Chapt. 4 Section 2 Read pages 119-123.

Tues.
Section 3 Read pages 126-132.
Key Terms Page 135.
List, look up and define.

Wed.
Section Rev. Page 132, 1-5 Answer in complete sentences.

Thurs.
If not finished in class- Page 136 1-10.

Students will have a homework assignment of questions 1-4 on page 118.
On Friday they will be allowed to use their notes, key terms, any papers, and their pedigree worksheet to complete a short quiz on Sect 1, Chapt. 4, pages 112-118.

Addendum To Post
Tests from Chapt. 3 have been passed back -
These marks, combined with Leaf Album marks along with a genetic quiz and homework will be the basis for their interim mark.

We started Chapt. 4 on Mon. with an in class assignment of reading Section 1, pages 112- 118. Our activity was creating a pedigree chart of one side of their family which they needed to do for homework along with 4 key terms for Sect. 1.

After a nice relaxing break we are revisiting Mendel, Meiosis, Punnett Squares and Protein Synthesis( Pages 80-106 of Chapter 3). They will have a test on this Friday.
All 4 Review Sections should be completed as well as the vocabulary on page107.
Page 108 was passed back today and I have been individually checking with each student to let them know what they owe me.
Leaf albums were due the Wed. before Thanksgiving and again students are asked to come back after school on Wed. if they haven't turned theirs in. This is considered a test mark.
If students are all caught up on work for Chapt. 3 they have no homework tonight.
We are working on a review packet that if not finished in class by tomorrow they will have to take it home to complete.
Thursday they should be organizing their material on Chapt. 3 and reviewing it as well as skimming over Chapt 3 again. (It's been awhile!)

Students have received their genetics quiz back and are have finished Sect. 4 of Chapt. 3. We will be finishing review exercises and any last minute assignments for those who have missed classes due to abbreviated schedules this past week and next week.
There will be a test on Chapt. 3 after the the Thanksgiving break. Students will have time to review.
Leaf albums will be due before leaving for Thanksgiving.

Leaf albums due Nov 24th.
Leaf album rubrics have been passed out and many students are putting the finishing touches on their albums. They have been given the option of completing them at home and bringing them back in when completed. I will be after school Wed. to work with those who need help.
Students have a worksheet for homework that deal with genetics based on a SpongeBob theme. Some finished in class while I was helping others.
Wed will be the Section Review found on page 85.
Friday will be a quiz on Punnett squares.

Tests from Chapt. 2 have been passed back.
We are beginning Genetics-Chapt. 3
Homework for Mon. was to read pages 80-85.
Define the key terms for Section 1 and create a sentence about themselves using each of the vocab. words.
There was no homework for Tues.
There will be an assignment that a sub will administer Wed. and any work( page 93, 1-5 and a worksheet) will be assigned for homework.
A quiz using punnett squares will be administered Friday.

Homework Monday Page 76, 1-10- both multiple choice and the false of #'s 6-10 must be answered in complete sentences. Any review packets not finished in class Tues will be assigned as homework. We will be having a Chapt. 2 Test on Friday.

Students are wrapping up Section 3, pages 61-68. In their notebooks they should have the key terms(page 75), section review(page 68) and a drawing of the cell cycle from pages 64- 65, the last two assigned for homework if not finished in class.
Since we went over the answers in class I will expect them to have completed these assignments and have them in their notebooks before they can participate in constructing DNA double helices in class tomorrow. This is a hands on activity covering pages 67-68.
Next week will be spent covering Section 4, and reviewing for a test on Friday.
As you know Friday afternoon will be spent outside with our "Pumpkin Chunkin" launchers. Parents are invited.

No homework for weekend.
Galileo Assessment is scheduled for Tues. in Science.
This is a non-graded assessment that will familiarize teachers with a new system of MCAS benchmarks analysis.

