Forensic Science

CSI at Onteora Fall 2020 Semester

 

Instructor: Scott Via email: mvia@onteora.k12.ny.us

Text: Forensic Science for High School by Deslich and Funkhouser

Room:  204

Period: 6

 

***A Google Classroom will be used for notes and quizzes*** 

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND PREREQUISITE SKILLS:

Regent’s Biology and Earth Science are prerequisites for Forensic Science, which is a half-year class.  Forensic Science is focused upon the application of scientific methods and techniques to crime and law.  Recent advances in scientific methods and principles have had an enormous impact upon law enforcement and the entire criminal justice system.  In this course, scientific methods, specifically relevant to crime detection and analysis, will be presented.  Emphasis is placed upon understanding the science behind the techniques used in evaluating physical evidence.  Topics included are: Deductive reasoning, crime scene analysis, fingerprint analysis, blood analysis, hair analysis, bone analysis and DNA analysis.

 

GOALS of the COURSE: Scientific methods are radically changing the landscape of our criminal justice system.  Law enforcement and legal prosecution are often reliant upon complex and detailed scientific analysis of forensic evidence.  This course is intended to introduce an understanding of the science behind crime detection.  This will be accomplished by providing a rational basis for interpreting the scientific analysis of forensic evidence as well as reviewing case studies.  Laboratory exercises will include techniques commonly used in forensic investigations.  This is a laboratory-based class, the concentration will be on the biological aspects of Forensic Science.

 

GRADING: Your grade for this course will be weighed based on the following:

• Laboratory Grade: 30% working to solve crimes and laboratory assignments associated with crime
• True TV presentations & journals: 10% A 5-minute synopsis of “Forensic Files” will be collected as a journal assignment.
• Homework: 30%:  Due to the vastness of this course, you will be required to complete weekly homework assignments from the textbook
• Assessments: 30%: There will be unit tests/assessments which will review each topic that is covered in class.  This will ensure preparation for the Final Lab Exam.
• Final Average is comprised of: Two quarterly grades and a final exam.  The date of the Final Exam will be announced, but is usually given during the last week of school.

 

ATTENDANCE:

Regular attendance is mandatory.  All students are expected to be present for ALL laboratory assignments.  A one- or two-day reprieve will be allowed if an emergency is to arise and communicated to Mr. Via. This is a laboratory-based class and lab make ups are not an option once the materials are packed up.  This is an elective, in other words, you want to be here, so come to class and participate.  Try something new and learn because you are interested, not because you have been told you have to.  In this class, we bring current events into class discussion, so pay attention to the news and crimes that occur.  BTW, most importantly…Have Fun!

 

HONORS EARTH SCIENCE SYLLABUS

Mr. Via

The content of this course will be taught in 10 units according to the Regents Syllabus. (The order is subject to change.) Those units are:

1. Prologue (Observation/Inference, Density, Change, Models)
2. Earth Positions and Maps
3. Study of the Atmosphere (Weather)
4. Climate
5. Earth Space and Beyond
6. Minerals and Rocks
7. The Dynamic Crust (Earthquakes)
8. Earth’s History
9. Surface Processes and Landscapes 
10. Oceans and Glaciers 

Onteora High School Earth Science Student Requirements

This is an Honors class that is offered to students who would like to advance in science during their high school career. Students are required to achieve an 88 or above by the end of the first making period. Students are asked to sign a contract agreeing to the terms. 

Students should come to class prepared to learn on a daily basis. This should include a pen or pencil and a notebook. 

NOTEBOOK: (required) This will act as your book. Pages should be numbered and dated for organizational purposes. This will enable you to locate and copy any notes you’ve missed following an absence.
1. Class notes are often taken in class in addition to the notes that are placed online.

2. A separate laboratory notebook, which will be left in the classroom, will be maintained for completed labs in preparation to be sent to the state.

LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS:

1. New York State’s Department of Education mandates students to "engage in laboratory activities for at least 1200 minutes.  "Failure to comply with this will result in, ’you’ not being able to take the Regents Exam at the end of the year.”

2. Labs missed due to an unexcused absence will not be able to be made up, unless the lab setup is still available.  Labs that are not completed within the quarter that they were assigned will not be able to be made up.

3. Participation is a must. The student must be able to perform this task successfully or his/her grade will be affected. Also, behavior is incorporated into your lab grades.  A responsible & respectful manner is required.

