2.   Hand in text book

3.   The final “hurrah”

“ If your cut corners and you go in circles”

Just the other day, I was lucky enough to chat with a previous a student who has now completed three years at McGill University. She shared with me that university is so competitive and yet she refuses to cheat. She said much of my advice as her teacher was just starting to make sense. Now it is your chance to reflect upon the last year and share some of your wisdom about both what you learned in biology and what other lessons may have been translated.

You have two options for this essay.

Plan A

Your mission is to take the quote above and discuss some of the choices you made this year. It is your chance to voice perhaps wise or less than wise decisions. It is a chance to illustrate not only an understanding of how the body maintains balance but also how you attempted to keep balance in class and in life.

Now I am more than aware that some students did bend and break the rules. In my way, I have addressed these issues. Now it is your turn to reflect upon the whole notion of cutting corners. You may have watched corners being bent or you may have chosen to bend the rules your self. So this is your chance to voice your perceptions or choices.

Plan B

Select a quote that you wish to share about learning about life or studying biology. Using your experience and knowledge gained in Bio 12 and or please share a reflective essay on your experience in class and how it may impact you in the future.

In both cases, please organize your thoughts into a six paragraph essay discussing a thesis topic linked to either of the quotes above. This assignment is meant to communicate ideas and thoughts between you and me the teacher. I am hoping that it will be a beneficial experience for you. Do not stress out about grammar and please do not baffle me with B.S. If you want, you can share some wisdom about your new knowledge about your body and how and why you feel this knowledge is either helpful or not. You may want to evaluate some of your choices and be honest with your reflection about your actions. Yes, I do know some corners were cut and so I would appreciate some feedback. Likewise, in the Big picture, small rationalizations do have a ripple affect.

I would prefer even to fail with honor than win by cheating. Sophocles

The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called ‘truth’. Dan Rather

The test of a good teacher is not how many questions he can ask his pupils that they will answer readily, but how many questions he inspires them to ask him which he finds it hard to answer.

–Alice Wellington Rollins

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.

–       Aristotle

“I’m not a teacher: only a fellow traveler of whom you asked the way. I pointed ahead – ahead of myself as well as you.”

― George Bernard Shaw

Last lessons Objective

Mammals and Birds

1.   Animal Quiz 2

2.   Endangered Species Assignment

3.   Life Quote Assignment

Number One

I will mark the quiz today and you can check with me in tutorial time

Number Two

At the last minute, a wealth source tells you that they want to fund an endangered species.

Your mission is to select a species, find a linked campaign, and explain why the funds should go to you and other campaigns linked to your endangered species!

This is an urgent matter.

There is no time for tons of data or research, so stick to the basics.

·      Select a species

·      Find a linked campaign to that species.

·      Find evidence from that campaign or from online research that the species is worthy of protecting.

·      Using you background in biology, consider the following:

a.   Why has your species become endangered?

b.   Can you to big ideas like interaction or Changes with time?

c.    Why is your species the most viable to save?

d.   Are some of your solutions considering a variety of practical and or affordable strategies, such as saving habitat or breeding?

Your written section should take no more that 5 minutes to present.

You can use powerpoint or a written document. It should include picture(s) of the species, the species habitat, basic biology about the species and how it became endangered.

The second step

You should make your own poster on a legal size piece of paper to show the species, a focus statement, a slogan and other campaigns that are also on board.

Do not make a copy of another campaign. You need to have an original name for your campaign. You can use one or several photos. Please cite the source of the photo.

Next year, PG will select at least one candidate from your class.

Basic take home point..Keep it simple and to the point.

Number Three

The cartoonist Charles Schulz once said ““In the Book of Life, The answers aren’t in the back.”

Your mission is to find a quote about life that is not on the wall in the classroom.

You are to make a sign for your quote.

You should find a quote that other students are not using.

You are to write a simple essay to explain how this quote about life is linked to this years study about life.

You can use two options.

·      Option A

Link you quote to four big ideas or activities in life and show how a quote about “ life” is linked to the study of life.

·      Option B

Link your quote to personal reflections about your efforts in class and what your are learned linked both to the study of biology and your own journey through grade 11 and Bio 11

In your essay you should have six paragraphs.

The first paragraph should include your quote and which option you are choosing. You should propose some form of a thesis statement or the direction which you wish to follow.

The four paragraphs should link either to an activity of life or a big idea.

The final paragraph should be a conclusion statement linking the previous four paragraphs to your quote on life.

There is no need to over think this assignment, to be honest, the purpose of this assignment is to offer to me, your teacher, another vision of what you may have learned this year. You have already been tested on the core material. Now is a chance to reflect upon how this years knowledge may be of merit further down the road.

Writing and reflecting in biology

https://www.washington.edu/trends/reflecting-through-short-easy-to-evaluate-writing-assignments/

Bio essay examples

http://blog.salvius.org/2011/05/biology-summative-essay.html

https://www.utexas.edu/ugs/sites/default/files/bdp/docs/Reflection%20Essay%20Examples.pdf

Joni Mitchell

Okanogan