Biology

Join me in Aim Academy’s college prep high school biology as we learn about living things, the ways they interact with one another, and the impact they have on everything you do.

If something affects everything you do, every single day of your entire life, it’s probably worth learning about. That is definitely true of the living things in our world. Biology is the study of living things. From the tiniest single-celled organisms to the largest mammals, we share our planet with diverse and fascinating life forms. They are everywhere and they affect us in amazing and wonderful ways.

In this course, we will learn about the basic unit of all living things – cells, and we will discover the ways that different cell types work together to form different organisms. We’ll discover the ways genes direct the construction and function of living things. Once a foundation is in place, we will take a deep dive into the worlds of microorganisms, plants, and animals, including human beings, as well as the ecosystems and communities that they inhabit.

Course Structure

A typical week contains one 1-hour live Zoom class and four daily lessons. The live classes may include a review of the previous week’s topics, an introduction to the coming week, and/or a case study that brings the current topic to life. Although it is always best if students attend the live classes, I will post the recording of the class so that students who can’t attend can watch it later.

The daily lessons will include an online introduction and a section to read in the biology textbook. I use many audio and video recordings to help students learn the correct pronunciation of new terms and reinforce content from the book. Since this course provides a high school credit, there will be some lab activities, one or two lab reports, and a few additional short writing assignments. Students generally spend about 30 minutes per day doing coursework.

Who should enroll?

This class is for students in grades 9 – 12, but advanced 8th graders will be considered after a conversation between Dr. Joseph and the student. Contact Dr. Joseph for details.

Technology Requirements

• High speed, broadband Internet
• Sound card and microphone (for live sessions)
• Streaming video capabilities to watch recorded lectures

Evaluation and Feedback

I use frequent “learning checks” to assure both the student and teacher that students understand the concepts presented in the lessons. Many of the learning checks are automatically graded by the computer. For the essay questions, writing assignments, lab reports, and projects, I generally grade every day or two, sending feedback to the students to help them understand questions they may have missed. A final grade will be based on the scores from learning checks, participation in activities and experiments, written assignments, and attendance and participation in live classes.

Communication

I welcome any and all communication from parents. My goal is to partner with you in your student’s education, so if at any time you have questions or concerns, my virtual door is open.