LABORATORY SUMMARIES:

1. Lab summaries are due the day after classroom completion.  All laboratory summaries (including post lab questions) must be handed in to meet the Regent’s laboratory requirements.

QUIZZES and HOMEWORK: It is the student’s responsibility to obtain work from absences.

1. Classwork and homework assignments are assigned regularly and will help you understand the material.

2. Quizzes will be both announced and unannounced and will be given periodically throughout a unit.  Any missed quiz because of illness must be made up the day the student returns.

4. Homework will consist of readings followed by questions and worksheets related to the topic of study. Any homework that is collected will result in a grade. Late homework will not be accepted.

TESTS:

1. Tests will be given regularly at the end of each topic. Tests consist of several types of questions: multiple choice, short answer as well as diagrams and graphs.

2. Grades will consist of all graded work that has been collected. All assessments will be weighted. Smaller quizzes will weigh less than larger tests.

TESTS and ABSENCES:

1. If you are absent the day of the exam and have been in class all days except the exam day, you will take the test on the day you return to school. This policy can be changed only when you and I have conferred on an alternate time.

2. Missed tests will be made up outside of class time. If the quarter ends and grades have not been made up for missed work, the result will be a zero.

GOOGLE CLASSROOM

We will be using Google Classroom for some of our work. The idea is that students will be able to have access to the work from any device connected to the internet. 

 

 

HONORS LIVING ENVIRONMENT SYLLABUS 2019-2020

The content of this course will be taught in 9 units according to the Regents Syllabus. Those units are:

1. The Nature of Biology
2. Biochemistry
3. Cell Structure and Function
4. Photosynthesis and Respiration
5. DNA and Human Heredity
6. Genetic Engineering
7. Evolution
8. Ecology
9. The Human Body

 

The textbook and classroom resources associated with this class can be found online at Pearsonrealize.com

Your login information is your school email.

Student Requirements

** STUDENTS MUST BRING A PEN OR A PENCIL EVERY DAY! NO EXCUSES!

**CELL PHONES - They should not be out during class, unless otherwise directed/permission granted by your teacher. Cellular devices often cause distractions and we don't have time for distractions.

NOTEBOOK: (required) This will act as your book. Pages should be numbered and dated for organizational purposes. This will enable you to locate and copy any notes you've missed following an absence.

1. Class notes are often taken in class in addition to the notes that are placed online.

2. A separate notebook, which will be left in the classroom, will be maintained for completed labs in preparation to be sent to the state.This notebook will be provided by the school.

LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS:

1. New York State 's Department of Education mandates students to "engage in laboratory activities for at least 1200 minutes. "Failure to comply with this will result in, 'you' not being able to take the Regents Exam at the end of the year."

Labs missed due to an unexcused absence will not be able to be made up, unless the lab setup is still available. Labs that are not completed within the quarter that they were assigned will not be able to be made up.

3. Participation is a must. The student must be able to perform this task successfully or his/her grade will be affected. Also, behavior is incorporated into your lab grades. A responsible & respectful manner is required.

LABORATORY SUMMARIES:

. Lab summaries are due the day after classroom completion. All laboratory summaries (including post lab questions) must be handed in to meet the Regent's laboratory requirements.

Laboratory assignments which are completed in your lab notebook will create a carbon copy. The carbon copy needs to be handed in as proof of laboratory completion.

QUIZZES and HOMEWORK :It is the student's responsibility to obtain work from absences.

Classwork, quizzes, and homework assignments will carry a 50% weight of your quarter grade.

Quizzes will be both announced and unannounced and will be given periodically throughout a unit. Any missed quiz because of illness must be made up the day the student returns.

Homework will consist of readings followed by questions and worksheets related to the topic of study. The homework that is collected will result in a grade. Late homework will not be accepted.

TESTS:

Tests will carry a 50% weight of your quarter grade.

There will be a full period test given at the completion of each unit, with quizzes given in between. Tests will consist of Regents-style multiple choice questions as well as objective style short answer questions.

TESTS and ABSENCES:

If you are absent the day of the exam and have been in class all days except the exam day, you will take the test on the day you return to school. This policy can be changed only when you and I have conferred on an alternate time.

Missed tests will be made up outside of class time. That is either during a study hall (should we both be free then) or after school.

 

If you have any questions or concerns please contact mvia@onteora.k12.ny.us