Good Job Today!

Good job today, presenters! The PowerPoint slides for the presentations today have been posted on the class website under "Lectures." (Note to seventh period: Since the cnidarian group did not complete the assignment, you may use the PowerPoint from sixth period to study.) Make sure you pay attention to your classmates' presentations. You will have a test on the Animal Kingdom on the last day of class. 

The groups responsible for Worms and Mollusks will present next Monday. Tomorrow, we will watch a documentary on cnidarians as an introduction to the hydra lab you'll be doing on Friday.

The Shape of Life

EXTRA LEARNING: There is this very neat documentary series on PBS called "The Shape of Life" that traces the origins of animal evolution. What's especially useful about this series is that they divide their episodes into the categories of animals that you are presenting! The entire series is on YouTube for those who are interested. Remember, we start presentations tomorrow. =)

Sponges: "Origins"

Cnidarians: "Life on the Move"

Planarians: "The First Hunter"

Annelids: "Explosion of Life"

Mollusks: "Survival Game"
Arthropods: "The Conquerors"

Echinoderms: "Ultimate Animal"

Vertebrates: "Bones, Brawn and Brains"

Notebook Check #13 due Tuesday

Good job on the Plant Unit Quiz today. Your two last assignments for this unit are the Plant Organs lab report and the Notebook Check #13. The grading sheet has been posted under "Documents." Don't forget the parent signature. Both of these assignments are due next Tuesday.

*** Remember to add Question #5 to your lab "Data Analysis" section: 5. Based on your knowledge of monocots and dicots, was the lily you observed a monocot plant or a dicot plant? What characteristics did you rely on to determine your answer? ***

We will start the Animal Unit next week. On Tuesday, you will have time to work on your projects at school. Remember to meet in the computer lab in the library. Bring your own laptop if you like. Then starting on Wednesday, you will watch presentations by your classmates. I revised the rubric for the animal presentations. You may look at it (under "Documents") to see how I will grade you. 

Lastly, remember that there is a slight change in the schedule next week. Because the hydra you will be observing in lab won't be ready until next Friday, we will need to switch the agendas for Thursday and Friday. On Thursday, the groups responsible for Worms and Mollusks will do their presentations. Then on Friday, we will do the hydra (cnidarian) lab. Those of you who will be going on a field trip next Friday will need to make alternative arrangements. For example, you may ask your lab partner to perform the lab in class, then you write the lab report afterward. Or, you may come to school early on Friday (before the field trip) to do it. I can keep the hydra over the weekend until Monday morning, but I doubt most will still be alive by then. You can hope that they'll still be alive for you to observe them then. If you cannot make arrangements to somehow complete the lab, then you will need to write a 3-page essay about cnidarians as the make-up assignment.

EXTRA LEARNING: In class, we learned one of the reasons why commercially ripened tomatoes don't taste as good as naturally ripened tomatoes. It has to do with chemicals, or lack thereof. Here is an article exploring that issue even further: The Science of Tasty Tomatoes. This article is also interesting; it relates genetic engineering to enhancing tomato flavor: "Genome could enhance tomato taste."

Plant Quiz on Friday

Your quiz on plants is on Friday. Review your notes, the lab, and the textbook for clarification. And ask questions if you have any. The Plant Unit PowerPoint slides have been posted under "Lectures." I also created a study guide (under "Documents") for your Plant Quiz. If you know the answers to the topics on the study guide, you should be able to ace this quiz. For one point of extra credit, you may also post a multiple choice review question with at least four answer choices. The extra credit is due by Friday. Your plant lab report is due next Tuesday. =)

Print Out Plant Lab

Print out the Plant Lab sheet and bring it to class tomorrow, Wednesday. If we have time after the lecture, I will stamp your lab sheets and go over the lab with you. If we don't have time, then I'll go over the lab before you do it on Thursday.

Also, remember that you may bring in plant samples either Wednesday or Thursday for extra credit. See the post below for more information.

Extra Credit: Bring in Plant Samples

Since we are learning about plants this week, I am offering the following extra credit opportunity: You may bring in a plant sample to share with your classmates. Some examples of plant structures you can bring in are roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, pinecones, etc. Suggestions of where to look are your backyard or garden, nearby places that have plants (e.g., parks, hiking trails), or your grocery store. You will earn 1 point of extra credit toward your test grade for bringing in a common plant or plant structure. You will earn 3 points of extra credit for bringing in a rare plant or plant structure, such as a Venus' flytrap or gingko biloba leaves. You do not need to talk about what you brought in (but you may if you choose). We will basically pass them around so your classmates can see "live samples" of plants and plant organs. =)

Notebook Check #12 Tomorrow

Remember that your Notebook Check #12 is tomorrow, Friday. Don't forget your parent signature. Also, the Reproductive Systems PowerPoint slides have been posted online under "Lectures." =)

Notebook Check on Friday

Today, I distributed the assignment sheet for your Kingdom Animalia Project. I am giving you this assignment now so you can have plenty of time to work on it. The first presentation is not scheduled until May 30th, which is more than a week away. On May 29th, you will be given a day to work on the project at school; we will meet in the computer lab in the library. Other than that, you are expected to complete the project with your group members outside of class. Be informative but also creative. This is your chance to teach the class. =)

Secondly, your Notebook Check #12 is due on Friday. To encourage you to complete as much of the notebook as possible (in order to get the maximum amount of credit) I am requiring you to have your parents check your notebooks for completion. I will not accept a notebook that does not have a parent signature. If you forget a parent signature, but still bring the notebook on Friday, then I will ask that you have your parent sign it when he/she picks you up from school and submit it before the end of the school day.

CST Testing This Week

You have CST testing Mondays through Thursday this week. We will cover the Reproductive System this week as well. Sixth period will meet on Monday and Wednesday, and seventh period will meet on Tuesday and Thursday. Remember that your Reproductive System worksheet is due on Wednesday for sixth period and on Thursday for seventh period. On Friday, we will watch a documentary about the reproductive system.

Biology Final Next Week

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend before your biology final next week. Your biology final will take place over two days--next Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesday, you will take a 60-question multiple-choice quiz on content covered during the first semester. On Thursday, you will take another 60-question multiple-choice quiz on content that was covered during the second semester. We will review the questions on Friday in preparation for your CSTs the week after that. I am available during tutorial and lunch for those who'd like help reviewing.

Your Endocrine System worksheet is due on Monday. Bring your CST Study Guide to class on Monday. You may work on them in class while watching a documentary on the endocrine system. Your answers to these questions will be collected on Tuesday and graded for completion. The Endocrine System PowerPoint slides have also been posted under "Lectures."

Digestive & Excretory Systems Quiz Tomorrow

Remember to review your notes, worksheets, and textbook for the Digestive & Excretory Systems Quiz tomorrow. The PowerPoint slides for both units have been posted under "Lectures." Also due tomorrow is your Notebook Check #11. Remember to download the grading sheet from "Documents." Lastly, remember to work on your CST Final Study Guide. Those are due on May 8th. I will collect your answers (no need to turn in the paper with the questions). We will grade the answers together as a class. You will receive credit for completion.

You may still post a review question by the beginning of class on Thursday for 1 point of extra credit.