December 5-December 16

Can you believe there are only 2 weeks left before Winter Break?  This is a great time to make up any missing assignments and plan any extra credit you might want to do over break.

• Monday 12/5:  Anaerobic respiration and fermentation.  Introduce photosynthesis, some notes and work on Photosynthesis worksheet.  Questions on Metabolic Rate Lab?  Read 9.5 and 10.1.
• Wed 12/7:  Photosynthesis:  light dependent and light independent reactions.  Action spectra and absorption spectra.  Chemiosmosis in chloroplasts.  The Calvin Cycle.  1st Draft of Metabolic Rate Lab due Friday.  Read 10.2.
• Fri 12/9:  Exchange Metabolic Rate Labs, try assessing using the IB Rubric and give feedback.  Final Draft is due before Winter Break (include Color-Marked copy).   Demonstrations of how to measure rate of photosythesis.  Comparing mitochondria to chloroplasts worksheet.  Next Thursday we will be taking a Chapter 9+10 Test.  Read 10.3 and 10.4.
• Tues 12/13:  OAKS Test for Juniors.  This will not take the whole class period. Jeopardy Review for Chapter 9 + 10 Test.
• Thursday 12/15:  Turn in 9+10 Review notes and Chloroplast/Mitochondrion Worksheet.  Take Chapter 9+10 Test.  Turn in Metabolic Rates Lab and Color-Marked version if not already. 

Have a very relaxing winter break!  I will see you in 2012!

Parent-Teacher Conferences Next Week--Parents Please Read!!

Next Monday and Tuesday, November 21st and 22nd, will be a chance to come in and discuss your student's progress.  The sessions will be held 8:30-11:30 am, 1:00-4:00 pm, and 5:30-8:30 pm on both days.  I want to let you know that on Tuesday, November 22nd,  I will not be available until 10:00 am because I will be meeting with the teachers of my own children across town.  I hope that I will still be able to meet with all parents who want to conference.  You are more than welcome to bring your student with you.  It is frequently very helpful to have their voice present at the conference.

I look forward to meeting with many of you next week!

November 14-December 1

• Mon 11/14:  Surface Area Lab with Agar Cubes.  Lab write-up due Friday 11/18.  Include completed data table, 4 sample calculations, and conclusion/evaluation.  Questions on Cell Review??
• Wed 11/16:  Turn in Cell Review.  Take Cell Test.  Read "Energy, Cells & Life".  Overview of Cellular Respiration.  Read 9.1.
• Fri 11/18:  Turn in Surface Area and Diffusion Lab.  Mapping out the steps of Glycolysis.  Citric Acid Cycle.  Read 9.2 and 9.3.
• Tues 11/29:  Lab:  Measuring your metabolic rate.  Read 9.4.  Quiz on Thursday.
• Thurs 12/1:  Glycolysis/citric acid cycle quiz.  Fermentation and anaerobic respiration.  Read 9.5.

End of 1st Quarter Deadline

Your deadline for late work and extra credit to be included in your 1st Quarter Grade is Monday, November 7 by 3:20 pm.  The only exception is that you may go to the SPARK lecture on the afternoon of November 7th and turn in your write-up by FLEX on Wednesday, November 9th.  Make sure that you check EdBox for missing assignments and ask me if you have any questions. 

This deadline holds even though you don't have class on Monday!

October 31-November 11

• Mon 10/31:  Quiz on Cells.  Groups in Cell Model Project?  Notes on Membranes.  Complete Membrane Worksheet.  Read 7.1.
• Wed 11/2:  "Bubble Lab".  Complete and turn in both sides of WS.  Permeability of membranes.  Read 7.2.
• Fri 11/4:  Osmosis & Diffusion Lab.  Work on Cell Model Project, due next Tuesday.  Read 7.3.
• Tues 11/8:  Present and Evaluate Cell Models.  Turn in Osmosis and Diffusion Lab.   Surface Area and Diffusion Lab.  Read 7.4.
• Thur 11/10:  No School.  Teacher Grading Day for End of the 1st Quarter!
• Fri 11/11:  No School.  Veterans Day.

