Thursday, 27 April and Friday, 28 April, 2006

Using information from classroom activities:

Students should be able to:

-work on the written report about the classification of living things.

Students used the entire class block to research information about the six (advanced classes) or five (regular classes) kingdoms. The handouts for the report can be found in the March 17 blog. Print them out if needed. You MUST turn in the classification chart along with your report. Don't forget to follow the rules of the rubrics pertaining to how to write the paper. It should be in blue or black ink only, written on loose leaf paper on only the front of the paper. The cover sheet should have your last and first name, ID number, block, the paper's title, and illustrations of each specific organism you researched.

Students used the new Apple computers to do the research. Papers are due on Monday for blocks 1, 3, and 5 and Tuesday, blocks 4 and 6. NO EXCEPTIONS!

Home learning consisted of continuing work on the paper.

Tuesday, 25 April and Wednesday, 26 April, 2006

Using information from classroom activities:

Students should be able to:

-read a work of fiction to identify biotic and abiotic factors, natural, and human interactions.
-take a quiz on cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems.
-compare and contrast two invertebrates.

Students took a five question quiz.

Students then received their book report form for the novel The Talking Earth. Forms are due on May 23 for blocks 1, 3 and 5 or May 24 for blocks 4 and 6, no exceptions.

Students then dissected the earthworm and the grasshopper to compare and contrast these two invertebrates. They noticed similarities in the digestive system, but noted differences in the circulatory system. Also the external anatomy of these are different, although both are segmented organisms.

Here are some links that will help you review today's lesson:
http://www.infovisual.info/02/006_en.html for the earthworm
http://io.uwinnipeg.ca/~simmons/16labman05/lb6pg16.htm for the external anatomy of the grasshopper.
http://io.uwinnipeg.ca/~simmons/16labman05/lb6pg17.htm for the internal anatomy of the grasshopper.

The book report form can be found at the top of this blog

Friday, 21 April and Monday, 24 April, 2006

Using information from classroom activities:

Students should be able to:

-read a work of fiction to identify biotic and abiotic factors, natural, and human interactions.
-rationalize why organisms are classified into particular groups.
-visualize the parts of an animal cells.

Students did a handout entitled What a strange creature, in which they used binomial nomenclatures and a classification key to determine the scientific names of creatures.

We then watched BrainPop movies on classification and the six kingdoms.

Finally, students used their own cheek epithelial cells to make a slide. Students scraped the inside of their cheeks, placed the cells in methelyne blue, and covered with a cover slip. They then observed the cells. Students were able to note that the cells had a nucleus, cytoplasm, and a cell membrane. The cells were slightly rounded. The dye made the cells visible, as they are usually not visible without some sort of stain.

Home learning can be found at the top of this blog. It deals with classification and viruses.

Wednesday, 19 April and Thursday, 20 April, 2006

Using information from classroom activities:

Students should be able to:

-read a work of fiction to identify biotic and abiotic factors, natural, and human interactions.
-describe the functions of the organelles of a cell.

Students began lesson by completing a KWL chart on the cell. After discussion, we viewed several BrainPop movies on the cell, including under health, the video cell, and under science, the videos, cell structures, cell specialization, and mitosis.

Students then grouped to complete an activity sheet on discovering cell function. (See sheet at top of blog). They were asked to identify the function of number and relate that function to a cellular organelle.

Students concluded the lesson by reading from The Talking Earth. Petang and Cootchobee are becoming friends, and Billie Wind continues her journey back to her tribe in the Everglades. She is learning a lot about the Seminole customs and how to listen and learn from the land and animals around her.

Students were reminded that help sessions are on Thursdays after school. We will be working on the written report of Classification.

Home learning can be found at the top of the blog.

Monday, 17 April and Tuesday, 18 April, 2006

Using information from classroom activities:

Students should be able to:

-read a work of fiction to identify biotic and abiotic factors, natural, and human interactiions.
-take an exam on how living things interact with their environment.

Students took the unit exam on how living things interact with their environment.

The remainder of the class period was spent reading The Talking Earth. Billie Wind has adopted a baby panther, whose mother was killed by an alligator. She, Petang and the panther are still coasting through the Everglades as Billie seeks to commune with nature and discover the beliefs of her people.

Home learning can be found at the top of this blog.

Thursday, 6 April and Friday, 7 April, 2006

Using information from classroom activities:

Students should be able to:

-determine how populations change.
-hypothesize, test, analyze, and draw conclusions from experimental data.
-make and interpret graphs of populations.

Students began class by recording the definitions of predator and prey: A predator is an animal that kills and eats another animal. A fox is an example of a predator. The prey is the animal killed by a predator. A rabbit is an example of an animal that is prey for the fox.

We then did the lab Change in Predator and Prey Populations, where students were given a bag with 92 brown beans and 8 white beans. The brown beans represented rabbits. The white beans represented foxes. In addition, each group was given a cup with an additional 9 brown beans and 5 white beans. They were asked to sample the bag 25 times and record the number of "foxes" and "rabbits" they "spotted" in their survey. The students were given a chart that changed the occupants of the environment due to environmental and seasonal changes. Students finally graphed their results. They concluded that predator and prey populations are linked and that changes in one population may affect the other.

Home learning consists of continuing to work on the written report on classification and on the growth and development project. See my other website for further instructions.

Tuesday, 4 April and Wednesday, 5 April, 2006

Using information from the novel "The Talking Earth" and classroom activities:

Students should be able to:

-read a work of fiction to discover the science facts it contains about biotic and abiotic factors, interactions of humans with their environment, and natural interactions.
-evaluate ways in which living things can interact with their environment.
-take a quiz on natural interactions.

The do now was to create two teacher-like questions about living things and how they interact with their environment and answer them.

After the do now, students viewed BrainPop movies on pollution, recycling, and natural resources. Remember, you can get a free BrainPop trial (with your parent's permission) by going to www.BrainPop.com and signing up.

A quiz on natural interactions followed the videos.

Students then read from the novel "The Talking Earth". In chapter four, Swamp Talk, Billie Wind finally leaves her cave. She is sorrowful when seeing the devastation that the fire has caused on the island, but glad to be alive. She finds her canoe has also been burned. She sets out to make a new one. During this time, she discovers that the white men are planning to raze "Cave Island" to make an airport. All the treasures of the Calusa are wiped out by the bulldozers. She narrowly escapes being caught by some of the builders when one of them is bitten by a water moccasin and has to be flown out. Petang "tells" her how to get her newly crafted dugout to the river by digging a canal to drown a land gopher. She uses the technique to bring her dugout to the water. Several times, she loses contact with Petang, and fears him lost or shot. She vows not to leave the swamp until she can indeed understand what the land and animals are saying to her.

After reading, we watched Bill Nye videos on Food Webs. We will continue with the videos next class meeting,

Home learning consists of reading and answering the questions for Article 2 about the feeding habits of Mormon crickets. Make sure to use complete sentences when answering the questions. The article can be found at the top of this blog.