There are 7 essential functions in animals, all of which (except circulation! doh!) we were able to brainstorm onto the whiteboard yesterday. Here is a recap:
1. Feeding - herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, filter feeders, detritivore, parasites
2. Respiration - take in O2 and release CO2
3. Circulation - transport of nutrients, O2 etc. through body
4. Excretion - expelling nitrogenous waste products (ammonia - urea)
5. Response - senses, nerves
6. Movement - muscles/skeleton
7. Reproduction - sexual and cloning, life cycles
Your assignment for today is to get into groups of 2 - one person will be responsible for learning and teaching about Porifera, the other about Cnidaria. You must research how representative animals from your phylum performs the 7 essential function listed above. Please also find some pictures that show the diversity of animals within the same phylum. Post this information onto your blog - then TEACH the information to your partner. Please have a discussion where you compare characteristics of the 2 phyla. Which one is more evolved? How and why?
If you were away yesterday or would like to watch this again - here is the video that we watched on Simple Animals - there are a few great one-liners in here, so listen carefully!
Then we decided to look on You Tube for some neat videos of animals and found this amazing camo octopus. It really is crazy - have a look:
Your assignment for the day was to find an interesting animal in any of the simplest animal phyla:
Porifera, Cnidaria, Platyhelminthes, Nematoda or Mollusca and write a blog post about it. What phyla does it belong to? What did you find to be interesting about it?
1. Root, Stem, Leaves: microscope slides, pictures, labelled with Skitch
2. Gymnosperm Lab: microscope - hand drawn pictures (2) with actual size, photographed onto blog
3. Pine cone craft: post a picture of your creation
4. Comparing pine cones and acorns
5. Extreme, Amazing Plant research
6. Plant video summary - BBC? post a video & summary - watch & comment
7. Monocot or Dicot Roots, Stems, Leaves - compare to blog post #1 on this list... comment on arrangement of vascular bundles
8. Flower Dissection
9. Photo Journal Review
Check that you have completed these posts - your Plant Unit Test is on Monday and includes the following topics: Mosses, Ferns, Gymnosperms & Angiosperms
Along with the photo journal, review the life cycles of mosses, ferns and gymnosperms.
1. Mosses: find moss in two different locations - try to find moss with sporangia growing out of it!
Post your pictures and answer the following review questions:
Describe the environment in which you found the moss living.
Why do mosses need to live in moist environments?
Why do mosses grow so low to the ground? Why can they grow on rocks?
2. Ferns: find two different ferns if possible. Take pictures of both the top and bottom side of the fern frond (leaf).
Post your pictures and answer the following review questions:
Describe the environment in which you found the fern living.
Why do ferns need to live in moist environments?
How are the structures of mosses and ferns different? Why does that allow the ferns to grow larger?
Do ferns need to grow in soil? Why?
3. Gymnosperms: Find 3 different gymnosperm plants - try to find and take pictures of both the male and female cones of at least 2 of the plants. Identify the species if you are able.
Post your pictures and answer the following review questions:
What adaptations do gymnosperms have to allow them to live in varied environments?
What is the difference between pollination and fertilization? What structures are involved in each?
4. Angiosperms: Find at least 2 examples of monocot plants, and two examples of dicot plants. Try to include pictures of both the leaves and flowers/fruit/berries of each.
Post your pictures and answer the following review questions:
How are angiosperms well adapted to life on land?
What are some pollination and seed dispersal strategies that angiosperms employ?
Actually I bought them myself.
And I can't wait to chop them up.
It's flower dissection day! Whooohooo!
You will have a three part blog post for this assignment - flower structure, pollination & angiosperm classification.
Flower Dissection
Flower Structure:
Identify, take pictures &
label all of the following parts of the flower – which are male parts and which
are female?
·Anther
·Stigma
·Petals
·Style
·Ovary
·Filament
·Sepals
Using the scalpel, cut the
ovary in half to see the ovules inside (use dissecting microscope if needed).
Find the pollen and try to
create a slide so that you can see the pollen magnified.Describe what you are able to see.
Pollination:
What is pollination?What structures are involved?What are the differences between
self-pollination and cross-pollination and what are the benefits of each?
Angiosperm classification:
What type of flower are you
dissecting?Take pictures and describe
all the evidence that helped you make your classification.
Angiosperms (flower-bearing plants) can be divided into 2 categories based on certain characteristics.
In today's lab, I would like you to compare the roots, stems and leaves microscope slides to the ones that we have posted in an earlier "Roots, Stems & Leaves" post.
You will be posting 3 pictures - a root, a stem and a leaf - look back at your previous post and take pictures of the other (monocot or dicot) and categorize each as monocot or dicot...
How do you know the difference? Compare the arrangement of vascular bundles between monocot and dicot in each structure. Label the vascular bundles in today's pictures to show you know where they are.
