Biology Interview Schedule

Raaj at 11:15 on Friday

Adiba at 11:40 on Friday

Asad at 2:10 on Friday

Abby at 2:20 on Friday

Big Ideas in Biology - Interview Questions

There will be 2 parts to the interview - first, prepare to present the following 2 questions and discuss with me.

The big ideas of Biology 11:

• Evolution and Natural Selection
• Requirements of living things
• Curiosity and Inquiry

1.  How can you show your learning of these big ideas throughout the course?  Be ready to show your best examples.  

2.  How do you see the world differently after taking Biology?  Discuss.



The second part of the interview will be discussing your mark.  Come prepared with the following framework in mind.  You can decide how you want to weight each criteria - write / prepare how you came up with your self assessment based on what we have discussed in class.

Your mark in Biology is to be based on the following criteria that we have discussed & created in class:

Assignment completion:  Are your blog posts complete? Are the assignment questions answered and similar criteria met?  Where you prepared for your interview and self-evaluation?

Assignment Quality:  To what level did you complete the assignments?  Are you able to remember what you have learned from them?  Would others be able to follow your blog posts?  Did you care about what you were writing?  Provide examples.

Skills: How did your skill set change throughout Biology 11?  Blogging, research, communication (written and verbal) lab skills such as microscopes & dissections.

Your Learning:  What did engagement in activities look like to you?  When were you the most engaged in class / assignments (really into what we were doing)?  Were you eager to learn?  What did you learn about how you learn?   What was your attitude after learning? How did your attendance affect your learning and why?

You can come up with your final percentage in a variety of ways - either create a total for each category that you mark yourself and add up the totals (ie.  10/15, 30/40 etc.), give yourself a letter grade for each category (A, B, B, B) and base your percentage on the average of those letters, or come up with your own system.  You must be thoughtful and reflective and be able to clearly explain your evaluation method.  Be responsible & prepare for your interview and self-evaluation.

Finding Nemo

We watched the first half of Finding Nemo today - and as practice for your final question of Biology 11 please reflect on and answer the following:

We have all seen Finding Nemo before. How did you see this movie differently since taking Biology 11?  What did you notice now? What did you wonder? Can you relate any of our main themes to the movie?

Second Final Question of Biology 11

Curiosity & Inquiry

Recap and summarize your research blog posts that you have done over the semester - from celebrity named organisms, to amazing organisms, to amazing/interesting plants, to interesting cnidarians to interesting arthropods.  

Which blog post was your best?  Why did you choose that one?  What did you learn?  What stands out about this post?

Relate this blog post to one of the other main themes in Biology 11 - 

How does the organism that you have written about relate to either of the following themes:

1.  Evolution and Natural Selection

2.  Requirements & Characteristics of Living Things.

Thank you for finding such cool organisms as a class - I learned about so many amazing and disgusting things!  Like Tardigrades!  Whoop!

Update on required blog posts

There is an earlier post that lists the blog posts that you should have completed since the midterm - the link for that is here:

Blog posts since midterm

Since then, you should have the following assignments posted on your blog

1.  Porifera / Cnidaria research - learn and share your information with a partner.
2.  Interesting animal from porifera/cnidaria/platyhelminthes/nematoda/mollusca
3.  Phylum Arthropoda research (interesting arthropod)
4.  Roundworm dissection
5.  Earthworm dissection
6.  Grasshopper dissection
7.  Starfish dissection
8.  Frog dissection
9.  First final question of Biology 11 - Animal Kingdom

First Final Question of Biology 11 - Animal Kingdom

In Biology, we have been focussing on three main themes throughout the semester:

• Evolution and Natural Selection
• Requirements & Characteristics of Living Things  
• Being Curious & Asking Questions

I would like you to relate all of the dissections that we have been doing in class to all three of these main themes.  Within the animal kingdom we have dissected a roundworm (phylum nematoda), an earthworm (phylum annelida), a grasshopper (phylum arthropoda), a starfish (phylum echinodermata) and a grass frog (phylum vertebrata, class amphibia).

Within each of these dissections and representative species, there are characteristics that we were able to examine that are excellent examples of how there is so much diversity of life on earth, yet there are certain requirements that all living things must have with unique systems to meet these requirements (feeding/digestion, reproduction, respiration, circulation, nervous system etc.)  Please discuss the how these organisms and phyla achieve this, as well as the trends towards increasing complexity in body form.  Your post should include pictures, examples and a thoughtful explanation of the topics.

