Homeschooler's Resources

Balancing Chemical Equations

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 03:55:00 +0000

I just had to share! A new favorite video! (Another being this one on Unit Conversions)

I would suggest setting aside about 25 minutes and have paper and pencil handy. After the first few when you get the hang of it, pause the video and write out each new equation. Pause often to study the equation and see if you can figure out what the next step should be. Follow along and write it out as you go. =)

►Check out Tyler DeWitt's YouTube channel for more videos. See his playlists, especially the one on Unit Conversions.

This video is now linked and/or embedded in the Chemistry post, and Biology Module 5 Part A and Part B.

Chemistry 101 Tab

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 16:29:00 +0000

I needed a place to save some links and notes for myself so that I would remember what things I'd come across, so I decided to share even though it's not very thorough.

See top for the tab! =)

Colored Fire!! =)

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 19:15:00 +0000

An exciting activity to test for elements!!
http://chemistry.about.com/od/funfireprojects/a/coloredfire.htm

Let your students do a little research (with direction as needed) on the colors each will produce (John Hudson Tiner's Exploring the World with Chemistry, ch 5, will help if you have it). Or just show them the website.
Might want to first see what materials you're able to obtain, and which elements your child has learned, then go from there.

--Chemistry 101 (Wes Olson), chapter 6 mentions when elements are exposed to fire, their gases give off a distinct "fingerprint" of color.

--We will be reading Tiner's ch. 5 along w/ Chem 101, ch. 3 because of the scientists mentioned and what they discovered. This will be a good time for us to do this experiment! And watch some Periodic Videos as well!! http://periodicvideos.com/
(I also want to be learning some of the elements ahead of Chem 101 because he introduces them almost all at once, and because, well, I just don't want to wait, lol.)

More tips about colored fire here: http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howtos/a/aa052703a.htm

We will probably just sprinkle the substance on the fire, but from something with a long handle.

You can also have your child to do a lab report on this. Have him fill out the initial part of a lab report, including materials, his predictions, etc (make a chart), then fill in what actually happened and if he had better results for some substances than others, and why he thought that happened.
If you're not sure how to do a lab report, instead of copying one person's method, the best way to learn something is to google and compare several samples so that you know what you want. =)

Any ideas or thoughts on this experiment?

Biology 101, Chapter 7, The 6th Day – Biology History, Cells, Genetics [post 3/3]

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Thu, 08 May 2014 23:53:00 +0000

Spud-Doodles!

Blog Posts for Chapter 7:
• Post 1/3 - Cells
• Post 2/3 - DNA
• Post 3/3 - Genetics

In Addition to Biology 101:
• Apologia Biology Exp. 8.1, Making Your Own Earlobe Pedigree
• Apologia Biology Exp. 8.2, A Dihybrid Cross
• Apologia Biology Exp. 8.3, Sex-Linked Genetic Traits
• Build-a-Spud Workshop using these Spud Genes.
My directions, and thanks to Mr. McClung for the original idea and directions.
• Extra Punnett Square worksheets in class - some choices are here and here.

Other Study Links:
► Pass the Genes, Please - Help the Melonheads pass their genes on to their little Melvin.
► Genetics Practice Problems - Answer questions about genotypes (such as bb, Bb, or B and b, or b and b, etc), and fill in Punnett squares. (Put the male genes at the top of the Punnett square, and the female genes on the left.)
►Listen to more about Gregor Mendel's experiments at this link from HippoCampus.org. There are five segments, numbered at the top.
This link will only be available until June 24, 2014. =(

Naturally after learning how meiosis provides the way for

us to all be so different, now we learn about genetics! =)

Genetics

a. Mendel's Experiments

►Self-pollination - when a plant pollinates itself. Usually, the stamen that holds the pollen (in the anther) must be taller than the pistil (where the stigma is) so that the pollen can fall to the stigma. Sometimes this is not necessary as you can see in a video below.
Flower dissection from last year.

(Source)

Cross pollination is more common than self-pollination.
►Cross-pollination - when pollen is delivered from a flower to a different plant. This happens frequently with bees, or when the wind blows the pollen, or by other means.

(1) Pollination, Plants, and Insects - Cross-Pollination

(2) Plant Reproduction: Methods of Pollination - Self-pollination

(3) Mendel Single Trait Experiments
Gregor Mendel used pea plants because they do not lend themselves to cross-pollination naturally. Gregor Mendel did this by hand.
Genes are made up of segments of DNA found on larger pieces of DNA called chromosomes.

b. Terminology

(4) Genotype (Terminology)
Genotype is the combination of alleles an organism has. Genotype is the "type o' genes" you have (TT, Tt, or tt). It is your genotype that determines you phenotype (which is the trait you can actually see).

You need to know this terminology:

►Genes vs. Alleles
(uh-LEELs) hear pronunciation
A gene is a section of DNA that codes for a particular trait.
A gene comes in alleles (choices) that are different forms of a particular trait.
There are hundreds of genes on each chromosome!

Alleles are different versions of the same type of gene.

The gene for hair color can have blond alleles, brown alleles, etc, and the gene for eye color can have green alleles, blue alleles, brown alleles, etc. Plants can be tall or short. Flowers can be different colors. Lots of different alleles for any particular type of gene.

We're all allele different. =)

►Allele vs. Trait
Alleles make up a trait. The "blue eye" trait will contain the alleles b and b (one contributed from each parent). The "brown eye" trait will contain the alleles B and B, or B and b. (B is dominant over b, so even though b can be present, B will make a person have brown eyes.)
Two alleles make up the blue eye trait [bb] or brown eye trait [BB or Bb].

►Dominant vs. Recessive
Alleles can be dominant or recessive. If you receive one allele for brown eyes and one for blue eyes (one from each parent - Bb), you will have brown eyes since brown eyes are dominant over blue eyes. Tall plants are dominant over short.
So when both dominant and recessive alleles are present, a dominant allele will always be seen over a recessive allele.

Recessive alleles (blue eyes, etc.) can be seen in a person if there are only recessive alleles for that trait present on your DNA. [bb]

Dominant alleles are always represented by a capital letter, and recessive alleles are represented by a lowercase letter. [Bb or BB]

►Homozygous vs. Heterozygous
(home-oh-ZY-gus, het-er-oh-ZY-gus) Hear pronunciations here and here.
Alleles can be expressed in two different ways. For each trait, you always have an allele from your Mom and an allele from your Dad, so there are two alleles present for each particular trait. Your Mom and Dad got an allele from each of their parents for each particular trait. Your children will have one allele from you and one from your spouse for each trait.

Homozygous alleles are the same. Homo means same; zygous comes from zygote, which is the initial cell formed when two gamete cells are joined. (one from each parent)
So homozygous alleles will either be represented with two capital letters, or two lowercase letters.
TT can mean a tall plant, which is dominant, and tt can mean a short plant, which is recessive.

Heterozygous alleles are different. (Different versions of the same type of gene)
Heterozygous alleles will be represented with one capital letter and one lowercase letter.
Bb means there is one allele for brown hair present and one allele for blond hair present. But since brown is dominant, the person having these alleles will have brown hair. This person may later have a child with brown or blond hair, depending on which allele is contributed from the other parent.

►So if a genotype is homozygous, we know the letters of the genotype are the same, and either they are both capital or both lowercase.
If a genotype is heterozygous, there is one capital and one lowercase letter.

Heterozygous and homozygous are adjectives.
Heterozygote and homozygote are nouns.

This cracks me up!! =D (source)

►Genotype vs. Phenotype
--If you are asked to give the genotype, you will give the letters to represent the alleles.
BB, Bb, or bb, etc.
Genotype is the alleles inside you.
--If you are asked for the phenotype, you will use words to explain a visible characteristic.
Green eyes, a tall plant, a purple flower, etc.
Phenotype is what you see.

♦A genotype that is homozygous dominant means the letters are the same, and they are capital. BB, TT, etc.
♦A genotype that is homozygous recessive means the letters are the same, and they are lowercase. bb, tt, etc.
♦A genotype that is heterozygous means the letters are different, and there is one dominant allele (capital) and one recessive allele (lowercase). Bb, Tt, etc.

►Genotypes vs. Gametes vs. Zygotes
Genotypes: TT, Tt, or tt, or PP, Pp, or pp. Same letters.
Gametes: TP, Tp, tP, tp. Different alleles form a gamete (sperm or egg)
Zygotes: Form when 2 gametes fuse during reproduction.

To clarify differences, here is an Example:
Gene - eye color
Allele - B or b
Genotype - BB, Bb, or bb
Trait or Phenotype - brown or blue eyes

c. Punnett Squares

(5) Gregor Mendel's Punnett Squares

Example 1

The homozygous bean in this example is homozygous
recessive because the letters are lowercase.

Example 2

(6) Introduction to Heredity - Heredity and classical genetics; dominant and recessive traits; heterozygous and homozygous genotypes.

Filling in a simple Punnett Square is just showing the different genotypes that

are possible from the alleles of both parents through the process of meiosis.

Now go back and read all the terminology definitions again.
I think you'll understand them better now. =)

Practice #1:
► Pass the Genes, Please - Help the Melonheads pass their genes on to their little Melvin.
► Genetics Practice Problems -
Do the first 2 sections:
• "Monohybrid Cross" (comparing only one allele from each parent), and
• "TestCross" (crossing an unknown genotype and a homozygous recessive [dd] genotype to determine what the unknown genotype is.)
Read carefully! You will see in TestCross, the first question tells you the female dog is deaf [dd], but you will see that the owner isn't sure if the hearing male dog is DD or Dd.
--Answer questions about genotypes (such as bb, Bb, or B and b, or b and b, etc), and fill in Punnett squares. (Put the male genes at the top of the Punnett square, and the female genes on the left.)

►Remember, this is a computer, so it will want things in a certain order.
When you check your answers, DO NOT CHECK THE BOX that says "prevent this page from creating additional dialog." This will cause the program to stop telling you whether an answer is correct or not. And if you refresh your page, it will remove all previously done answers. =(

d. More Complex Crosses

monohybrid cross - a cross between two individuals, concentrating only on one definable trait
dihybrid cross - a cross between two individuals, concentrating on two definable traits (this gives four possibilities)

If one were talking about the two traits of color of a plant -- purple or white, and the height of a plant -- tall or short, there would be four possibilities.
(1) A Tall Purple plant
(2) A Tall white plant
(3) A short Purple plant
(4) A short white plant

This would involve a dihybrid cross that concentrates on two definable traits.
The possibilities listed above would be these gametes: TP, Tp, tP, tp.

