Today we began the new unit "Animals: Structure and Function". If you were absent, you can read the first part of chapter 8. There are 2 worksheets for you to fill out on the respiratory systems of simple organisms right up to complex animals like humans.

Today, students completed the first half of an application performance task. This task is about Artificial Selection and its impact on biodiversity. They viewed a few videos on cattle breeding and read an article. There are questions to answer for each of the video and for the article. The assessment will continue tomorrow with Parts 2 and 3 from the package. If you were absent today, I'm attaching the assignment at the right under class notes. You may open it from home and view the videos and read the article "A Dying Breed". You can also start answering the questions in Part 1.

On Monday, we finished off the evolution unit. I did a homework check, the result being that only a handful of students had done their homework again. So, we moved on to the final note and topic of the unit: speciation.

On Tuesday, I gave students a review package that they could use to study for the unit test, which is on Friday this week. Students chose to either work on the review questions or prepare study notes.

Here are the links to the two videos shown in class on Thursday and Friday.
Thursday's video was on mechanisms of selection: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtIQvkQWTZY
Friday's video is a lecture by Richard Dawkins about the evolution of the eye through "cumulative selection": Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUOpaFVgKPw and Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb2fjftZrkE&feature=related

Here is a great tutorial on everything you would ever need to know about evolution!
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/evo_toc_01

On Monday, students got their genetics test back. The test was thoroughly taken up. It is suggested that if you had difficulty with any part of the test that you do some extra review now to learn it....don't leave it till January at exam time! You will have forgotten much of it by then and it will be harder to fix errors or gaps in your knowledge and thinking skills!

On Tuesday, students examined Darwin's theory of natural selection through a group brainstorming activity. We also watched more of the Darwin film from PBS.

As we begin the new evolution unit, I've posted new notes here on the blog. You will need these notes over the next week or so.
Today students presented their summaries of the evolution videos that they viewed. They then copied a note about the history of evolution and key players in it. We finished off the class by viewing a video about Darwin.

Today, I would like you to visit the following pbs website, and in your assigned group, view the assigned video and prepare a summary of what you have learned from the video. You will then present your summary to the class.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/educators/teachstuds/svideos.html

On Tuesday, students wrote the genetics #2 test.

Today students did some review activities to get ready for tomorrow's genetics test. Here are some hints:
Do the review questions from the end of chapter 5 and 6 as assigned last week.
Be sure that you know what most of the vocabulary from chapter 5 means (see the list at the beginning of the chapter review questions in your textbook).
Be able to compare the major characteristics of mitosis to those of meiosis.
Explain ways that meiosis leads to genetic variation in species that reproduce sexually.
Be able to solve sex-linked inheritance problems such as those involving hemophilia, colour blindness, eye colour in drosophilia and calico cats.
Understand the errors that can happen during meiosis (nondisjunction).
What is a karyotype? What information can we get from one?
Describe the structure of DNA. Understand complimentary base pairing. How are chromosomes, genes and proteins related?

Today students wrote their opinion essay on genetic technologies. Absent students from today will write it tomorrow. Students began working on review to get ready for next Tuesday's final genetics test. The test is on Chapter 5 material and DNA from Chapter 6. Here are some chapter review questions from your textbook that would be good review. Pages 181-183, #1, 3-7, 16, 22, 26-28, 31, 32. Also, Pages 205-206, #2, 8, 9, 11, 25. I can make answers to these available to students who attempt these questions.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, groups presented their research project on a genetic technology/process.

Here is the link to the Google survey I'd like you to do for the HP project. Please complete it as soon as possible. The password is our class code SBI3Ua.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dHVndTFwQ0VBb3V6RzVtZG9nZkxLWlE6MA

Here is the link to other survey. Please also complete it.

https://www.surveymk.com/s.aspx?sm=4iG3bgXP1aOrAaJhCiyhig_3d_3d

Today students made some final plans for their genetics presentation. The presentation order was also picked. We finished off the genetics unit by copying a very short note and having a discussion about how DNA codes for protein.
Groups 1 through 6 should be prepared to present tomorrow.

I got a bit lazy last week and forget to update the blog with what we did in class Wed through Friday. So here it is:
On Wednesday, students finished the Gizmo on the human karyotype. We began to discuss their findings from this. On Thursday, we finished going through the worksheet on the Gizmo. We then discussed DNA using the note that is attached here on the blog. Friday was the final work period for the genetics technology research project.