January 22, 2012

January 22, 2012

The school year is already half over!  It's hard to believe how quickly each year goes by.

Events of the Past Week

As I'm sure you know that last week was final exams week, there is not much to report other than that students took their final exams.  The classes did a great job of asking me questions, and I had several students come in to look at past exams during their free periods, before school, or after school.

Upcoming Events

Monday - NO SCHOOL.  TEACHER INSTITUTE DAY.

Tuesday - On Tuesday we will be analyzing the results from our gel electrophoresis lab.  Students will be graphing their data.  They will then use the line graph they produce to determine the length of DNA fragments of unknown sizes.  Homework will be to complete any questions from the activity that were not finished in class.

Wednesday - We will be doing a paper and pencil DNA fingerprinting activity on Wednesday.  The students will have to analyze DNA collected from a crime scene, as well as that of several different suspects, to determine who committed the crime.  We've talked about how this concept works in the past, but now the students are going to have the opportunity to get a hands-on experience with DNA fingerprinting.  Homework will be to complete the activity if it is not completed in class.

Thursday - We will be watching our first movie of the year.  It is from a very engaging series on DNA and will explain how the Human Genome Project worked.  There are some interesting interviews with James Watson, J. Craig Venter, and others throughout the movie that help to bring the Human Genome Project to life.

Friday - We will watch our second movie of the year on Friday called "Harvest of Fear."  This movie is about Genetically Modified Foods.  Students will be presented with both the potential positive and negative impacts of genetically modified organisms so that they may be a little better educated about the debate that goes on about the use of GMO's.

Graba Geek of the Week

The final geek of the week from first semester is awarded to Walt Panfil, who earned one of the top 5 grades on the final exam and has done outstanding work all semester long.  Way to go, Walt!  Keep up the good work!