►These ↑ are not genotypes; they are gametes.

Genotypes are TT, Tt, or tt, or PP, Pp, or pp. (Same letters.)

(7) Biology - Punnett Squares - simple (monohybrid cross) to more complex (dihybrid cross). And I like that his use of the correct terminology will get you more familiar with it.

►At 5:45, he is talking about a "standard 9:3:3:1 ratio."
You can see that the gametes across the top and on the side of the Punnett square are the same. In a dihybrid cross (4x4 Punnett square) with mom and dad having identical gametes, this will always result in 9 offspring that are the same, two sets of 3 that are each the same, and one in the bottom right corner that is unique. And if you write the mom's and dad's gametes in the same order, you will see this exact pattern on your grid.

(8) Dihybrid - Dihybrid Cross, meaning comparing not one, but two traits.

At 5:30, also note that three of the pups are carriers for a spotted and/or red coat.
Pup #2 is a carrier for a spotted coat, pup #3 is a carrier for a red coat, and pup #4 is a carrier for both a spotted and a red coat.
If any of these dogs mates with a dog who is homozygous recessive (ss or bb) for these particular traits, they can pass on these recessive traits to some of their pups.

(9) Punnett Square Fun - dihybrid crosses; independent assortment; incomplete dominance; co-dominance and multiple alleles.

Blood Types
Type AB blood is the universal recipient -- it can receive from types O, A, B, or AB.
Type O blood is the universal donor -- it can donate to types O, A, B, or AB.
So Melanie with type B blood or Kathy with type A blood can both donate to Jill with type AB blood.
But Jill cannot donate to either Melanie or Kathy.
Valerie with type O blood can donate to all three girls, but cannot receive from either of them.
(This is a simple explanation and does not include Rh)

(10) A Beginner's Guide to Punnett Squares - actually pretty fast, so a good review.
►At 06:50 --he shows a mistake that one might make with dihybrid crosses. Watch out! =)

Practice #2:
► Genetics Practice Problems
Read and Do the 3rd and 4th sections:
• "Incomplete Dominance" (when two dominant traits blend), and
• "Dyhibrid Cross" (comparing not one, but two traits, resulting in 4 possibilities.)
Read carefully!
--Answer questions about genotypes (such as bb, Bb, or B and b, or b and b, etc), and fill in Punnett squares. (Put the male genes at the top of the Punnett square, and the female genes on the left.)

►Remember, this is a computer, so it will want things in a certain order.
When you check your answers, DO NOT CHECK THE BOX that says "prevent this page from creating additional dialog." This will cause the program to stop telling you whether an answer is correct or not. And if you refresh your page, it will remove all previously done answers. =(

e. Pedigrees

(11) Pedigree Instructions, Part 1

(12) Pedigree Worksheet, Part 2

f. Sex-Linked Genetic Traits

autosomes - chromosomes that do not determine the sex of the individual
sex chromosomes - chromosomes that determine the sex of the individual

Remember, humans have 23 homologous pairs of chromosomes. Only one pair is the sex chromosomes; the other 22 are autosomes.

The female XX pair of chromosomes are perfectly homologous. The male XY pair of chromosomes are not perfectly homologous. There are fewer genes on the male's Y chromosome than there are on the X.
Sex-linked characteristics are not written in the same way you have learned so far because we need to distinguish that the Y chromosome does not have certain traits that can only exist on the X chromosomes of
males and females.
So we write both the X's for the female with the allele as a superscript, and only the X chromosome of the male (and not the Y) will have a superscript. A superscript is written like an exponent, like this: X¹X² and X³Y, but instead of numbers the allele is either a capital or lowercase letter.

(13) Sex-Linked Traits

(14) Sex-Linked Genes

(15) Chromosomes Crossing Over - Linked Genes

g. More about Genetics

(16) Polygenetic Inheritance
Around 1 minute, notice he says IF melanin production were controlled by one gene...

(17) Co-dominance - Incomplete Dominance

(18) Recessive Single Gene Disorders (cystic fibrosis, sickle-cell anemia)

There are at least five means by which genetic abnormalities occur.
1. autosomal inheritance
2. sex-linked inheritance
3. mutation
4. changes in chromosome structure
5. changes in chromosome number

None are truly beneficial.

Biology 101, Chapter 7, The 6th Day – Biology History, Cells, Genetics [post 2/3]

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Fri, 02 May 2014 02:22:00 +0000

We made DNA! =)

Blog Posts for Chapter 7:
• Post 1/3 - Cells
• Post 2/3 - DNA
• Post 3/3 - Genetics

In addition to Biology 101:
• Apologia Biology Exp 7.1, DNA Extraction
Here are instructions if you don't have an Apologia Biology book, and a video.
• Have Your DNA and Eat it Too! (click the pdf links), Our class has done this twice (diff students), so even tho I have 3 new kids, I have 3 who have already done this so we aren't doing it this year.

Other Study Links
• DNA Extraction Virtual Lab.

2. DNA

Four criteria for life:
If something fails to meet even ONE of these, it is not alive.

All life forms contain DNA.
All life forms can take energy from their surroundings and convert it to usable energy for themselves.
All life forms can sense and respond to changes.
All life forms reproduce.

DNA - deoxyribonucleic acid, Hear pronunciation. Click on the little speaker.

Apologia Biology Experiment 7.1, DNA Extraction

My previous biology class did this experiment about 3½ years ago. (See our results)
If you don't have an Apologia Biology book, here are instructions (with explanations of why), and a video below. (I always like to look at several sources to get a good idea of how and why to do things.)
(1) Pea DNA Extraction

►And just for fun, you can try this DNA Extraction Virtual Lab.
►Read how another blogger's class did this experiment. Her posts are always fun to read! =)

Of course this DNA is in clumps, or we would never be able to see anything.
In fact, it takes a powerful microscope to even be able to see the chromosomes, which are long strands of DNA in the nucleus that are coiled up and compacted. See image. (source)

(2) DNA Structure
Note that A and T are linked together, and C and G are linked together. These letters represent the names for the nucleuotides in DNA. In DNA, Adenine always links to Thymine, and Cytosine always links to Guanine.
Apples in a Tree, Car in the Garage. A-T, C-G

How proteins are made from DNA
All the writing below and three videos make up this section.

Part 1: Transcription of DNA
"Synthesis" means the making of or production.
Cells synthesize, or make, proteins that result in the traits that DNA gives us. The cell's genes determine what kinds of protein a cell will make, which determines the job of that particular cell.

(3) Transcription and Translation Overview
A polypeptide is a chain of amino acids. Poly means many.

A scribe is someone who writes down a copy. You can see the word scribe in transcribe, and script in transcription. Transcription means to copy or transcribe.

Something called RNA is what helps make the copy of DNA, which is in the nucleus of the cell. RNA looks like DNA, but it ends up being only a single strand of nucleotide bases.

The differences between DNA and RNA are:

►DNA: has nucleotide base pairs of cytosine & guanine, and adenine & thymine.
(Apples in a Tree, Car in the Garage. A-T, C-G)
►See diagram of DNA strand. (source)

►RNA: has individual nucleotide bases of cytosine, guanine, adenine, and uracil, but they are not in any particular order yet. They will match up to corresponding DNA nucleotides so they will be in the correct order for transcription (copying)

►►DNA vs RNA image (source)◄◄ Read below↓

--There are two nucleotides that are different - uracil (in RNA), and thymine (in DNA).
Uracil in RNA will match up to adenine in DNA.
Adenine in RNA will match up to thymine in DNA, so A-U, and A-T.
(For RNA, remember Apples Under the tree)

DNA: has deoxyribose (on the "rail" of the "ladder").
RNA: has ribose.
DNA: is twisted in a double helix of paired nucleotides.
RNA: usually in a single strand of joined nucleotides.

►See diagram of DNA and nucleotides (source).
Only a certain section of DNA will be copied. As this section of the DNA strand unwinds, individual RNA nucleotides match up to compatible DNA nucleotides and take a "negative snapshot" of the DNA code.
For example, if the DNA has a nucleotide of guanine, an individual nucleotide of RNA cytosine will match to it. If the DNA has a nucleotide of adenine, an individual nucleotide of RNA uracil will match to it.
Before, the RNA nucleotides were individuals, and not in a strand since they had to match up to the DNA in the correct order. Now they are a "negative" copy of the DNA, and will be used by the ribosome to make a protein.
►This is copying, or transcribing the DNA code.

Part 2: Translation of DNA
After the RNA "negative" of the DNA is made, the RNA takes this negative out of the nucleus and into the cytoplasm to a ribosome. Because of this, it is called messenger RNA, or mRNA.
Near the ribosome is a different kind of RNA called transfer RNA, or tRNA. This tRNA contains a special sequence of three nucleotides called an anticodon.
(A special sequence of three nucleotides on mRNA is called a codon.)
The codon and anticodon aren't just any three nucleotides, but certain various combinations.

Transfer RNA strands will link to a messenger RNA strand on a ribosome in order to make a protein chain.
Here is how:
The tRNA is already bonded to an amino acid, but only a certain type of amino acid will bond to a certain sequence of three nucleotides in the mRNA.
For example, if the anticodon (a three-nucleotide sequence on tRNA) is made up of guanine, adenine, and adenine, the tRNA is bonded to the amino acid leucine. This anticodon will only link to a portion of mRNA that has a codon with the sequence of cytosine, uracil, and uracil.
Each codon (3-nucleotide sequence) on mRNA attracts a specific amino acid.
So then the tRNA links up to the portion of mRNA that will accept the anticodon that is on the tRNA.

After the tRNA links up to the mRNA, the amino acids on each of the subsequent tRNA anticodons bind together one by one to make a protein.
►The chain of amino acids that make a protein is called a polypeptide. (poly- means many)

(4) From RNA to Protein Synthesis - how proteins are made

Learn the difference between mRNA codon and tRNA anticodon, and how a chain of amino acids form a protein. A stop codon is a special codon that signals the stopping point for translation.
Learn which codon is the starting point for Translation (which 3 letters).
(5) Protein Synthesis: Translation Process

And that is how proteins are made from DNA

(6) DNA Double Helix
How one man realizes through studying DNA that only God could have made all this! =)
"Without DNA there is no self-replication, but without self-replication, there is no natural selection. So you can’t use natural selection to explain the origin of DNA without assuming the existence of the very thing you’re trying to explain!"

Two Types of Cell Reproduction:

A) Mitosis - asexual reproduction of cells

Mitosis is the growth of new cells, either to replace damaged cells like when you have scraped your arm, or for a growing child, or an unborn baby as it grows.

