Course Structure: The course consists of four main topics which will be covered while studying organisms in different units:

• Marine Evolution: Students will study the development of marine life from simple invertebrate animals through sharks and fish.  This is also a way to study some different examples of phyla! For example:
  Algology: the study of marine plant life.  Students will study the impact of these producers on the marine food webs, and learn the local important species.
  Elasmobranchs: looking further at sharks and their relatives, the skates and rays. 
  Mollusks: comparing and contrasting the organisms in this group including gastropods, bivalves, cephalopods, 
  Marine Arthropods: exploring marine organisms with exoskeletons, including crabs, lobsters, barnacles, shrimp and copepods

• Marine Ecology: the study of marine ecosystems, such as the Deep, the North and South Poles, and Estuaries.  Students will examine major agents of different systems including organisms involved, environmental changes, the impact of humans and global warming on marine life. 

• The Life Cycles of Marine Animals: continuing the study of major marine animal phyla with a focus on their life stages.  Students will study the life stages of development of examples from each phylum and examine plankton tows for live juveniles.  

• Marine Conservation: discover local conservation efforts, their purpose and procedures to improve marine life
   

Next Generation Science Standards:

Advanced Marine Biology addresses the “living systems”  standards through its explorations of the diverse phyla of marine life, the non-living factors that affect these organisms,  and their adaptations to survive in the marine ecosystems.  The course also addresses scientific inquiry through its  investigations – focusing on the scientific method.  Lastly, Advanced Marine teaches the human impact upon ecosystems and the role of economics and policy, addressing  the Application standards. 

Texts: The Living Ocean, University of Hawaii Press.  Life on an Ocean Planet, Current Publishing.

Materials needed for class: Organization is an important part of your success in Advanced Marine.  All lab investigations, notes, class work and homework will be recorded in a hard copy lab notebook (that you can purchase through the bookkeeper for $1.00, bring me a receipt and I will give you the notebook).  Finally, some kind of writing utensil will be needed daily, preferably a pencil or a blue or black pen and digital timer for data collection.

Grading Policy:
The following grading scale will be used throughout for each quarter using the total points of all your assignments, not a weighted gradebook. 

100-93% = A   92-90% = A-   89-87% = B+   86-83% = B    82-80% =B- 
79-77% = C+   76-73% = C 72-70% = C-   69-67% = D+  66-60% =D

Real-life grades are available to view from family access. Family access is the district wide grading program where students and parents can access many important aspects of student life in the Sumner School District. All homework and in class assignments will always be current, if your student turned it in during class, it is in the grade book. All assignments not turned in by the end of each week will be marked as missing in family access. Summative Assessments, laboratories and the independent project, however, often take more time to grade.

Graded Assignments:
Throughout each unit, you will be doing assignments to help you learn the information, taking formative assessments to measure progress of that learning and then completing labs and summative assessments to determine final learning achieved

• Formative Assignments will be reviewed at the beginning of the class period following the day they were assigned and a score of 1-4 depending on the size of the assignment will be entered in the grade book if they are accurately completed. A score of zero will be entered if they are not until they are completed correctly and need to be checked off on the student's own time such as before or after school. It is your responsibility to get these assignments checked off during work time and before or after class within a particular unit.  Once a unit is completed, assignments for that unit will no longer be accepted for credit, but can be partially completed to remove missing indicators. All notes, review questions, lab reports and any other assignments for class will be recorded in a science notebook.

• Formative Quizzes will be given throughout a unit. These quizzes will be graded in class using scoring guides so students understand how they are graded with scores entered into the gradebook but will not count toward the students grade for the class.

• Labs and Projects will be a very important part of your learning marine concepts. Students will receive a score in the grade book depending on the level of accurately completed portions of each lab or project. All students can improve their lab or project score up until the day we take a test on the unit the lab or project took place in by showing me the improvements.

• Summative Unit Tests will be given at the end of each unit. All students wanting to improve their score on a test can come in and do test corrections with the teacher if they have completed the test review prior to taking the test. A quarter credit will then be given for missed questions that are corrected if you write out the question missed, what the actual answer should be and explain why that is the answer. These corrections must be done before or after school before the next unit test. Students who would like to retake a test can complete test corrections and then retake the test after learning what they missed.  No test corrections or retakes can be made on the end of the year final.

