9th Grade Living Environment Course Syllabus
Dear Students and Parents/Guardians, September 9, 2022
Living Environment is an exciting and interesting science that is aimed to prepare you for the Living Environment Regents Exam that you may be required to take in June 2023. It is also a very important subject, because you will learn about how the human body and other living things stay alive! It is pretty much LIFE and DEATH! One of the themes of this course is that humans are much more alike than different!
Our expectations for you are that you participate everyday and that you do all of your assignments! We expect that you will always do your best, and that you will always show respect for everyone in the class. Please realize that you need to do more that just show-up and “do your work”. In order to pass this class and the Regents, you will need to actively engage in your work, and understand it. If you do not understand something, it is your responsibility to ask for help. Your Living Environment Teachers will be hosting Office Hours both both before school and
Your marking period grade will be determined as follows:
25% participation, (that means you get credit for trying even if the answers aren’t exactly correct.) You cannot earn points for participation if you are not in class, so get here on time everyday! Participation points are based on the following criteria: Punctuality, (getting to class on time!), following the daily class routine, completing your homework, completing your class work, completing your exit ticket, and behaving appropriately. You will help to grade yourself on your participation each week.
20% exams and quizzes – we will have periodic vocabulary and regents based quizzes, as well as a larger Regents-based exam at the end of each unit. You can also expect smaller Do Now and Exit Ticket quizzes. Most tests and quizzes will be taken online.
30% laboratories and projects/performance tasks – these will reinforce the topics we are studying and are extremely important, which is why they are worth the most in your grade!
25% classwork and homework - these assignments will also reflect what we are learning about in class, and will help to prepare you for answering Regents questions in June. Some homework will be online. Most online assignments can also be accessed on your phone or tablet. Homework assignments are essential to your success in the course and the Regents exam, so it is extremely important that you make the time to complete them.
We are looking forward to getting to know you all, and we know that this year will not only be fun, but challenging and rewarding, as well. We are expecting that each and every one of you try your best and work to your ability. If you ever need extra help, just reach out! We will be using the Remind App, Google Classroom and email to communicate with students and parents. You can also reach us via school email at:
Ms. Fries – [email protected]
Ms. Arzu – [email protected]
Mr. Heyliger – [email protected]
Topics/Units of Study
Unit 1: Scientific Inquiry
Unit 2: Cells
Unit 3: Homeostasis & Body Systems
Unit 4: Genetics
Unit 5: Reproduction
Unit 6: Evolution
Unit 7: Ecology
Unit 8: Human Impact on Environments
Yours truly,
Ms. Fries
Ms. Arzu
Mr. Heyliger
BCA Science Department
9th Grade Living Environment
