Biology 2011.2012

Hi All,
School starts in a few days and this blog is showing an increase of viewers.  I plan to use the Genesis program for posting homework assignments this year, NOT THIS BLOG.

We are currently being told by the district that parents, students and teachers will have paper work sent to them during the first two weeks of school for logging into and using the Genesis program.   If the district is not able to make the program available to us by September I will create a new Biology home work blog and have it linked to the school webpage. 

You will have homework assignments given in class by the second week of school in any case.  For the first week come prepared to learn with a writing utensil. 

I'm very excited to start our second year together.  See you SOON.
Ryan

Final Post

Thank you all for a fantastic school year.  I look forward to our second year together in Biology.   I hope this blog has been useful; it was viewed 10,020 times over the 9 months of use. 

Next year we should be using an integrated online attendance and grading program that will replace teacher blogs.  I may post some basci info on this blog page in August before school starts. 

When you are surfing the net or tv channels look to expand your biology knowledge.  Important topics next year will include:  the origin of life, DNA/genetics, evolution, biotechnolgy and cells. 

If you are bored, come join the community service work in the OHS garden.  Workdays are scheduled for Saturday June 11th & 18th, July 16th & 23rd and every Thursday from June 9th - August 4th; 9AM -3PM.  For more information go to http://www.oceanagarden.org/

Energy Resource Project: research

Use your textbook (& Internet) to finish research your group's E resource.  Use the text to research any other E resources (found in the book) that are being presented by other groups.  If the other group's E resource is not in the book you will do research on those groups next week.  Take some notes on each other group's E resource from the text into your notebook; I'll check these next class.

Come to class next period with copies of any research notes and images; each group will only have one library printer pass the entire project.

Have a group WCP of 4 internet sources and the text book completed by the end of poster production next class.  Required for poster to be graded:  use the golden page format, alphabetize the sources, one color font with no URL underline and hanging indents.

Rock Record and Geologic Time Quiz

Next class!

Study all homework readings, assignments and notes on rock dating, fossils and geologic time. 

last reading was p 577-588

Amnesty Day and quiz

Amnesty day is 5/12 for one second semester assignment.  I provided requirements and advice in class.

Quiz on rock record and geologic time at the end of next week (most likely) or start of the following week. STUDY!

Absolute Age dating

read p 562-569 and do the radioactive decay mini lab passed out during class.

Due 5/6 Even and 5/9 Odd

Rock Record: Relative age dating

1. Read p 553-561,
2. finish the problem solving lab questions,
3. do the relative age dating handout
4. and if you did not have time during the test record five material things that represent teen culture into your notebook.

Due on 5/4 Even and 5/5 for Odd

Rock lab due date and Rock quiz next class

even Due 5/2 odd Due 5/3

Sedimentary & Metamorphic Rock Identification Lab KEY

	Color	Grain	Texture	Other Observations	Rock Name
I	Dark	Coarse	Weakly foliated	Cleavage shows parallel plate like mineral crystals	Amphibolite
Ii	Black	Super fine	Non-foliated	Shiny conchoidal fractures	Anthracitic coal
Iii	Varies	Coarse >2mm pebbles	Fragments in sandstone	Angular fragments	Breccia
Iv	Black-brown	Non porous	Sooty	Commonly spotted with yellow sulfur compounds	Bituminous coal
V	White-grey	Too small to be seen	Powdery	Shell fragments	Chalk
Vi	Varies	Too small to be seen	Glassy conchoidal cleavage	Quartz, SiO2 from the shells of marine single celled organisms	Chert
Vii	Varies	Coarse >2mm pebbles	Abraded-rounded pebbles in sandstone	Looks like broken concrete	Conglomerate
Viii	Varies	Very porous	Shell fragments	Slightly cemented in calcite	Coquina
Ix	Varies	Fine –very fine	Gritty-sandpapper	Sugary appearance	Dolostone
X	Varies	Fine	Rough with fossil fragments	Fossils cemented and appear floating n limestone	Fossiliferous limestone
Xi	Varies	Coarse	Foliated	Bands of feldspar, quartz and olivine	Gneiss
Xii	Varies	Too small to see	Glassy conchoidal cleavage	Transparent and slick	Gypsum
Xiii	Dark	Very fine	Non-foliated	Looks like basalt	Hornfels
Xiv	Varies	Fine to coarse	Non-foliated	Sugary sparkles	Marble
Xv	Brown	Very porous	Fibrous	Plant material	Peat
Xvi	Varies	Fine	Foliated	Layers with mica impart sheen/luster	Phyllite
Xvii	Varies	Medium to coarse	Rough like sandpaper	Quartz grains	Quartz Sandstone
Xviii	Varies	Coarse	Foliated	Poor cleavage leaves crinkly appearance	Schist
Xix	Varies	Very fine	Slightly gritty	Slick when wet, breaks into sheets	Shale
Xx	Varies	Very fine	Foliated	Common to have cleavage through  cross bedding, slight sheen; looks like mud	Slate

Rocks 2

Read 121-139 (important for rock lab) and complete the rock lab RD started in class.

