Magnet Biology Blog

ThinkDoLearn Biology Blog - WordPress

2006-08-15T21:51:00.000-05:00

ThinkDoLearn Biology Blog

Just in case you forget, the blog address on the syllabus is incorrect. DeKalb is now blocking blogger, so I have migrated the blog to http://wordpress.thinkdolearn.com

Mr. Martin

Last of the Friday Updates

2006-05-19T17:14:00.000-05:00

1. Exam on Thursday/Friday. It will cover Ecology and Biodiversity (6 kingdoms)

2. There is an opportunity for some extra help on these chapters using a web based program. I cannot release details on the web but if you e-mail me I can get you the log in information; be sure to have your correct e-mail address and name in the e-mail.

3. Fourth period - Palm pilots return on Wednesday

4. What you should do this weekend:
- Study for the test
- Finish the lab handout
- Finish the concept maps on animals
- relax

I will only see each of you for four more days this year. That's it! Have a good summer!

Sub on Thursday 5/17/2006

2006-05-17T16:25:00.000-05:00

First and fourth period Magnet Biology: There will be a sub on Thursday.

Assignments: Complete the concept map packet for Animals. These are the topics and corresponding chapters:

1. Animals Ch 28
2. Porifera (Sponges) Ch 29-1
3. Cnidaria (Jellyfish and their kin) Ch 29-2
4. Platyhelminthes (Flatworms) Ch 29-3
5. Mollusca Ch 30-1
6. Annelida Ch 30-2

While it is important to complete all of these by Monday (quiz, maybe?), the Annelid map is most important to complete on Thursday because on Friday we will conduct the earthworm dissection. I will try to make all these handouts available soon, but not tonight.

The handouts all require drawings. There is a stack of blank paper for you to do this. The handouts are double-sided so drawing on the back is not an option. Use the spare blank paper for this.

Standard warning applies: You will behave in a proper fashion and do all your work. I don't have to remind you of the consequences if the sub writes your name down, but I was asked in 4th period about having to give you a warning. So here's your warning.
Consequences:
1) Referral to 9th grade administrator
2) Zero for the assignments
3) No bathroom passes for the rest of the semester
4) Parent contact
5) N in conduct for the semester; potentially a U if you have received an N this semester already. (This will affect honor roll.)

Have fun!

(Ps - two people from each class should print this out and give to the sub, then reply here that you done so.)

Biomes Project

2006-05-15T14:28:00.000-05:00

Five projects were not turned in. I need these turned in ASAP, by first period tomorrow. Questions should be e-mailed to me ASAP.

I have:

Kamille Williams B Desert
Jonathon Jones B Desert
Leandria Nolton B Desert
Robert Truitt D Temperate Deciduous Forest
Derek Sealy D Temperate Deciduous Forest
Jami E Temperate Grassland
Ashley Evelyn E Temperate Grassland
TREYANA F Taiga
SYMONE F Taiga
Savanna H Temp Forest
Vanecia H Temp Forest
Breeanna Williams I Marine
Briana Hill I Marine
Kristian A Tropical Rain Forest
Sasha A Tropical Rain Forest
Atiya Eliott C Savannah
Shanease C Savannah
Candice Freshwater
Caelin D Freshwater
Danniella D Freshwater
Amal E Temperate Grassland
Shakira E Temperate Grassland
Bryan F Taiga (need questions)
Phillip F Taiga (need questions)
Gabriel F Taiga (need questions)
Neesha H Freshwater
Elaine H Freshwater
Romae I Marine
Kim I Marine
Alex I Marine

If your name is not on the above list then you are potentially hindering the learning process of your fellow classmates. This will hinder your grade, of course, so get it in.

Schedule change - 4th period only

2006-05-10T17:56:00.000-05:00

First period - no change. You may have a change in teacher but not in activity.

Fourth period - we will have to delay flowers until Friday. This is unfortunately an unavoidable issue, we have to take a mandated 9th grade survey in the computer lab.
if you bring flowers we may be able to preserve them in water overnight.

Friday Update

2006-05-05T21:57:00.000-05:00

What should you be doing this weekend?

