April 30, 2011

May 1, 2011

May 1, 2011

Events of the Past Week

Monday - We took our classification quest with 35 multiple choice questions and one written question.  In general the students did well on it.
Tuesday -  We began our pig dissection by looking at the external anatomy of the pig, determining if they were male or female, and finding a salivary gland.  Some groups began cutting open the abdominal cavity and finding some of the organs in the abdominal cavity. 

Wednesday - No school for freshmen while our sophomores took a practice ACT exam and our juniors took the real thing.  This was day one of the PSAE exam which our school's success or failure in meeting the standards set by No Child Left Behind is measured.

Thursday - School started late as our sophomores took a practice WorkKeys test and our juniors took the real thing.  This was day two of the PSAE exam.  This test is designed by the state using the state standards in science, math, and English as a guide.  The science exam, for example, contains questions from biology, chemistry, earth science, and physics.

Friday - We completed our dissection of the digestive system of the fetal pig.  The lab questions will be due on Monday.  In addition, each lab team needs to bring one posterboard, their textbooks, and colored pencils or markers to class for Monday.

Upcoming Events

Monday - The students will be doing a group project that is designed to be a hands-on way for them to learn the parts of the digestive system and their functions.  They will have to put the parts of the digestive system together like a puzzle and then answer several questions about the digestive system.  I believe it will take two days of class time to complete, but that is an estimate because this is the first time we will be trying this project in one of my classes.

Tuesday - We will finish the digestive system project on Tuesday.

Wednesday - We will review the functions of all of the parts of the digestive system with a PowerPoint presentation I have put together.

Thursday - On Thursday the students will be taking a quiz on the digestive system.  There will be twenty multiple choice questions and five questions that will involve the students looking at pictures of the fetal pig's digestive system and identifying organs or answering questions about the functions of organs in the picture.
This will help me assess the students' progress in their dissections, as well as prepare them for their test at the end of the unit, which will include stations set up around the room with the fetal pigs.  The students will have 1 minute per station to answer 2-3 questions about different parts of each pig. 

Friday - We will begin studying the circulatory system by dissecting the thoracic cavity of the fetal pig to look at its heart.  This will include removing the heart in order to look at the internal anatomy, which essentially the same as the internal anatomy of our hearts.

Graba Geek of the Week

This week's geek of the week is Susan Szuch.  Susan is an incredibly kind, honest young lady who has been a positive contributor to class all year long.  She did well on her classification quest and worked really hard on her pig dissection this week.  Good job, Susan!



Finally, this is the time of year when summer internship/job/learning opportunities start coming in for me.  For those students who might be interested in the environmental sciences and green technologies, there is a summer camp available at Northern Illinois University.  It sounds exciting and I wish I could take part in it myself!  The description from their website says, "Get ready to play at the farm, in the forest, and with green technologies. Participants in this year’s Environment and Sustainability Camp will dig into today’s efforts to address environmental challenges and improve sustainable practices. Campers will test water quality, experiment with alternative fuels, and visit a local sustainable farm, among other green activities. Professors of anthropology, geology, biology, geography, and technology will help students get dirty while working for a cleaner, more sustainable future."

Here is a link where with that description and more information about the program:    http://www.niu.edu/clasep/camps/science/index.shtml

Have a good week!


April 23, 2011

April 24, 2011

April 24, 2011

Events of the Past Week

Monday - On Monday the students handed in their "Why Classify?" homework from the weekend and we went through the short answer portion of the evolution test together.  Afterwards, I lectured on the topic of taxonomy (rather appropriate for tax day).  Then the students did an activity using a dichotomous key to identify different types of bacteria.

Tuesday -  We started class on Tuesday by working on an activity titled "Fun With Fictitious Animals."  One of the activities was using the descriptions in a dichotomous key to draw one of the fictitious animals and see if someone else could figure out which fictitious animal they had drawn.  The kids had fun with this activity.  Next we did an activity that involved filling in missing information in a data table and answering a few questions regarding the information in the data table.  Finally, the students looked at the pbs website I posted last week and classified a polar bear, an orchid, and a sea cucumber into the proper kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species.

Wednesday - I lectured about phylogenetics, and taught the students some of the basics they need to know in order to create a cladogram.  After the instruction, the students practiced by making a cladogram of their own using information given to them in a data table.

Thursday - We reviewed for our classification test on Thursday by taking a review quiz and getting the results on it.  Afterwards worked on a review packet.  The key to the review is available at: http://www.fhs.d211.org/departments/science/bgraba/Calendars/138calendar4.htm

Upcoming Events


Monday - We will take the quiz on taxonomy.  The quiz includes 35 multiple choice questions and 1 short answer question.