The replicated cells are identical. Skin cells replicate skin cells; muscle cells replicate muscle cells, etc.

This is asexual (nonsexual) reproduction.

(7) The Cell Cycle and Cancer - how cells multiply by Mitosis

(8) Mitosis: The Amazing Cell Process that uses Division to Multiply!

(9) How DNA is Packaged After DNA that is in the nucleus duplicates itself into identical sister chromatids, then it coils up into chromosomes. The X shape you may be familiar with.

(10) Mitosis He says, "having already replicated..." Because before Mitosis begins, the DNA that is in the nucleus must duplicate itself into identical sister chromatids, then coil up into chromosomes.

(11) Mitosis Animation - also G1, S, and G2 that occur during Interphase.

B) Meiosis - the purpose of meiosis is sexual reproduction.

-All living things have different numbers of chromosomes. An onion has 16 chromosomes in each cell; a horse has 64 in each cell; and a carp has 104 in each cell.

--Humans have 46 chromosomes in each cell. The chromosomes are in pairs, so humans have 23 pairs in each cell.

Meiosis:

The cool process of meiosis is why all humans do not look alike. =)

Each pair of chromosomes determines many different traits (hair color, hair texture, curly, straight, etc, just to name a few). There are hundreds of genes on each chromosome! When parents have children, they contribute one chromosome from each pair, which "cross over" with each other to form new combinations. The results of crossing over are random, and give more possibilities for each trait a child will have. Since there are many, many kinds of traits, the possibility of having a child who doesn't look exactly like a parent is great.

Things to know:

--When a cell's chromosomes come in pairs, it is called a diploid cell. XX, XX, etc.

--Cells with chromosomes that are not in pairs are called haploid cells. A haploid cell has only one representative of each chromosome pair. X, X, etc.
Cells can have 23 pairs of chromosomes, or 23 chromosomes, depending on what phase the cell is in.

Each pair consists of similar types of chromosomes, and therefore they are called homologous chromosome pairs, or homologous pairs. Homo- means same, but homologous means similar, but not identical.

Each chromosome that is in a pair is attached to its sister chromatid (its duplicated chromosome), giving them their X shape. Two sets of these make a pair of similar, homologous chromosomes. XX.

--The 23rd pair of chromosomes are chromosomes that determine sex. In a female these are both X chromosomes, or XX, but in a male, they are XY. So in males, the 23rd pair is not homologous.

►See image of Human Chromosomes

Mitosis results in 2 identical diploid daughter cells,
and meiosis results in 4 genetically different haploid cells.

►►These videos only show a few pairs of chromosomes in the cells, but know that there are 23 pairs, all exchanging information to produce varied traits.

(12) Meiosis - This is why parents can have children who look so different from one another.

(13) Difference Between Mitosis and Meiosis

Mitosis results in 2 identical diploid daughter cells,

and meiosis results in 4 genetically different haploid cells.

So what happens to the extra haploid cells? In females, randomly, one of the gametes (eggs) takes up most of the cytoplasm and organelles. As a result, what gets produced are 3 tiny gametes and one large gamete called the egg. Only the large one will function properly, and that is the one that gets successfully fertilized by the male gamete (sperm). The others, if fertilized, will quickly degenerate and die.

►The haploid sperm cell and haploid egg cell fuse to form a diploid cell with 23 pairs of chromosomes, totaling 46.

►This diploid cell, now called the zygote, will begin to multiply and produce many cells by mitosis, forming a baby. =)

(14) Phases of Meiosis 2²³ = 8,388,608 possibilities! WOW!

After you understand meiosis, here is a fun video to watch. =)

The DNA first coils up into chromosomes (see image).

(15) Meiosis Square Dance

Biology 101, Chapter 7, The 6th Day – Biology History, Cells, Genetics [post 1/3]

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Mon, 28 Apr 2014 01:49:00 +0000

I really wish we had more time to cover this chapter! It is huge, with a lot of my favorite things! =)
So there are 3 blog posts total, since they kind of divided themselves up that way. =)
And since the moms agreed we were too busy to fit in another class, I had the kids to go ahead and be studying up on some stuff during spring break. They were thrilled, lol. ; )

But I am adding stuff in, and we do take 4 weeks per chapter instead of 3, so that and the pre-studying will have to do. =)
I'd advise 6 weeks if you have it. ; )

Animal Cell Pizza!
The Secretion Vesicle looks like someone took a bite, lol! =)

Blog Posts for Chapter 7:
• Post 1/3 - Cells
• Post 2/3 - DNA
• Post 3/3 - Genetics

In addition to Biology 101:
• Fun Cell Activity (teacher cheat sheet included) 1 point for placement, 1 point for naming the organelle, 1 point for giving the function.
Games like this give a jump start and make studying easier when they get home.
• Animal Cell Pizza and Plant Cell Cake - we will not be doing these this year, but here is the link.
• Google for more edible cell ideas.

Other Study Links
• Animal Cell coloring page
• Plant Cell coloring page
• Plant and Animal Cell Venn diagram (found here) - I made this blank one for our class.
• Comparison of plant and animal cells. Click on an organelle name to jump to its description. Use your back arrow to jump back to the cell.
A green square beside the name of an organelle's description means that the organelle is typically only found in plant cells. A red square indicates organelles that are typically in animal cells.
• Interactive Cell - watch the motion of organelles in a cell. Click the organelle labels to read the name of the organelle. Read the description in the box on the side.
Not all organelles are pictured, but can you tell if this is a plant cell or an animal cell?
•Interactive, animated tutorial w/ 6 questions at the end: From Cells to Systems. Subtitles if needed.
• Really cool - Comparing Cell Size - use the slider below the pic to slowly zoom in.
• Read Potential Effects of Drinking Saltwater
• Another, super cute video about Osmosis, by the Amoeba Sisters! =) Accompanying worksheet.

1. Cells

a. History

(1) The Wacky History of Cell Theory

b. The Cell

From cells, to tissues, to organs, to systems:

Blood cells, skin cells, brain cells, muscle cells... lots of types of cells! There are hundreds of trillions of cells that make up your entire body, and there are all kinds.
Cells make up tissues. A group of the same type of cell is called tissue. Muscles cells form muscle tissue.
Tissues make up organs. An important organ is your heart, and is made up of muscle and other tissues. The brain and lungs are other important organs made up of tissues.
Groups of organs make up systems (like the digestive system, skeletal system, respiratory system, etc).

►Interactive, animated tutorial: From Cells to Systems. Turn on the subtitles if needed.
See if you can get all 6 questions right at the end. You can re-do the tutorial as many times as you like.

►Really cool: Comparing Cell Size - Use the slider below the picture to slowly zoom in.
Compare the size of a grain of rice to a blood cell! Also see an atom and a water molecule at the end.
On the way, notice the amoeba, smaller than a grain of salt.
And the paramecium, (pear-uh-ME-see-um) about the size of an extremely tiny sliver of the corner of an amoeba. When you zoom all the way back out, the paramecium disappears from view, but you can still barely see the amoeba. Also see adenine - one of the nucleotides that make up DNA.

(2) Cell Structure and Function

(3) Nuclei, Membranes, Ribosomes, Eukaryotes, and Prokaryotes

All cells have a cell membrane (sometimes called a plasma membrane). Think of a small balloon filled with jelly. The membrane is the thin covering that keeps the cell together. This cell membrane is what regulates what is allowed to be absorbed into the cell, and what goes out of the cell.
--Inside eukaryotic cells are many organelles (little organs), and these are also membrane-bound like the cell. The DNA in eukaryotic cells is enclosed in a membrane-bound organelle called the nucleus.
--Inside prokaryotic cells is DNA, but there are no organelles, therefore no nucleus. So the DNA can be seen all throughout the cell.
►►►But with few exceptions, the two kingdoms that also have a cell wall are primarily kingdom Fungi and kingdom Plantae. These need the added stiffness of a cell wall on the outside of the membrane to keep the plant or mushroom standing upright. The material for the cell walls of these two kingdoms is quite different from one another, as you could probably guess.

All living things are made up of cells.
Some have many, many cells, and some have only one cell. These are referred to as multi-cellular or single-cellular organisms.
The three basic kinds of cells are animal cells, plant cells, and bacteria cells. All cells do not fit neatly into these categories as some are animal-like or plant-like.
No matter how many cells an organism has, or which of the three basic cells an organism has, all cells are either prokaryotic cells or eukaryotic cells.

►Eukaryotic cells have organelles (or tiny organs) like a nucleus, vacuoles, and other organelles. The nucleus holds the DNA of eukaryotic cells.
Four of the five kingdoms have eukaryotic cells. (kingdoms Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia)
►Prokaryotic cells contain no organelles. The DNA does not have a nucleus to stay in. Under a microscope, the DNA strands are visible throughout the cell.
Only one of the five kingdoms has prokaryotic cells, and that is kingdom Monera (bacteria).
►SEE the difference

(4) Organelle Overview

(5) Cell Organelles and their Function Animation

(6) Vacuoles-Vesicles - what is the difference?

(7) Parts of a Plant Cell - photosynthesis, xylem and phloem, and did you know that not all plant cells have chloroplasts??

c. Diffusion and Osmosis

(8) Diffusion and Osmosis (clipped bc the osmosis part got confusing) If you want to watch it, I advise doing so after watching the next few videos.

Remember the egg experiment? That was a demonstration of osmosis.
(9) How Osmosis Works

►Another, super cute video about Osmosis, by the Amoeba Sisters! =)
--Accompanying worksheet.

(10) Osmosis Demo

(11) A Tour of the Cell - a good review

At 11:12, he is WRONG. Some people teach that mitochondria, which can make their own DNA, were once prokaryotic bacteria that evolved.

d. The Cell Membrane

A whole section on the cell membrane? YES! The cell membrane is much more complex than one may realize! How can fluid and other things flow in and out of a cell? How can other things be kept out of the cell?? It isn't full of tiny holes as one might imagine. Oh, no. It is SOOO much more complex than that!
Only our Creator could have designed such a thing.
For if evolution were to make it by chance??... well... if you took a marker and wrote the ABCs on 26 index cards... how many tries do you think it would take to throw them into the air and the alphabet line up perfectly??? And if organisms needed to evolve to live... um, how could they live before they evolved. They didn't.
So this section is pretty important. It's important for us to know how complex God's creation is, so that we know there is absolutely no way evolution (which claims these things were done by chance!) could have done such a thing.

(12) Cell Membrane Introduction

Remember: Lipids are fats, and repel water.
Part of a phospholipid (see image) is attracted to water, and part is repelled by water. This causes the phospholipids to arrange in such a way as to make up the plasma membrane of a cell.

