Exam Info

Nearly done!

The exam will be 100 multiple choice and four open response.  The multiple choice will cover the entire year, but not to the level of depth that the regular unit tests covered.  The topics on the open response will be

• one question covering photosynthesis and cellular respiration, and how these processes relate to ecosystems
• one question on genetics and protein synthesis (review the processes of transcription and translation)
• one question on experimental design and human body systems (review the main functions of systems, detailed processes not included)
• one question on ecosystems and populations

The best place to review will be the unit reviews from earlier this year.  We will spend our last class reviewing for the exam.

Ecology Wrap-Up

If you left early on Tuesday:

TEDtalk: johan_rockstrom  Watch the first 10 minutes about the "squeezes" on the Earth, and the boundaries that we are crossing.

TEDtalk: alex_steffen  Watch from about 4:00 to 9:00 on success stories.

Everyone- Look over Ch 36, Environmental Concerns.  OPEN NOTES QUIZ on Ecology Thursday for both sections.

***Don't forget to turn in the questions for "The Piscivore's Dilemma" into your folder as well.***

Monday night HW

Read Ch 33, Populations.

Wednesday night HW, June 3rd

Read and take notes on CH 35, The Biosphere.  Pay attention to the general characteristics that define each biome.

Ecology HW

Read the article "The Piscivore's Dilemma," either from the PDF in the unit 6 folder or from this link at Outside Magazine.  Answer the questions in the Unit 6 folder.

Final Unit!

Up next, ecology.  Chapter 34 will be posted this afternoon is posted in the Mader folder, read sections 34.1 and 34.2.  On Friday morning we will be going outside (in the courtyard).

REMINDER: I'm making my way through your Planaria lab drafts and giving feedback.  Many of you have not turned in a draft yet!  If you see NTI under the draft column, that means I don't see a draft in your folder.  Saturday morning (5/30) at 8am is the drop-dead due date for your drafts.  If you have not turned in a draft by then, you will not get the 10 practice points for the draft, and you won't get any feedback on your draft.  Any labs turned in after that date will just be graded as the final version.

Final versions of the lab will be due on the last day of class, June 15th.

New test dates

The Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration test has been pushed back a day: Wednesday for Squids, Thursday for Jellies.  We'll start Ecology on Friday.

I'm making my way through your Planaria lab drafts and giving feedback.  Many of you have not turned in a draft yet!  Saturday morning (5/30) at 8am is the drop-dead due date for your drafts.  If you have not turned in a draft by then, you will not get the 10 practice points for the draft, and you won't get any feedback on your draft.  Any labs turned in after that date will just be graded as the final version.

Final versions of the lab will be due on the last day of class, June 15th.

Photosynthesis/Cellular Respiration Test Tuesday

Resources to study:

Powerpoints
Cellular Respiration Questions 1 and 2
Photosynthesis Questions
Mader Ch 7 and 8
Topics list (in unit 5 folder)
Bozeman Science- he has several videos, here are a few: Photosynthesis, Cellular Respiration

You many bring in a 3x5 notecard with notes on ONE side.

Photosynthesis, cont.

Continue reading Mader Ch 8, and do Photosynthesis questions in the Unit 5 folder.  Next class we will finish talking about Photosynthesis (only a little left), then review for the quiz on Tuesday covering Cellular Respiration and Photosynthesis.

Weekend HW

Cellular Respiration Qs Part 2, in the Unit 5 folder.

Cellular Respiration resources

Links to the animations are below.  Click on each step and follow the reactants and products for each step.

Glycolysis

Transition Step and Krebs Cycle

Electron Transport Chain

Video of ATP Synthase

New Unit- Unit 5!

Day One of Cellular Respiration.  Read over first part of Ch 7, summarizing glycolysis and the transition step.

Reminder that Planaria lab draft is due Friday.

Planaria Lab Draft Due Friday May 15th

Rubric in the Unit 4 folder.

Monday work

In-class/Take-home writing assignment is posted in the Unit 4 folder, called "Cell Communication Prompt."  This should be completed and turned in to your folder by the end of this week.

On Tuesday/Wednesday we will begin the planaria lab.  Your task will be to design a lab to test the response system of planaria.  You should begin researching a bit about the planaria and their sensory organs to prepare for this lab.

Weekend HW

Read and notes Ch 20 on Endocrine System, focus on following pages: 394, 399-401, 404-405.

Wednesday Night HW

Read and take notes on Ch 17, The nervous system.  Use the outline and pages from today's lecture to help guide you through the chapter.