Rocks 1

Read p 84-91 & 99-113; these will be important background for the upcoming 100 point Rock lab that counts as the District Sample Test.

Finish the Igneous Mini lab hw component if your group did not finish in class: 
Procedure: 

1. Using the igneous rock samples provided, carefully observe the following characteristics of each rock:
1. Color(s)
2. Grain size and crystal type if observable
3. Texture
2. Design a rough data table in your notebook to record your observations/data.
1. On paper to turn in each of you will need to make a ruled data table with observations
2. Answer the five analysis questions as homework

Analysis:

1. Classify your rock samples as extrusive or intrusive.  You may answer these in an additional column on your data table.
2. What physical characteristics do the extrusive rocks have?  How do they differ?
3. “                                                   “ intrusive rocks ”                                       “
4. Classify your rock samples as felsic, intermediate, mafic or ultramafic.   You may answer these in an additional column on your data table.
5. What are the names of the samples you examined? See pages 107,108 & 920 in your textbook at home.

Due:

Even on 4/26  Odd on 4/27

final progress report

I have passed out the final grade sheet to all classes as of 4/15 & 4/18.  Students should review the grade sheet with a parent/guardian, have them sign the report and return it for 10 pts (proj/test) by 4/26.  The school's progress reports should be in the mail this week or next.

Assignment Notes for Grad. Portfolio

Choose an Earth Science assignment in which you feel you grew or need to grow in, you have scored evidence related to the assignment and complete ALL of the following.  This is due for all classes by 12:40 PM on Friday 4/15/11

Portfolio

Assignment Notes Cover

Student Name:

Title of Assignment:

Course:

Date of Assignment:

Outcomes:  (Check off the ones that apply)

	1.1 Communicator: Writing		3.1 Creative Thinker
	1.2 Communicator: Reading		3.2 Critical & Reflective Thinker
	1.3 Communicator: Oral Language		4 Cooperative Worker
	2 Problem Solver & Self Directed Learner		5 Respectful and Responsible Citizen

Teacher Signature                                                                            

Describe the assignment:

What did you learn from the assignment that was meaningful to you?

Read and Study

p 347-351

My advice is to review: identified test questions from the notes, homework, dimensional anlysis and your natural disaster research worksheets.

The test is on Monday or Tuesday and notebook approval ended 4/12/11 at 4:30PM.

Climate lab final draft

Due first day back from break for all classes

In class you should have divided up the Final Draft task as instructed on the handout.

Objective

      In this lab activity your table group will create an experimental model of the earth/atmosphere/ocean in a glass jar and test a single factor that affects climate.  Your group will conduct the experiment, collect data and analyze the data to draw conclusions. 

      Everyone should have a rough draft in their notebooks.  A final draft should be completed in class with all group members contributing mentally to all parts; physically divide up the work as follows: one student will make the final procedures/diagram, one student will make the ruled data table with all observations, one student will make the graph/analysis questions and one will write the conclusion.  Each part should be on a separate page to turn in and each page should be titled according to the rubric.

Question:

      Your group will be randomly  given one of the following questions (you may make your own with teacher approval) about climatic factors.   

1.      Will air heat up faster over icy plains or newly plowed fields?

2.      Which will heat up faster, air over the ocean or air over the land?

3.      Does the presence of plants affect the rate which the air above the plants warms?

4.      How does the amount of moisture in the soil affect the rate of atmospheric warming?

5.      Does the temperature of the ocean affect the temperature of the air above it?  

6.      Does the color of the Earth’s surface (dark soil vs light soil) affect the rate of atmospheric warming?

7.      Does the presence of carbon dioxide, a green house gas, affect atmospheric temperatures?

8.      Does the presence of smoke (particulate matter) affect the rate of atmospheric warming?

Analysis: 

Make a bar graph that compares both variables include: a descriptive title, put the independent variable on the X axis & the dependent variable on the Y axis, label both axes, include units, space you graph to fill the graph paper.

Analysis Questions:

1.      Look at each possible question listed above, write a hypothesis for each and briefly mention the logic behind the choice

Conclusion: Restate your hypothesis.  Was your hypothesis supported/refuted? Answer with evidence use quantitative data to support your statements when describing your results.  Look at your observations. How might they contribute to error in your data collection? Briefly describe a next step.  Why might this type of investigation be important to society?