Tuesday - We will begin our anatomy and physiology unit by beginning our dissection of fetal pigs.  We will be working on groups on this assignment.  Each group will have at least one dissector and one recorder.  I will be picking one lab per lab team to collect.  The students will be made aware of this ahead of time.  In addition, any students who would like to have gloves need to bring them in themselves.

Wednesday - No school for freshmen

Thursday - I will begin my lecture on the digestive system.  This is a shortened day for freshmen due to PSAE testing.  If you have juniors taking the test, please make sure they get a good night's sleep!

Friday - We will finish our dissection of the digestive system of the fetal pig.  There will be a digestive system quiz on Monday.

Graba Geek of the Week


This week's Graba Geek of the Week award goes to Robert Andrews.  Robert earned the highest score of anyone in my four classes on the evolution test.  He also did very well on our review quiz on taxonomy, and has been a valuable, contributing member of our eighth hour class all year long.  Good job Robert!



For anyone looking for summer opportunities for their children, I have been made aware of a couple of options for you from our career advisor.  I encourage those of you whose students may be interested in a career in medicine/veterinary medicine to e-mail me, and I will send you two .pdf files as an attachment for your children to take a look at regarding internships with veterinarians.  The other option is not biology related, but it is an opportunity for those students who may have an interest in engineering.  The link is here:  http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/descriptions/INSPIRE_Project.html.  

According to Mrs. Oakes, "Students apply now to be part of an “online community”. 
If they’re accepted and they participate in the online community next school year, they are eligible to apply for all expense paid NASA summer programs.  Junior and Senior year, these are PAID internships.  Students who are on the national school lunch program are also eligible for a free laptop if they’re accepted into the online community."  It sounds like a great opportunity to me!

Have a good week!

April 17, 2011

April 17, 2011

April 17, 2011

Events of the Past Week

Monday - On Monday we had an institute day where we were charged with writing a cumulative district assessment for all freshmen throughout the district to take some time in May.  The topics that will be tested include the scientific method, biochemistry, cells, DNA, genetics, and evolution.  All of the biology teachers throughout the district were divided up into 6 groups, and each group was assigned the task of writing between 8 and 12 questions related to one of the 6 topics on the assessment.  The test was to be written for a Biology 137 (regular level) student; therefore, I believe that our students here, especially in the accelerated classes, will generally do well on the test.  The date in May that the test will be given is still to be determined.

Tuesday - The students finished taking notes on convergent evolution, divergent evolution, and coevolution.  I also passed back the amino acid sequence comparison lab and we discussed some common misconceptions amongst many students from that lab.  I then collected the lab the students had done the previous week comparing vertebrate skeletons and we discussed adaptations that the students had written about from the Life video we had watched on Friday about reptiles and amphibians.  After all of this was done, we finished watching the rest of the reptile and amphibian video.

Wednesday - On Wednesday, we reviewed for our test using a software program with remote controls where the students were given 32 multiple choice and true/false questions similar to questions on the test.  This helped give the students a sense of what they needed to study, I hope!

Thursday - We took our evolution test on Thursday, although I was at jury duty sitting next to a 30-something year old gamer playing some sort of role-playing game on his iPad in the waiting room.  From all reports, the test was a little too long.  The last section was a fill-in-the-blank section, so what I'm going to do is count that section as extra credit for anyone who received an A or a B on it.  That way those who ran out of time are not penalized for running out of time, while those who did not run out of time see the benefit from having done well on that section.  In the end, I want the grade to reflect what the students knew, rather than how quickly they can answer questions on the test.  I think this is a fair solution to that.

Friday - The students got the multiple choice portion of their evolution test back and went over it.  Afterwards, we began our taxonomy unit with an activity called "Why Classify?"  The assignment was to be completed over the weekend for homework.

Upcoming Events

Monday - I will be collecting the "Why Classify?" assignment first.  Then the students will be taking notes from a lecture on the history of classifying organisms.  After we finish taking notes, the students will be doing an activity where they will be using a dichotomous key to classify bacteria.  If it is not finished in class, then they will have to complete it for homework.