Video from today's lecture

Monday/Tuesday night HW

On the nervous systems of animals:

Using the mollusk phylum as an example, compare the feeding methods and complexity in nervous systems of each of the three major classes: bivalves, gastropods and cephalopods.  In two pages or less (including pictures/diagrams, if you like) briefly describe how/what each group eats, the organization of its nervous system and types of sensory organs.  Use the reading provided to explain why an animal such as the octopus is so much smarter than other invertebrate predators (such as a spider).

Thursday/Friday/Quiz Update!

Good morning everyone,

Jellies, as you're probably finding out right now I am not in school today (Thursday) since I am home with my son who is sick.  (My husband is in Germany chaperoning a school trip otherwise I would for sure be there!)  Here's the update:

Mrs. Morrison will be doing the final day of the rat dissection with you.  You should finish up the abdominal cavity, open and observe organs in the thoracic cavity, then remove the heart and lungs.  You can take a picture of the heart and label the four chambers from the outside of the heart (remember to pay attention to the left/right orientation of the heart in the rat), then carefully cut lengthwise from top to bottom of the heart to reveal the four chambers.  You can google pictures to help you.  Take a picture of the interior of the heart with the four chambers labeled.  Label any blood vessels you see, but as far as grading your document I will only be looking for the four chambers labeled.

Friday- everyone: Quiz is still on!!!  But with some modifications.  Instead of viewing pinned organs in actual rats tomorrow, the practical will be all picture based.  I will project the pictures so they will be large and in color.

Email me if you have questions.  See you tomorrow.  For those of you who are out tomorrow, plan to take the quiz when you return (we have X block on the Monday the day we get back), and have a nice break!

Rat dissection document

Remember that you and your group should be working on your dissection document every night.  This document should include:

• a labeled picture of each structure
• a sentence or two describing the function of that structure (you may need to do a little research)
• a sentence or two of your observations of that structure (color, size, texture, shape etc.).

Don't forget to include your human muscle pictures alongside the rat muscle pictures.  

Please put all group members' names on the document!

Reminder that quiz will be on Friday.  Study guide now posted in the Unit 4 folder.

Rat Dissection Survey, HW info

Make sure you are logged in to Google, then click here to take the survey.

Tuesday night/Wednesday night, read over the Rat Dissection document in the Unit 4 folder.  Each night you and your group members should be labeling that day's photos and writing up your notes.  Your notes should consist of each of the bold words (also in the list on the last page), with a sentence or two defining the structure, plus a sentence or two describing how that structure looked (or any other important information, such as texture, firm vs. soft, etc.).

On April 17th there will be a paper and lab practical test.  The paper portion will include some questions on the musculoskeletal system.  The lab practical will consist of identifying structures on the rat.

Monday instructions and videos to go with lecture notes

Today I am in meetings all day.  Please do the following during class:

Open "Skeletal System" notes.  As you read, watch the videos linked here when prompted.

1.  Hydrostatic skeleton (watch until 1:30)

2.  Molting exoskeleton.  Note that every tiny appendage is reproduced in the new exoskeleton.

3. Bozeman Science Skeletal System Focus: functions of the skeletal system

4. Crash Course Biology Skeletal System

5.  Bone quizzes.  Keep going till you get 100%!

HW: finish reading Ch 19 in Mader.

HW after Quiz

Up next: Two days on the Musculoskeletal system...then we start dissecting the rat!  For homework this weekend, please begin reading Ch 19 in the Mader text, pp 367-378 on the skeletal system.

Also...I will be in meetings all day on Monday, so you'll be reviewing some lecture notes and video on your own.  You might want to bring headphones to listen to the videos on your iPads.

Week of March 30th

Monday/Tuesday: notes on the human circulatory system.  You will get about 20min to work on books in class.

Wednesday (55min): Your choice- you can use this time to put the last touches on your book and/or review for the quiz.  If we have time we will briefly present the books.  I recommend looking at each other's books to help review for the quiz (also the review guide, in Unit 4, also Mader text book and Bozeman Science videos).

Thursday/Friday: quiz on Digestive, Excretory, Respiratory, Circulatory systems, in animal phyla and humans.  Format will be multiple choice, probably some labeling, probably some comparison of systems across different animals, including humans (remember, when in doubt the answer is surface area!).  The quiz will be designed to be finished in about 35 minutes to accommodate Friday's half day.

Videos:
What does the spleen do?

Colbert Space Treadmill

Books and Upcoming Quiz

As mentioned before, book projects are due on Wednesday April 1st.  On Monday/Tuesday we will do notes on the human circulatory system, but it shouldn't take all class.  You can use the remainder of time to work together on the books.

I made a folder within the Unit 4 folder to share your book to when done.  You all have editing privileges so you should be able to upload the books.  Each of you should review the other books to prepare for the upcoming quiz, which will be on Thursday/Friday.  Friday is a half day so the quiz will be short (30 min) for each class.

