Friday, 27 April and Monday, 30 April, 2007

This is the do now sheet. Use the link listed above and your home learning sheets to find the answers.





Home learning should be done a sheet of loose leaf notebook paper, headed correctly. Place the headings for each sheet in the appropriate place. Answers only. Do not write the questions.

Using information from classroom discussions and activities:
Students should be able to:
-compare and contrast plant and animal cells.
-work on the Zoom project on biodiversity.

Our do now was to use information from Sciencesaurus section 77 and 78 and home learning 7 to complete the handout. Identify each function and the corresponding organelles. For instance, number 1 shows a barbed wire fence with the words Warning: Keep Out on a sign posted on the fence that encircles an area. The function of the fence in the cell would be to protect the cell from the environment and keep unwanted materials from the cell. This would be equivalent to the cell wall in a plant cell. Students worked through the other functions and then shared with the class. Students needing extra help or that do not have access to the Sciencesaurus book can visit the following website for more information on cell organelles:
http://www.tvdsb.on.ca/westmin/science/sbi3a1/Cells/cells.htm

We spent the rest of the class period working on the Biodiversity project.

Home learning 7 can be found at the top of this blog, along with the do now cell organelle sheet.

Wednesday, 25 April and Thursday, 26 April, 2007

Using information from the novel The Talking Earth and classroom discussions and activities:
Students should be able to:
-read a novel to discover the biotic and abiotic factors and the human and natural interactions it contains.
-work on the Zoom project on biodiversity.

Since Thursday is Take Your Child To Work Day, there will be no major assignments given.

The do-now is to complete the Know and Want To Know columns of a KWL chart for cells. We then had a brief discussion of the cell theory which states:
-all living things are made or composed of cells.
-the cell is the basic unit of structure and function of living things.
-all cells come from preexisting cells.

More discussion will be provided next class block.

Students then completed chapter 3 from The Talking Earth. I still have not posted the pod-casts of the book, but they will be up by Sunday, April 29. Go to iTunes to down load the pod-cast of DrGCDMS or listen to the chapters directly at drgcdms.podomatic.com They will be entitled The Talking Earth.

Students spent the remainder of the block discussing and practicing shooting for their Zoom biodiveristy project. We will continue this project on the next class blocks.

The only home learning assignment is to work on the project My Growth and Development.

Monday, 23 April and Tuesday, 24 April, 2007

Be sure you can check yes for each item listed. If not, redo until you can!


Here are photos for each of the four traits that you can choose for your hypothesis.


Using information from classroom discussions:
Students should be able to:
-take an exam that tests knowledge of how living things interact with each other.
-work on the Zoom project on biodiversity.

Students took exam 7, on how living things interact with their environment.

After the exam, students were given the handouts for the project "My Growth and Development". These papers can be found at the top of this blog. Projects are due in class on May 17 for blocks 1, 3 and 5 or on May 18 for blocks 2, 4 and 6. No late papers will be accepted. Papers can be typed in Appleworks or Microsoft Word and attached to an email. Emails must be submitted BEFORE 4:40 p.m. on the day your block is scheduled to submit the project. If you use Works, please save the text as RTF or rich text format before attaching to email.

The remaining class time was spent organizing the video/movie trailer for the biodiversity Zoom project.

Home learning is to complete the written report 4 on classification of living things, which is due next class.

Thursday, 19 April and Friday, 20 April, 2007

Using information from the novel The Talking Earth, and laboratory experiments:
Students should be able to:
-read a novel to identify biotic and abiotic factors, natural and human interactions.
-hypothesize and test the hypothesis on how a population of organisms affects other populations that share a habitat.

Students completed a quiz for the do-now. We then read from the novel The Talking Earth, looking for biotic and abiotic factors, and for human and natural interactions.

Students then completed lab 20 on predator and prey populations. Those who were absent for the lab should visit the drgcdms.podomatic.com site and click the link to do the make-up lab. Use the independent investigation sheets found on the geocities.com/DrGCDMS site. Be sure to record all data in the table/graph and answer all questions from the journal. The link is also shown here: http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/science/virtual_labs/CT06/CT06.html

Home learning is to continue working on written report 4, which is due in class April 25 for blocks 1, 2, and 5 and on April 26 for blocks 2, 4, and 6. NO EXCEPTIONS!

Students should also study for an exam on all information from home learnings 1-6, given since March 20.

Tuesday, 17 April and Wednesday, 18 April, 2007

This is your HL 6. Be sure to write on loose leaf paper that is correctly headed. All answers on one sheet. Be sure to place the title of the handouts on the paper before you write your answers. Answers only.



This is article 2. Use complete sentences. Write in blue or black ink or pencil. You need only print out the question sheet.

Using information from articles, videos, internet access, and classroom discussions:
Students should be able to:
-read a science article to discover science facts.
-discuss humankind's role in pollution.
-hypothesize and test the hypothesis on how individual population numbers affect others in a food chain.

The do now problem is: A forest has 24,055,000 kilocalories (kcal) of producers, 2,515,000 kcals of herbivores, and 235,000 kcals of carnivores. How much energy is lost between producers and herbivores? Between herbivores and carnivores? Where does this lost energy go?

After reviewing home learning 5 and passing out home learning 6, which can be found at the top of this blog, students read and reviewed the article, also found at the top of this blog.

We then watched the Bill Nye video Pollution Solutions, specifically to answer the following:
-What are some sources of pollution?
-Why can't pollution leave the Earth?
-How is pollution carried and spread:

We then completed the Gizmo on Food Chains, including the assessment. Students who have not finished can check the last blog for the handout. They can go to www.explorelearning.com and log on using their ID number as user name AND password. Remember, if your ID number begins with zeros, do NOT use them for the user name but DO use them for the password.

