**Class Format**
This is a flexible schedule class with NO live meetings.

This class will cover the basics of a Life science class for middle school students.

By Monday (8 am EST) of each week,  a Google Slide link will be posted. In this document, there will be links to a Deck.Toys or Pear Deck presentation that will have embedded interactive lectures, short videos, and questions.  

By Wednesday of each week, students will be expected to post in the classroom a short written or video response to the materials.

By Friday of each week, students will be expected to submit the questions that are provided in the Google Slide link on Mondays. Students have the entire week to work on the assignment. 

Additionally, students are expected to respond to another student's post at least once during the week. I will be monitoring students' posts frequently in order to respond to questions or comments. 

Students are expected to check in with the teacher weekly via the Outschool classroom/private learner messaging, which will allow for more engagement between the teacher and learner.

Week 1: Microscopes and Cell Theory
Week 2: Plant Cells and their organelles
Week 3: Animal Cells and their organelles, compare and contrast with plant cells
Week 4: Osmosis and diffusion
Week 5: Mitosis and Meiosis
Week 6: Genetics - traits and Punnett squares
Week 7: Change over time - natural selection
Week 8: Structural organization and classification of living things - domains and Kingdoms
Week 9: Structural organization and classification of living things - apply classification criteria to categorize examples of organisms
Week 10: Cycles and energy flow - carbon, nitrogen cycles
Week 11: Ecosystems - biotic and abiotic components and types of ecosystems
Week 12: Ecosystems - food webs and energy pyramids

******This is a FLEX course. If grades are needed, please let me know upon enrollment or prior to the course beginning.   Thank you.********