Plants really are so amazing. There is so much diversity in the plant kingdom - hundreds of thousands of angiosperm species alone! Plants have adapted to life in all sorts of environments in so many different conditions and have many different strategies for pollination and seed dispersal.
Today I would like you to post a summary of an interesting, extreme or amazing plant - picture, links, info etc...
And, find a short video - my suggestion is to search you tube for "The Private Lives of Plants" hosted by David Attenborough of the BBC - there are many episodes with short, interesting clips - 3 to 5 minutes. Once you have found one you think is cool, post a summary & embed the video on your blog. Find someone else's post from our class & share. I posted a link back in September with all of our class blogs on it, so search that to find and read some one else's post. Read the summary, watch the video and comment.
So, what is the difference between an acorn and a pinecone? What kinds of trees are they each found on? Do they both contain seeds? What are their strategies for dispersal?
Determine the differences and similarities between acorns and seed cones (besides being great for making super awesome crafts) and post a summary of your findings, pictures and links to your blog.
Roots:
What are the major functions of roots? What specialized structures allow roots to do these jobs?
Look at a root cross section under the microscope and take a picture, noting the power (low, med or high) and the microscope magnification. Use the iPads to label your picture with the following:
Stems:
What are the major functions of stems? How are woody and herbaceous stems different?
Look at a stem cross section under the microscope and take a picture, noting the power and microscope magnification. Label the following structures in the stem:
What are the major functions of leaves? What is the chemical reaction for photosynthesis? Why are stomata important to plants & to us?
Look at a leaf cross section under the microscope and take a picture, noting the power and microscope magnification. Label the following structures in the stem:
Demonstrate your knowledge of each of the following topics by providing evidence of your learning (via linking blog posts, taking & posting pictures of work, quizzes, videos, posters, labs etc.)
Biology 11 Topics:
Classification
Taxonomy
Evolution
Viruses
Bacteria
Protists
Include a discussion about your level of assignment completion, your blog assignments, engagement in the class and overall quality of work.
Learning happens when there is a relationship between curiosity, questions & understanding...
What has been your most powerful learning experience so far in Biology? Please write about it as well.
Once you have surveyed the learning that you have accomplished so far this semester, I would like you to suggest a letter grade and percentage that would be represent your journey of learning in the class so far this semester. I know that this is difficult! Do your best, and we will have a chance to talk briefly about your grade on Wednesday before marks are due on Thursday morning. Remember, this grade is a work in progress, with room for improvement as the semester continues - we are not done yet!
Once you have posted your information about your celebrity organism, please share/read/comment on other peoples posts in the class. I will provide a link to the page with ALL of your blogs below. You can also comment on the amazing animal that we shared in class - so many of those were really great.
I was so excited to find out that there are fern species named after Lady Gaga that I had to research it more - and found a great article that I will link below:
So great. The prothallus of a fern has both male and female parts (antheridium and archegonium), which, scientifically is called "bisexual". So, I guess that Lady Gaga is a perfect fit?! Read the article to find out the details...
Here is a picture of Lady Gaga looking very much like a prothallus. Coincidence?
Pretty exciting stuff - here is a Crash Course Video that will review the moss life cycle.
MOSS REVIEW:
Do you know the characteristics of mosses?
What does non-vascular mean?
Why can't mosses grow to be super tall?
How do mosses get their nutrition?
What is the dominant generation of the moss plant?
Where does fertilization occur?
What grows as the result of fertilization?
How are mosses a link between aquatic and terrestrial plants?
Even though my costume isn't very good - I thought I would get us into the spirit of Halloween by looking at some spooky, scary freshwater animals to start class.
Boo!
Here is an idea - last week we had a great learning experience when Moeize showed us a picture of something interesting that he had found outside of his house... Just in case you forget, here is the link to the picture that he posted to his blog:
I found this day to be great in many ways - first, that a student had noticed something in the world around him, taken a picture because he thought it was interesting, and then shared it with all of us in class and then on his blog. It seems like the curiosity that we have as children - always asking WHY? - gets put into the background as we are told what to learn and when to learn it in school. The other great part is that the internet is amazing! We are not the first people to wonder what is happening between two slugs - it took me no time to find out, watch an amazing video and learn something that I am totally going to remember, something that I didn't know before. It's actually exciting learning interesting things!
So, here is your assignment for today - you can work in partners, but you will have to learn about 2 topics if you do (based on sharing computers in the library today). This is an extension of your finding a peculiar animal post - although, you can learn about a completely different topic. Your assignment is to be CURIOUS & to ask WHY. Is there something in nature that you wonder about? Can you expand on your research about your animal/organism with a peculiar trait and teach us why it is the way it is? I would like you to create a blog post that includes your question about the world (can you find an interesting phenomenon in nature?) You will be presenting your assignment to the class (maybe on our popcorn friday) so have use of the projector - find an interesting nature youtube video that you can embed in your blog & relate to class?