Review guide is posted in the folder (Review guide DERC: digestive, excretory. respiratory and circulatory, get it?).  Look it over this weekend and come in prepared with questions.

Upcoming Work

The "Integrated Body Systems" project is posted in the unit 4 folder.  Please check there to see who is in your group.  This will be especially important to coordinate for sophomores who may miss class during MCAS next week.  The project will be due on April 1.  You should download Book Creator (free version from App Store- although technically only one group member needs this), and the Skitch app (also free) may be useful for labeling your drawings.

The next two systems we will discuss will be the respiratory (gas exchange) and circulatory (internal transport) systems.  I suggest reading these chapters either the day before or the day after we discuss them in class.  Below is the schedule for next week- posted so sophomores (or anyone) can plan ahead.  It should help you plan out your reading and prep for the book project as well.

Monday: Jellies will discuss excretory system.  Squids no class.

Tuesday: Jellies no class, Squids will discuss respiratory system in animal phyla.

Wednesday: Jellies will discuss respiratory system in animal phyla, Squids will discuss respiration in humans.  Link to lung model HERE

Thursday: Jellies will discuss respiration in humans.  I will be out this day: you should read over the lecture notes on your own.

Friday: (no MCAS) Both sections will be discussing circulation in animal phyla.

Because sophomores will be missing class,and I will be out one day, I will be posting lectures with notes filled in for respiration (both for animals and for humans).  Between the notes, the text, and other resources like Bozeman Science, you should be able to piece things together, with maybe a few questions to ask on Friday.

HW Thursday night

Read and notes on Ch 16 from the Mader folder on Excretion.  Focus on the function of the nephron.

Link to Bozeman Science Anatomy and Physiology playlist.

Reading on Digestion

Squids- Tuesday night, Jellies- Wednesday night:

Please read and take notes/highlight/underline CH 14 on Digestion, pp 260-271.

Also please download the free version of Book Creator from the App Store for an upcoming project.  (Don't tell any other teachers- you only get one book on the free version!!)

Intro to Unit 4, Anatomy and Physiology

HW tonight (Monday night 3/16) is a little bit of a hodge-podge of different readings, just laying the groundwork for this unit.

All can be found in the Mader folder.  Please read and take notes on

Ch 11: pp 206-207 (overview of body systems)
Ch 11: pp 210-212 (how homeostasis is maintained)
Ch 30: pp 618-620 (overview of animal phyla)

Tomorrow we will begin with the digestive system.

Biotech resources

For anyone who was out at the field trip today, you can run through this virtual lab on gel electrophoresis: http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/labs/gel/

In class on Wednesday/Thursday, the virtual DNA microarray: http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/labs/microarray/.  If you are out one of these days you can review 2 of 2 Genetics Recombinant DNA.

Post-quiz HW

Only HW for the next few days is the Corn Lab final.  Due Wednesday the 11th.

Thursday March 5th, Instructions for class time while I am out

Today you will take your Protein Synthesis Quiz.  Unfortunately I will not be available to answer questions.  Do your best and if necessary explain your thinking on the quiz document.

After the quiz begin reviewing the feedback on your Corn Lab.  Please be sure to check the rubric in the Unit 3 folder.  The final will be due on Wednesday the 11th.

Up next- a quick three day mini-unit on biotechnology.  If you finish the quiz early and are looking for something else to do during class time, please read pp 498-503 in Mader, Ch 24.

Quiz on Protein Synthesis, Lab Final

There will be a quiz on protein synthesis on Thursday.  25 multiple choice, 20 points of open response.

After the quiz please begin work on your Corn Lab final.  Everyone will have feedback on the Corn lab drafts by Thursday morning.  The finals will be due on Wednesday the 11th.

Lac Operon Flow chart

HW: complete a flow chart describing how the lac operon works.  Detailed instructions are on the last page of the DNAftb Lesson 33 document in the Unit 3 folder.

There are lots of resources online about how to make flow charts.  You don't need to go crazy on the rules and conventions of the flow chart; it's more important that the content is correct.

Another sample:

Weekend HW

Go to DNAftb.org Lessons 21 and 22 (under "Molecules of Genetics").  Read the Concept for each, then go to the Problem tab and complete the questions.

You can review the animations if you wish but its not necessary.  

HW: translation reading

Mader, Ch 24 on translation: pp 493-496.

Reminder that the videos are on the previous post- scroll to the bottom to see other options.

HW first day after Feb break

Draft of Corn lab due this Wednesday

HW: read pages 490-491 from CH 24 in the Mader text (in Drive folder)

Links to animations:

Transcription

Splicing

Course selection

Make your selection here

Genetics Quiz Friday

Here's the format:

10 multiple choice, 5 open response (ie genetics problems) worth 5 pts each.  20 points in all.  There will be one chi-sq (you will get the formula and table) so please bring a calculator.

