Dear Biology Student:

Dear Biology Student:

My name is Claire Smerdon and a year ago, I sat where you are today. I have been in the Saratoga district since kindergarten, starting at Saratoga Elementary and then Redwood. The transition for me from Redwood to Saratoga High was relatively easy, but I remember being very scared. I had to stay late on the first day of school, and I went to Starbucks by myself even though I had no money because I was too scared to stay on campus.

I took MAP freshmen year, but I will not be continuing it as a sophmore. For math, I took algebra 2 honors, and my electives were spanish 2 and intro to engineering. I played competitive soccer, volunteered every weekend, and was in robotics. When I walked into this class, I did not know what to expect; when I heard that this was a ‘flipped classroom,’ I was even more confused.

In this biology class, focus on the small things. In most classes, tests are the most important. While you still want to do well on tests, make sure you do your labs, blog posts, and notebook. Notebook checks are easy to get 100% on and worth a lot of points. If you do not do well on tests, do not stress out about it.

When you come to class, start the do now. First semester has a lot more labs than second semester; second semester is more project-based. First semester is more about understanding the concepts, while second semester is all memorization. The homework is very structured in this class: a vodcast every night, chapter notes and reflection due on test day, and occasionally, finishing a blog post.

The vodcasts are longer second semester, but they usually take me about 30 minutes. You learn the material through the vodcasts, and depending on what type of learner you are, that can be a good or bad thing. In this class, you reflect on everything whether it is the relate and reviews in vodcasts, unit reflections, or labs.

The blog is part of what makes this class a flipped classroom. My favorite blog of  mine was the unit 8 reflection because I think that I was my most detailed reflection. My photos were not very good, but that is because we had no labs.

In class, make sure not to ask questions about where things are after the first week or two of school. Do not ask him to repeat questions and listen to his instructions. He strongly dislikes when people put things in the wrong place during clean-up after a lab. Be detailed and reflective on assignments to get a good grade. To do well on tests, study a lot and a few days in advance.

Always trust the board over canvas. Canvas said a certain due date, and I listened to it; however, the date was wrong and I got points off. That does not mean you can’t trust anything on canvas, but if something seems weird or unusual, just follow the board. Do not leave class before you know everything is cleaned up. Mr. Orre will punish the whole class if it really bad, even if you are not involved. Make sure to do the CFUs because sometimes Mr. Orre will put them in the test category. This made me a better student and more hard-working.

This is a great class because it shows you a new experience of having a flipped classroom. I am taking chemistry honors because I want to take AP chemistry.