Week-End Update (Quiz, Paramecium Lab, and Cell Project)

I will probably not update the website until the end of the week-end, so in the meantime, don't forget that there is a quiz on cells on Monday 10/31.  Your best bet is to study the Intro To Cells Worksheet and make sure that you know how to focus in on and measure things in a microscope.  See "How to Use a Microscope" for help.

The Paramecium Lab (1st side only) is due on Monday.  You just need to complete the answers to the questions on the worksheet.  Some of them require you to speculate about what you think was happening with the paramecia, even if you were not able to observe that particular thing with your own paramecia.

Also, remember that we have a Cell Model Project due on Tuesday, November 8th.  I will ask you on Monday who you plan to work with and what initial ideas you have.  All of the documents mentioned in this post have been added to the website, so look there for more information.  Enjoy your week-end!

October 17-October 27

• Mon 10/17:  Introduction to cells.  Cell Theory.   Prokaryote vs. Eukaryote.  Organelles.  Take notes and finish Introduction to Cells Worksheet, due at the end of the period on Wednesday.  Read 6.1.
• Wed 10/19:  Take Biochem Test.   Finish Intro to Cells WS.  Powers of 10 Video.   Read 6.2.
• Fri 10/21:  Turn in Food Lab.  In addition to your write up itself, turn in the scores for manipulative skills done by your lab partner and a short paragraph written by you discussing your manipulative skills to date (see rubric for these skills in document section if you need to).  Microscope Skills.  Observing, Drawing & Measuring Cells.  Read 6.3.
• Tues 10/24:  Using a microscope to view eukaryotes and prokaryotes.  Read 6.4.
• Thurs 10/26:  Turn in Observing, Drawing & Measuring Cell.  Viewing paramecium in the process of digestion.  Paramecium Hand-out due Monday 10/31.   Read 6.5.

October 3--14

• Monday 10/3:  Notes on Proteins and Nucleic Acids.  Go over items for quiz on Wednesday (Identifying functional groups, isomers, identifying monosaccharides, disaccharides, fatty acids, fats (saturated and unsaturated), amino acids, and polypeptides (there will not be any nucleic acids).  You should also be able to describe what a condensation or dehydration synthesis is and show how it works between 2 molecules.)  Finish Science Dictionary Coloring.  Read 5.4 and 5.5.
• Wednesday 10/5:  Structural Chemistry Quiz.  Building Models of Organic Molecules.
• Friday 10/7:  DNA Structure.  4 Tests for Identifying Organic Molecules.
• Tuesday 10/11:   Lab:  Identifying Organic Molecules in Foods using the 4 Tests.  Essential Questions for Biochemistry Test (next Wednesday 10/19).
• Wednesday 10/12:  Testing Day.  Very short (20 minute)  classes.  Finish food group lab.
• Thursday 10/13:  B Day (no class for you)
• Friday 10/14:  Statewide Inservice Day.  No School.

SPARKS Lecture on Monday 10/3!

Remember that guest speaker, Matt Clark, Executive Director of the Johnson Creek Watershed Council will be speaking on the subject: "Salmon Restoration Project in the Metro Area's only Free Flowing Stream", on Monday from 3:45-4:30 pm in room 169.

You can get extra credit for your science class if you do the following:

1)  Make sure that you get there early or on time as the door is closed when the room is full!
2)  Sign in and/or get a signature from the speaker or science teacher present to verify that you were there
3)  Write a 1-2 page summary of what the speaker talked about and YOUR RESPONSE to it.  Please do not just turn in notes.  Transcribe them into a more readable format to get the extra credit.

