Thursday, April 9, 2009

Homework Assigned April 10th, Due April 17th and May 1

I am sorry for the end of the year confusion about make ups, but I am going to add one more make up lab, on Friday, May 15th. I didn't remember that there is a conflict for many of you who are taking Geometry at 10:30. We will have a double lab on May 1, for one make up. the field trip will be a double make up for those who would prefer to finish by May 8th. We will do one last make up lab on the 15th, for those who won't be able to make the field trip and the double lab. Please let me know if you will be doing a make up on the 15th.

We will finish the year reading about evolution:
Due May 17:
Read Chapter 15 and answer questions: on pg 372 1, 2; pg 377 1, 2, 3; pg 386 1, 2, 3.
Chapter 16 read section 16-2 and 16-3 and answer questions 1-4 on pg 402 and 1 &2 on pg 410.

Due May 1th:
Read Chapter 17 and answer questions 1-3 on pg 422; 1-4 on pg 428; question 1 on pg 440
Read Chapter 18 and answer questions 1, 2, 3 on pg 450; 1, 2 pg 455 and 1, 2 pg 461.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Lab Portion of the Take-Home test assigned March 20th

Homework for this week is to read Chapters 38 and 40 and to answer the section assessments throughout both Chapters. Please pass in any homework, especially the take home test assigned last week, since you will be graded on it.


Take Home Test: Chapter 35, Nervous System, Chapter 36, Skeletal, Muscular and Integumentary Systems


Please write out the questions and answers fully.

Chapter 35

Answer questions on pg 917 and on page 918 answer the writing in science question:

At the beginning of the chapter, you read about how the systems of the body work together toward a common goal, winning a basketball game. Imagine that you are playing soccer. Using figure 35-2 as a reference, pick five body systems that are most involved in the activity, and explain how the body systems are working together. Be sure to include your reasons for picking the five body systems that you chose.


Answer questions 27, 29, 31 and 36 on pg 918 for extra/ honors credit

Chapter 36

Answer the questions on pg. 939

For extra/honors credit answer questions 28, 29, 20, 32.

Lab Notes Questions:

Draw and label the ligaments on one joint of the bird wing

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Draw one tendon to bone, tendon to muscle and tendon to bone link on one joint of the bird wing below:



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Label the parts of the eye in the diagram below and briefly state the function of each part:

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The fovea is the point in the back of the eye where the image is focused. Please diagram and explain what two situations in which common vision defects can occur and how these defects may be corrected.

















Draw and describe in detail the cerebrum. Include the appearance on the outside, the structure on the inside and main function of this brain area.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Homework Assigned March 20th Due April 3

There will be NO CLASSES ON FRIDAY, MARCH 27TH. Instead, we will do our make up during a longer class on the last day of class, May 1st, doing an outdoor biology and chemistry freshwater lab at the Hunt residence.

Please complete and bring to class on April 3rd the take home test sent by separate email

We have a lot to accomplish before the end of the year. I will send individual emails to the students with the dates that their presentations are due.

Below are pasted the links for the virtual dissections of the sheep's brain (thanks to Brenna for the Wellesley college video):

Sheep Brain Dissection



http://www.exploratorium.edu./memory/braindissection/index.html



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyWT18x2x94&feature=related




Please read chapters 37 (Circulatory and Respiratory Systems) and 39 (Endocrine and Reproductive Systems) and answer the section assessment questions (these are the 4-6 question answers spread throughout the chapters). Change as of March 30th: Read only Sections 1 and 2 and answer questions for Chapter 39. We will read chapters 38 and 40 for next week.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Homework Assigned March 13th Due March 20th

This week we dissected cow eyes. Below are links to some virtual dissections, to help with the lab notebooks:

http://www.eschoolonline.com/company/examples/eye/eyedissect.html

http://exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/cow_eye/

http://www.forgefx.com/casestudies/prenticehall/ph/cow-eye/cow-eye.htm

Everyone should at least look at the Exploratorium video, which has great information. Please print out and bring to class the handouts attached to the email sent March 15th.


I have requested that everyone communicate individually with me about their projects. We have to start scheduling presentations starting in the next few weeks. Have at least 2 references and start to put some thought into how you will do the presentation. Please email me if you need any help. I have decided to assign the promised take home test for over the week off (REMINDER: there are NO CLASSES at MMEC on Friday, March 27th) and instead am requesting that everyone bring in their completed lab notebooks so that I can check them and know that you are prepared for the take home test. Please complete the section assessments for chapters 35 and 36 if you haven't already, and email them to me so that I can correct them and address any problems or questions before you are taking the test.

I also need to announce that there will be no Biology class on Friday, April 17th for Biology Students only. Make up details to follow shortly.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Homework assigned March 6th due March 13th

During the lab on Friday the students started anatomy workbooks. We re-visited the lab from the week before (modeling sight defects). We discussed and wrote down the information that needs to be put in the lab notebook. Since most of these labs are dissections and looking at anatomy, we will not do formal write-ups. The students will be graded on the quality of their notebooks and information will be used from the labs in the take home tests.

The lab this week focused on aspects of the skeletal-muscular system. We used examples of different hinges and applied movement of various pieces of hardware to our own bodies and how they move in an attempt to classify the types of joints in our bodies. We then dissected a chicken wing and looked at and manipulated the tendons, ligaments and muscles and determined how and where they are attached to each other and how they function in moving the body. This lab is on page 930 of the textbook. Please answer all lab questions in your lab notebook and add more information/background based on the lab.

Homework to be passed in on March 13th: students should read chapter 36, Skeletal, Muscular and Integumentary Systems and answer questions on p.925, 931 and 936.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Homework, Feb. 27th Due March 6th

Please Note: There will be no class for Biology students on Friday, April 17th

Homework:
The assignment for this week is to read Chapter 35, the Human body: Nervous System and to answer the questions for the chapter assessments, pgs. 896, 900, 905, 909 and 914. This information will be posted on the blog. Please fill in the Brain Worksheet and the Neuron Worksheet and be sure to bring them with you to class on March 6th.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Assigned Feb. 6th

Assigned today, Feb. 6th

Today in class we discussed a project the students will put together and present to the rest of the class. For this week, students will pick a topic. I am looking for an email from each student with a topic or with a request for help. The topic guidelines are that it must be a biology topic or biology related topic that is of interest to the student and preferably one that raises ethical or moral questions or is topical (discussed in the media). The students will need to find at least 3 sources (for this week, they should read what is in their books and search for one other source. In general, I would like the students to check our the science topics in the paper, or in NPR transcripts, (don't forget about science Friday), etc. I would like to hear from everyone by Wednesday, even if it is just a request for help or a question. The final presentation can take many forms: the classic poster board, a play, video, power point presentation, models or demonstrations and should last for about 10 minutes. Students may change topics if they find something else of interest.
Below is a combined list of possible topics. Please note that you aren't required to use this list. This is just what we talked about and brainstormed about today in class:
Cloning
Biofuels
Stem cell research
Genetically modified foods
Lyme disease (what has happened to deer and tick populations so that we hear about so many infections?)
overuse of antibiotics
immunization
Climate change or global warming
steroid abuse
Drug Use--Prescription medications
childhood prescriptions
diet drugs
overmedication of the elderly
drug "fads" over time
Addiction
Gene patents
Genetic counseling and surrounding issues
RNAi (interference)
Retroviruses
genetic engineering
In-breeding of companion animals and farm animals
Plant monocultures (especially plants for food)
Invasive species
Evolution
Smoking