End of the blog

I will not be using this blog anymore this year.  Instead posts about the week will now be included on the biology page of my website.  Check it out and let me know what you think!

Week of 11/1

We will be finishing up Photosynthesis this week before moving onto Respiration.  

There will be no school Tuesday (Election Day)

Assessments:
1. There will be NO PSR quiz this week
2. Don't forget your coloring book is due Nov 15/16 (next week!!)
3. Anticipate a large quiz on photosynthesis this week
4. B week- Current events due on Friday!!

Week of 10/25

Current Unit- Photosynthesis and Respiration, Chapter 4

Be sure to check out the file cabinet for a great study guide, powerpoints, etc.

Assignments to be aware of:
1. Prefix quiz #8 on Wed/Thurs (words 71-80) on master list in file cabinet (Use quizlet to study!)
2. Another Vocab quiz will occur after notes on photosynthesis
3. We will be doing a couple of labs in class this unit so be sure to complete them and hand in
4. A week- current event due Friday!  Be sure to do it for full credit!!

This unit has lots of details to keep track of so be sure to review notes each night, read ahead in the chapter and take notes, ask questions in class, and make flash cards of important vocabulary.

Current vocabulary to know:
1. ATP
2. ADP
3. chemosynthesis
4. photosynthesis
5. chlorophyll
6. thylakoid
7. light-dependent reactions
8. light-independent reactions
9. stroma
10. granum
11. stomata
12. Calvin cycle

Study, study, study!!

New unit starts 10/20

The students received their Chapter 3 tests back this week and need to get them signed as a homework grade.  We did test corrections in class and they should retest on Friday after school if they failed.  The next unit is Chapter 4-Photosynthesis and Respiration.  The students will have a quiz on the vocabulary from 4.1 and 4.2 on Wed/Thurs.  We are also back to our PSR quizzes Wed/Thurs this week.  This will be the 7th quiz and the words are from crani to deci (full list can be found in the file cabinet).

B day students need to hand in a current event this week since this is a B week.

All students should be reading ahead before class and reviewing notes at home.  The students did not perform well on the last test because they are not reviewing the material enough.  If you think your student is spending a lot of time on the material but not testing well please have them talk to me about study techniques.

Here are some links on how to take notes:

How to take noes from Dartmouth:   http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/success/notes.html
Tips on taking notes and studying:  http://www.how-to-study.com/study-skills/en/notetaking/27/taking-notes-in-class/
How to take notes using different formats (cornell, outline, mapping, charting, sentence):
http://www.sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl/notetaking.systems.html

Study during this new unit, it will be A LOT HARDER!!!

New unit starts 10/20

The students received their Chapter 3 tests back this week and need to get them signed as a homework grade.  We did test corrections in class and they should retest on Friday after school if they failed.  The next unit is Chapter 4-Photosynthesis and Respiration.  The students will have a quiz on the vocabulary from 4.1 and 4.2 on Wed/Thurs.  We are also back to our PSR quizzes Wed/Thurs this week.  This will be the 7th quiz and the words are from crani to deci (full list can be found in the file cabinet).

B day students need to hand in a current event this week since this is a B week.

All students should be reading ahead before class and reviewing notes at home.  The students did not perform well on the last test because they are not reviewing the material enough.  If you think your student is spending a lot of time on the material but not testing well please have them talk to me about study techniques.

Here are some links on how to take notes:

How to take noes from Dartmouth:   http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/success/notes.html
Tips on taking notes and studying:  http://www.how-to-study.com/study-skills/en/notetaking/27/taking-notes-in-class/
How to take notes using different formats (cornell, outline, mapping, charting, sentence):  
http://www.sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl/notetaking.systems.html

Study during this new unit, it will be A LOT HARDER!!!

Next week

I will be gone for Camp Greenville next week but the students will have a test on Chapter 3 on Tuesday (B) or Wednesday (A).  The test will cover all of chapter 3 including cell organelles and transport.  They have been given study guides that they should study over the weekend. 

Posts

Sorry I have not posted in quite a while. This month was busy. I have realized that a daily post may be too much so I will post once each week.

In biology this week the students will be completing the microscope lab. They still have a PSR quiz and need to be reviewing Chapter 3. Their test on Cell parts, membrane, and transport is next week. A day - Wednesday, B day- Thursday

9/13 & 9/14

The students copied down their PSR words for quiz on Wednesday/Thursday. They were assigned the cell project and given their assignment page for the cells unit. They then spent time correcting their test and will be retested in class on Wednesday/Thursday. Study!