(13) Cell Membrane Overview and Fluid Mosaic Model

(14) Cell Membrane Proteins

(15) Cell Membrane Fluidity

(16) Diffusion and Osmosis in cells (and Active Transport)

► Read Potential Effects of Drinking Saltwater

(17) The Cell Membrane - a quick review

e. Cellular Respiration
How our body converts food into energy.

(18) An excellent Animation of Cellular Respiration - how our body converts food to energy.
Click on The Big Picture, then the play icon. ►
When you watch each of the steps of Cellular Respiration, there are various checkpoints to see what you remember.

--The purpose of Cellular Respiration is to make energy.
Your cells constantly make energy through a series of steps, divided into stages. There are four stages of Cellular Respiration (the animation above combines 2 of them), and in each stage there are molecules that react together in a chemical reaction that produce other molecules as products.

--In a chemical formula, the reactants (the molecules that react together) are on the left of the arrow, and the products (the molecules that are produced from the reaction) are on the right of the → arrow.

The general chemical formula for cellular respiration is:
1 glucose molecule (from food we eat) + 6 oxygen molecules (that we breathe in) will produce → 6 carbon dioxide molecules (that we breathe out), 6 water molecules, and about 36 molecules of ATP (energy).
C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ → 6CO₂ +  6H₂O + energy
Do you recognize these molecules? This is the reverse of photosynthesis!

--In each stage of cellular respiration, some products from the previous stage (or more than one previous stage) will then be used as reactants to make new products in the current stage.

Like factories make ingredients, and a baker might take only some of those ingredients to bake bread, then you might take only 2 slices of that bread and make a sandwich. But the leftovers are still there in the end.

The first stage of cellular respiration is (1) glycolysis, or the breaking down of glucose. This takes place in the cytoplasm.
The other three stages take place in the mitochondrion.
They are (2) the formation of acetyl coenzyme A, (3) the Krebs cycle, and (4) the electron transport system.

The purpose of cellular respiration is to get energy (ATP), but right from the beginning, the first stage uses 2 ATP's as a "push" to get going, the activation energy. This is like an investment because in the end, about 36 ATP's are finally produced.

►Click if you want to read more about each step. Scroll down to section 8, How Cells Get their Energy.
Watch for which products are used as reactants in the next stage(s), and which products are "saved" to be used in a later stage.

Chemistry??

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 11:37:00 +0000

I've had several emails and at least one comment from people asking about chemistry, and I am very sorry, but I do not plan to post videos for chemistry.
However, here are a few links you might be able to use. Some are for videos.

► Intro to Chemistry videos and AP Chemistry videos
(scroll to the playlist you want and click View Full Playlist)
Here is what a full playlist looks like: Intro to Chemistry: Introductory Unit. They are not in order, but the videos are numbered. This one is "Intro to Chemistry: 1.1: Properties of Matter (1/2)." So that means there is also a 1.1 (2/2).

► Khan Academy Chemistry - videos "roughly covering a first-year high school or college course"

► Periodic Table of Videos - a video for each element. I think many show the actual element. =)

► Queensland Science Teachers - looks to be simple explanations, like charts and/or bullet statements. May be good to print out for reference for whatever topic you're on.

►Excellent video on balancing equations!!

► Periodic Table of Elements interactive online games at Jefferson Labs - practice identifying what the numbers and symbols mean on the periodic table, practice balancing equations and more.
Love this!

Here is my Pinterest Chemistry page, in case there might be a thing or two more that looks interesting. There are a couple of pins to free chemistry curriculum. Most things pinned here are just chemistry funnies that I found and wanted to save. =)

If kids are having trouble understanding something, it may be that they had missed a basic somewhere. Videos, etc. can be a good refresher and/or a simple explanation that can help so much.

If I do chemistry this fall, it will be Chemistry 101 (available for purchase at ChristianBook.com), but I will only be doing it with my son and don't plan to have a class. I didn't take chemistry in highschool, so this will all be new to me! =)
If the Intro to Chemistry videos above already seem too easy for your student, then Chemistry 101 may not be for you except as a supplement for a more involved Chemistry curriculum.

My son has mild dyslexia as well as dyscalculia (has to do with math. For example, algebra problems or any problems with many steps, i.e. long division, are tedious and take lots of repetition in order to retain -- getting the steps done in order, not skipping steps, etc.), so when I heard that Chemistry 101 did not have math, I knew that even if we don't end up doing it for a full credit, he will enjoy this.

One question I have been asked several times is What will you be doing with Chemistry 101?

If Chemistry 101 is like Biology 101, I would say each DVD segment probably gives the basics, an overview, etc, to get a good idea of the chapter topic. I would watch the Chemistry 101 DVD, then use what resources I had to delve in further where needed.
There are 19 video segments in Chemistry 101. =) Biology 101 only had nine.

If you use Chemistry 101 as your base, be prepared to work finding materials to accompany the program. (See sample assignments.) The above links can give you a start.
We will be substituting some of the assignments with other things I find.

Besides the above video links, etc., my indefinite plans so far...

I want to get Apologia's elementary Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics (sample pages) as well as their high school Chemistry. I'm sure I will be doing some of their experiments. =)
Also on my list are John Hudson Tiner's books Exploring the World of Chemistry [also available as pdf download] and Exploring the World of Physics [also available as pdf download].
I also want Physics 101! We probably will just watch the DVDs sometime. =)
I just really want them all because I just love science and books so much! =)

Just a little extra for beginners. Watch these videos in order.

1. How to read an element on the periodic table - protons have a postive charge, and electrons have a negative charge, so there will be the same number of each to cancel each other out.

The protons and neutrons (neutral charge) are together in the nucleus, and added together they make up the atomic weight, that when rounded, is called the mass number.
If the mass number is 15 and there are 7 protons, then there are 8 neutrons. Also you will know there are 7 electrons to match the number of protons.

2. Atoms and the Periodic Table - more info about what all those numbers and symbols mean

There is a maximum number of electrons that can fit in each "shell" or "ring" of an atom.

The first shell will hold 2 electrons, the second will hold up to 8, and so on... When one shell is full, any electrons left goes to the next shell in order, even if there is only 1 left. So it could be 2, 8, 1, if that's all the electrons there are. Elements that have 8 electrons in their outermost shell are more stable than those with fewer. The electrons in the outer shell are called valence electrons.

Now practice what you've learned so far. =)

3. A Tour of the Periodic Table - the groups, periods, how it is arranged and why.

Atoms whose outer shells aren't full love to link up with other atoms whose number of valence electrons will make both their outer shells full. Then these linked atoms are called a molecule. Example H2O.

Atoms whose outer shells (valence shells) are full are more stable.

4. A Beginner's Guide to Balancing Equations - after watching, go practice! =)

►The practice links above are from Jefferson Labs.

Biology 101: Chapter 6b, The 6th Day - Mankind, part 2 {circulatory, digestive, lymphatic, and endocrine systems}

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 03:12:00 +0000

Circulation Game

I found quite a few longer videos, so I assigned less reading. =)

Tip: We do our chapters in 4 weeks, with a class every 2 weeks. Because of having more to do for Circulatory and for Digestive and not much for the other systems, I divided our classes with Circulatory and Endocrine Systems for the first class, and Digestive and Lymphatic Systems the next.

In addition to Biology 101:
• Circulation Game - 2 teams rather than individuals to help it go faster, and reduced the number of playing pieces that needed to be taken to their destinations.
See it here, the printables and instructions.
• Apologia Biology Exp. 5.1 Diffusion, and 5.2 Osmosis
• General Science Exp. 13.2, Stomach Acid and Antacids
• Label the Digestive System in class

Other Study Links
• Label the Digestive System - drag and drop
(Soft palate, pharynx, larynx, and trachea are not mentioned, so don't forget to study those.)
• Organs Game - rotate and drop the organs into position. (Thanks to Mr. Ford for this link)

The Circulatory System

(1) How a Normal Heart Pumps Blood -- The Children's Hospital of Philidelphia

All arteries flow away from the heart.
All veins flow to the heart.

Arteries branch out until they are tiny, thin-walled capillaries that themselves are thinner than a hair.
Capillaries eventually merge back together to form larger vessels called veins.

(2) Types of Blood Vessels -- eMedTV

We learned the blood flow in this order:
right atrium, right ventricle, lungs, left atrium, left ventricle, body
This video starts with the blood flowing from the right ventricle into the lungs.
Don't get confused -- the order is the same; this video just starts at a different point in the circuit.
(3) Path of a Red Blood Cell -- Encyclopedia Britannica

(4) The Respiratory System (blood cells are key for how we get oxygen)

►Food, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and other wastes are able to pass in and out through the thin walls of the capillaries and of the cells. In this way, food and oxygen get from the blood to the cells, and the wastes from cells get into the blood to be taken back to the kidneys or to the lungs for removal.
►I like what the circulation game directions said about the capillaries being right next to all the cells that need things, and as the "stuff" in the capillaries flows by, the cells can get what they need and put back what is no longer needed.
Like a conveyor belt outside your window with food - you put the trash out and take in what you need.
Example: capillaries all around the alvoli in your lungs. See image (source).

(5) 3D Animation of Working of Heart

(6) The Circulatory System -- Bozeman Science w/ Paul Anderson

►You probably know that as you swallow, a flap called the epiglottis closes over the trachea, preventing food or liquid from entering the trachea (windpipe). Occasionally a bit gets in, and you have a coughing fit!
►Pulmonary means "of the lungs."
(7) The Lungs and Pulmonary System -- Kahn Academy

How does the "good" stuff and "bad" stuff know whether to go in or out of the cell?
The "stuff" tends to want to balance itself out. Just like in the naked egg experiment. (Apologia Biology Exp. 5.2 Osmosis) The egg will swell when immersed in distilled water, but will shrink when in Karo syrup. The fluids inside the egg will go in or out of the egg to balance the density of fluid both inside and outside the egg membrane. This is why when a person drinks ocean water, the water in their cells will move out of the cell by osmosis to the higher concentrated salt water, which can be fatal.

(8) Red Blood Cells -- Kahn Academy

Most arteries carry oxygenated blood, but at the heart, for a short distance, the pulmonary artery carries de-oxygenated blood (with carbon dioxide in them) from the right ventricle of the heart to the capillaries surrounding the alveoli in the lungs.
►When the blood passes through these capillaries, the blood receives oxygen coming from the alveoli and "gets rid of" carbon dioxide which will then be exhaled out of the lungs.
This is sometimes called "exchanging oxygen" meaning "exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide."
People with asthma have a hard time breathing in deeply enough to get sufficient oxygen all the way to their alveoli.
Most veins carry de-oxygenated blood, but for a short distance, the pulmonary vein carries the now-oxygenated blood from the capillaries around the aveoli back to the left atrium. Then the aorta (a large artery) will start the oxygenated blood on its journey back out to all the cells in your body.