1) Forming a group for the biome project and e-mailing me so you can get your assignment. Groups of two's and three's only. You can get a jum on this if you want. Due date: May 15th.

2) Checking the communities portion of the web page for the web quest and species interaction map. The practice thing is a broken link now but I will fix it later.

3) Blogging about genetic engineering under the appropropriate post. this is not optional. do 10 minutes of research, read something, talk about it, read what others have posted. Form an opinion about what goes in your world or "the deciders" of the world will do it for you.

4) Relax some and be safe...it's prom weekend, so as the principal says, respect yourself as well.

Parent Conference Night

2006-04-19T22:17:00.000-05:00

Thursday is Parent Conference Night for the school.

I have a mandatory meeting at the county that night so I cannot make it. SWD's make-up night is Monday, but I have class and cannot make that night either.

I will stay late Friday, April 21, from 4PM to 6PM to meet with any parents that want to meet with me. Parents can also contact me through the usual channels to set up a conference. I am unable to set up conferences for Mondays and Tuesdays.

Mr. Martin

Genetic engineering

2006-04-13T18:57:00.000-05:00

Required reading.
Credit for writing.

Read the story about the low fat pigs. Find some resources, either web based or not, about genetic engineering. It should either summarize a technique or provide your opinion on a specific genetic engineering topic. Cite properly.

For example: do you think we should add genes to crops so that they are resistant to herbicides? Farmers can then use very harsh weed killers and their crops would survive without inhibition from weeds. Why is this is a good/bad thing?

DNA Model Assignment

2006-04-12T08:46:00.000-05:00

DUE: Monday April 17

Checklist:
Has four rungs minimum
All parts are labeled (one set, or a legend)
One nucleotide is circled and labeled
It must be three dimensional

Mr. Martin

Assignments for Monday

2006-04-07T10:36:00.000-05:00

On Monday, you will have a substitute.

You will go to the computer lab across the hall and work on your assignments independantly. If you need a key, see Ms. Mann (in 3205 next door to the lab) or Mr. Davidson (next door, 11th/12tyh grade office) or Ms Thomas in 3211.

Your assignments:
Turn on the computer and login, there is no password to login.
Go ot my web site: http://www.thinkdolearn.com/Biology/11DNA.htm, or http://www.thinkdolearn.com/Biology/ and click on the link for DNA: "The Genetic Material."

I've added some of the personalities as vocabulary words. You should know what they each did, and in which order they were done (dates are not important). You should understand how each person/team contributed a key piece of information to the final important discoveries: 1) That DNA, and not protein or any other substance, was the molecule of heredity and 2) The structure of DNA and why it ois in fact complex enough to be the molecule of heridity, and yet simple enough to be replicated.

There are several web sites for you to enjoy on the "DNA, From the Beginning" web site; check out the concept, animation, and problem links for each one.

After the three pages are examined and all activities complete, do the DNA lab bench activity on DNA replication.

You must then complete the quiz before class is over. It contains 15 questions; your scores will get automaticaly e-mailed to me so you must provide your full name.

If you finish early, start the DNA workbench activity for protein synthesis, and use the scilinks resources in your textbook for further understanding. If you find a cool link, post a comment here so your classmates can benefi as well.

That's it. I'll see you all on Tuesday! (Ps - two people from each class should print this out and give to the sub, then reply here that you done so.)

Mr. Martin

Midterm

2006-03-14T19:15:00.000-05:00

Your midterm is Friday, March 17th. We will review some in class, go over your notes and the web site reviews. Don't stress too much over it.

Mr. Martin

Friday Update - Chromosomes

2006-03-03T16:29:00.000-05:00

Read Chapter 6.
Quick lab on chromosome mutations is on today's outline.

6-1 - Chromosomes

6-2 - Cell cycle (veryy important)

6-3 - Stages of mitosis

The Math lab for 6-3 are aligned with the Biology Projects Onion lab. That is a mandatory lab next week (link is on the web site), but you can do it early. Your task is to add up the number in each category and calculate the amount of time the cells in each stage. Put it into Excel. Do the other activities on the web as well for enrichment.

Next week: Karyotype lab, bring Friday's assignments with you for review.

