First Week of IB Biology!!

This is what you can expect in the first week and a day of IB Biology!!

• Thurs 8/27:  Intro to class, fill out student information sheet, demonstrate Early Work, hand out Safety and Academic Honesty contracts (due back signed by Friday, 9/4!), basic class rules, start Brine Shrimp Lab by counting cysts and hydrating them with 3% salt water.  On your own, please read the Classroom Expectations in the document section of this site.  Please bring a TI-84 calculator or equivalent to class on Monday!
• Mon 8/31:  Continue with Brine Shrimp lab by counting the live shrimp and calculating percent hatched.  Discuss how to calculate uncertainty.  Finish Brine Shrimp Lab calculations, showing work.  Use the TI-84 calculators to calculate means, standard deviations, and t-test.  Complete TI-84 hand-out (on the back of the Brine Shrimp hand-out).  This double-sided hand-out is due Wed 9/2 at the beginning of class (actually you will have about 20 minutes to complete it).
• Wed 9/2:  Go over standard deviation, degrees of freedom and t-tests.  Turn in Brine Shrimp and TI-84 Hand-Out.  Rules for significant figures.  Do problems 1-17 on Sig Figs and Uncertainty Worksheet and complete the back.   Introduce LoggerPro and how to use it to make a good graph.  Using the classroom computers, EVERYONE will practice making a good graph and get it checked off by myself.  If time go over rules for propagating uncertainty (for problems 21-25 on worksheet).
• Fri 9/4:  Signed contracts due today if not turned in already.  Finish Sig. Figs and Uncertainty worksheet and turn it in.  First 2 pages of statistics packet.  Make a frequency distribution graph.  Do sample calculations for standard deviation and t-test.  Statistics Packet due in class next Tuesday 9/8.  Quiz on using numbers in biology next Friday 9/11.

Welcome to IB Biology 1-2 HL!!

Welcome back to the 2015-2016 School Year!  This will be the website for your IB Biology class for the next 2 years.  If you look through old entries you can see what classes before you have done.  This will be a good place to go to get class assignments, class resources, and just to keep yourself informed about the class.  When you miss class, come here first to see what we did in class and to find out if there is anything you can do from home.  After that, if you still have questions, you can e-mail me:  mkenny@pps.net

I look forward to meeting you and spending the next 2 years learning biology!  We will cover the following topics during the first year:

First Semester

Introduction to Course, Statistics, and Measuring

Biochemistry:  Macromolecules

Cells and Membranes

Cell Respiration and Photosynthesis

Cell Division:  Mitosis and Meiosis

Genetics

Second Semester

Replication, Transcription, Translation

Enzymes

Biotechnology

Plants

Ecology

Alternative Eye Dissection Assignment

If you were unable to dissect an eyeball or did not want to do it, you can go to the Exploratorium Website and see the step-by-step process or go to the video linked on my website (the link on the Exploratorium does not work).  Then, do the same thing that the people doing the dissection did.

1)  Write detailed observations of what you see
2)  Describe the relationship between structure and function for 3 parts of the eye.  For example, the sclera is very tough because it needs to maintain high pressure in the eye to keep it round and to prevent accidental puncturing!!.

Final Project, SPARK, and Book Groups

The Final Project Assignment has been posted in the documents section.  You can do it by yourself or with one other person (from any section).  Please get your topic picked as soon as you can so that you can do it with minimal stress.  The latest day to turn it in is Monday, June 1st.  There is a SPARK lecture on Monday, May 18th about soil conservation.  You can also still do Book Groups for 2nd semester if you would like.  Just make sure that you talk to me about when you want to come in to discuss your book.  The end of your year is coming fast, so think ahead!

During IB Testing/End of the Year

During IB Testing we will be missing students, but you should come to class when we are not testing and we have different activities we will be doing.  

Mon 5/4:  Plant a plant in a newspaper pot and monitor it.  See documents for Plant Journal assignment. 

Wed 5/6:  Monitor your plant,  Watch a Life Video.

Fri 5/8:  Monitor your plant.  Watch a Life Video.

Mon 5/11:  Monitor your plant.  Introduce Final Project.  

Wed 5/13:  Monitor your plant.  Work on Final Project.

Fri 5/15:  Monitor your plant.  Work on Final Project

Mon 5/18:  Monitor your plant.  Work on Final Project.

Wed 5/20:  Monitor your plant.  Work on Final Project

Fri 5/22:  Monitor your plant.  Work on Final Project.

Wed 5/27:  Dissect Cow Eyes!  Finish up your Plant Journal.

Fri 5/29:  Finish up w/ Cow Eyes.  Turn in Plant Journal if finished.  Finish up Final Project, due Monday 6/1:  

Mon 6/1:  Turn in Final Project if not already.  

Wed 6/3:  Final Party.  Make Baggie Ice Cream.  Sharing farewell statements with each other.  

Lesson Plan for Monday 4/20/2015!

Early Work:  What topic in this two year class will require the most review on your part?

Daily Schedule:  

1. Early Work
2. Look at syllabus topics on the IB Biology Review Guide link on my website
3. Pick 2-3 topics that you want to review the most and get an orange and blue book from the shelves.  Find the topics, look at the diagrams, and take notes.  You might find that the topics from your syllabus are not numbered quite the same in the new books.  You might have to use the index to find some of them, although most of the topic numbers have remained the same.
4. Remember that we are taking a practice Paper 3 Test on Friday, Paper 1 next Monday 4/27 and Paper 2 next Wednesday 4/29.  
5. There is a SPARK lecture today at 3:30!

4/20-5/1:

• Mon 4/20:  Review IB topics using the new orange and blue IB books.  Use IB biology study guide on the links to help figure out what you need to know.  I recommend reviewing plants!
• Wed 4/22:  Review of both years Jeopardy!!  Questions on our two options, Further Human Physiology? or Evolution?  Paper 3 Practice Test on Friday.
• Fri 4/24:  Take Paper 3 Practice.  Afterwards, review some topics, like lactase and milk, transcription, translation, plants!
• Mon 4/27:  Take Paper 1 Practice Test (40 multiple choice).  Afterwards, review some more IB topics.
• Wed 4/29:  Take Paper 2 Practice Test.
• Fri 5/1:  Last day for Review!! IB Exams start Monday 5/4.  Students who are not testing should come to class because we have lots of fun things to do!