Letter (Blog Post) to a Future Biology Student 😁
Hello incoming 9th grader, [insert name here]!! <--- lol 🤗😅
Now for a brief introduction to myself... my name is Mathew! I was a 9th grader just like you, being 14 at the beginning of the year. If you were from Redwood Middle School, I might know you already, as I went there all three years. I also went to Argonaut Elementary School all 6 years.
It is my pleasure to introduce you to this new year in biology. ^-^ I first wanna clear up any misconceptions about high school that you may have previously heard. The people here are extremely friendly to freshmen, and to anyone in general, not just because you are a freshman. Honestly, I thought the people would look down on you, being the smallest grade in high school, but it wasn't all that bad. For me, it felt kinda like middle school, since all my Redwood friends were there with me, and the teachers are just as nice as they are in middle school. On top of that, the homework was honestly easier than 8th grade, except for finals. Except for Mr. Orre, most teachers give you study guides, so just study that. For Mr. Orre, just look over all the vodcast (yes, every single one of the semester!!) and review the textbook chapters that you had to take notes, and you should be good. (more on this later!!)
Really, the only major pitfalls in high schools are procrastination, studying on a regular basis, and leaving off games and YouTube until you're done with your homework. I turn off the internet until my homework is done for tomorrow and the day after, as well as doing 30 minutes of studying for any tests/quizzes in the week (except for spanish vocab, I just study spanish vocab 1 hr the day before the quiz 😆). This seems a lot, but actually than that. And don't give me that "but I need to use my [insert electronic here] for my homework!!1!1!1!!", because I'm well aware the majority of your homework (besides biology vodcasts) don't require it, and I'm sure there are non-electronic methods of doing those homeworks. Be honest with yourself; if you're anything like me, you know that electronics hurt you more than they help you. What I do is turn off the wifi until my parents come home, since they'll basically force me to do work anyways ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and then I can do the homework that requires the internet.
Also, if you're less techie than me, then you can use things like "StayFocusd" on Chrome, "cold turkey" on windows, or "SelfControl" on mac to block websites that might distract. Problem with me is that I find bypasses to those programs, so they're basically useless to me. 😅😓
I’ve gotta say, one of the most important things of being in high school, at least for me so far, is being nice to the teachers. This means NEVER talking out of turn in class or going off in a tangent (unless the teacher asks for a discussion for it, of course). Don't be afraid to ask good questions, but treat them as your friend, and they will be like one. You can always clarify things by talking with the teacher or friends after class. Remember, this is high school, and there’s no fooling around anymore. The teachers, especially in a public school, have absolute control over your grade, which have absolute control over your future. If you always stay on their good side, you can always rely on their sympathy for things like late work or letters of recommendation, which later places like college or internships want to see.
As for phones, since more high school students have them, the teachers are less strict about having them, and they sometimes even let you pull them out for class activities or listening to music. Although Mr. Orre does let you use Chromebooks (I recommend installing StayFocusd + nuke mode 😉), he has a strict policy about phones, and hey, you can put it on your table, but don't you dare touch it! In fact, just leave it in you backpack the whole day and pretend you don't have it, which is how I resist the temptation (if you're as addicted as the typical smartphone user, you know what I'm talking about 😉). There's no such thing as a more important text or game or anything than the education that your parents pay dozens of thousands of dollars for in property tax a year. (feel grateful!)
As for this class, Mr. Orre's major pet peeve is repeating instructions multiple times or having to raise his voice over talking students, so LISTEN CAREFULLY and STAY QUIET. Like, I cannot emphasize enough. This is basic human respect that some students feel like they can violate, so don't be those people. It hurts everyone, including the teacher, other eager students, and yourself.
***
Let me talk about some basics of the class. This is a "flipped classroom" so most of your learning will be done at home, and the class time will be used to enforce your learning (asking questions, labsm etc.). Almost every day we have Mr. Orre, there will be a "DO NOW", which will be written on the board. It is a generally a question that you must answer to asses your knowledge of the class. You will need to put it in your notebook. After school, you will almost always have a vodcast (it's on the canvas calendar and on the board) assigned for the next class. It's generally pretty easy, so take the time to copy his information and listen to everything he says. Usually, he will tell you more information than written, which really helped me enforce my knowledge of the material and do well on tests.
***
~~~Some more (specific) tips~~~
Get Facebook! Disable the notifications, since they can distract, but use it for homework help!! Messenger is a fantastic way to get in contact with lab partners, peers, etc. for lab pictures and other bio hw stuff.
Setup your notebook with all the handouts inside of it that he puts in the rookie module. Those are ez points, even though you'll never need them during your year in biology anyways. :P
Always do your CFU's! I always do the quizzes immediately after the vodcasts. It doesn't count for your grade, but it is to check for your understanding (hence the name). Whatever I got incorrect, I go back to my notebook to review.
I know some people have had success by doing them right before a test, so you know what to study for, but he randomly grades some (very few) CFU's for participation, not score, so it's best to do them once after the vodcast and again before the test.
I don't do it before the test, since I listen to the whole vodcast, and I am able to remember it the whole time, without having to review, until the test. If you cannot do that, then I highly recommend doing them twice as aforementioned!! :D
On top of this, always make sure to do your work on the chromebooks with full focus; it certainly pays off to minimize your homework load! I didn't do that, and I deeply regret it.
Always keep your notebook updated!! Keep up with the page numbers and the table of contents, since those are major ez points for the notebook check that happens ever so often. I also didn't do this, which is why I highly recommend you do!
Always start reading the textbook for the textbook notes at least 5 days before, so you have enough time to do the textbook notes sometime before the due date. Alternatively, you can do the whole thing on the weekend before the due date. :P
As for the 20 time project, do something that actually involves something more than research. Conduct survey, experiments, etc. This way, he'll think you actually did something, instead of googling stuff on the internet. Oh, and also, you'll need way more than the time he gives in class, so don't procrastinate and start small! Do it as soon as you have time!! You should spend every drop of time he gives in class to work on it! Trust me, it's a lot of points, and it's very worth it.
Take pictures of all your labs, because you'll likely have to post them on your lab conclusion on your blog. (As for setting up the blog, he'll have a vodcast telling you how. Don't overthink it; just do exactly how he teaches you :P)
~~~End...~~~
*phew*~~!
Other than that, if you made it this far, you should be good. This is basically a study guide to studying... i guess ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I feel like with this guide, I would've done a lot better, and I think you can, too.
As always, my motto, "there's no shortcut to hard work~~!".
Best of luck~~!!! 😊👍
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