September 19-30

You've made it through the first 2 weeks of school!  If you haven't already turned in your signed Safety Contract and Academic Honesty Contract, please do so ASAP.  Those will be the first 2 "assignments" on your Points Sheet and on Edbox.  I am starting to enter grades, but as far as I know, Edbox is not yet available to students.   Keep an updated Points Sheet and you will know your grade.

• Mon 9/19:  Questions on Brine Shrimp Lab or Statistics Packet?  Go over further statistics on packet.  Packet due on Friday.  Graphing data using LoggerPro.  Go to Computer Lab to make graphs.  Remember that your first draft (preferably word-processed) of the Brine Shrimp Lab is due Wednesday.  We will have a quiz on statistics on Friday.
• Wed 9/21:   Color-mark another student's Brine Shrimp Lab and then return to them and give feedback.  Final draft due next Thurs 9/29, although it can certainly be turned in earlier, especially if your revisions are minimal!  Hand out Chemistry Review and work on this using text books (Chapters 2+3) and group members.  Chemistry Review due Tues 9/27.
• Fri 9/23:  Turn in Statistics Packet.  Quiz on statistics.  Water Properties Stations Lab.  Turn in LoggerPro graphs ASAP if not already.  If you need help, ask me in class or shoot me an e-mail.
• Tues 9/27:  Turn in Chem Review and Water Properties Lab.  Read "Molecules of Life".  Recognizing Functional Groups in Organic Compounds.  Read 4.1-4.3
• Thurs 9/29:  Final Brine Shrimp Lab Due (include color-marked version).  Sugars and carbs.  Linkage activity.  Read 5.1 and 5.2 in Campbell.

Welcome to the 2011-2012 School Year!

Every week or two, I will be writing a post on this blog that details the current activities and homework.  Sometimes we will not get to all that was planned or there will be slight changes, but for the most part, this is a very good place to look to see what we did in class.  In addition, you will find that most class documents will be available on the side using Google Docs.  Occasionally the formatting for documents suffers in the translation to Googledocs.  If you have questions (students or parents), feel free to e-mail me at mkenny@pps.net

• Tues 9/6:  Short classes.  Take Roll.  Students fill out information sheets.  Demonstrate Early Work.  Hand out Classroom Expectations.  Read them and bring questions this week or next.
• Wed 9/7:  First Early Work.  Go over basic classroom rules and routines.  Small group activity:  parts of speech of science.  Share out class ideas.  First lab activity:  counting brine shrimp cysts.  You and your lab partner should each count the cysts in the 7 identified quadrats, then calculate your estimate for the total number of cysts.  Show work neatly in the space provided on the front or back of the lab hand-out.  Before you go, hydrate your cysts and leave to hatch.  Read 1.1 in text.
• Fri 9/9:  Hand out Safety Contract and Academic Honesty Contract.  Bring them both back signed by yourself and a parent/guardian by Thurs 9/15.  Attempt to count live (hatched) brine shrimp.  If not enough hatched yet, pick up statistics hand-out for TI-84's and work through it.  I will bring the t-test information on Tuesday so that you can complete it then.   After counting is complete, everyone in the class can begin working with the live brine shrimp to find a factor (light, color, salinity, etc.) that might affect their behavior in a measurable way.  We will carry out this experiment next Tuesday and/or Thursday depending on whether you were able to count your brine shrimp today.  Read 1.2 in text.
• Tues 9/13:   Count hatched brine shrimp and calculate percent hatching.  Finish TI-84 activity.  Turn in TI-84 Activity and Brine Shrimp counts hand-out by Thurs 9/15.  Complete your plan for the brine shrimp behavior inquiry and turn it in to me today.  Hand out IB Biology Survival Guide.  Read 1.3.
• Thurs 9/15:  Carry out Brine Shrimp Inquiry.  Take data, start processing data, and write down possible conclusions.  Written lab due Wed 9/21 for color-marking.  Hand out "Using Statistics to Illuminate Data".  Do pages 23-25 of this packet by Mon 9/19.