Mr. Martin

Anonymous postings

2006-02-26T21:52:00.000-05:00

From here on out, all anonymous postings will be deleted. You MUST sign your name to your post or comment if you did not log in. Only first names are needed.

Chromatography data

2006-02-15T13:39:00.000-05:00

We are about to start the lab in fourth period. Here is the actual data I collected in 3rd period (AP Biology).

Figure out R_f values:

Data (distance in mm):

Solvent traveled: 111mm
carotene: 109mm
xanthophyll: 43mm
chlorophyll a: 21mm
chlorophyll b: 11mm

To calculate the value: the distance pigment traveled divided by the distance the solvent traveled.

By Monday (the day after break) turn in the following:

Your Rf values (or calculate using mine)
A paragraph (5+ sentences) on how chromatography is used by actual people in the real world (scientists, CSI's, etc.)

Sub assignments 2/8/06

2006-02-08T17:27:00.000-05:00

Someone please print these out, and comment so only one copy comes to class. You can help facilitate for the class.

I would like to continue the class project, but we'll have to do that Friday. Also, Palms are in and I want to kick that off too - Friday.

For Thursday, you have a sub. I hope. If not, you still have work.

1. Microscope - label the parts (from appendix)
2. Design experiments (back of microscope sheet) - form groups of 2-3 and design three experiments. Don't forget that a proper experiment has:

proper controls
only one variable
multiple sets
proper measurement methodology

3. Diagrams to label

A. Energy flow
B. Structures of photosynthesis

4. Diagram to use in group project

Photochemical (light) reactions

You may or may not be able to get your head around this one; it is complex. Do your best because this diagram is basically what you have to understand for the group projects due Monday.

I will be in the building; you can best get in touch with me through e-mail or the blog. Let me know how this goes.

Mr. Martin

Friday Update

2006-02-03T16:25:00.000-05:00

1) Tutorials
I am almost always available Fridays, sometimes Thursdays, occassionall Wednesdays, and almost never on Mondays and Tuesdays.

2) Today's exam - it went well for first period, badly for fourth period, as far as the multiple choice goes. Two people got 100's in first period!! In fourth, the two highest grades were 90's.

3) End of Course On Line Test Materials

Check out the following:

http://www.usatestprep.com
The username is: swdekalb
The password is: newton35

There are some quizzes for biology, by the time you finish this class you should have no problem passing them. Right now, a lot of the stuff may be new but I am encouraging you to do this as an extra science resource.

4) No school on Tuesday. From the superintendent:

The Memorial Services for Mrs. Coretta Scott King will be held on February 7, 2006 in DeKalb County at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.

Out of respect for the memory and legacy of Mrs. King, all schools and administrative offices of the DeKalb County School System will be closed on Tuesday, February 7, 2006.

Please keep the King family in your thoughts that day. I may visit the capital for the viewing.

Update

2006-02-02T18:53:00.000-05:00

1.) Exam is tomorrow. I strongly encourage you to check out the extra resources on my web site.

2.)Per 1: Lab is due Monday. Any questions, blog or e-mail them.
Per 4: We will redo a portion of the lab on Monday now that we have the right plants.
Your lab will be due Wednesday

3.)Its open house, so I'm betting many of your parents are here. I got interviewed by one TV crew already; I'm expecting more in a bit. Also met with some county folks who are working to get us more shelving in the stockroom so we can start putting more supplies in the room.

See you tomorrow.

Sub on Wednesday

2006-01-24T14:45:00.000-05:00

1) I don't have to remind you of the consequences if the sub writes your name down. You will behave in a proper fashion and do all your work.

2) Turn in your lab report to the bucket. Don't put it on my desk or give it to the sub.

3) Your assignment will be the outline to go along with Ch 3. Also read Chapter 3 (all of it). If you finish, start reading CH 4 and create a T chart that has passive vs active transport - define and give examples.

Any questions? Blog it!

Mr. Martin

Lab Report

2006-01-23T21:01:00.000-05:00

There a lot of questions about the lab report. We will get to them tomorrow or feel free to blog them.

I will not be in class Wednsday, but I will be in school. Make sure you turn in your lab report to the bucket.

Questions...

