Week of February 23

The kids are becoming more comfortable solving Punnett squares and have become successful at predicting probability of offspring based on parent phenotypes. (Don't understand those terms - ask your child! I'm confident he/she can explain it to you.)

We did a class survey last week (with analysis and conclusions due on 2/23) to practice the scientific method, to identify traits that are controlled by dominant and recessive alleles, and to determine that experimental sample size is indeed important.

This week we will continue our practice of using Punnett Squares, adding incomplete dominance traits. There will be an open notebook assessment on Wednesday. Although each student will work alone to solve a set of Punnett Square problems, he/she will have access to his/her notes during the assessment. As long as your child is comfortable with what we've been doing in class, he/she should do fine as long as steps are followed and details are remembered! (All steps/details should be in OneNote practice files!)

We will begin a quick tour through genetic mutations later in the week as we talk about how DNA works with RNA to make proteins.

Our test over this unit will be at the end of next week (at the earliest).

Don't forget about the extra credit opportunity that was posted last week. I haven't had many ask me to borrow magazines, so I hope that means that many of you have Popular Science issues at home!

Extra credit opportunity - due no later than 3/3/15

OPTIONAL BONUS OPPORTUNITY:

This assignment is optional and is due no later than Tuesday, March 3 at 8AM (but early submissions will be gladly accepted). It is worth up to 10 points. Read and follow these printed directions. Failure to follow directions will result in earning significantly less than the 10 points possible.

Obtain a 2015 issue of the magazine Popular Science. If you don't subscribe to the magazine, I am sure you can peruse an issue at Barnes & Noble (or another bookstore). Also, I have a few copies that you may use during tutorials or that you may borrow overnight (pick up at 4PM, return by 8AM the next morning). There are other science magazines worth reading, but for this opportunity, only Popular Science will be accepted. Be sure you’re reading an article in a 2015 issue! Online articles are not acceptable for this assignment.

Read an article that interests you from that Popular Science magazine issue. Your chosen article must be at least a full page in length. A paragraph (or half-page) explanation about a diagram is NOT considered an article for this assignment. If you're not sure if something is an article, ask before you continue with the assignment.

Write a three paragraph recap (no more than one page in length) of the article you've read, formatted as follows:

Title of article - Issue date: page numbers of article

by your first & last name, hour

Paragraph 1 - Write 4-6 sentences about the article, clearly explaining/summarizing the article. I would expect you to highlight details and specifics, but this should be written at your level of understanding. Do not plagiarize. Your summary should demonstrate that you read the entire article. (If you don’t understand your article, choose a different one!)

Paragraph 2 – Write 4-6 sentences to demonstrate how this article relates to science. Some things to think about: To what field of science does it relate? How is it related to that science discipline? Is there a technology advancement that is relevant and/or discussed in the article? Is research being done at a university or a private corporation? Why is this article relevant and included in Popular Science magazine? (You don’t need to answer each of these questions. These are just to get you thinking about how an article would “relate” to science.)

Paragraph 3 – Write 4-6 sentences clearly showing how the experimenters in your article utilized the scientific method. Specifically document what the scientist(s) did to achieve each step of the scientific method. Did they successfully use the scientific method? Why or why not?

This summary should be no more than a page in length. Make your words count; don’t babble! Other typing requirements are: 1” margins all around, Times New Roman font, size 12, black ink and double spaced. You must print the summary; you may not submit electronically. If you do not follow typing requirements, you will earn less than the 10 points possible.

** A magazine issue may be borrowed from me, but only overnight. If you turn in the magazine late, you will earn less than the 10 points possible. (Pick up after tutorials, bring back before first hour the next day.)

Week of February 16

The Unit 6 test has been returned to kids. With 45 kids having taken the test (a few still need to make it up), the average grade is an 85%, with thirteen earning a 93% or better. I was pleased with the results and hope you (and your child) are too. If you (or your child) are not happy with the results of the test, coming to science tutorials more regularly and/or nightly review of class notes and class work would be helpful. Flash cards and self-created quizlets may be helpful too.

We have begun learning about Gregor Mendel and his work with pea plants to determine the principles of heredity.

This week we will utilize Punnett squares to determine probability of traits among offspring.

The following are due on Monday, 2/16:

1. Get test signed/dated by parent (This should be the last page in your pronged folder. Leave it in your folder!)
2. Complete vocabulary crossword puzzle posted on Google Classroom. Submit by 11:59PM Sunday.
3. Watch this video about Gregor Mendel's experiments. Then, create a OneNote page titled "Homework - Video 2/13" and type a 3-4 sentence paragraph describing what you saw on the video. You must demonstrate knowledge of the following terms in your paragraph: first generation, second generation, dominant trait, masked. Underline the terms in your sentences. Be prepared for this to be checked in class on Monday. 

Later in the week we will do some comparisons with traits within a family. We're going to look at how some traits can be traced in a pedigree. 

Expect a quiz this week, on Tuesday 2/17, that covers the 20+ facts in the PowerPoint notes. We finished those notes on Friday, so studying could begin over the weekend, if needed. Those notes are in kids' OneNote notebooks.

You'll have to check Homework Hotline as the week progresses for other assignments.

Please note: I will not be available for after school tutorials on Monday, February 16.

As always, parents, thanks for what you do at home to support what I do in the classroom.

Week of February 9

We will finish the cell cycle this week, with a quiz on Monday & a test on Wednesday.

See my previous post for the list of things to study.

On Thursday, we will begin the unit on genetics.

Quizlet for 2/3

Your job is to add another fact to the list on your classes' quizlet set. Be sure you add to the correct hour.

The information you add must either be from your cell cycle book or the PowerPoint.

Remember to follow all directions posted here.

This assignment must be completed by 11:59PM on Tuesday, February 3.

Week of February 2

This week we will continue to learn about the cell cycle.

Students will create illustrated CELL CYCLE books in class which will serve as an organized collection of notes for interphase, mitosis & cytokinesis. These books will be "stored" in their pronged folders.

Quizlet is one study source, as we will continue to add to the study source this week. Remember, using all four classes' quizlet sets is advised. There are different variations as to how to use quizlet: test, flash cards, scatter games, etc. These have been demonstrated in class.

On Wednesday, each student will be assigned a stage of the cell cycle for which he/she must create an accurate 3D model using materials from around the house, a recycled art sort of project. Details will be shared on Wednesday. Edited on 2/4: It took a little longer than expected to complete the cell cycle books, so I decided to omit this. 

As students begin preparing for the test (scheduled for February 11), in addition to the Cell Cycle book & quizlet, the following OneNote files should be reviewed:
Classwork 1/28 - Video questions
Bell Work 1/30 - Overview
Notes 2/1 - PowerPoint
Bell Work 2/3 - PowerPoint questions

Here are links to the videos from class, in case you want to watch again:

Cell Cycle and Mitosis [3D animation] by Biology/Medicine Animations HD

Mitosis by Crash Course

The test is scheduled for Wednesday, February 11.

Quizlet for Cell Cycle

There is a new set on Quizlet for this unit, cell cycle. Be sure you click on the one for your class hour.

• Your addition of one term & definition is due by 11:59PM today, January 28. 
• Directions are the same as last time, but you may want to reread them from my earlier post to be sure you're doing everything correctly. 
• Remember there are rules about capitalization. 
• Fact/term must be from today's classwork. 
• Bring your print out to class, but DO NOT write or mark on it until you are told to do so on Thursday.