Tuesday - We will do a couple of quick activities.  One is called "Fun With Fictitious Animals," in which the students use the descriptions in a dichotomous key to try to determine the characteristics of various fictitious organisms.  The idea is to demonstrate the importance of strong descriptors when classifying organisms.  This will be followed up by an activity in which the students have to do some critical thinking to fill in missing information in a table used to classify various members of the primate order.  Finally, the students will be trying their hands at classifying the organisms found at this site:  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/classifying-life.html 

Wednesday - The students will finish taking notes on classifying organisms based on their evolutionary history, a branch of taxonomy referred to as phylogenetics.  Afterwards, the students will be constructing a cladogram (a branching diagram that is used to classify organisms based on their presumed evolutionary histories).  For those of you who might be interested, here is a pretty good explanation of how a cladogram is made:  http://www.eeescience.utoledo.edu/faculty/dwyer/biodiversity/constructingcladograms.htm.  The table at the bottom of the site is actually the one the students will be using to make their cladogram.

Thursday - We will review for our quest (smaller than a test, bigger than a quiz) on taxonomy.

Friday - The kids will be off due to a non-attendance day, so the quest will be on Monday!

Graba Geek of the Week

This week's Geek of the Week is Ben Norys.  Ben has been working incredibly hard lately, coming in to meet with me on an almost daily basis, and it paid off for him on our last test!  I was really proud of him for the hard work he put in to prepare himself.

Have a good week!

April 10, 2011

April 10, 2011

April 10, 2011

I hope everyone is enjoying the warm weather today!  Weather like this is a great time to get outside and enjoy nature.  To learn a little about the importance of informal science learning opportunities that present themselves on nice days like today, check out this article:  http://bit.ly/hReVky

Events of the Past Week


Monday - After switching seats, we spent our time doing a natural selection lab.  The students filled a paper bag with pinto beans, then had to search by feel for kidney beans or lima beans in the bag to capture as their
as their prey.  The lima beans were chosen much more frequently as they do not "blend in" as well as the kidney beans do in that environment.  The students were also reminded to finish the notes on chapter 15 for Tuesday.

Tuesday - The first thing the students had to do was show me their notes.  After that, they had a little time to finish their labs on natural selection, and we watched some David Attenborough video clips about the effects that female mate selection has had on male behavior/appearance in a large number of different animal species.

Wednesday - On Wednesday I lectured to the students about genetic drift, the bottleneck affect, and evidence from the areas of comparative anatomy, embryology, and biochemistry that supports the theory of evolution by natural selection.  Afterwards, we took a look at the similarities and differences among the amino acid sequences for two different proteins (hemoglobin and cytochrome c) in a wide group of animals and plants.  Students needed to finish the lab questions for homework.

Thursday - On Thursday I took out our disarticulated human skeleton and we used it to learn the names of several bones in the human body.  The kids really seemed to like it!  After that, we did a lab activity comparing the skeletons of a fish, a bullfrog, a pigeon, and a human for homologies (similar structures inherited from a common ancestor).  Most students finished up the activity by the end of the class period, but a few had to finish for homework.

Friday - On Friday, the students took some notes on how new species form, as well as mechanisms that prevent two different species from being able to produce offspring (which helps to maintain their separation as two distinct species).  We then watched part of an episode from the documentary series "Life" put out by BBC America.  We saw many unique adaptations in amphibians and reptiles.  The students were asked to pick one organism they saw, and describe why the adaptation it has would have given the first organism with that adaptation an advantage over other members of the same species who did not have the same adaptation. Chapter 16 notes were assigned to be completed by Tuesday.

Upcoming Events


Monday - No school for students - Teacher Institute Day

Tuesday - The students will finish up taking notes from my lecture on convergent evolution, divergent evolution, and coevolution.  Afterwards, we will begin our review for the test on Thursday.

Wednesday - On Wednesday, the students will be playing a review game with remote control clickers that they use to answer multiple choice questions.  The software program keeps track of how each student does while they are answering the multiple choice questions.

Thursday - TEST DAY!  The test for this unit is open note, with 60 multiple choice questions and 15 fill-in-the-blank questions.  Wednesday night I have to call in to find out if I have to report for jury duty on Thursday, so there is the potential I will not be in school on this day.  I have suggested to the students that for an open note test, they should only use their notes to answer questions they do not know the answer to, otherwise they will run out of time.  Another suggestion I had for them was to use little sticky note tabs in their notebooks to identify where different topics are located in their notes.  This helps cut down the amount of time spent hunting for the answer to a question.

Friday - Students will see how they did on the evolution test, and we will begin our classification unit with an activity called "Why Classify?" that they will complete for homework over the weekend.

Graba Geek of the Week


The geek of the week this week is Nick Vucovich.  Nick is one of the hardest working kids I have seen in my 13 years of teaching.  He is also always willing to help other kids in the class when they ask him.  This past week, Nick was a very active, important member of our classroom discussions, and he usually laughs at my jokes!

April 4, 2011

April 3, 2011

April 3, 2011

Welcome to April! 4th quarter begins on Monday!


