The Week of 9/29-10/4

• Mon 9/29:  Enter Whitaker Ponds data into class database.  Finish Animal Phyla sorting activity.  Complete hand-out for Wednesday.
• Wed 10/1:  Turn in Animal phyla sorting activity.  Classification categories.  Phylogenetic trees.  Introduce Animal Poster Project.
• Fri 10/3:  Turn in Field Trip Assignment.  Work on Animal Poster Project and Animal Classification Activity, both due Wed 10/8.

The Week of 9/22-9/26

• Mon 9/22:  Finish Fish Dichotomous Key and work on your own.
• Wed 9/24:  Exchange dichotomous keys, do them, and give feedback.  Field Trip Prep!  Hand out Field Trip Sheet with expectations.  Give Field Trip Groups.  Assign tasks within your group and assemble materials.  
• Fri 9/26:  Field Trip to Whitaker Ponds!!  The AM bus is leaving at 8:30, so arrive in the classroom at 8:15!  The PM bus is leaving at 11:30, so arrive at the classroom before that!  Make sure that you wear sturdy shoes and are prepared for the weather and to get dirty.  Bring your own snacks and/or lunch.  We will not be stopping to buy anything!

Dichotomous Key Assignment, due Wed 9/24

Create a dichotomous key relying on OBSERVABLE characteristics of at least ten items or organisms.  Your key should work!!  You should also supply pictures or drawings of your items or organisms, much like the page of fish you used today.  Previous examples include athletic shoes, students in the class, television shows, flowers, dogs, fruit.  Be sure that someone else in the class will know enough about your topic to use the key.

Due on Wed, 9/24.  Graded on how well it works, reasonable choice of statements, and creativity. (15 points total)

The Week of 9/15-9/19 (edited)

• Mon 9/15:  Turn in Biotic Factors Hand-Out if not already.   Describing Weather.  Read the hand-out and then go outside to perform the tests.  Prepare for Wednesday's short test on Ecology.
• Wed 9/17:  Short Test on Ecology.  Start Dichotomous Key Fish Assignment.  Turn in Signed Field Trip form ASAP.
• Fri 9/19:  Finish Fish Activity.  Water and Soil Tests.

Field Trip to Whitaker Ponds is Friday, September 26!  Remember to get your Field Trip Form signed.

Welcome to the 2014-2015 School Year!

I'm so excited to be back teaching you for another year, and it's not just any year, it's your Senior Year!   There is plenty to do:  we will be doing several serious internal assessments, cover 2 options of IB Biology material, and cover all of the IB topics for human anatomy and physiology.  In May many of you will be taking IB exams over a period of several weeks and we will adjust the class accordingly.

Here is the plan for the first couple of weeks:

• Wed 9/3:  Intro to course, review expectations, hand out Safety and Academic Honesty contracts.  Ecology preassessment.  Table work:  define trophic level terms, make 3 different food chains, and start a food web.  Signed contracts due by next Wed 9/10.
• Fri 9/5:  Finish food web and exchange with another group for feedback.  Turn in Definitions and Food Chains and Food Web with feedback (1 per group).  Energy pyramids:  shape, units, and discuss what happens to the energy.  Biomagnification.  Start Carbon Cycle.  We will view a short Ted Ed video and then you will take notes on the carbon sources and transformations list on the SEPUP carbon cycle simulation.  
• Mon 9/8:  Finish notes on SEPUP simulation (pre- and post-industrial).  Draw a labeled carbon cycle with your table group and turn in.
• Wed 9/10:  Turn in Signed Contracts if not already  Ecology definitions and sigmoid growth curves.  Hand out Ecology Review:  Test next Wed 9/17.
• Fri 9/12:  Start Field Tests.  Using quadrats estimate quantities of organisms.  Simpson Diversity Index.