About heat: Oops! I scaled this lab down a lot from several years ago and forgot to mention heat in the lab. There is heat generated by the reaction, a small amount that you can barely feel. Your book, or the Internet, should be able to tell you the implications of this; feel free to ask if you think the information is no where to be found. I'm going to add a few links to the sidebar for your use. Wikipedia has been maligned in the press lately, but a peer-reviewed journal article found that Wikipedia was more reliable than a standard encyclopedia. The core belief of a "wiki" based resource is that anyone can edit it, and some articles on that site were created specifically as pranks, hoaxes, and libel. The other million or so articles are good, however. Dictionary.com is such a useful resource that Ms. Lewis uses it for her class.

Mr. Martin

Chemistry test on Monday

2006-01-20T21:58:00.000-05:00

Remember. Its not just chemistry, but also the scientific method as well. And the properties of life.

You should be studying, and realize that I will ask you to do some other thing on the test (pH scale, water molecules, probably name some characteristics from the chart today, etc.)

For Wednesday, turn in a lab report. I will have a sub on Wednesday, and so it needs to be done and turned in to the bucket; I will not be asking for it and she may not ask for it either.

For Monday, make sure you bring: Water CDM and Enzyme CDM; I will be checking both of those during the test, they must be handwritten and complete to get full credit.

On Thursday, January 26th, there will be a Magnet Community meeting in the cafeteria @ 6:30; tell your parents about it so they can participate.

Please feel free to use this blog as your forum (either posting if you signed up, or commenting if you did not) for asking questions about the chapters; I won't be on until sometime after 4PM tomorrow but I will reply to all necessary comments; and hopefully fellow students can as well.

Mr. Martin

This weekend

2006-01-13T09:46:00.000-05:00

1. There is an error on the web site. There is no test on Ch 1+2 on Tuesday. It will probably be Friday.

2. What you should be doing:

Reading and studying chemistry (Ch 2)

Reviewing Ch 1

Checking this blog, adding your own questions or comments as needed.

Performing the activities on the web site for Ch 2 (and Ch 1 if you have not done so already)

Taking at least one day off

Mr. Martin

Sub assignment

2006-01-09T17:10:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry. I did not find out about the workshop I am in until after first period. You will all be fine....don't mess with the sub, it is not his/her fault. If your name is written down by the sub you will get:

1) a zero for all the classwork
2) phone call home
3) referral to administration for consequences for not following directions etc.

Assignment:
Read ch 1-2 and do the handout (a similar assignment is on thinkdolearn.com)

The scope can be on any level, global to local, but must relate to biology. The examples in the book are OK but you must come up with a unique solution. The problem AND/OR the solution must relate to biology.

Read ch 1-3 and develop a hypothesis of something you have observed....then design an experiment to test your hypothesis. This one does not have to relate to biology, but it can have any scope. For example, I hypothesized that police cars pull over trucks more often on the highway because the fines are higher.

After all that, read Chapter 2 silently until the bell rings.

Any questions - blog it.

One person in each class should print this post, and please comment that you have prionted it for your class.

Again, you will have a sub on Tuesday, please give me feedback on how the class goes.

Mr. Martin

Welcome to the blog....a few necessary "rules"

2006-01-04T23:22:00.000-05:00

This blog is meant for my students. I reserve the right to edit or delete posts in order to keep the intent of the forum. I may delete anonymous posts or comments, or from people who are not recognized, or ones that I deem inappropriate or that should have been sent to me or someone else via e-mail.

In order to "protect" this forum, I have kept it off any outside lists on blogger.com, and have kept my profile private. My suggestion to my students is that while on the Internet they protect themselves as well. Do not share private information with strangers, not even your email address. I recommend you all keep your profiles private as well, or if public do not put any useful information on the profile.

When posting, identify yourself using your first name, or no more than your first name last initial. Do not post anonymously unless you feel you really need to (but note that inappropriate posts will be deleted - anonymous or not).

You can post images to the blog, but follow copyright guidelines and "netiquitte" guidelines. Do not embed pictures directly from other people's web sites; it may cause a drain on their bandwidth. There are plenty of free photoblog hosting sites, or I can upload the picture for you.

Feel free to let your parents read the posts, and if they have any concerns, they can contact me.

Sincerely,

Mr. Martin