Finals and packet

All packets for all classes are do tomorrow by 1:00, I will not accept late work.

Extra credit can be turned in latest Thursday at 1:00.  Both of these times are one day extensions from the original due date.

Please go over the study guide and ask the questions to turn in before the finals.

Have a great break and Happy Holidays!!!

12/11/13

Quiz tomorrow (Wednesday), which is a minimum day.

Please be able to describe the process of transcription and translation statring from DNA, to the RNA's, and finally to proteins.

You should also understand how to use the triplet codon chart to determine amino acids from nucleic acids.

There will be a quarter final next Thursday and all extra credit is due by next Wednesday..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GZXRMG5i_w   

12/3/12

Just over two weeks to go in the semester.  Remember that all extra credit must be turned in no later than the Wednesday prior to break.  Tomorrow we'll be getting the rest of the final semester packet and starting GATTACA Thursday and Friday.

There's a quiz scheduled for next Tuesday on the structure of DNA and the Central Dogma of Biology.


Here's a video on the importance of Roseland Franklin's and Watson & Cricks amazing discovery in the early 50"s that changed our understanding of life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf0YXnAFBs8

 

The second packets are due Tuesday


Here's a link an  ultimate disc team which is varsity girls from a high school in Wisconsin.  We're currently trying to form a team at Pitman of both girls and  boys during winter months to compete with the many established  regional high school teams in the region.  Please come to B220 to sign up as an interested player. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhvL5pcDiTQ

11/21/13

Today we read and wrote about Mountain Gorillas in Africa, here is a link to a video which further documents what is happening there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfIys4XLUDk 

We will be finishing the Mendel Genetics unit by Tuesday which is when the test is scheduled next week.

11/19/13

Packets for part 1 of the genetics unit are due Wednesday, we will have some time in class, but complete what you need at home to avoid losing points for being late.

Wedensday 11/13

Tomorrow we'll be continuing with probability determining 25 traits.  After 1500 "flips" today of all the classes heads came out with just 7 more than tails.  It was 50.3% to 49.7%.

There will be a quiz on Friday covering the lesson we did today.

Second quarter progress reports are already open so please try to get in any extra credit by the end of the week.

Wednesday 11/6

Wednesday is a minimum day and the scheduled quiz has been postponed until Thursday.

You will need to know the cell cycle labelling the stages of interphase, and the steps of mitosis.  You will also have to calculate the percent of time a given cell is in the stages of mitosis based on average cell life spans.

You will also need to know the process of meiosis, mitosis, and why cells divide.  It will not be multiple choice and worth 30 points.

I will accept packets at the beginning of class Thursday, though we will not have time on class tomorrow to work on it.

11/4/13

WOW, week 12 already.

The Mitosis and Meiosis unit ends on Wednesday.

We'll be finishing the vocabulary test on Tuesday and turning in the packets on Wednesday before the test that same day

Next unit is genetics! 

Wednesday 10/30/13

There will be a 18 point vocabulary quiz this Friday.  You should know at least 6 of the words you went over today, as you can choose which six on the quiz.

Packets are due next Wednesday and the unit test will be that day as well.

Tomorrow we'll be covering Meiosis in detail and the important stages of Prophase 1 and Metaphase 1 in establishing genetic variation.

Here is a good link explaining crossing over and independent assortment in Meiosis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCnQOrh7KUg

Have a fun and safe Halloween!

10/21/1310.

Week 10 and the end of the quarter already!

We will be finishing the Photosysnthesis and cellular respiration unit and starting cell division through mitosis and meiosis this week.

The benchmark quarter final is this Wednesday.  We'll be reviewing for part of the period tomorrow and Tuesday and the review guide handout will also be due.

Please put in the time to study the benchmarks are worth 10% of the semester grade.
 

10/14/13

Final grades for quarter 1 are complete.  I will be meeting with all of you on Wednesday to go over progress.

Here's the link to the video the afternoon classes were able to watch today (without buffering problems).  We will be finishing it tomorrow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GZXRMG5i_w

The American Idle assignment will be extra credit if you perform in front of the class, or make a video.  BE CREATIVE!!!!!



 

10/8/13

TEST and packet due this Thursday

Tomorrow we'll be starting a lab that could take us into the minimum day on Wednesday.

Be sure to finish all pages in the packet and to staple additional pages to it, the data pages and video write up will stay in your notebook to be graded separately.

Here's the link to the "cells alive" website.

www.cellsalive.com

10/1/13

Already October, the quarter ends October 18th.

The new unit on cell membrane and homeostasis is a quick one, just over a week.  There is a test scheduled for next Tuesday.

On Wednesday you have the opportunity to get back up to ten points on the test we took last week.  We will have a re-take of a few of the main points of the unit.

Extra credit is due not later than the 12th of October for this quarter, please be sure to check in with me if you have some ideas beyond what is advertised in the packet.

Here's a link to the video "Secret Universe of Cells"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GZXRMG5i_w

Monday 9/23

We'll be finishing the lab tomorrow, then doing the test review on Wednesday.

Unit test and packets due on Thursday.  Please be sure to finish ALL pages in the packet.  The crossword puzzle will be 7 points extra credit if completed.

 

Friday 9/20

Homecoming rally today, rally schedule.

Vocabulary quiz part two, same words as listed in previous post.

We will be doing a lab Monday and Tuesday, review Wednesday, and the unit test will be next Thursday.  Please be sure your packet is completely done by that day.

Have a great weekend!

