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Study these things for Test on Friday!

Hey 7th graders! Your test on invertebrate phyla will be Friday. The day after tomorrow.

Please study your workbook, your phylum chart, dissection handouts, and the powerpoint presentation from class.

This is the link to the powerpoint presentation:
Invertebrate Phylum Presentation

Lessons and Homework April 8-12, 2013

Whoa! The school year is just about over and I am already packing up my house getting ready to move to Georgia. Jamie took my Fit to GA last week, the end of the year is finally feeling real. I just hope that we can make our last month together as productive, educational, and fun as possible! Remember to stay up on your assignments and to stay focused in class!

What are we up to this week?

Monday: Today we finished reading and discussing chapter 11, section 2. We discussed recessive disorders, sex determination, sex linked traits such as color-blindedness and hemophelia, and pedigrees. Homework is the section assessment on page 314, questions 1-7. There was also an extra credit assignment to look up problems associated with pure bred dogs. A hint is to think about recessive orders and what we discussed about breeding with siblings and first cousins. The more related you are to someone, the more likely they carry the same recessive alleles that could cause disease.

Tuesday: Today we will finish chapter 11! We will read section 3 and discuss advances in genetics and how they will affect humans in the future. There are a lot of implications that genetics will bring in the health and medecine fields as well as conservation and reproductive health. Homework is to finish the section 3 assessment, questions 1-7 (#7 can be handwritten) on page 317. In addition, please research a genetic disease and prepare to share what you have learned on Thursday!

Wednesday: I will not see you today :( But, enjoy your field trip!

Thursday: Today each of you will present what you have learned about the specific genetic disorder you have researched. I can;t wait to see what you have found out! Afterwards, we will play family feud with new teams! Exciting! Please study like crazy tonight! I would love for you to FINALLY win the
Shark Test Tube Award!!!

Friday: Test Day! Time to celebrate knowledge! I can hardly wait :)

Enjoy your weekend! No science HW!

Genetics Review!

These videos on genetics from the Khan Academy are a great review of what we have been covering in class! Check them out!

Introduction to Heredity: Heredity and Classical Genetics. Dominant and recessive traits. Heterozygous and homozygous genotypes.


  Sex-Linked Traits: Chromosomal basis for gender. Sex-linked traits.


Genetics 101 Part 2: What are SNPs?: Learn about the variations in human DNA called SNPs, and how they can be used to understand relationships between people.

Spring Break and Next Week

Hey kiddos! I am on my layover in Dallas en route to the British Virgin Islands. I am absolutely ready to spend a week and a half at the beach, but I am a little sad to be missing regionals and 3 days of school. For my regionals kids: HAVE FUN! Bilal, enjoy your vacation.

When I am out of school, please behave for your substitute and work hard!

Monday: read and take notes on chapter 10 section 2. Write down all vocabulary words and definitions and answer reading checks in full sentences. The section assessment is Mondays homework.

Tuesday: Read and take notes on chapter 10 section 3. Again, write down vocabulary and reding checks. Section assessment in homework.

Wednesday: Answer all question in the chapter review in the textbook. It will be collected on Thursday.

We will do several activities and labs with this chapter when I return. We will also make sure that I answer any questions you have from reading on your own.

Some pic from last week :)

March 4-8 Lessons and Homework

Last week before spring break and the regional science fair! I can't wait to be on the beach, but I also can't wait to hear all about regionals!!

Monday: Today was the review game, and it was a lively one! Layla and Caleb won the game and get an extra point on their test! Good work!

Tuesday: AHhhh Test day! I can't wait to grade them! 

Wednesday: Today, we are going to participate in an experiment, a big idea in education! 

Sugata Mitra is an educational researcher that promotes SOLEs Self Organized Learning Environments. He has asked educators around the world to try this technique in their classrooms and submit data to him. The students will work together to learn about a topic on their own and report on what they learned and what the experience of leading themselves was like. Audio, pictures, and video will be posted. Homework is to have your tests signed and to write out corrects for the questions you get wrong. 

