them.
Now for points. Corrections earn you half points back, at least to a 70. That means that if you made a 60 the first time, and then correct every question you missed, you'll have earned an 80 for the grade book.
Making mistakes and learning from them is a vital part of the learning process. It's also how many of the greatest breakthroughs in science were made. Since learning from your mistakes is so beneficial, Mrs. Bird makes all students do an in-class corrections activity on the multiple choice part of each unit test. This is required. It's not the same as the corrections mentioned above. And if you feel that you did really well on the test and don't need to do the mandatory corrections assignment, then you will get a zero on it.
In short, yes, you need to do the corrections activity. Yes, even if you feel that you did really well. And if you are absent on corrections day, then get some friends to come with you during RtI or tutoring times so that you can get through it quickly. You'll have a zero until it's done.
There are multiple ways to earn extra credit throughout the year, and several opportunities to do so. The first way to earn extra credit is through bonus passes. Bonus passes can be used as five points of extra credit applied to the test category, or they can be used with late assignments; see the section on Late Assignments for details. Bonus passes are prizes for review games and activities, so there are usually two opportunities to earn bonus passes in each unit. Also, bonus passes can be used any time throughout the year. You could save them for the end of the year, or use them as you earn them. You cannot save them to use the following school year. You also have to use them in the class you earned them in. Lastly, bonus passes are non-transferrable and will not be replaced if lost!
Extra credit assignments are available every grading period. This extra credit involves watching AP Daily Videos on AP Classroom. Mrs. Bird posts the full instructions to Google Classroom along with the form to complete. Essentially, Mrs. Bird gives you a list of videos that you can watch. They are grouped. Each group of videos takes about 25-30 minutes to watch. For each group of videos, you must complete a form. It asks for things like what you already knew before watching the video, what you learned, and what questions you have. Complete the form following the instructions and you get full points. Remember, it is one form per group of videos, not one form per video. Finally, there are several extra credit assignments each grading period. You may do them all if you choose.
Other extra credit opportunities may become available throughout the year. If that happens, then Mrs. Bird will make announcements and share details on Google Classroom.
At the beginning of the year you will set two goals for yourself. One is an academic goal (what test grade do you want?) and the other is your personal goal for the class. Your personal goal can be focused on your overall grade for the class or on a skill that will help you succeed, like studying for a certain amount of time each week or turning in all assignments on time. At the end of each unit, Mrs. Bird will make an assignment on Google Classroom. Then you will will update your data folder with your test score (from Skyward), the class averages, and answer all of the analysis questions. Lastly, you will attach your data folder from your Google Drive to the assignment on Google Classroom.
Now a clarification: this assignment to update your data folders will happen at the end of each unit. The assignment will be posted in each unit. Make sure that you submit the assignment to the correct place in order to get a score.
You will need paper (loose leaf or notebook), something to write with, and something to keep your notes and handouts in. It is recommended that you also have colored pencils, whiteboard markers, and a calculator (no, not a calculator on your phone). You should also keep your note packets with you.
Lastly, have your ID and be in dress code.
Two things: come to class prepared, and read! Every activity we do in class and every assignment I give are designed to teach you biology and prepare you for the AP exam. As for reading, it doesn't really matter what you read (novels, manga, essays, articles, whichever) buy you must be able to read and analyze a text for the exam (reading has a ton of other benefits too, but that's a separate litany from Mrs. Bird). So do those things. Beyond that, come to tutoring or RtI when you have questions. Mrs. Bird also recommends forming study groups and using the resources she makes available to you. Google Classroom will have extra resources that we won't use in class. AP Classroom has video tutorials to help. Finally, it's recommended that you get a review book and study it throughout the year. There is no one book that Mrs. Bird recommends, so find one that you like and that explains a confusing topic well. Many students like the Pearson Test Prep book or 5 Steps to a 5. Whichever you choose, make sure that it is the latest edition. The AP Exams are updated every few years, so you need a review book that includes all the updates.