Week of March 30

This is a "short week" for us, with shortened classes due to testing.

We will continue our brief overview of classification, discussing branching diagrams and binomial nomenclature. We're watching yet another cheesy (but knowledge filled) video this week to introduce some of this material.

No quizzes in science this week.

Week of March 23

Welcome back!
I hope everyone had a fun-filled spring break. I can hardly believe we have just nine weeks left in the school year.

If I hadn't already told you, thank you for making my first year here at WCS a great one. I continue to feel blessed to be part of the family here, and I am so very thankful that I was given the opportunity to join as faculty.

For this week:

• We will finish up with our genetic disorders poster presentations, with a Q&A session. We will also do a scavenger hunt to pay better attention to poster details and facts.
• We will start our plant & classification unit this week also. Kids will plant "fast plants" which go through their life cycle (from seed to re-seed) in about 45 days. We will take data as the plants grow and use this experience to practice data collection, taking observations, and graphing data.
• We will begin our introduction to classification, which will lead to a survey of kingdoms of living things.

As always, I'm an email or a phone call away if you have any questions or concerns.

Copy of email sent through PowerSchool on 3/3/15

Parents,

Just a couple things to be sure you're hearing correct and complete information from your child.

(1) Test is Thursday. Check the blog to see the topics and the list of what to study. Tomorrow will be an in class review day and I will have a test tutorial after school for those interested.

(2) There is a project that is accompanying this unit. Directions were available on Monday; topics were assigned today. I know this is a busy time, so Friday will be an in-class work day. There is a little bit of research necessary; a specific fact sheet has been provided. Research, if not completed by Friday, should easily be collected during the class work time. Information will then be put into some sort of poster format (poster board or foam board).  The directions are in the OneNote notebook. If your child efficiently uses the 45 minutes on Friday in class, I would expect about 45-60 minutes of time to organize and compose the poster. Access to a printer is needed, so be sure - if you're printer isn't working at home - that your child utilizes the access to printers at school on Friday.  If your child completes the research ahead of time (before class time on Friday), he/she can construct the poster at school on Friday. Friday is their work time - they can use it as they need it ... but I will expect them to work!

As always, thank you for your support at home for what goes on in the classroom! Remember to check the blog; I update it weekly!

** I am going to Target and can pick up poster board for your child, if that can save you a trip! Have your child bring $1 by Thursday, and I'll have a white poster board here on Friday for the work time.

Mrs. Harris

Week of March 2

This week we will learn about the processes of transcription & translation (and its relevance to protein synthesis) - as well as mutations that can occur during the process, which will conclude our unit on DNA & Genetics.

The test is scheduled for Thursday. This test will cover Mendel, Punnett Squares (dominant, recessive, and sex linked traits), and DNA/RNA/protein synthesis.

Things to study:

• Two PowerPoint lessons
• Countless Punnett Square practice problems - from classwork & homework (Re-do problems for practice. The only given information should be parent genotype & phenotype. You should be able to do the rest. Then, check your work with what you copied/did in class.)
• Outline - The genetic code (Lots of key words and definitions!)
• Assorted bell work practice problems
• Notes - Protein Synthesis (Lots of key words and application of terminology!)

Additional thing: (Added 3/3/15) A new quizlet has been created. See the right side bar.

Other dates to note:

• 3/3 Optional bonus due - Scroll down. Directions posted on the blog.
• 3/9 Project poster due - Directions on OneNote.

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.