Nervous System Next Week

Good job on the Immune System Quiz today. Next week, we will start a unit on the Nervous System. Have a wonderful weekend!

EXTRA LEARNING: 

As an ending note to the Immune System, I found the following really interesting article about how scientists are using the machinery of the immune system to fight cancer! In class, we learned many things about the human immune system and how it protects us from disease. Some background information: Red blood cells have a protein (formally known as CD47 but you can think of them as "do not eat" proteins) that signals macrophages to not eat them as they circulate through your body. Well, cancer cells have somehow taken advantage of this "do not eat" signal to trick the immune system to ignore them. In fact, they have more CD47 proteins than healthy cells. Fortunately, though, some scientists at Stanford have now been able to block the CD47 protein with an antibody. Remember the role of antibodies, those Y-shaped proteins that bind to foreign particles to signal them for destruction by macrophages. Without their "do not eat" signals, cancer cells are now vulnerable to being destroyed by the immune system! Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Shorter article: Science (March, 26, 2012).

Immune System Quiz Tomorrow

Review for your Immune System quiz tomorrow. This includes material from both the immune system lectures as well as the short introduction to human anatomy lecture on Monday. The PowerPoint slides for both have been posted on the class website under "Lectures." Also remember that your immune system worksheets are due tomorrow. Look them over. Read the textbook. And ask questions if you have them. =)

Human Body Systems notes due tomorrow

Tomorrow, I will briefly check your human body systems notes. Remember to write down the structures and functions of the 11 human body systems from your textbook, pages 892-893. We did the nervous system section as an example in class.You have 10 left to do on your own.

EXTRA LEARNING:

Some of you were curious about the connection between stress and a suppressed immune system. I found this paper published by the National Institute of Health (NIH). Those who read the article will learn about several perspectives because scientists are still figuring out how this connection works. They know there is a correlation between stress and a suppressed immune system, but they are still trying to figure out why that happens at the level of chemicals and cells.

Immunity Quiz Review Questions

Like in the previous two quizzes, I am offering 1 point of extra credit to those who create a multiple choice question about the human immune system based on the lectures and textbook. Write your question, your name, and your period in the comments section by Thursday.

Assignments this Week

You have a couple assignments due this week. The first is to read pages 892-893 in your biology textbook and take notes on the structures and functions of the various human body systems. Since you do not have your notebooks back yet, the assignment won't be due until Thursday. The PowerPoint for today has been posted under the "Lectures"  tab. You can use it to help structure your notes. I will briefly look over your notes on Thursday and give you 10 points toward your notebook grade if you completed the assignment; partial credit is also possible for those who did not complete every section. The second assignment is the review worksheets on the immune system. This assignment is in lieu of doing a lab for the immune system unit. It is due Friday, the day of the quiz.

Immune System Next Week

Next week, we will begin studying the human body, starting with a unit on the immune system. There won't be a lab for this unit--just notes, worksheets, and a quiz.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Fungi Quiz Tomorrow

Your Fungi Quiz is tomorrow! Review your notes, the lab, and the textbook. The PowerPoint slides have been posted on the class website under "Lectures." Other assignments due tomorrow include (1) your fungi crossword puzzle and concept map and (2) your Notebook Check #9. You can download the grading sheet from the "Documents" tab of the class website. Ask questions if you have them! =)

Fungi Lab Report due Tomorrow

Your Fungi Lab Report is due tomorrow (Thursday). Submit a lab report, i.e., avoid being assigned a lunch mandatorial. =)

Fungi Lab Tomorrow

Tomorrow you will do a Fungi Lab, so bring a copy of the lab with you to class. You can download the lab from the "Documents" section of the class website. 

EXTRA LEARNING:
In class, we learned a lot about the various phyla of fungi. We learned that some fungi are beneficial while others are harmful. I brought up the example of certain species of fungi that are able to infect the brains of ants and control their behavior to transport the fungi to a location ideal for it to reproduce. Here are some articles and video clips for those who are interested in learning more about these fungi and the "zombie ants" they infect: BBC video clip, National Geographic video clip, National Geographic article. Interestingly, records of "zombie-ant fungus" were made as early as 1859 by Alfred Russel Wallace, a naturalist and contemporary of Charles Darwin, who collected specimens in Indonesia and Brazil.

Extra Credit: Review Questions for Fungi Quiz

Like for the Protist Quiz, I am offering 1 point of extra credit toward your quiz grade to students who come up with a multiple choice review question and post it in the comments section. Use your lecture notes, the lab, the movie, and anything mentioned in class. Remember that your question should have at least 4 answer choices, your name, and your period. This extra credit opportunity is due on Thursday, March 22. =)

Extra Credit Due: Visit a Museum

Remember that your extra credit opportunity to visit the Natural History Museum or the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles is due on Monday. You may simply go to the museum and earn 4 points extra credit. If you write a report about your visit, you will earn 6 additional extra credit points. Go to the "Extra Credit" section under the "Documents" tab and look for "Option 3" to see the requirements for the report. 

On Monday, we will start our Fungi unit. 

Protist Quiz Tomorrow

Your Protist Quiz is tomorrow. Review your notes (including the lab) as well as your textbook for clarification. The Protist PowerPoint slides have also been posted under "Lectures." As always, ask questions if you have them.