Echinoderm Dissection Questions

External features:

Make observations about the size, symmetry, colour and texture of your specimen.
Note the oral and aboral surfaces.
Find the madreporite & radial arms.
Find the tube feet & mouth.

Internal features:

Carefully cut two radial arms as shown...

Make observations about the internal features of our specimen - find the pyloric ceaca, gonads, ampulla, tube feet.
Cut around the central disc of the aboral surface and try to find the pyloric and/or cardiac stomach.

What were you surprised by with this dissection?  What other questions do you have now?

Echinoderm Characteristics

Echinoderm Characterisitics

"spiny skin"

Radial symmetry (5 points/arms)

Internal skeleton 

Water Vascular system - radial canals with ampulla (bulbs) on inside and tube feet extending out bottom surface.  Madreporite on aboral surface (back), water intake.

External fertilization - sperm and eggs released into water

Complete digestive system - mouth on bottom, oral surface in middle.  Cardiac stomach everts out mouth to digest prey externally and suck into pyloric stomach, anus on aboral side.  Many digestive glands fill radial arms (pyloric caeca)

Asexual reproduction - can regenerate lost limbs

No brain - tiny eyespots on ends of arms to detect light, ring of nerves

Poorly developed respiration - diffusion through tube feet.

Excretion - diffusion through tube feet.

Examples: sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, sand dollars

Echinoderm Pictures

Sea Star Dissection

Internal anatomy pictures

Grasshopper Dissection

Grasshopper dissection

You have some choice as to how you would like to present your dissection - video, drawing with paper answers, or pictures & blog post, or any combination of these...  Here is the information that needs to be included.

Take pictures, draw or take video of the external anatomy of your grasshopper and complete the following questions - labelling as necessary...

1.  Is your grasshopper male or female?  How do you know?
2.  Identify the head, thorax & abdomen.  How many segments are in the abdomen?
3.  Identify the compound eyes, tympanum & antennae.
4.  Identify the 3 parts of the jumping legs - tarsus, tibia and femur.  How many legs are present?
5.  Use a dissecting microscope to find the spiracles (small holes on the sides of the abdomen.
5.  Make observations about the exoskeleton, wings, size and shape of your specimen.

Internal anatomy:
Remove the wings and appendages from the specimen by snipping them close to the body.  Make a careful, shallow cut through the exoskeleton down the dorsal (back) surface from the posterior end (bum) towards the anterior (head).  Try to just cut the exoskeleton, not cutting the organs below.

1.  Make initial observations about what you see when you open the grasshopper.
2.  Find the crop, gizzard of the digestive system.  Digestive enzymes are produced by the gastric ceaca.  Where you able to identify them?  Identify the stomach, intestine, rectum and anus.
3.  If possible, identify the coiled malpighian tubules (excretion), ovaries and oviducts (reproduction)

LAST QUESTION:
What more are you curious about since you have dissected this grasshopper?

Arthropod research

Hey Kids:) 

Sorry I'm not there today - but I'll see your posts and read about all the interesting & cool things you find today. Try to publish your post by the end of the class.

Find an interesting creature that belongs to the Phylum Arthropoda (there are TONS) which includes all insects, crustaceans and spiders.  You might have a hard time choosing just one! 

As usual with our interesting species posts - include pictures, video, links etc. and a summary of what you have learned. 

In addition today, I'd like you to relate evolution and natural selection to your species - what are the advantageous adaptations that allowed that species to be successful? It could be things like protection, increased camouflage, diet, predation etc. Why is your species successful?

Also think about where the species belongs in the ecosystem - is it helpful or harmful? To humans or the environment?

Okay, so 2 extra topics to think and write about along with your summary today. 

Once you have published your post, you can share, read and comment on other students posts. That would be learning about stuff. 

Have fun & be ready for a grasshopper dissection for tomorrow.

Porifera & Cnidaria

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?

Introduction to Simple Animals

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?

All blog posts since the midterm:

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.

Plant Photo Journal

Find and take pictures of the following:

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?
• What is the purpose of the fruit?

Flower Dissection

Awww... isn't this sweet!!! I got flowers!!!!

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.

Monocots and dicots

Monocots vs. Dicots

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.

And publish!

REMINDER - NEXT MONDAY - UNIT TEST ON PLANTS

Interesting & extreme & amazing PLANTS

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.

Yay, learning!

Pine cone crafts got me thinking.....

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.