(9) Circulatory System and the Heart -- Kahn Academy

The Digestive System

Label the Digestive System game,
with a few tweaks and additions by me. =)

-Digestive tract: the pathway that food and liquids follow while passing through your body.
-Digestive system: all organs that contribute to digestion, even if no food passes through them (such as the liver, the gallbladder, and the pancreas).

The Basic Process of Digestion
a. Ingestion: the taking in of food
b. Physical Digestion: chewing
c. Chemical/Enzyme Digestion: Amylase in your saliva begins the initial breakdown of starch/carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are further broken down on into the digestive tract. For fats/lipids and proteins, the initial breaking down happens on into the digestive tract.
d. Absorption: mostly takes place in the walls of the small intestine.
e. Excretion: removal of undigested material after all moisture has been absorbed back into the body by the colon.

(10) As you watch this 3 min. video, Organs of Digestion, notice the differences between:
• soft palate and epiglottis
• pharynx and larynx (Larynx isn't mentioned in the video, but is pictured here)
• esophagus and trachea (windpipe)

"Within the respiratory system, air is first inhaled through the nose or mouth into the pharynx. From the pharynx, air is drawn through the larynx and trachea to make its way to the lungs." (source)

You can feel your larynx rise up during swallowing. This causes the epiglottis to cover the larynx, which is the beginning of the path to the trachea (your windpipe). The larynx is also called your voice box because it houses the vocal cords.
One of the cartilages that support the larynx is often referred to as the Adam's apple.

The small intestine has folds all along its inner surface as well as thousands of tiny villi. This provides extra surface area for more absorption.
Much like a wall with lots of projections built onto it would take more paint than a flat wall.

Note: Carbohydrates are starches; Lipids are Fats.
(11) The Digestive System -- Bozeman Science w/ Paul Anderson

What are micronutrients and macronutrients?

•Macronutrients are the structural and energy-giving caloric components of our foods that most of us are familiar with. They include carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
•Micronutrients are the vitamins, minerals, trace elements, phytochemicals, and antioxidants that are essential for good health.
(source)

Vitamins
What is the difference between fat-soluble vitamins and water-soluble vitamins?
Fat-soluble (lipid-soluble) vitamins (A, D, E, K) can build to toxic levels if you take too many.

The water-soluble vitamins are vitamin C and the vitamin B group, such as pantothenic acid (B5), biotin (B7), and folic acid (B9).
These last two (biotin and folic acid), as well as vitamin K (fat-soluble), are by-products of good bacteria in the large intestine.

Vitamin D can be taken in through food, but it also can be absorbed from the body's exposure to sunlight.
Vitamin K is also absorbed without being eaten in food.

►See a list of vitamins, and some foods that contain them. No food contains just one vitamin, so you will see the same types of foods listed for more than one vitamin.
You will also see the names of the B group vitamins.

Colonoscopy (colon, scope)
In a colonoscopy, the doctor is looking for irregularities - small bumps that might grow and form cancer.
My mom passed away in August, 2011, from colon cancer. When they did a colonoscopy in 2008, there was a large growth that nearly completely blocked the colon. They were able to get it all, but the damage had been done, and cancer cells had already spread elsewhere in the body.
A colonoscopy doesn't sound like much fun, but it is really important.
(12) Colonoscopy Video Tour: Journey Through A Healthy Colon

(13) Tim Hawkins' Colonoscopy Song, hahaha!

The Lymphatic System

Lymph vessels have points along the way called lymph nodes.
Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped organs of the lymphatic system. See image of lymph nodes.
The lymphatic system has three primary purposes which you will learn in these videos.

(14) Why do we need a lymphatic system?

(15) How do lymphatic vessels move fluid?

(16) What is the lymphatic system's role in immunity?

More about B Cells and T Cells, and how they work.
(17) The Immune System

(18) Lipid and protein transport in the Lymphatic System

(19) What is actually in lymph?

The Endocrine System

The endocrine system refers to the collection of glands of an organism that secrete hormones directly into the circulatory system to be carried toward a distant target organ.(Wikipedia)

(20) Endocrine Gland Hormone Review

(21) The Endocrine System

(22) Hormone Concentration Metabolism, and Negative Feedback

ATP is energy - remember that! =)
(23) Positive and Negative Feedback Loops

Missing Videos - Requesting Viewer Help

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 01:15:00 +0000

Update: The videos are back! But I still could use help from viewers. Please see comments. =)

I've received several emails from viewers letting me know that videos on certain posts are missing from my blog!
Now I'm not talking about the videos where you click Play, and it says, "This video is no longer available, etc" or just shows 'snow.' Videos like that have been removed from YouTube -- either by YouTube for copyright issues, or by the person who uploaded the video to begin with, or maybe they closed their account.
The videos I'm talking about are the ones that are totally missing altogether. Nothing is there. Just blank space.
I really apologize for this! I've had many comments and emails from y'all telling me how much the videos have helped in your homeschooling. And now half or more of each post is just ...gone!

Mostly these missing videos are from posts I created 2-3 years ago.
When I looked at these posts on my computer, I do just see blank space where there was once a video. When I go to Edit and look at the HTML (code) section, where I have copy/pasted in the embed code from YouTube, the code is still there, but then the video isn't visible when I click back to the Compose section.

http://homeschoolersresources.blogspot.com/2011/01/biology-module-10-ecology.html

Ugh! I have no idea why this is happening! I had hoped it was an issue with Blogger, and they would resolve it and the videos would be back! Yay! But... that hasn't happened. Yet? (still hoping)
The only other idea I can think of is if YouTube has somehow changed their embed coding so that the old codes no longer are compatible with Blogger? But some videos are still there. So....??
I really am just guessing here. I haven't had time to look into it at all.

I will be working on these posts, one at a time, as soon as I'm able. School is currently going on so it will be awhile before I get to it. We also usually end up doing some subjects during the summer, and summers are quite busy here as well. But I will get to it.
It just may not be in time for some of you. =\
It won't be as simple as pasting in new codes, because for most of these videos, I am not able to remember what I posted. It will be starting over. Re-reading the Biology or Physical Science book chapters, figuring out what is needed for each section, then re-searching for appropriate videos for that space. Hopefully it will go faster than I think.

And if my viewers would like to help out, that would be wonderful!
If any of you have recently watched videos that are now missing, maybe they would still be fresh in your mind and if you researched, you would recognize a video or two.
Or for any post that you would like to help out on. Maybe the current one your child is doing -- that would help us both!

If you find something you think will fit a post, please email me at homeschoolersresources@gmail.com.
Please include which blog post, and which section the video should go in.

I would appreciate it very much!
Many thanks! =)

Biology 101: Chapter 6a, The 6th Day - Mankind, part 1 {brain, senses, skeletal and muscular systems}

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Sun, 23 Feb 2014 23:31:00 +0000

In addition to Biology 101:
• Apple & Onion. Method #1. Blindfold someone and give them a chunk of peeled apple, but hold a piece of onion near so that they will smell it. See if they think they are eating an onion.
Method #2. Blindfold someone and have them hold their nose and see if they can tell at all which they are eating.
Also Apple & Pear, or 2 fruit-flavored baby foods, or 2 flavors of pudding -- anything that has the same texture. But choose things that taste very different from the other.
• Blind Spot. This one is in Biology 101, but here is a worksheet if you want it for a group.
• Apologia Physical Science, Exp 15.5, How the Eye Detects Color
• Brain worksheet
• Neuron worksheet, another worksheet
• Skeleton worksheet, another worksheet

Other Study Links
• article on the Skeletal System
• diagram of an individual nerve cell (a neuron) (source - Great simplified article on The Neuron)
• diagram of a synapse between two nerve cells (neurons) (source)
• another diagram of a synapse between two neurons (source)
• diagram of a human eye (source)
• diagram of the human ear (source)
• Skeletal System quiz
• skeleton to label and/or assemble
• simple article on Stem Cell Basics

Just for Fun
• Stem Cells cartoon - an illustration to help remember what a stem cell is. I printed this out to use during class.
• images for 'I find this humerus' -- I printed out one of these for class also.
• Brain Games fun. Scroll down for different activities. For the first one, I'm not sure why, but you need to scroll back up a bit on each new page to see the directions.
• If you like games that use your brain, Private Eye can be pretty challenging. Be sure to watch ALL the examples so you'll know what to do. Then choose your difficulty level and other stuff. Whew! =D
• Brains and Neurons board game. I think we will have 2 teams, use 2 dice so it goes quicker, and let them roll only if they get an answer correct. =) Down the spinal cord, and from the dendrite to the axon.
Lol, the neurons look like little horned creatures, with their mouths open, going Aaaaahhhh! =D

(1) Anatomy and Physiology - an overview of what we will be studying for the next few weeks.

(2) Anatomy of a Neuron
Neurons carry signals in your body.
Neurons are individual nerve cells. A nerve is a collection of nerve cells (neurons) that transmits information about what you are feeling. See image.
Neurons transmit from one neuron to another without touching. This space between neurons is called a synapse. See image. (source)

(3) The Brain is part of the Nervous System

If you like, you may watch the rest of the video here.

(4) Your Senses

(5) The Skeletal System - our bones do much more than just support our body!
Our skeleton is made up of two main parts:
• axial skeleton (axis)
• appendicular skeleton (appendages) (see image, source)

(6) Dancing Skeleton! =)

(7) The Muscular System (by Bozeman Science)
)

(8) The Muscular System: Skeletal Muscles - how a muscle contracts

(9) The Muscular System: Smooth Muscles
Smooth muscles are the involuntary muscles.

Biology 101, Chapter 5b, The 6th Day-Land Animals part 2 {cold-blooded land vertebrates & land invertebrates}

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Mon, 20 Jan 2014 05:06:00 +0000

In addition to Biology 101:
►Coldblooded Land Vertebrates
• Apologia Biology Exp 13.2, Frog Dissection
• Write about a coldblooded land vertebrate.

►Land Invertebrates
• Apologia Biology Exp. 11.3, Earthworm Dissection

♦ Practice a bit of labeling a virtual earthworm. External and Internal.
♦ Earthworm and Frog Dissection directions at Home Science Tools.