Vocabulary quiz tomorrow. Here are the words you need to know:

1. Cell                                                         h. golgi apparatus
2. cell theory                                               i. eukaryote
3. nucleus                                                    j. endoplasmic reticulum
4. prokaryote                                               k. organelle
5. cell membrane                                         l. mitochondria
6. cytoplasm                                                m. chloroplast
ribosome                                               

You should also be able to list the three parts of the cell theory.

¡1.  All living things are made of cells.

¡2.  Cells are the basic unit of structure and function in all living organisms.

¡3.  All cells come from pre-existing cells.

Tomorrow we'll be finishing the lab we started, therefore the vocabulary quiz is postponed until Monday.

Have a great weekend!

9/11/13

Tomorrow we'll be starting a two day lab on enzyme reactions.

The main focus this week has been on BIO-MOLECULES, enzyme reactions, and nucleotides

you should know the 4 molecules we're focusing on.

1) Lipids
2) Carbohydrates
3) Nucleic acids
4) Amino acids


Enzymes are specialized proteins that help to make bio chemical reactions for efficient (they serve as a catalyst)

A nucleotide  is one base of DNA consisting of one sugar, phosphate, and nitrogenous group

Remember that there will be a vocabulary quiz on Friday, be sure to complete your vocabulary before coming to class tomorrow and study.

Week 4

Week 4 already!   Great job on the unit 1 packets, most of you scored 80% or above.

Today is an early release day because of back to school night.

I will offer extra credit if you show up with your  parents (which I'm excited to meet)

This week we start the exploration into the structure and organelles of cells.  It's truly remarkable that each of our individual cells (we have trillions of them) is a "universe" of its own.

This Friday there's a vocabulary quiz.  Please study your vocabulary all year.  If you know the terms you will increase your understanding of the subject matter (and success in the class.) 

See everyone tomorrow, and hopefully tomorrow night as well.

Thursday 9/5/13

Test tomorrow and the packets are turned in.  Please remember to go through the packet and complete ALL pages. 

For the "characteristics of life" lab we did in class you need to have at least 6 of the stations done.  If you could not complete all six use something from home and do it tonight.

You also should have done at least 2 of the stations today, I realize that the precision scale took some time.

Please remember to answer all the questions that go with the labs.

The class is weighted as the following :

60% packets/lab/class work/notebooks
30% Tests
10% Benchmark/participation/merit (behavior)

Do your best!!

Tuesday

Welcome back, I hope everyone had a nice three day weekend.

Today we're doing a lab observation activity getting back to the characteristics of life.

Tomorrow we'll be going over the SI or "System International" based on the metric system.

The unit test will be Thursday so please be sure to go over the information listed on the second page of your packet.

Here's an interesting video of lab grown human brains.  WOW!

http://msnvideo.msn.com/?channelindex=4&from=en-us_msnhpvidmod#/video/7b829a8a-7d8e-421d-9815-89385c0718ca

Friday!

Quiz!

Scientific Method...5 steps

Data collection error...4 reasons

An interesting time lapse of the Rim fire.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97BrYoq1ly0

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday

Scientific method:

Make an observation

Ask a question

Make a hypothesis

design and conduct an experiment

Draw a conclusion

Remember to understand the difference between DEPENDENT and INDEPENDENT variables

Example-An experiment to determine how length of day effects plant growth.

Independent-Length of day
Dependent -Plant growth.

This too will be on the quiz this Friday

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPW4yPYCMw0

An example of human error.

Monday!

Welcome back for week 2

This week we'll be focusing on three things:  The scientific method, sources of sampling error, and the metric sysytem.

There will be a quiz on this material on Friday!

Remember that everywhere in the world uses the metric system in science even here in the US, it is important to know the basic conversions because we too will using the metric system all year.

Tomorrow we're doing a lesson on sampling error, and a demonstration.

The four main reasons for sampling error are the following (this is what you should know for the quiz)

1) Rounding, Precision, and Accuracy
2)Sampling (when was the sample taken)
3) Technical and human error (nothing is perfect)
4) Unintentional bias
Tomorrow



The tving a bias

Tomorrow we get our books, make sure to bring your ID cards and leave the book at home ( we have class sets). 

The field of microscope work is called "Microscopy"

Today many of you were able to properly focus in on a specimen at 40 magnification, some even up to 400!  If you haven't been checked off yet be sure to get it done tomorrow in class.

The Scanning Electron Microscope is the most powerful microscope.
Here's a video of some amazing images into the micro world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIOOLXbwWME


Have a great weekend!

8/20/13

There will be a short quiz this Friday on the seven properties of life, this is what you need to know

 

Chpt.1-4: Properties of Life Notes

 

What is biology?

Biology is…………………

 

The study of life

 

There are many branches of biology that scientists study because life is so diverse!

 

 

Properties of Life

1. CELLULAR ORGANIZATION

Living things are made up of units called cells

The basic structure of cells is the same in all organisms

Examples: People, plants, animals

 

2. HOMEOSTASIS

 Living things maintain a stable internal environment. A stable internal environment is needed or organisms to function.

 

3. METABOLISM

Living things obtain and use materials and energy.

Metabolism is the sum of all chemical reactions carried out in an organism.

 

4. RESPONSIVENESS

Living things respond to their external environment

Example: Plants bend toward sunlight

 

5. REPRODUCTION

Living things reproduce. Reproduction is when organism make more of their own kind from one generation to the next.

 

6. HEREDITY

Heredity is the passing of genetic traits from parent to offspring.

This explains why children look like their parents

 

7. GROWTH

All living things grow and develop

As organisms grow, they change. This is called development.

8/19/2013

Welcome to the new school year!

Please be sure to check this site regularly for course information, assignments, necessary information, and interesting stuff.

I look forward to getting to know you all.