Nature is amazing - find something that you are amazed about and share it with the class, and on your blog, with the world.
We have grown bacteria in the incubator, and today we had a look at our results. Please post a picture of your agar plate that clearly shows the bacterial growth. Along with your picture, write a few sentences of written observations about the bacteria and provide the key or legend (where did you swab for each quadrant?).
Next, we should see if we can inhibit the growth of bacteria - Does hand sanitizer actually work?
Using a control and 3 different types of soap/sanitizer/bleach etc., do an experiment to see how effective each is at inhibiting the growth of bacteria.
I would like you to write a blog post about your progress in Biology so far...
Please include the following:
What are you proud of so far in Biology? Give specific examples (3?) of your "best" work. Why did you choose those pieces?
Look through your binder - what does your binder say about your work habits? Do you have incomplete work? Is it organized and easy to access? Have you kept up with the work that has been assigned?
Look at your blog - what blog posts (&/or comments) mean the most to you so far and why?
What does engagement in class mean to you? What are some examples of you being engaged and contributing to learning?
Do you have any goals / improvements / hopes for the rest of the semester in this class?
Be thoughtful and honest in writing about your progress - the emphasis is on PROGRESS. This is for you to think about where you are so far in this class, and where you would like to go. How can you get there?
The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.
Complete the following questions - you can either post the answers on your blog, or complete on paper...
Part One -
1. Describe the general structure of a virus.
2. What is the genetic material that can be found in a virus?
3. Draw & label (or find a really good picture to post) of a bacteriophage (a virus that infects a bacteria). Make sure to include the capsid, DNA, & tail fibers.
4. Find examples of both plant and animal viruses.
5. Do you think that viruses are living or non-living? Explain your answer.
6. Are their beneficial viruses?
Part Two -
Research and describe an epidemic caused by a virus (be careful - bacteria can cause epidemics as well!)
Include the following:
What is it's vector / way of being transmitted?
What were the effects / symptoms?
How many deaths were caused?
When & where in the world was the epidemic?
What were the circumstances that created the epidemic?
Add pics / video / links to more information.
Read and comment on someone else's research. Try to start a conversation - ask a question that shows you have thought about their post. What else do you want to know? Have they answered all the questions above? Is the information clear?
You can work in partners, but both of you must show your understanding of the topics... Use white boards, talk and draw, practice!!!! Prepare your answers before you record. Make sure you include enough information & use examples.
How did the giraffe get such a long neck? Why do zebras have stripes? How can there be carnivorous plants?
Think about an organism with a special adaptation or characteristic (either plant or animal) - why do you think that characteristic provided that species with an advantage in their environment? Come up with your own ideas - post what your thoughts are first. Then, your second post will be your research - summarize your findings (a few paragraphs) and include pictures &/or video and website links that you used to do your learning.
Once that is done, read and comment on at least one other students blog post idea &/or research.
Can't wait to read your posts! Yay learning!
I am posting a data table as a google spreadsheet - I would like to to create a COPY by signing into your google account, clicking File ---> Make a Copy and use it to record you data from our activity in class today (and post to your blog). So what I have made can serve as a template for you to complete and post, I hope.
And then guess what - try and create the appropriate graph on google docs! Don't worry. I have already photocopied the graph paper in anticipation of our collective failure. Boo.
Fingers crossed. You can try to make your graphs online or I will photocopy some graph paper now.
Once done the graphs, you can answer the questions.
:) Thank you for being patient.
Okey dokey... Now I have created a new way to submit your same data, as multiple choice questions. You should be able to access the spreadsheet of these results after, which may or may not (!) be the data we are hoping to graph.
Now that you can see everyone's data for the measurement lab, the averages should be at the bottom of the spreadsheet....
Answer the following questions on your blog about the information that you have collected.
1. What were the trends that you noticed in each of the frequency graphs?
2. How many people had "extreme" traits?
3. What trait had the most variation?
4. How would having variation within a trait benefit the entire species? How would having no variation be detrimental to the success of the species?
5. How could having extreme traits be beneficial? Can you find an example in nature?
6. How did you come to have the characteristics that you have? (ie. why are you short?)
7. What is a gene? What is DNA? Where did you get your DNA?
What do all living things have in common? They are all made of CELLS which contain DNA. The sequences of bases on the DNA molecule provide the genetic code which gives each organism unique traits.
We have just looked at the structure of DNA by colouring and cutting and pasting a model of DNA in the classroom. Now, I would like you to explore how DNA makes copies of itself - which it needs to do in order for a cell to divide. This process is called DNA replication.