Quizzes from last week passed back. No homework last night or tonight(Thursday). We're wrapping up a lab with some graphing, analysis, and conclusions. This is being done in class but if not completed by Friday, I may have to put a sense of urgency to it by assigning the write up over the weekend.
We've started collecting leaves for our leaf albums and will be spending class time pressing and organizing our albums.

Homework
Re- read pages 55- 59 Chapter 2 Section 2
Written Homework Page 59, #'s 1-5

Students will have a brief quiz on Section 1, Chapt. 2. Thurs. Familiarity with Section 1 will enable them to complete this open book quiz within the allotted time frame. Their homework was to re-read Sect. 1.

Tests from Chapt.1 were passed back today.
Homework for Tues. is to read Sect. 1(pages 50-54) of Chapter 2- Cell Process and Energy.
There are 6 key terms found on page 75 to be entered and defined in their vocab section.
They also need to complete the Sect. Rev. found on page 54, questions 1-4 in complete sentences.

TEST Chapt 1 tomorrow!
All review sheets should have been completed and corrected.
Homework is Page 46, Questions 1-10. All questions except the true statements need to be answered in complete sentences.

Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2010
Students have been reminded to start reviewing for test on Chapt 1.
Homework due for Wed. is the Section Review found on page 44, Questions 1-4. Answers are to be completed using sentences that I can understand what the question was. A good suggestion is that they might be able to start their answers by using part of the question.

I hope the team building on Friday was as much fun for students as it was for the faculty involved. It did get pretty warm !
Chapter 1 Test Friday, Oct. 3rd.
Homework Mon.
Read pages 40-44 (Section 4)
Copy Key Terms from page 45 (5 terms) in vocab. sect. of notebook and find the meaning from reading Sect. 4.

Tues., Sept. 21, 2010

Cross-word quizzes were passed back Mon. We started Section 3, Compounds in Cells(Pages 33 -37) with a the Key Term assignment to look up the definitions while they were reading and write them in their note section.
Tues. we used those terms in a" word scramble" in class. There was no homework assigned Tues.
Wed. will be a applying foods for lunch and homework will be doing the same with their dinners- breaking them down into carbohydrates, lipids and proteins.
Thurs will be the beginning of their leaf projects. This will be done in class. Their will be a section review homework assignment on page 37, #s 1-4. On Friday we will be doing a team building activity and there will be no homework.

Students needed to have vocab (key terms) P.45, Sect 2 defined in their vocab section of their notebooks. (Because I blogged this yesterday but neglected to post it I will give them another day.)
They were also to read pages 23-31.
Today we're covering this in class and they have two drawings on a worksheet to label for tomorrow. Coloring is optional.
Tomorrow we'll complete discussing Section 2 and write out the Section Review on page 31 in class.
Thurs. we'll use two worksheets- one dealing with an analogy of a city as a model for a cell and another using riddle rhymes. They will have to complete what they don' finish in class for homework
Friday we'll work on a crossword that I will collect and grade, again using cell key terms.



Wednesday I'll be after school to help anyone with covering books and setting up leaf albums from recycled ones from prior years.

Wed. Sept. 8, 2010
Turtle Projects have been passed back as well as textbooks distributed.
Wed homework assignment for Thurs.
Read Section 1, pages 16-22, (Discovering Cells).
On page 45 are found the 7 key terms (vocab.) for Section 1. Students need to use the term in a sentence defining it. This should be written in their last section of their notebooks.
Thurs. assignment will be to study for a quiz on Friday where they will have to write the three parts of the Cell Theory found in their notes and on page 20.
We will be starting Section 2 on Thurs. which most students have had some exposure to last year. Looking Inside Cells pages 23-31 deals with the cell organelles and we will be drawing, coloring, "crosswording" and handling this vocabulary in many ways.
There is no homework this weekend.

Tues., Aug 31 thru Thurs. Sept. 2.
Welcome to Life Science!
Students should be commended for enduring the heat today.
We will be working on graphing and analysis of data from a presentation about sea turtle hatchlings.
By Thurs. students will have completed a data sheet and graph with some observations about how temperature affects the sex of sea turtle hatchlings. This will involve some conversion of celcius to fahrenheit for a better appreciation of the relationship between them. This will also allow students to problem solve using the scientific method.