Once again, home learning 6 is listed at the top of this blog.

Friday, 13 April and Monday, 16 April, 2007

This is HL #5. Be sure to do on loose leaf paper, correctly headed. Include the title of the lesson.


This is the data sheet for the Gizmo Food Chains.

Using information from the novel The Talking Earth, videos, internet access, and classroom discussions:
Students should be able to:
-read a novel to identify biotic and abiotic factors, natural and human interactions.
-hypothesize and test the hypothesis on how individual population numbers affect others in a food chain.

Our do now was to write a teacher like question about food chains/webs and answer it.

After reviewing HL 4, HL 5 was distributed and explained, which can be found at the top of this blog.

Students then completed the reading of chapter 2 of the novel The Talking Earth. Audio for the book will be available soon on iTunes and on drgcdms.podomatic.com. Under iTunes, look for Dr. Gayden's podcast. Audio should be available by April 22 for the entire book, for those who want to forge ahead.

After reading, we worked on the Gizmo Food Chains. Students received tables to complete for several experimental conditions. The data collection sheet can be found at the top of this blog.

Students wishing to work on the activity on their own must go to www.explorelearning.com and sign in using their user name and password. Remember, if your ID number begins with zero(s), DO NOT type the zeros in when typing in your user name but DO put in the zeros when typing in your password. Those with no zeros at the beginning of their ID numbers should use their ID number as is for their user name and password. Once logged on, scroll to the bottom of the Gizmos and launch the Gizmo for Food Chains. Remember to record the data on the table provided. We will review the Exploration Guide questions in class.

Once again, HL #5 is found at the top of this blog.

Wednesday, 11 April and Thursday, 12 April, 2007

This is home learning #4. Be sure to place it on loose leaf notebook paper, headed properly. Copy and complete the chart by using the information from classifying.



You need only print out the question page. Answer using pencil or pen.

Using information from the novel The Talking Earth, articles, in class reading, videos and classroom discussions:
Students should be able to:
-read a novel to identify biotic and abiotic factors, natural and human interactions.
-analyze a science article for content.

As a dow now, students were asked to construct three food chains, where they themselves served as the final consumer. They were asked to construct a primary consumer, secondary consumer, and tertiary consumer chain.

We then read from the novel The Talking Earth. I will publish the audio for the book some time this weekend on the drgcdms.podomatic.com site. You will also be able to subscribe to it using iTunes. Students recorded biotic and abiotic factors, natural interactions (between nonhuman organisms) and human interactions (where Billie Wind or her family used something from nature).

We then read and completed the first article for the grading period. This can be found at the top of the blog.

Home learning 4 can also be found at the top of this blog.

Monday, 9 April and Tuesday, 10 April, 2007

Using information from videos, laboratory experiments and classroom discussions:
Students should be able to:
-construct food chains/webs given certain organisms.
-evaluate organisms to determine their place in the food chain/web.

Students began with copying questions for the do now. These were answered as they viewed a video called Bunch Beetles. The questions were: 1) What organisms is the producer? 2) Name the primary consumer. 3) What effects did destruction of the food chain have on the environment and it's inhabitants?

After reviewing home learning and collecting short stories, students took a quiz on home learnings 1-3. We then viewed the Brainpop movie on food chains. Remember, you can view the video during school hours by signing in as campbelldrive middle/wildcats.

We then watched an episode of the defunct series Dinosaurs entitled Bunch Beetles. Students had to identify food chains, producers and consumers, and how the environment and inhabitants were affected when one of the elements of the food chain was destroyed. Discussion after the video centered on how humankind has affected the earth by destroying many natural habitats, and thus disrupted many food chains and food webs. This will ultimately affect us.

We then completed Lab 19 on Food Chains and Food Webs. Since this is a pencil and paper lab, absent students can find the forms at the top of this blog. Use colored pencils to draw the remaining 11 food chains. Follow the directions and submit the lab the next class period.

Students should continue to work on their written report for their home learning assignment. Remember, help sessions for science will be held after school on Thursdays.

Students are reminded that lab fees are due by Friday, April 13. No fees, no dissection = 18 Fs!

Monday, 9 April and Tuesday, 10 April, 2007

Using information from videos, laboratory experiments and classroom discussions:
Students should be able to:
-construct food chains/webs given certain organisms.
-evaluate organisms to determine their place in the food chain/web.

Students began with copying questions for the do now. These were answered as they viewed a video called Bunch Beetles. The questions were: 1) What organisms is the producer? 2) Name the primary consumer. 3) What effects did destruction of the food chain have on the environment and it's inhabitants?

After reviewing home learning and collecting short stories, students took a quiz on home learnings 1-3. We then viewed the Brainpop movie on food chains. Remember, you can view the video during school hours by signing in as campbelldrive middle/wildcats.

We then watched an episode of the defunct series Dinosaurs entitled Bunch Beetles. Students had to identify food chains, producers and consumers, and how the environment and inhabitants were affected when one of the elements of the food chain was destroyed. Discussion after the video centered on how humankind has affected the earth by destroying many natural habitats, and thus disrupted many food chains and food webs. This will ultimately affect us.

We then completed Lab 19 on Food Chains and Food Webs. Since this is a pencil and paper lab, absent students can find the forms at the top of this blog. Use colored pencils to draw the remaining 11 food chains. Follow the directions and submit the lab the next class period.

Students should continue to work on their written report for their home learning assignment. Remember, help sessions for science will be held after school on Thursdays.

Students are reminded that lab fees are due by Friday, April 13. No fees, no dissection = 18 Fs!