9/8, 9/9 & 9/10

Sorry some of these are late

9/10 
The students took their first test today and should have also handed in their 2nd Current Event write-up.  AFter the test they started a vocab list of 3.2.  Study.  Back to PSR quizzes next week

9/9
The students took their first test today and started a vocab list of 3.2.  Go ahead and start studying.  Back to PSR quizzes next week and 2nd CE due next Friday

9/8 
The students took notes on enzymes and we went over a study guide.  They completed a mini lab on enzymes called "toothpickase"

9/7 B day

The students were given two study guides to prepare for the test on Thursday. They were also given notes on Enzymes. We started an activity to illustrate the concepts with enzymes and will finish on Thursday after the test. Study hard

9/1 and 9/2

9/1 A day
Sorry this is late- The students took their PSR quiz and then we took notes on nucleic acids and proteins. They also made a polymer (silly putty) to talk about the differences between the properties of monomers and polymers. They will have a test next week and should study over the weekend.

9/2 B day
The students took their 3rd PSR quiz, then finished taking notes on lipids and had a short open note quiz. We then made a polymer using glue and borax solution. Current Events due tomorrow. Test is next week and the students should study over the weekend.
The students finished notes on

8/31 B day

After copying down new PSR terms (21-30 on list in file cabinet), the students resumed working in their groups on the organic molecules. We then took some notes on Carbohydrates and Lipids. The students learned a little bit more about saltines today and will be able to have fun with milk on Thursday. For HW- review notes and read 2.3 and 2.4

8/30 A day

The students copied down their new PSR words (21-30 on list in file cabinet). We then got started with notes on Carbohydrates and Lipids. The students participated in a couple of mini labs and were given a quiz towards the end of the period. More discussion to come to wrap up the milk demo. PSR quiz Wednesday

8/26 B day

The students took their 2nd PSR quiz today and then we finished the story about Eijkman, the dutch scientist that discovered vitamins. We then worked on their observation skills with some pattern games.
When we returned to the class the students were broken up into groups to begin digging into 2.3 (organic compounds). HW- read 2.3

8/25 A day

Students took their 2nd PSR quiz today. We then discussed how science is done in real life and practiced our observation skills. They students were then grouped up to work on 2.3 (organic compounds)

8/24 B day

The students copied down their PSR words and then we discussed life. We read a story about Sammy and an excerpt from the Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton. The students were to reflect on the passages and write about their thoughts on how to define life. Notes were then given on 1.1 and 1.2. We ended with a discussion about science and how it has been used in the past. More to come Thursday. PSR quiz Thursday. HW- read 1.2

8/23 A day

Today the students copied down the next ten psr words. (11-20 on PSR list in file cabinet). We then discussed life and how to define it and took notes on 1.1 and 1.2 in the text. The students took a quiz on 2.2. PSR quiz on Wed., Current Events due Fri., and HW is to review notes

8/20 B day

The students had a quiz on 2.2 today. We also did a write-up of a current event in class. The students will need to hand in a current event and write-up every other week (on Fridays I see them) The write-up is in the file cabinet as well as a sheet with good sources to use. Please keep up with this as C.E's will not be accepted late. Their homework is to read 1.1 and finish the C.E. if not done in class.

8/19 B day

We had the exact same lesson as the A day students on 8/18. Please see previous post

8/18 A day

Sorry this is a little late..

The students took their first prefix quiz. We then finished notes on chemistry and water (with a little hands on work) before taking some notes on inquiry. Their homework assignment was to finish a worksheet on determining the parts of an experiment.

8/17 B day

The students were given the first 10 prefix/suffix/root words and then quizzed on 2.1. They presented their graphs from last week's activity and then took notes on chemistry (posted to the website). Their homework is to read 2.2 and study for PSR quiz Thursday, and 2.2 quiz Friday.

8/13 A day

Activities:
Students copied down the first 10 prefix/suffix/root terms to study for the quiz on Wednesday.
We then discussed the graphs students created based on classroom data of student height.
      Key points- organize data so the graph is as informative as possible.
                      - avoid having graphs that require a lot of time to look over.
We went over notes on chemistry and specifically water and it's properties
Students then finished correcting chemistry pre-test

Homework- read 2.2
Up next:   PSR quiz - Wednesday
               water quiz-  Monday

8/13 A day

Today, they had a quiz on 2.1 in the textbook.  After that we discussed current event assignments and we did one in class together.  Every friday that I see a biology class they are expected to hand in a current event.  The write-up is in the biology file cabinet and the due dates are on the calendar.  Next week we start prefix, suffix, root quizzes.  Have a great weekend

First day A and B day

I forgot to mention that the students also went over safety and they all need to get the safety contract signed and handed in this week.

First Day 4A

Students were given the syllabus and classrooms rules and procedures were explained. They need to get class policies page signed by parents and handed in this week for a HW grade. They also took a chemistry pre-assessment and we talked about what science is and is not.

Welcome to my blog

I will be using this blog for various purposes during the year.  Please check back regularly.