Land Vertebrates - Coldblooded

(1) Frog Anatomy - Part 1 (external)
Please ignore the evolutionary references! Frogs weren't "modified" nor did they need to "adapt" to anything. God made them the way they are so the first frogs could live and have more frogs. =)

(2) Frog Anatomy - Part 2 (internal)

(3) Virtual Frog Dissection for those that don't do an actual dissection.
Scroll down and click View Demo. You will be instructed different buttons to click on. As you hover over the buttons, the name of that button appears at the bottom of the screen. Body parts will do the same thing, so you'll know if you are on the right part.
--About 8-10 minutes, depending on how long it takes to locate various body parts. Longer if you take notes and/or draw diagrams.

Land Invertebrates

Some invertebrates are arthropods.
Arthropod means jointed leg or foot. Arthropods have an exoskeleton instead of having an inside skeleton. This means they are also invertebrates - they don't have a backbone.
►Earthworms are invertebrates but are clearly not arthropods, lol.

We already learned about arthropods when we studied the Aquatic and Avian chapters -- the flying insects in the Avian chapter, and the crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, shrimp, etc) from the Aquatic chapter.
But there are arthropods that don't fly and don't live in water. These are land invertebrates -- insects that crawl rather than fly, as well as spiders, ticks, mites, millipedes, and centipedes to name a few.

►Just to be clear, this section of the chapter is about invertebrates, not arthropods, although I do cover here what arthropods are.

(4) General Characteristics of Arthropods

(5) Insects & Arthropods

Spiders!
One of the characteristics of arachnids is that they have a cephalothorax instead of a separate head and thorax like insects. So spiders only have two body parts while insects have three. Insects and spiders both have an abdomen.
(6) Trapdoor Spider

(7) How do Trapdoor Spiders know when prey is near???

(8) Giant Centipede (has 1 set of legs on each body segment)

(9) Millipede (has 2 sets of legs on each body segment)

(10) Leafcutter Ants

(11) Dead Leaf Mantis

(12) Flower Mantis

(13) Javanese Leaf Insect

(14) Earthworm Anatomy

sMiLeS,

Biology 101, Chapter 5a: The 6th Day-Land Animals part 1 {warm-blooded land vertebrates}

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 01:32:00 +0000

Warm-blooded land vertebrates - mammals!
Thankfully this is a fairly simple chapter since we've just had a wedding January 4! =) I have been super busy for the past several weeks! But it was beautiful and so sweet. =)

I don't have any experiments or class activities, so we will not have class. Therefore I have no extra links to post here.
I did give a few extra assignments.
•Write about one unusual mammal.
•Google to find out how many body systems there are. List them along with a short description and the basic organs they include.
•Write a couple of sentences telling what the difference is between a body organ and a body system.
Draw and label the basic body organs.

(1) Baby Kangaroo being born

(2) Kangaroos Boxing

(3) The Sloth

(4) Triumph of the Herbivores
Footage of herbivore mammals out-maneuvering their carnivore predators.

(5) Aggressive Nightlife of the Kangaroo Rat
Watch when a snake comes to pay a visit...

(6) Beaver Lodge Construction
The God-given instincts of beavers are amazing!

(7) The Siberian Tiger

(8) Raccoons

(9) Flying Squirrels

(10) Shifak, or Sifaka, (one species of lemur)

(11) Monkey Insect Repellent
Piper leaves have insect repellent properties and protect these monkeys from mosquitoes.

(12) Monkey Alert!
Amazing how different types of monkeys have distinct calls to warn their troop members of an invading big cat predator, and that the different species of monkeys recognize the warnings from the other monkeys. AND that there are different warning calls for each different predator!

Biology 101, Chapter 4, The 5th Day – Avian Creatures

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 02:13:00 +0000

In addition to Biology 101:
►Birds
• Apologia Biology Exp. 16.1, Bird Embryology (Video below that I plan to use for this.)
• Apologia Biology Exp. 16.2, Bird Identification (2 parts to this) We will do everything at home and used this worksheet.
- List of Birds of North Carolina, grouped by category
• 10 videos by BBC on The Life of Birds - These total over 8 hours. We will watch #2, "Mastery of Flight" and use this accompanying worksheet for assistance in choosing a bird for a report the next day.
Be aware that there is evolutionary content in these videos.

►Insects
• Apologia Biology Exp. 12.2, Insect Classification
--A helpful link - BugGuide.net Look through these pages, or click an insect in the box on the left.
--Tips for collecting and mounting insects at Applie's Place. Scroll to the list of requirements this blogger gave her class. There are several more links below that as well.
Another way to do the Killing Jar.

►Additional websites:
- Beneficial Insects
- What's that Bug?

The Avian Kingdom

(1) The Life of Birds: Mastery of Flight
►Full length video - this is Day 1 of a 2-day assignment.
Embedding disabled, please watch here.
--accompanying worksheet to use in assistance for choosing a bird for a report the next day.
Please ignore the references to adaption. How would animals live before adapting???

(2) Birds are in the class Aves (AY-vees).
Think of aviation to help you remember how to pronounce aves. =)
How wings work:

(3) Bird Flight animation

(4) Webcams
►Usually in the spring at Norfolk Botanical Gardens, there is a live web feed of Eagles and Eaglets. Watch a couple of videos and read more at Sahm-I-Am. Also video from previous owl webcam.

(5) Bird Embryology (Apologia Biology Exp. 16.1)

►Not for the faint of heart -- Atlas of Avian diseases; study bird embryos.

(6) AMAZING! How weaver birds make their nests.

(7) How an Egg is Made

(8) Honey Guide Bird

Flying Invertebrates

Insects have an exoskeleton rather than an outer skeleton. So they do not have a backbone which means they are invertebrates.
They also have jointed legs, which means they are arthropods. (pod = foot, kind of like pedal.)

(9) Class Insecta

(10) Grasshoppers breathe through spiracles, tiny holes along the abdomen. There is one on each section. In this video, they look like little dark dots.
Order Orthoptera

(11) Complete and Incomplete Metamorphosis
Embedding was disabled for these videos, so click on a link to watch.
►If you click the first link, they will continue to play in order. 11-12 minutes total. (They are numbered like they are in the playlist.)

Complete Metamorphosis: 4 stages: egg, larva, pupa, adult
Simply amazing!!!
63. Monarch butterfly laying eggs
64. Monarch caterpillar growing
65. Monarch caterpillar changing into chrysalis
66. Monarch butterfly metamorphosis

►Monarch or Viceroy? (not a video)
How to tell the difference between a Monarch butterfly and a Viceroy?
The difference is the additional black line that goes across the hind wings of the Viceroy. Monarch butterflies are bitter because of what they have eaten, so birds will avoid Viceroys as well as Monarchs, not realizing they are different.

Incomplete Metamorphosis: 3 stages: egg, nymph, adult
67. Preying Mantis Order Orthoptera
68. Preying Mantis life cycle

(12) Whirligig Beetles

(13) Life Cycle of Honey Bees
Order Hymenoptera: Ants, Bees, and Wasps ("social" insects - live in colonies)

(14) Grasshopper Dissection

Extras if you need more.
►Another grasshopper dissection. Part 1, Part 2. (about 14 min total)
Just glanced at it, but seems to have more vocabulary, so it depends on what exactly you are wanting to learn about insects.

►Insect External and Internal Structures and Functions (16 min)

Biology 101, Chapter 3, The 5th Day - Aquatic Creatures

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 00:01:00 +0000

In addition to Biology 101:
►Vertebrates:
• Apologia Biology Exp 13.1 Perch Dissection (another great image)
--We ordered our dissection kits from Home Science Tools. Our worms in the kits were mostly flattened, so I requested new ones and received them in just a few days, round and plump!
• Write a report on any Aquatic Creature (also draw and label)

►Invertebrates:
• Apologia Biology Exp 12.1 Crayfish Dissection
--Crayfish dissection worksheet and appendage table
--another image of crayfish internal organs
--also see Applie's class's crayfish dissection
--See our crawdad the girls found shortly after doing this chapter in Apologia.
• Write short reports on organisms in Subkingdom Protozoa: amoeba, euglena, and paramecium (also draw and label)
--How to pronounce euglena. Also type in paramecium, etc.
• You can also make edible trilobites! We didn't since half of my class had already done that in General Science M8.

►Links to more dissections

I assigned the written reports above to take the place of the field trip and essay assigned in Biology 101. We also allow 4 weeks per chapter instead of 3 weeks.

(1) Terminology

Dorsal - referring to the back, or it might seem to be the top if the animal is not upright like a human, but it is its back. Like a dorsal fin on the back of a fish.
Ventral - referring to the front, or belly-side of an organism.
Anterior - in front of, or the end that contains an organism's head.
Posterior - in back of, or the end that contains an organism's tail.

(Source)

A shark has two dorsal fins. This means they are on its back. There is an anterior dorsal fin and a posterior dorsal fin. The anterior is toward the head and the posterior is toward the tail.
Something can also be "anterior to" another body part, meaning it is in front of it, and "posterior to" another body part would mean it is in back of it.

Aquatic Vertebrates

(2) Osteichthyes (bony fish)
Perch anatomy - exterior and interior

►You can also watch Shark anatomy!

(3) Agnatha (jawless fish) are a type of cartilage fish.
Lol, Agnatha talked so much, her jaw deteriorated.
One type of Agnatha is the Lamprey. ewwww!

Aquatic Invertebrates

Invertebrates have an exoskeleton rather than an outer skeleton. So they do not have a backbone, thus the name invertebrate.

Some invertebrates are also arthropods. Arthropod means jointed leg or foot.
All the creatures below are invertebrates. Which of these invertebrates are also arthropods?

(4) Crayfish Anatomy part 1
Please ignore the evolutionary references.

(5) Crayfish Anatomy part 2

(6) Crayfish Swimming, trying to catch food.
Growing up, I always called these crawdads. =)

(7) Lobster

(8) Shrimp

►See baby shrimp being born around 0:50 seconds.

(9) Beautiful Crab at Costa Rica

►Watch this crab run!

"Barnacles (see images) are crustaceans that have jointed legs and shells of connected overlapping plates. Instead of crawling after food, they glue themselves to rocks, ships, pilings abalones, and maybe even whales and wait for food to wash by. When barnacles are under water or when a wave washes over them, they reach out little feathery barbed legs to strain out plankton and absorb oxygen."
(source)

(10) Barnacles "sweeping" the water to gather any plankton floating about.

(11) Amoeba Dinner!
Watch this amoeba eat. It uses its pseudopod locomotion to move and to engulf its prey. To begin with, everything moves slowly until the prey realizes it is caught!