Events of the Past Week

Monday - We went over the genetics test from the two days before spring break on Monday (after we talked about some of our spring break experiences).  I shared the coprolite I purchased over spring break with everyone.  If you don't know what that is, see if your children remember!  It might show up as an extra credit question on their evolution exam - hint, hint.  Afterwards, the students were introduced to the age of the earth, and did an activity on the geologic time scale, which they completed for homework if they did not complete it in class.  They were also assigned a reading on the Miller-Urey experiment and answered questions about it. 

Tuesday - The geologic time scale activity was collected, and the Miller-Urey experiment questions were graded in class.  Afterwards, the students took notes as I lectured about the age of the earth, fossils, relative dating, and radiometric dating.  An activity on carbon-dating was assigned for homework.

Wednesday - On Wednesday we went over the carbon-dating activity in class.  Then, everyone took notes as I lectured on the ideas of Jean Baptiste Lamarck and Charles Darwin.  We also spent a little bit of time discussing Darwin's life and the voyage of the Beagle, which gets me a little bit excited so we usually end up spending more time on that than I originally planned.  One of the topics of the lecture was Descent with Modification caused by Natural Selection.  The example for descent with modification that the students were given was the evolution of whales from land mammals, which tied in nicely with the activity on Thursday.  Also, I was informed on Wednesday that we may not be giving the Explore exam this year as our district assessment.  There is a pretty good chance the district is going to change the assessment we give, so that changed my plans for Friday.  I had initially planned to give the Explore test on Friday, but did not want to subject the kids to a test if they did not have to be.  Thankfully, this allowed time for expanding our evolution unit a little bit!

Thursday - As a result of the extra time, I showed one of the videos from the PBS series on evolution called "Great Transformations".  The evolution of whales, the development of four limbed organisms (referred to as "tetrapods"), and the commonality of genes that control development of the embryo in organisms from Drosophila melanogaster to Homo sapiens were shown in the video. 

Friday - The lab reports on Drosophila melanogaster were handed back so that the students could look at them and see where points were taken off on the assignment.  I circulated to all of the lab groups and allowed them to ask questions if they had any.  Afterwards, I showed the students their 3rd quarter grades.  Those may have changed a little bit since I showed them to the students because I graded the geologic time scale activity over the weekend and added that to the gradebook.  The grade on that assignment only helped move students' grades in a positive direction.  After looking at the reports, we did a jigsaw reading activity where students were broken up into groups of three.  One person in the group read an excerpt from a publication by Lamarck, one person read an excerpt from Alfred Russell Wallace, and one read an excerpt from Charles Darwin.  Afterwards, each person had to explain the main ideas of their excerpt to the other members of the group.  Lastly, we came back together as a class to discuss the readings as a group.

Upcoming Events

Monday - 4th quarter begins on Monday.  The students will be allowed to choose their own lab partners for 4th quarter, and I will allow them to choose their own seats as well.  They will be told that I reserve the right to move seats and change lab partners if I see the need.  Usually there are no problems, but occasionally I do have to switch some people around.  Once we are all done moving things around, the students will do a natural selection lab activity that they will finish in class on Tuesday.  Homework will be to complete the notes on chapter 15 for Tuesday.

Tuesday - On Tuesday the students will take notes on the effects of natural selection on a population and some factors that can effect the variation amongst members in a  population.  We'll watch some video clips of the effects of female mate selection on the evolution of bizarre coloration and behaviors in male birds.  Notes on Chapter 16, due Friday, will be assigned for homework.

Wednesday - Students will be introduced to the different types of evidence that support the theory of evolution by natural selection, including the presence of vestigial structures, homologous structures, analagous structures, fossil evidence, macromolecular evidence, and embryological evidence.  Following the lecture, students will begin a lab activity comparing amino acid sequences for the proteins hemoglobin and cytochrome c amongst many members of the animal kingdom.  The activity will be completed on Thursday in class.

Thursday - We will complete the amino acid sequence activity, and then compare skeletons of many different animal groups looking for homologies.

Friday - The students will learn about some of the ways in which new species can form, as well as the factors that prevent two different species that would appear to be closely related from mating and fusing together into one new species.  The test on evolution is tentatively planned for the following Thursday (the 14th).

Graba Geek of the Week

This week's "Geek of the Week" goes to Andrew Lundholm, who moved to our class from Mrs. Thorstenson's class at semester.  Since moving up a level in biology, Andrew has done an outstanding job, scoring near the top of the class on all of our tests and doing an outstanding job on his Drosophila melanogaster lab report with his teammates.  We're glad he's joined our class!