Jellies- you should be all set.  Look over the problem on DNAftb.org Lesson 11 for a little more review on linked genes and maps.

Squids- Don't worry if you haven't done your lab draft yet- that can wait until after break.  Look over the Genetics Day 4 lecture notes.  We will go over those tomorrow (Wednesday), and DNAftb Lesson 11.  I will be available to review during X-block tomorrow.

Remember the review guide is in the Unit 3 folder.  Reminder also to turn the following into your Drive folder:

• DNAftb Lesson 10
• Genetics Practice Problems (answer key now posted)
• DNAftb Lesson 11
• Corn lab draft- if its done.  If not, you can turn it in after break.

I don't take off for late work, so even if you have a zero (Not turned in) for an assignment now, after you turn it in and I update grades will get get regular credit.

Well, this is how co-dominance works

Thursday night HW, Feb 5- UPDATE

UPDATE- I'm going to push back the due date for the draft one day.  So Jellies, draft due Tuesday; Squids, draft due Wednesday.  Please keep in mind that we will have a quiz on genetics on the Friday before break.  There is an outline in the Unit three folder.  This will be a quiz (not test) and will include several genetics crosses.

Jellies, your draft of the corn lab will be due on Monday.  I know this is a bit of a quick turn-around, but the results and conclusion should be fairly straightforward, and I've outlined the info that should be included in the introduction.  Remember that this is only a draft at this point.

Squids- Please finish up the "Genetics Practice problems" if you didn't finish in class.  Then read over the corn lab rubric and begin researching the genetics and reproduction of corn.  We will do the lab in class on Friday; draft will be due Tuesday.

HW night of Feb 3

Jellies- please review the rest of the slides in the Genetics Day 3 lecture about Chi-sq.  Then complete the "Genetics Practice Problems" in the Unit 3 folder.  Also if you want, check DNAftb Lesson 13 about pedigrees.

Squids- please complete DNAftb Lesson 10.  See the previous post about getting the animation to work on your iPad, or use a laptop/desktop.  If you already finished Lesson 10, please look over Lesson 13.

Jelly Weekend HW, Squid Monday night HW

Watch the animation for DNAftb.org Lesson 10.  The document to fill out is in the Unit 3 folder.  Remember that you can view the animation on a laptop or desktop, or use the app Puffin Browser (x-out of the window asking for the email address) to make the animation work on your iPad.

Jellies should do this over the weekend; Squids should do this Monday night.

Beginning of Q3 and Snow Day

Happy Snow Day, everyone!

Reminder for everyone to get any missing Q2 work in ASAP.  Some people are still missing the Paperclip Meiosis document.  Remember, the movie is extra credit and does NOT count in place of doing the regular assignment.  A few people are missing the Stem Cells thing.  Info for both assignments can be found in the 2D folder.

Coming up- Squids, you should look over the document I just posted in the Unit 3 folder called "Mendelian Genetics HW notes."  This is a copy of a lecture from another teacher in Belmont.  Its just another resource to review what we did in class on Monday.  Solve the three problems on the last slide.

For your viewing pleasure: School is closed.  Your move, Mr. Sills.

Weekend HW

The non-extra credit (ie mandatory) part of Paperclip Meiosis is to make a document with a picture and description (can be bulleted list) of each of the phases or steps listed on the assignment.  Finish up any descriptions you need for the Paperclip Meiosis.  Make sure you turn it in to your folder when you are complete.

If you made a movie (that is, if you are the person with the movie on your iPad), send me an email and I will add you to an iCloud photo album.  Then look for an email with an invitation to the Meiosis photo album.  From Lego Movie Maker, upload your movie to your camera roll, then you should be able to share it to the Meiosis album.  You have until the end of the quarter to turn in the movie for extra credit.

Continue reviewing for unit 2D quiz.  Outline in the 2D folder.

HW tonight: Meiosis reading

HW tonight is the meiosis reading in the Unit 2D folder.  Reminder that there will be a quiz on Unit 2D next week (Tuesday/Wednesday).  Review outline in the 2D folder.

Video from today: http://highered.mheducation.com/sites/0072495855/student_view0/chapter28/animation__how_meiosis_works.html

First day back

Welcome back- I hope you all had a restful break.

Coming up we will be wrapping up Unit 2D with meiosis.  Quiz on all of Unit 2D will be on 1/13 and 1/14.  Check the folder for the study outline.

HW tonight:  begin reviewing for quiz next week.  Also make sure your Drive folder is up to date, including Osmosis lab final, strawberry lab, stem cell thing (from in class on the laptops).

Animation of meiosis: http://highered.mheducation.com/sites/0072495855/student_view0/chapter28/animation__stages_of_meiosis.html