►See more images of amoebas!

(12) Euglena, from a pond

(13) Euglena's movement by whirling its flagella, and by drawing its cytoplasm into the central region of the cell, then re-extending itself forward.

(14) A paramecium moves by beating the tiny "hairs" on its edge. These are called cilia.
Paramecia have an oral groove where they take in food. You can see the oral groove around 40 seconds when it starts turning over several times.
The little "blobs" throughout are food vacuoles. After a paramecium takes in food through the oral groove, it pinches off a little section with the food inside it. This is now a food vacuole, and it will move to other parts of the paramecium, taking food to its whole body.

(15a) Octopus Camouflage! This is incredible!

(15b) Watch it in reverse

Octopus videos from ScienceFriday.com

At ChristianBook.com, Apologia's 1st editions are on sale! Up to 89% savings!

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 18:57:00 +0000

Current prices:
General Science, Text and Answer Key - $8.99
Physical Science, Text and Answer Key - $10.99
Biology, Text and Answer Key - $8.99
Physics, Text and Answer Key - $8.99

Just go to this page on Christianbook.com and scroll down. I sorted by Price, and this should land you on page 4. If you don't see what you're looking for, check pages 3 and/or 5. Look for the ones that say "2 volumes" to be sure you're getting both the textbook and answer key.

Page 1 has some of the Multimedia CD Roms for $1.99. To my knowledge, these have things like short animated illustrations and vocabulary pronunciation.
Check around and see what else you find! =)

See here the different components of Apologia, and which ones are necessary and which are supplemental.

Biology 101, Chapter 2, The 3rd Day - Plants

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 01:10:00 +0000

In addition to Biology 101:
• Grow a bean plant, learn about tropisms
• Dissect a Flower (worksheets here or here)
• Apologia Biology Exp. 14.1 - Leaf Collection and Identification (worksheet, guide)
• Apologia General Science Exp. 10.4 - Turgor Pressure (scroll down) (directions/worksheet)
• Transpiration - Apologia Botany p. 96 or 138. Place a baggie over a leaf of a well-watered plant that is in the sun. Close baggie with clothespin or twist-tie.

(1) Plant Cells

All cells have a cell membrane. But outside a plant's cell membrane, there is also a cell wall.
The cell wall of plants is made of cellulose.
There are three structures in a plant cell that pertain specifically to plant cells.

cell wall (for stiffness of the stem; also keeps cell from bursting if the central vacuole continued to fill)
large central vacuole (for turgor pressure)
chloroplasts (for photosynthesis)

(2) Turgor Pressure
The large central vacuole and the cell wall work together to create turgor pressure.
As the water vacuole fills, it presses against the cell wall, making the plant become more rigid. This rigidness is known as turgor pressure.
This plant regains turgor pressure as the vacuoles in each of its plant cells fill with water.
(459 shots, made every 30 seconds for 3h 45m. He added about 1½ cups of water.)

The food coloring in the water shows that the water traveled up the xylem, filled the celery's plant cell vacuoles, and caused the plant to become rigid with turgor pressure.

(3) Plant Parts

►But what about a daisy? Where is the stigma? Where is the stamen?
Read this article (scroll to Inflorescence and then The Magic.)
Then look at these microscopic images.

(4) Leaves
►See several labeled images of leaves here.

►A great site that classifies leaves. (Also see the paragraph about bark)
• Scroll down and see what kinds of fruits there are, including nuts.
• These are important to think about when classifying leaves in class.

These links will help with leaf identification.
► Keys to Leaves of Virginia, (4H) I've got my leaf; let's get started! (interactive)
► Auburn University Horticulture Dept, Plant Identification Resource (interactive)

The microscopic structure is what you cannot see with the naked eye.

►Image of what is inside a leaf (scroll down)

Structure of a Leaf

Parts of a Leaf

(5) Stems
Xylem and Phloem (zy' lum, flow' um)
♦Xylem and phloem tubes are together in a vein, or a vascular bundle.
If you look at the bottom of a stalk of celery, you will see these. They look like strings, and both xylem and phloem are bundled together, like wires through a power cord.
♦ The xylem transports water and minerals UP the roots to the leaves where the chlorophyll is located, in order to make food for the plant.
Xylem is dead tissue.
♦ The phloem transports food (sugars) back DOWN the leaves, then to all the rest of the parts of the plant.

(6) Transpiration - how water and minerals are transported up the xylem (which is dead tissue) and how moisture exits the leaves through the stoma so that more water and minerals are pulled up through the xylem.
stoma/stomata, guard cells, vacuoles

►Remember that plants have specialized structures while algae do not. In other words, plants have structures that each perform their own specific task.
(1) Roots take in water and minerals.
(2) The stem transports these to the leaves.
(3) The leaves carry out photosynthesis.

(7) Tropisms

Stimulus: something causing a response.

Nastic Movement vs. Tropism

►Nastic movement is a preprogrammed response, and any direction of movement is independent of the direction from which the stimulus comes. No matter from which direction the light comes, the plant's response is the same each morning -- opening of leaves and petals. Or if a plant's leaves close when you touch them, it does not matter which direction the touch is from. The plant is preprogrammed to this action.
Nastic movement is not a growth response.
It does not grow in a direction as a result of a stimulus.

►Tropisms depend on the direction of the stimulus, and therefore, can change.
Tropisms can be a growth response or a movement response.
• Growth of a plant toward sunlight is phototropism.  The sunlight is the stimulus.
• Heliotropism is when plants bend toward the sun as it moves across the sky. This is a movement response that is a tropic response since it depends on the direction of the stimulus.
--These are tropisms if the plant moves or grows toward the light, rather than just opening its leaves as in nastic movement.
• Thigmotropism is a growth response to touch, like a vine touching a branch will grow around the branch. The direction of growth depends on the direction of the branch.  The branch is the stimulus.
Tropisms are growth or movement responses, but both depend on the direction of the stimulus.
• Gravitropism (also called geotropism) works in two ways. Roots grow down, and shoots grow up. The shoots growing up is not simply a result of phototropism, because they will grow up even in the dark. The seeds that germinate and sprout upwards while still covered with soil are proof of this. This is called negative gravitropism, since they grow in the opposite direction of gravity. Roots growing down is positive gravitropism.
• Hydrotropism is growth toward water. This would most likely be roots growing toward water.

(7a) Examples of nastic movement (not a growth response like a tropism can be)
Nastic movement because it does not matter from which direction the bug comes.
This is a preprogrammed response to happen when the hairs are touched.

(7b)More nastic movement
Nastic movement because it does not matter from which direction the leaves are touched.
This is a preprogrammed response to happen when touched.

(7c)Nastic movement of a Moon Flower, also called an Evening Primrose
It opens near dusk and it takes about 30 to 60 seconds for one to open. About 10 to 20 open each night on a plant and they all fade by noon the next day.
♦ This is in real time, not a time lapse.
Nastic movement because there is nothing in any direction that prompts this behavior.
This is a preprogrammed response for this to happen at night.

LOL, dh asked about pollination, and I told him they're open until noon the next day.
He laughed and said they only serve breakfast. =)

Tropisms can be a movement OR a growth response.
(7d) Phototropism, and a little about gravitropism
These are growth responses as a result of the direction of the stimulus - the sun, or gravity.

(7e) Phototropism and Heliotropism

Watch these bush beans as they grow toward the sun. (phototropism)
Then watch as shadows move over them - they ALL lean toward the sun. (heliotropism)
(Video was shot over a 24 hour period.)
Growth and Movement response is a result of the direction of the stimulus - the sun.

(7f) Thigmotropism - response to touch (what the plant touches, not what touches the plant - like a human or animal)
Growth response as a result of the direction of the stimulus - the pole. The vine would not grow this direction if it were not for the pole.
LOL at the spider that comes down at 0:12 =D

FREE Kindle Books

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 03:49:00 +0000

Don't have a kindle? You can download a Free Kindle app for your computer or other electronic device!
Or you can go to your app store to get the app.

First, you will need an Amazon account, then download the Free Kindle app.
Then you can go to this awesome website MeaningfulHomeschooling.com and download tons of free books!
There is everything from Beatrix Potter, to Tom Swift, to G. A. Henty! Over 3 dozen series!

Be sure to thank this lady for such an awesome resource. =)

P.S. A few more G. A. Henty books here, just in case there is one you want that isn't listed on Contented at Home, but she has nearly all of these!

In case you don't know where to start with the G. A. Henty books, a young man told me these were some of his favorites:
In Freedom's Cause: A Story of Wallace and Bruce
The Young Franc Tireurs and their Adventures in the Franco-Prussian War
The Treasure of the Incas
Beric the Briton: A Story of the Roman Invasion
The Cat of Bubastes: A Tale of Ancient Egypt
St. Bartholomew's Eve: A Tale of the Hugeonot Wars
On the Irrawaddy: A Story of the First Burmese War

He only texted the first main parts of the titles, and when he said, "On the Irrawaddy," I texted back, "Lol, on the what???" He told me Irrawaddy is a river in Burma. =)

UPDATE on the Biology 101 Books

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 15:24:00 +0000

I had posted about how I put together our Biology 101 books, and used cardboard folders for the back cover. I need to tell y'all this is not a good idea. =\
I would use either use plastic folders, or an additional heavyweight binder cover on the back of the cardboard folder. Plastic folders would be cheaper if you don't already have binder covers on hand as I did. In fact, if you haven't already made your books, you could use one folder for both front and back.
With just a few days of use, I saw my cardboard ones were not going to hold up, so I had to get more holes punched in cut-down plastic folders (I told Staples I had already had my books bound there, and since they would have punched these for me along with my books, there was no charge). I then cut one end off the spiral binding, and unbound and re-bound them myself. You'll need needle-nose pliers to bend back the spiral binding. Fun, fun. =D Actually not too bad once I got it going.
Please comment and let me know how your books turned out! If anyone wants to email me pictures, I'd love to post them here. =)

Biology 101, Chapter 1, Introduction: Life Defined

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 03:03:00 +0000

In addition to Biology 101:
• Apologia Biology Exp. 1.1 - Biological Classification (worksheet)

What is Life?
There are four criteria to actually be able to say something is alive.
1. All life forms contain deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
2. All life forms have a method to extract energy from their surroundings and convert it into energy that is useful to them.
3. All life forms can sense changes in their surroundings and respond to those changes.
4. All life forms reproduce.
(Apologia Biology, p. 1)

King Philip and the Biological Classification System - Taxonomy

During the video, he gives the genus and species for a mountain lion. On the screen it says, "Felis Concolor." The spelling and name are correct, but it should be written as Felis concolor with only the first word capitalized and both words italicized.
The genus and species are the only two categories in the Biological Classification system whose proper names will be italicized.
The proper name of a species is always written in lowercase.