Watch this animation to see the steps of DNA replication in action.
Remember how long each DNA molecule was and how many base pairs it possesses? Although there are proofreading enzymes, mistakes in base pairing during replication can occur, which are called mutations. Mostly, mutations have a negative effect on the cells ability to perform it's function, but there is a possibility that a mutation can be advantageous.
Although we are all humans with 46 chromosomes, we each have distinct traits that we have inherited from the DNA of our parents. A key factor in evolution is that there is diversity in life forms and variation in these traits within a population.
Next we are going to look at the variation of some unimportant physical traits within our class, collect data, and see if there are any extreme phenotype (what we look like) variations - how might that benefit an organism?
Working in partners, measure the following physical characteristics:
a) Height (without shoes, in cm)
b) Cubit (bend arm at elbow, measure from tip of elbow to end of fingers)
c) Hand span (tip of thumb to tip of pinky finger, hand spread wide)
d) Eye width (stare straight ahead, partner measures center of one eye to center of other eye)
e) Foot length (stand on ruler)
Enter info into shared google spreadsheet that you can access here:
Once everyone has inputed their data, you are to plot a frequency graph for each characteristic - so that you can see how often each characteristic occurs. Plot the measured characteristic on the x-axis, and the number of people having the characteristic on the y-axis. One graph / characteristic...
Choose any combination of 5 plants and/or animals (maybe ones that you are interested in...) and learn their ENTIRE scientific name - KPCOFGS. Post a picture of your chosen organisms with their scientific name.
Do any of your organisms share any of categories? Can you that they are closely related by just looking at them? Are their any organisms that you thought would be more closely related than they are? Think about these questions and write a paragraph describing your findings.
What has this bit of research made you wonder about how organisms are related?
Classifying living things can be complicated. A dichotomous key is a series of questions with two possible answers that will help you identify or name a living thing based on characteristics that you can see. For each object, you complete the series of questions until it has been identified.
Try your luck at a classification interactive game at the link below:
Today, we will be making observations about 2 or 3 trees and using on online dichotomous key to try to identify the trees around the school.
You can take a SMALL sample of the leaves/needles (or a picture), as well as pictures of the leaf pattern, branches, tree bark and any other characteristic or measurement that you think may be important to identify your tree. Once you have made your observations, the link to the dichotomous key is below:
Once you have posted your question - you need to research your question and provide an answer... As well as links to websites that were useful, pictures, youtube videos etc for anyone who might want more information.
Today you will be creating your Biology 11 Blog and creating a place to publish your work, organize your assignments & collaborate with peers. Your blog will be a window into the progress that you are making in class - instead of handing in an assignment only to me, other students are able to see your work, your parents, and people around the world! With that in mind, we will practice being responsible and respectful in an online space, and work to create a positive digital footprint.
Once you get your blog up and running, you can publish your first post. Yippee! Your first post should be your science question that you formulated after being a scientific observer in our living things scavenger hunt.
If you are successful with your first post, try to post your scavenger hunt pictures in a way that makes sense to an outside observer.
Check this interview schedule - make sure you are prepared! If you are not on here come see me ASAP!!!!! Friday June 14 2:30 - Michael 2:40 - Justin B 2:50 - Jas 3:00 - Rawel 3:10 - Rohanna Monday, June 17 12:00 - Vicki 12:10 - Evelyn 12:20 - Keara 12:30 - Ashpreet 12:40 - Kamalvir 12:50 - Brianna Wednesday, June 19 12:45 - Addy 12:55 - 1:05 - Monica G 1:15 - Jamie H 1:25 - Corey H 1:35 - Anna 1:45 - Robin 1:55 - Prince 2:05 - Amber 2:15 - Josh 2:25 - Abbas 2:35 - Amrit 2:45 - Jaspreet 2:55 - Parveer 3:05 - Adam 3:15 - Thomas 3:25 - Baneet
Have a look at the interview template for next week - I would suggest that you start preparing for this now and create a thoughtful portfolio of evidence that best shows your learning this semester.
Biology 12 Final Interview- Ms. Phillips
June 2013
Provide evidence that shows what you have learned about the
following topics –
·Water
·Digestion
·Biological Molecules
·Respiration
·Circulation
·Urinary System
·Reproduction
·Nervous System (if applicable)
Evidence can include tests,
quizzes, projects, assignments, blog posts, anecdotes from class discussions
etc.
Organize your evidence and prepare to talk about your 3 most
important pieces of evidence.They may
include items that you were most proud of, or where something really “clicked”
or a time when you took a risk or worked outside of your comfort zone.
Be prepared to suggest a grade/percentage that you feel you
have achieved based on what you have learned, the quality of work you have
completed, and your engagement in Biology this year.
You will be signing up for an interview time, make sure you
are prepared in advance.
