Monday, May 22 through Tuesday, May 30, 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 final exama that covers: Earth and Space, Processes that Shape the Earath, Processes of Life, and How Living Things Interact with their Environment.
-explore the topics of evolution and genetics via computer based learning and virtual labs.

Students submitted book report forms.

Students took the final for class.

Those not taking the final or completing the reading of the novel worked on the computer to explore web based labs. The activities included: baby boom, evolution, dragons and dragon meiosis. These sites offer insite on evolution and its processes. It also helps students explore the topic of how genes are passed from one generation to the next.

The book was concluded. Billie meets a young Seminole, Oats, who is out questing for a new name. They weather a hurricane. Trapped in a cave with the panther Cootchobee, they listen to the wind and waves. When they finally leave, they see the destruction caused by the storm. Billie now understands what her uncle Charlie Wind has tried to teach her: that we as humans must take care of the Earth, lest it be completely destroyed. Learning her lesson that the Earth is important, and not to put all her faith in reaching stars and other planets, she can finally go home.

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Find copies of the old tests to help review for the final here!

Friday, 19 May, and Monday, 22 May, 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.
-understand current researach efforts on tropical forests and biological diveristy.
-explore the use and management of biological resources.
-understand the role of plants as critical global resources.

Students completed their computer quest to solve the case of the disappeaing durians. Team work, reading comprehension, relating cause and effect, and making decisions wereare all necessary to successfully solve the ecomystery.

Upon completion of the program, we continued to read The Talking Earth. Bille looses Cootchobee when he contacts his father, who then jumps aboard the boat and carries him back into the payhayokee. The lonely Billie Wind still has Petang and a new companion, Burden, a gopher turtle to accompany her on her quest through the winding Everglades.

Home learning is to continue to work on the book report form for The Talking Earth.

Wednesday, 17 May and Thursday, 18 May, 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.
-understand current researach efforts on tropical forests and biological diveristy.
-explore the use and management of biological resources.
-understand the role of plants as critical global resources.

Students continued in their computer question to solve the case of the disappeaing durians. Team work, reading comprehension, relating cause and effect, and making decisions are all necessary to successfully solve the ecomystery.

Look for clues as you read and remember to discuss everything with your group members. Fill in your handout before logging onto the computer.

Home learning is to continue to work on the book report form for The Talking Earth.

Monday, 15 May and Tuesday, 16 May, 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 an exam that tests knowledge of processes of living things.
-understand current researach efforts on tropical forests and biological diveristy.
-explore the use and management of biological resources.
-understand the role of plants as critical global resources.

Students took a 40 minute exam on the unit Processes of Life.

Students then worked in teams to solve an ecological mystery. A fruit found commonly in Indonesia, the durian fruit is dissappearing. Teams are challenged to find out why. Each team has an expertchemist, ecologist, ethnobotanist, and taxonomist. Students use the Tom Snyder Production of Rainforest Researchers in their groups. They worked at the computers and used written material to access information. Since today was mostly introduction, they viewd the video about the case. Next class sessions, they will attempt to solve the case, but must be careful to choose the correct answers, as wrong answers deducts money from their $40,000 budget.

Home learning is to continue to work on the book report of The Talking Earth

Thursday, 11 May and Friday, 12 May, 2006

Using information from classroom activities:

Students should be able to:

-identify tissues and organs of various systems and relate function to tissue.

Students continued dissection of the fetal Sus scrofa. Today, we studied the abdominal cavity, noting the liver and its 4 lobes, the gall bladder, the small and large intestines, spleen, and pancreas. We also noted the kidneys and ureters.

Those with female pigs observed ovaries, oviducts, the uterus, vagina, urinary bladder, and genital papillae.

Those with male pigs observed the scrotum, testes, penis, urinary bladder, and urethra.

Sinced we did not have eye ware, we did not look at the brain, but viewed the virtual nervous system on one of the sites mentioned in the last blog.

Students are reminded that their project My Growth and Development is due in class Monday or Tuesday, depending on block, no exception.

Tuesday, 9 May and Wednesday, 10 May, 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 human body systems.
-identify tissues and organs of various systems and relate function to tissue.

Students listed all the systems of the human body as their do now and as a reivew for the quiz on human systems.

After the quiz, students began dissection of the fetal pig. Groups of four students worked per pig. Today, we learned anatomical positions, how to find the age and sex of the pig, and looked at the sensory organs. We also looked at the teeth.

Students looking for a virtual dissection experience might look to the following websites. Shockwave is necessary to view some of the sites:

http://www.whitman.edu/biology/vpd/main.html

http://mail.fkchs.sad27.k12.me.us/fkchs/vpig/default.htm

http://www.execulink.com/~ekimmel/fetal0.htm

Next class period will entail the internal system of the pig.

Home learning is to work on the My Growth and Development project due next week.

Friday, 5 May and Monday, 8 May, 2006

Using information from classroom activities:

Students should be able to:

-explain how traits are passed from one generation to the next.
-read an article about how loud noises affect hearing ability.
-visualize human growth and development.

Students began lesson with a quick write (2-3 sentences) about growth and reproduction in humans.

We then read an article, entitled Hear, Hear! from Science News for Kids. The article can be found at the top of this blog.

Students then watched several BrainPop movies and discussed how traits such as eye color and type of hair are passed from parents to offspring. We also watched BrainPop movies on gender determination, fertilization and birth, babies, and puberty. Discussions followed.

Finally, students watched the movie The Miracle of Life to visualize the actual growth and development of a human baby.

Home learning on the systems of the human body can be found at the top of this blog.

Thursday, 4 May, 2006

Find information and background reading that will help you write your background for the project My Growth and Development. Remember, projects are due in class May 15 (blocks 1, 3, and 5) or May 16 (blocks 4 and 6), NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!

Wednesday, 3 May and Thursday, 4 May, 2006

Using information from classroom activities:

Students should be able to:

-describe the appearance of various organs found in the frog.
-name the organs that make up various systems of the frog.

Students had to copy the corrected home learning assignment, but the correct problems are printed at the top of the home learning sheets found at the top of this blog.

Students dissected the frog (Rana piipiens) as an example of the vertebrate from the amphibian class. Students interested in learning about frog anatomy can check out the following web sites:

http://sps.k12.ar.us/massengale/frog_dissection.htm

http://www.aa.psu.edu/biology/frog/extanat.htm

For an online experience at dissection, check out the following website:

http://www.ofsd.k12.wi.us/science/frogdiss.htm

Click on the link to start the virtual frog dissection, and be sure to click the next button to move to each step.

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

Tuesday, 2 May, 2006

Article 3. Answers can be in blue or black ink, or pencil. Be sure to use complete sentences to answer the questions. The "GIST" should read as a sentence with only one word per blank.

Monday, 1 May and Tuesday, 2 May, 2006

Using information from classroom activities:

Students should be able to:

-read an article about technology and science.
-learn about the organ systems of the human body.

Students submitted their written reports on classification.

Students then read an article about how scientists are attempting to use microbes such as yeast and bacteria found in the stomachs of cows, on rotting logs, and in termite guts to make enzymes that digest cellulose. This complex sugar, which is found in the cell walls of plants, can be converted by some organisms into ethanol during the process of fermentation. Scientists would use this ethanol as an alternative fuel to gasoline.

Students then watched numerous BrainPop movies on topics including the body, the circulatory, respiratory, urinary, endocrine, skeletal, muscular, digestive, nervous, and reproductive systems and the skin.

Home learning on some of the systems of the human body can be found at the top of this blog. Due to the number of pages, the article is found on a separate page, dated Tuesday, 2 May, 2006