Order of the Biological Classification system:

Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, species

The words themselves, "kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species" are not capitalized in sentences unless they precede the proper name. Such as Kingdom Animalia, or Phylum Chordata.
The proper name of the species is never capitalized.

Use this mnemonic to help you remember the order: King Phillip Cried Out, "For Goodness Sake!"
Write your own mnemonic. =)

There are 5 kingdoms.
Each is further divided into the levels mentioned in the video.

--Kingdom Monera consists of bacteria, and are made of one cell. Their cells have no nucleus and therefore are called prokaryotic cells. (pro-carry-ah-tic)
(All other organisms have a nucleus, and have what are called eukaryotic cells.)
--Kingdom Protista is made up of other organisms such as amoebas, and are also made of one cell, but their cells have a nucleus - a eukaryotic cell. (you-carry-ah-tic)
Members of this kingdom are larger than bacteria but still are too small to be seen without a microscope.
Anything you can see with the naked eye is made of many cells.

Part 1

Part 2 Single-celled kingdoms Monera and Protista

Part 3 Multi-celled kingdoms Fungi, Plantae, and Anamalia

Putting Together Our Biology Book

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 17:10:00 +0000

If you saw my last post, A Different Biology, you know we will be using Wes Olson's Biology 101 this fall, along with John Hudson Tiner's Exploring the World of Biology.
I bought the ebooks for both so I could print them out for each of the kids as well as for me. With at least one of my kids I will most certainly be reading aloud, so it will be helpful to have my own. We can write in them and make notes. AND I can put everything together in one book, in the order I want, and not be going back and forth between books and maybe forgetting when I wanted to read a chapter from the other book.

I paid $4.49 per book at Staples to have them bound. (It depends on the type of binding and the size binder needed - mine was 22 mm.) In one book there were pages upside down and I'm absolutely certain that was my fault. The same book had the wrong size spiral binding put on it. But there was no problem! She cheerfully cut off the binding, turned around the upside-down pages, and re-threaded it with the correct size. She also told me if either of the other books had pages upside down, they would fix them also. =)
I hated that they had to waste one of the spiral thingys, but I'm thankful the mistakes were on the same book. =)

I used my own clear binder cover (actually it says 'frost' but it's pretty clear - these -- they are heavyweight). The free one that Staples offered along with their binding was too flimsy to last an entire year of being tossed around by teenagers. And me. ;-)

I made the cover page using various pictures. The central pic is from Biology 101! =)

See the Science Fact at the bottom? 😄

Next I put in a 1 page calendar, then the table of contents from both books.
I got this free school calendar from CalendarLabs.com, then tweaked and added highlighted days where needed.

Since I had chapters from 2 different books, and since some sections would have more chapters than others and it could get confusing, I used a colored sheet of paper between each section. This is also where I printed the verses for that chapter.

Next I put in the assignment page. Biology 101 comes with the assignments already made up, but I had typed up a few extra instructions. This was typed very small on the left side of the page (see below) so that I could run it through the printer onto the Biology 101 assignment pages. I like all the assignments on one page. =)
I will add to and/or tweak these as we go.

Email me if you want my personal notes (see notes below, on the left side and at the bottom). These include which chapters of Tiner's we will be using with each section of Biology 101. You can also have the KJV verse pages if you want.
homeschoolersresources@gmail.com

hehe, I have "flower dissection" on there twice, lol.

Then came the Biology 101 chapter/section and the Tiner's biology pages.

At the end of each section, I put in a page with lines on both sides and a blank page. Just in case I need them to write some notes or to draw something.
Last I added in the index pages from both books.

I did not include the answer keys in the kids' books; the quizzes will be open book.

For the back, I wanted a folder for a place to put in occasional loose papers, so I used a piece of cardstock as a guide to measure and draw lines, and cut down a file folder to fit. =)
UPDATE: Either use plastic folders, or an additional heavyweight binder cover on the back of the cardboard folder. With just a few days of use, I saw my cardboard ones were not going to hold up, so I had to get more holes punched in cut-down plastic folders, then cut one end off the spiral binding, and unbound and re-bound them myself. You'll need needle-nose pliers to bend back the spiral binding. Fun, fun. =D Actually not too bad once I got it going.

This is my book because I like green. JohnDavid chose blue, and Bethany's is purple.

Including the pages I made up and added in (28), it ended up being over 160 sheets of paper, most printed on both sides.

I just love having our Biology made up into this cool book! =)

A Different Biology

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 00:07:00 +0000

I have put in many hours in gathering and saving "stuff" for Apologia Biology - videos that I went over with a fine-toothed comb, only using a small percentage of all the many I viewed; web links that I read through, keeping some and discarding others; web sites that had other links to peruse; saving everything that could be used again; keeping notes of what I did.... and that was for just one module! But I have decided my kids and I will use something else this year.

I have decided on Biology 101 with Wes Olson of the101series.com. In my opinion, this biology seems to be more clearly explained. It has some videos, some hands on, and less of the nitty gritty details. (Plenty of details, just not nitty gritty ones!)

If you like the nitty gritty details, and memorizing weird-sounding names of phyla, that's great! Although they were extremely interesting, I just didn't care for memorizing all that stuff in the first four chapters of Apologia Biology. And in a few other chapters. Made me cross-eyed. Or maybe just cross. hehe.

I still have my Apologia books though, and plan to keep them. We

will use parts of them as a supplement.

Biology 101 consists of 4 DVDs containing: 9 videos, a printable Guidebook with quizzes, and a printable Course Accreditation Program.
This course is divided into chapters by the days of Creation. Some days of Creation take more than one chapter, and each chapter takes three weeks to complete for a total of 27 weeks.

--There is a video for each three week period that is assigned to be watched twice in those three weeks. (sample)
--The Guidebook (with quizzes) is a thorough review of what is in the video for that chapter, and is very well written and clearly explained. This is assigned to be read two different times during the three week period. (sample)

When first browsing through the sample pages, I actually understood some things I had struggled to remember before! =)

--The Course Accreditation Program has listed what assignments are to be done each week. (sample)

Usually in the first week of each period, the child will read juvenile books of your own choosing from the library, then non-juvenile books suitable for high school the next week, again of your choosing. Sometimes they're instructed to even watch an appropriate video if available.

There are some written and hands-on activities assigned as well. I will be tweaking these as needed and even adding in some extras from what we did with Apologia.

Read more by clicking on the Biology course at the101series.com, then clicking Contents.

Per Biology 101: *Intended audience age: 15 and up. However, every word, graphic, and picture in Biology 101 has been carefully selected and is appropriate for the entire family.

My plan for the reading/video assignments:

-Use some passages/pages from the books from Apologia's elementary series, and some from Apologia Biology as well.

-Read coordinating chapters from John Hudson Tiner's Exploring the World of Biology. (also available as a digital download - both paperback and PDF download are available at this link.)
-Watch some/all? of the videos I've already found as part of the assignments.

-Use library books when I can't find all I need in the above resources.

See how I put our book together

Other Resources:

The Biology Corner - dissection labs

Home Science Tools - dissection kit
Additional #22 scalpel blades

Since I will be adding in experiments and probably other extras not included in Biology 101, we will be taking 4 weeks to do some chapters.

The scripture used in Biology 101 and Exploring the World of Biology is not King James, which is what we use. In Biology 101 there is a verse quoted at the beginning of each video. Both John Tiner's and Biology 101's written materials contain verses not from the KJV. I will be watching for these as we go and will have them typed up for my kids before beginning each new chapter. (I know *I* don't like to stop to look up things when I'm in the middle of something, and I figure kids will be more likely to read what is right there on hand rather than pausing to go look it up.)
If you want the typed up verse pages that I've made, and/or my schedule notes (actually a really loose plan) telling what extras and what chapters in Tiner's we are doing for that section, email me at homeschoolersresources@gmail.com and I'll be happy to send it.
Please correct any typos, ha!

►Biology101 is currently available at ChristianBook.com for $49.99.

If all goes well with Biology 101, we may be doing Chemistry 101 next! My son will love it. =)

And it has 19 videos! =)

Bob Jones Pre-Algebra & Algebra 1 Videos!

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 21:58:00 +0000

Bob Jones Pre-Algebra and Algebra 1 -- over 200 videos on YouTube!
http://www.youtube.com/user/MsBetsy9
They're not in an exact order, so my advice is to save them in order yourself -- maybe on youtube playlists a few chapters per playlist (They can be rearranged if saved out of order), or bookmark them by chapter(s) in folders.
This is simply awesome! =D

If someone does make youtube playlists, and if you don't mind sharing, please leave a comment and a link!
That would be wonderful! =)

Triangle Trick!

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 01:54:00 +0000

I love this. =)

When you have a simple formula where one variable or value equals a fraction, and you need to rearrange it so that you find a different value, this triangle trick might just be what you need. =)

velocity = distance/time

9:20-10:42 from this video.

Isn't this awesome!?! =D

Pneumonia =(

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 05:10:00 +0000

Last year it was shingles, this year it's pneumonia. =\
I started coughing the day after Thanksgiving, and it quickly turned bad. Just walking from one room to another has been exhausting.
This year I have been updating the Physical Science posts as we go (we are finishing up M7), but the first posts were actually the ones that needed more updating, so the M8 post looks pretty good already. But I usually streamline the way the post is laid out and check Debbie's sites for anything to add, so feel free to check for anything you'd like to add in to your own studies. She has a student site and an educator site.
We will not be having a class for M8, but I will get the M8 post updated in the near future.

Chemistry Dogs!

noreply@blogger.com (Marty) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 20:00:00 +0000

These dogs are SO well-behaved!
Amazing.

Remember, atoms are called ions if they lose an electron.
Atoms usually have the same number of protons and electrons and have a net neutral charge. So if an atom loses an electron to another atom, those atoms are no longer "neutral."

Chemical bonds hold atoms together because they share electrons; and those held-together atoms make up a molecule.
(Hydrogen bonds hold water molecules together, and are more easily broken than chemical bonds.)

Polar molecules are molecules in which one side is more negative therefore making the other side more positive.
Water molecules are polar because the oxygen pulls more and gains more electrons (Oxygen and hydrogen still share electrons -- this is what causes the chemical bond -- but the oxygen keeps more of them.)

Water molecules can dissolve substances that have polar molecules or ionic molecules, but not non-polar molecules.

►See diagram of a water molecule.

Aren't they sweet! =)