• Independent Investigation Project:  You will design a self-directed investigation with a marine focus and conduct ongoing data or research about the topic.  Monthly progress reports on the work are required in February through  May with the final results due in late May.  Field work or local volunteer work to support marine life is strongly encouraged.  For example, you could survey a small area at a local beach/shore and investigate changes in the area over time.  Topics should be approved before work begins.  More information will be provided in a separate handout!

• Tank Care Participation and Application:   Get involved!  This is hands-on learning on how aquariums work and the maintenance it takes to care for the animals and equipment. This will include feeding the animals as well as tank cleaning and maintenance.  Hands-on participation is required as part of your learning. Absences limit your opportunities to be involved and, thus, will have an impact upon your grade.

• Marine Field Trips: Marine biology is best learned in a hands-on manner and field trips are the most effective way to experience this. We will be going on local field trips this year which will require you to miss other classes for a day and require a fee to attend. The fee will depend on entrance fees, transportation and substitute costs and may vary between experiences. These will be graded experiences so a make up assignment will be provided for those who are unable to attend. 

Make up work from absences

To help students avoid getting behind, all make up work will be posted online on the class website and students need to take the responsibility for getting their own make up work from this website. Any work that can be done at home should be completed before returning to class. Work that was due on the day of an absence is due on the day you return. Appointments need to be made within one week to make up a missed lab investigation or test. Make ups can only be completed for excused absences. The student must make the arrangements for the make-up with the teacher as soon as they return. If a student feels they have special circumstances, write them down and have parents sign and turn them in for review to receive a due date extension.

Parent Contact
Parents should use the class website and each unit table of contents in their lab notebooks to determine what students are responsible for each day. If you have any questions please contact my school email at ellen_berwick@sumnersd.org. If students are failing at the end of a unit, an email or phone call home will be made to make a plan for making up the missed learning. 

If you have any questions, PLEASE ASK FOR HELP!   The best time to get help is after school on Mondays, some Wednesdays, Thursdays and Friday until 4pm.  Look for me in room 205 after school.  I usually get to school each morning at 7am as well if you need help before school, I am will more likely be in room 204. .

Classroom Norms and Expectations:
Use POWER values daily in class
-Understand that learning is a process that requires patience and PERSEVERANCE with yourself and peers.
-Advocate for yourself by taking OWNERSHIP over your learning through questions and using feedback given.
-Put best effort into each assignment to show WORK ETHIC so that learning can effectively build on each assignment.
-Be active with your learning by ENGAGING in activities to expand your understanding and learn how to apply ideas to your life.
-Create a safe space to learn by RESPECTING your peers and teacher.

We will be discussing how we each want to be treated, so that we agree on classroom expectations.

The Student Handbook rules will also be enforced in our class as well as throughout the school so make sure you understand them fully.  Including dress code and 10/10 rule.

If you need to use the bathroom or get a drink of water, one person may go at a time as long as you ask to go, I will fill out the smart pass, and let you know when you are able to go. If this process is not followed or being taken advantage of, bathroom privileges may be revoked.

If I see or hear food or drink, you will be asked to put them away as this is a lab classroom.

Cell phone and other electronic device policy:
Cell phones are a large distraction to your learning in the classroom. They also can create an unsafe environment due to what people do with them and post for others to see. Electronic devices including chromebooks, cell phones, and earbuds, therefore, may only be used to support your learning and productivity in class. Be in the moment!  If they become a distraction from learning you will be asked to put them away and then if seen again the item will be bagged for the period and returned. Refusal to comply or repeated violations will result in the school’s progressive discipline. On test days all phones will be placed in the phone display.  

If any science items are broken or damaged by students, a fine will be assessed to that student to replace the items.

Discipline Procedures:

--Warning
--Removal to the hallway until an appropriate time for teacher to leave to discuss behavior, if an understanding is made; student can return to class but will have to get makeup work from classmates. Prohibited items will be placed in brown bag for the rest of class.
--Removal from class, a phone call home to discuss situation, and letter to take responsibility for return. Prohibited items will be confiscated and turned into front office to be picked up by parents.
-- Removal from class, a phone call home to discuss situation again, and a meeting with parents, Mrs. Berwick and a counselor.
--Referral to administrator

* * * Depending on severity of violation, actions may not occur in order