Test- Chapt 1 tomorrow- Friday, June 4!
With the mountains of Austria(Culture Fair) looming over our classroom and Scientists' Book Reports coming in, this short week has been very busy. We were able to cover a very short chapter (3 sections) finish the Section Reviews(pages 21, 29, & 38) as well as the key terms found on page 39. Homework Friday will be to finish any Section Reviews not completed in class and answer the Chapter Review questions 1-10 in complete sentences on page 40.

Lab practicals were passed back. We're into our new environmental books. Just to shake things
up, students were asked to illustrate their vocab.(Sect 1 key terms found on page 39) in an ecosystem scene and label everything with their terms. They could use "ecology" in their title.
Today we're in the computer lab working on their scientists book reports which will be due June 1st. Section 2 will be assigned for Thurs. night.

Students were issued a packet to work up to and include Sect.3 in class for the remainder of last week. Today we did a flower lab and finished the last page.
Their homework was to read Section 4 & 5 of Chapter 5 and complete Sections 4 & 5 of their packet as a guided reading assignment.
On Friday they will have a practical test which will be to identify many plant examples from Chapter 5 that we have had "hands on" labs in class.
All books should be handed in on Friday and we will start our 3rd book (environmental) next week.

Students were handed back the 4 Section Reviews from last week. Each assignment was worth 25 points for a total quiz mark of 100. A graded class assignment involving 10 questions answered completely was averaged with their homework for a test mark on Chapter 4. Any student that realized they were outstanding in homework assignments or the class assignment has until Tues. to make up the missing assignments for partial credit.
We have started Chapt. 5- Seed Plants with an assignment to read Sect. 1, pages 140-149. An oak tree with its roots, trunk/stem, leaves, and seeds(acorns) was modeled to them on the board to illustrate the 10 key terms of Sect. 1. They also could use the corn plant on page 178 as an example with a little more detail included.
Tues. will be an MCAS day with the classes that meet with me working independently on their biography rough drafts or moving ahead with Section 2 (pages 150-155).
Wed. will be a formal Section 2 presentation and once again due to MCAS on Thurs. there will be no assigned homework.
Thurs. will be an MCAS day with a reading assignment of Sect. 3 (pages 156-161) and the key terms for that Section found on page 171.
They have to hand in their rough drafts of their science book reports on Friday, May14th.
Some students will have 4 white lined pages with notes while others may actually have turned those notes into organized paragraphs. I would like to be able to take the students to the computer lab next week and have them working from their own notes / rough draft to a finished product. They have been asked to bring either their science book choice or another reading book to occupy themselves when finished working on MCAS.

Sorry about the delay but I've had a real rush on my computer by students needing to type poems for their Anthology Project! On another literary topic students are going to the library today to pick a biography to read about a scientist or someone who has contributed to society such as Bill Gates, Jacques Cousteau or an activist for the environment. Most students will use our library but some want to visit the town library. I would like to see everyone with a book by Friday. A rubric was handed out today.
They're very easy books to read for the most part. The Honors Class will have slim pickings since I meet with them at the end of the day, however they might enjoy something more challenging in the town library.
A rough draft will be due Friday, May14. This will involve setting up their report in the same format as requested on their handout.
The final draft will be due Tues., June 1st.
In addition each student will be asked to share some information about the life of their scientist with the rest of the class. This activity will be very informal without any reading from reports.

We've been working on Kingdom Fungi(Pages 95-104) .
They will have a "Quest"(multiple choice, fill in the blank, and a few true and false) on Friday.
It will be counted as a test mark, but shorter and and only covering Sect. 3 , Chapter 3.