Protist Lab due Tomorrow

Your Protist Lab is due tomorrow. You may submit a report individually or with your lab partner. If you have a lab partner that is flaky or lazy, write your own lab report. Even if you have incomplete sections, submit what you have. Missing assignments result in spending lunch mandatorial with me to encourage you to devote time to doing your work.

Tomorrow we will go over your Bacteriology Lab as well as review for your Protist Quiz on Friday.

EXTRA LEARNING:

In class, we learned about different types of protists, including algae, and their methods of reproduction. In addition to sexual reproduction, algae can reproduce asexually by fragmentation to create clones of themselves. In this news article, scientists found a single algae with clones that span 15 kilometers (approximately 9.3 miles) in width: University of Western Australia, February 7, 2012. For more ambitious students, think about why an organism's ability to reproduce asexually via cloning is an evolutionary advantage.

Extra Credit: Review Questions for Protist Quiz

One of my students commented that test prep would be helpful, since (on average) you all do worse on exams than anything else. So I will implement a new extra credit opportunity and see if it helps. For 1 point extra credit, come up with a multiple choice quiz question with at least 4 answer choices. Write your question in the comments section of this post. On days where we have extra time after lecture, we will review your questions together as a class. Writing the quiz question helps you to think about what information is relevant and organize it. And reviewing it as a class helps your classmates. Exceptionally good questions might even be included in upcoming quizzes.

So for this section on protists, come up with one multiple choice question using information from lectures, your lab, the textbook, and any other relevant resources. Try to avoid questions that merely ask "What does [x] mean?" Remember to include your name and period.
  

Protist Lab tomorrow

Remember to print out your Protist Lab tomorrow as well as bring in a jar of pond water for 2 points extra credit. 

EXTRA LEARNING:
One of my students asked if plankton were protists. The answer is both yes and no. Plankton are organisms that live in open water (such as marine and freshwater ecosystems) that is not near the bottom and not near the shore. Some plankton are protists; others are not--i.e., some plants and animals can be considered plankton. In short, plankton is defined by their ecological niche rather than their taxonomic classification.

Bacteriology Lab Report due tomorrow

Your Bacteriology Lab Report is due tomorrow. Submit a lab report even if were were some sections you did not complete. As a last resort, it is better to receive partial credit than no credit. Also remember that missing assignments result in spending lunch mandatorial with me to encourage you to devote time to completing your work. So turn in your lab report tomorrow. =)

Download your Protist Lab from the "Documents" tab. You will take a short pre-lab quiz tomorrow to prepare you to do the lab on Friday. You will earn 2 points extra credit on your Protist Lab Report if you bring in a jar of pond water by Friday.

I passed back many of your assignments today. Some were graded on content and others were graded on completion. You are always welcome to come talk to me about your assignments if you think you should receive credit for an answer where points were taken off.

Viruses & Bacteria Quiz tomorrow!

Your Viruses & Bacteria Quiz is tomorrow! Both the Viruses and Bacteria PowerPoint slides have been posted under the "Lectures" tab, so review them as well as your textbook for clarification. Also due tomorrow are your Notebook Check #8 and your Bacteria review worksheet. Download the Notebook Grading Sheet #8 under the "Documents" tab. Remember, missing assignments result in spending lunch mandatorial with me to encourage you to devote time to completing your work. As usual, I am available via email and during lunch for those who want to get additional help understanding the concepts. So ask (reasonable) questions if you have them.

For those of you who were absent or left early for sports: You can find the documentary "Understanding Bacteria" on YouTube. Complete the worksheet at home and submit it the next day.

Bacteria Documentary Tomorrow

Tomorrow, you will be watching a Discovery Science documentary titled "Understanding Bacteria." (It's similar to the "Understanding Viruses" documentary you watched last week.) Your Viruses & Bacteria Test is on Wednesday, so review your notes and the textbook. Your bacteria review worksheet is also due the day of the test. Lastly, remember to work on your Bacteriology lab report. Those are due on Thursday.

EXTRA LEARNING:
Some scientists and engineers have designed a material, inspired by patterns on shark skin, that hinders bacteria growth. The convoluted surface of this material, which they've called "Sharklet," makes it so that it is too energy-consuming for colonies of bacteria to grow on. (Bacteria prefer growing on flat surfaces.) Read or watch more about it here: CBS News (based off of a NOVA documentary) and an interview with the material's inventor. This is especially applicable in helping to prevent infections in hospitals and other medical settings. For more ambitious students, relate this new finding to what you learned in class about optimal conditions for bacteria growth.

Bacteriology Lab on Monday

Good job on the first two parts of the Bacteriology Lab. We will continue with Part 3 (Bean Infusion) on Monday. Due to safety reasons and time constraints, we will omit Part 4, so unfortunately, you will not be able to compare the bacteria before and after Gram staining. 

Over the weekend, your bacteria samples from Part 1 were incubated and grew nicely. For those whose bacteria samples did not grow, that means you did not perform the sampling procedures correctly. You will have an opportunity to redo and complete Parts 1, 2, and 3 on Monday. Additional time during tutorial and lunch is available for any group who needs it. Your Bacteriology lab report is due on Thursday.

Bacteriology Lab Tomorrow

Remember to print out your Bacteriology Lab for tomorrow!

EXTRA LEARNING:

Here is an article about how some engineers at UCLA (Ms. Gwen's alma mater) modified technology--such as a cell phone--to detect bacteria like E. coli: "UCLA engineers create cell-phone based sensor for detection of E. coli" (UCLA Newsroom, February 22, 2012).