Now that marks are in, the long overdue Chapter 2 tests are getting graded- my apologies. We had an in-class project covering Sect. 1 that students were able to use books, boardwork, handouts, and notes which will be a pass/fail. There was ample time to complete it and some worked in a socially collective fashion although the sub told them to work independently. Those that did not finish or make the effort to finish by the end of the week will be given an Inc/Fail as they have had ample to finish.
Section 2 reading and key terms was assigned along with the questions from Section 1 were assigned as homework for Tuesday, May . I will be talking about eutrophication (page 92) which will then be tied into a writing assignment based on the Science and Society assignment-p. 94. (Thursday's homework assignment is to reread and talk with parents.) They will be asked to comment on how this could apply to Hiawatha, Silver Lake or Box Pond. on Friday in class.
There will be no homework over the vacation but to celebrate the arrival of good weather!
Enjoy!

Science tests taken Tues. will not be handed back until Mon. which will be entered on the 4th quarter term.
We have completed Section 1 of Chapter 3. Students should have read pages 80-89 and have completed the key terms for that section.
We've been running a bacteria lab with the assistance of Jake Bouchard's sister Sara and are eagerly waiting on the results of our swabbing and plating

Test Tuesday- 4/6/10
Chapter 2 (Pages 48-74)
3 Worksheets Completed
3 Section Reviews Completed
Page 76, 1-10- Answered in Complete Sentences Unless They're True

Great week for observing worms!
This week has been broken up by MCAS and a play; as a result we have put off our test on Chapt.2 until Tues. April 6. Using Monday as a review, all students should have completed 3 review pages as well as the Secti0n Reviews on page 54, 64, and 73.

Tests on Chapt. 1 have been passed back as well as Balto found poems and lab reports.
We have started Chapter 2 and are dealing with viruses. Students have been assigned Sect. 1, pages 48-54 to read. They must have their cartoons which depending on the MCAS schedule, some have been assigned but all will have it formally presented on Wednesday. They also must have their questions completed in their notebooks from page 54 as well as the key terms from Section 1 found on page 75. Because of the MCAS testing and early release, these assignments have been worked on in class with a due date of Friday or Mon. if we don't meet on Fri.
Folks who are still outstanding on Balto need to come after school on Thurs.
Any extra shopping bags will be appreciated as their are many uncovered books. This, too, will become an after school activity.

Pop quiz on homework was handed back today. If students had done their assigned reading and filled in their chart, then the quiz was simply transferring the same data from notes to paper.
Chapter 1 has been covered and a Test is scheduled for Thurs. Between Pi Day being celebrated Tuesday, the 16th, with related activities and our MCAS Pep Rally on Friday, Thursday was the next available date that we could schedule with all classes meeting the proceeding day.
Today we had some review work in class that if not finished, needed to be included in the homework assignment-Page 44, 1-10.
There will be more review work and all papers should be completed before Thursday.
The final Balto Found Poem as well as the lab report will be due on Fri.

We have a variety of ongoing projects.
In class we have been working on our Found Poems. However, if students have not passed in their rough drafts from their Balto article, then they need to to finish it for homework and pass it in tomorrow(Thursday). We have covered Sections 1 & 2 in class with one homework assignment of finishing the Section 1 Review on P23, (1-4). Section 2 is so short that we have read and discussed it in class. We will start Section 3 Thurs. with a homework assignment of reading and looking up the key terms. This section deals with classification, binomial nomenclature and taxonomy and we'll have a quiz on Fri. with students employing a mnemonic to remember the seven levels of classification.
We also have started radish seeds in a controlled experiment that students are collecting data for their lab reports.
Pi Day is an annual event that will be celebrated Wed., March 17. Students are encouraged to bring in some "Pi" related snacks, pies, cookies to share, remembering we have student allergic to peanuts.

Welcome Back!
Tests were passed back from Chapt 5.

We've been watching a rather long movie entitled Darwin's Darkest Hour. The vocabulary is excellent as is some of the scenery depicting his travels, however the majority of the action is in England. I think after today we will put it on hold and save it for an after school activity for those who would like to see the the remainder.
New books are being passed out and we will cover Sect 1, Chapter 1 by the end of the week. By Friday students will be responsible for the key terms as they apply to characterizing what makes something living and what are its basic needs.(See page 43, Key ideas and Key Terms- Section 1).

In addition we will begin an interdisciplinary project involving English, Science, and Keyboarding. During their long period, each class will be given an article about Balto and the Iditarod. For Science they must first highlight or underline key phrases and then refine it to a paper and pen product. This seems to give them a sense of ownership. All words and phrases must be in the order that they appear in the article. My objective is to have them practice their note taking skills. Once I proof their rough drafts, they can create a finished product in keyboarding and pass in a hard copy to me which can then be saved for their poetry anthology for Mrs Udstuen. If they choose to do their typing at home, they must save it as they would in school. In keyboarding they will be following the Iditarod on line.

Thank you Payton for your comment. Yes we will postpone the test until Friday. FRIDAY 2/12 DAY BEFORE VACATION!!!! CAN'T WAIT!!!! ;) Be prepared to turn in your text book. Again, have a great vacation.

Final test on Chapter 5 scheduled for Thursday before vacation.
Books passed in Thurs. and Friday.
All material must be made up by Thurs. after school.

Homework:
Mon. Jan.8th
Read Section 3 (pgs. 159-163) Answer Sect3 Review, page 163,1-4 in complete sentences.
Include final 2 key terms in vocab. sect. found on page 165.
Tues. Feb. 9th
Page 166-1-10. Answer in complete sentences.
Wed. Organize Chapter 5 review material and key terms. Study for test Thurs.
Have a great vacation!

Tests on Chapter 4 were passed back Wed. along with graded homework from p. 136.
Students have been assigned Sections 1 & 2 of Chapter 5. In addition to the reading, they should have answered the section review questions(Sect. 1, p. 150, & Sect. 2, p. 158) as well as have added the key terms from page 165 (Sect. 1 & 2) to their vocabulary sections along with their definitions.

We're holding off on the Genetics Project until after marks close and allowing more time on Thurs. after school to finish up. This will be a quiz mark and will go on the 3rd quarter.
We also are finishing up Chapter 4 and will be having a test this Friday covering the 3 sections, pages 112-132.
They're homework assignment on Mon. was to read the last section(3) and define the key terms for Sect 2 & 3 on page 135 in their vocab sect. On Wed. we'll start reviewing and on Thurs night for homework. they will need to complete the Multiple Choice and True and False(1-10) found on page 136. These must be answered in complete sentences.
In addition to the above, they need to study for their test Friday.

For the remainder of the week we will be working in class on a Genetics Project. They can bring it home but they do have a class partner and will have time in class. I did caution them not to forget their case studies and rubric if they chose to bring them home because they will be penalized.

The Pedigree Chart Quiz was a bit more challenging than expected so I'm passing it back, not using the mark, but instead a teaching tool to combine co-dominant allele review as it applies to a genetic disease.
Their assignment for tonight is to read Sect. 2, Chapter 4.

Quiz illustrations on protein synthesis are being passed back. None are going home as they are being displayed in the hallway and room.
We started Chapter 4 (Modern Genetics) and the assignment for Mon. and Tues. was to read Section 1, pages 111-118.
On Wed., there will be a homework assignment to complete the questions from the section review found on page 118.
We will have a quiz on Friday on understanding a family pedigree chart.

Happy New Year!
Tests from Chapter 3 were passed back Wed.
We are chunking Section 4(pages 101-106) of Chapter 3 which deals with protein synthesis and mutations.
Their homework has been to read this section, complete the questions on page 106, 1-5, and pass in a drawing depicting protein synthesis on Fri. I have been modeling different scenarios in class using parking garages, airports, wharves, habitats, etc, as nuclei from which messenger RNA leaves to meet up with tRNA at a ribosomal niche in the cytoplasm and create protein via amino acids. If they wish not to take the analogy challenge, they may neatly copy the picture from 104-105.
They need titles, labels, and descriptions. This will count as a quiz mark.