Thursday: We will start chapter 10 Regulation and Reproduction with a launch lab and a free write. Homework will be a vocabulary foldable for all of chapter 10.

Friday: We will read chapter 10 section 1. Homework is the section assessment.

Have a great break and have fun at regionals!!

Feb 25-March 1st

Things are getting complicated in science class. Our current chapter is all about mitosis, meiosis, and DNA. There are a lot of new words to learn and mitosis, meiosis I, and meiosis II can be confusing, but I know you guys are fully capable of understanding these important topics!

Monday: Today we finished reading chapter 8 section 2 on Meiosis and Sexual Reproduction. We reviewed mitosis and meiosis and compared these two processes. Remember, mitosis creates two cells that are clones with 46 chromosomes each. Meiosis creates 4 cells that are not clones and each has 23 chromosomes. Homework was to finish the section assessment.

Tuesday: Today we read chapter 8 section 3, DNA. We learned about the differences between RNA and DNA: different sugars, 1 stranded and 2 stranded, different nitrogen bases. We also learned about the 3 types of RNA, mRNA, tRNA, and rRNA and what each of their jobs are. Homework is a review handout.

Wednesday: Today we will finish reading chapter 8 section 3. We will discuss protein synthesis in more detail and learn about the codons that code for the amino acids building blocks of proteins. Homework will be the section assessment and a short handout.

Thursday: Today we will build a model of DNA by folding paper. By making this model of DNA we will gain a deeper understanding of the structure of DNA. Homework will be a review handout.

Friday: Today we are playing Codon Bingo. I will read a 3 base codon, and you will put a bingo marker on the space on your board that has the amino acid represented by the codon. Winners get extra points on the chapter test! Homework is a review handout and to study.

* Review game will be Monday and chapter test will be Tuesday *

Here are some pictures from the last two weeks:

Here we are studying respiration and photosynthesis by placing the water plant Elodea in test tubes with carbonated water and bromothymol blue. Bromothymol blue is yellow green in the presence of an acid. The tubes started out greenish yellow, but the vials that had the green plant and access to sunlight turned clear after a week. Vials that had the green plant but no sunlight turned a darker green because the plant was undergoing respiration, but not photosynthesis. 

To get a better understanding of the organs of excretion, we dissected kidneys from sheep. Students identified the renal veins and arteries, the medulla and cortex of the kidney, and where urine is drained from the kidney. 

Lessons and HW Feb. 4-8

Reminders: The abstract for your science fair project must be emailed to me by Monday Feb 4th. If I do not forward them to the UNM STEM department, you will not be able to attend regionals. You also need to provide your date of birth in the email with the abstract. Remember to include any changes you have or will be making to your project in the abstract. This abstract must match the final project, or you could be disqualified. In addition, you need to give me a check for $18 made out to Central NM SERC and hand it the media consent forms I gave you on Friday. I will be bringing checks and the media forms to the paper-work drop off at UNM on Wednesday February 6th.

In addition, do NOT forget about your research papers. They are a separate grade from the science project and must be completed. Complete rough drafts are due on Monday Feb. 4. If rough drafts are late, you will lose points. Everybody must write their own paper.

There is a Quest this Friday. STUDY!

This week we will continue to study respiration and excretion in humans and we will finally do what we have all been waiting for... Dissections!! 

Monday: Today we will read section two and take notes and answer questions as we go. This section is on excretion and we will begin to understand how our bodies deal with the waste products of cellular respiration. Homework will be to complete the section 2 assessment and to complete the handout assigned and handed out in class. 

Tuesday: Today we will be in the lab space completing a lab on respiration and photosynthesis and observing the buildup of waste product in respiration when a green water plant is kept in the dark. Yes, we will be using the Elodea sp. sprigs that gave been happily living on the lab bench floating in fresh water. Homework will be to complete any remaining lab questions as well as the review hand-out that will help you prepare for Friday's test. 

Wednesday: In class today we will again travel to the lab Space and we will be dissecting and examining sheep kidneys to learn more about the structure of human kidneys and how excretion is accomplished in mammals. Bring a strong stomach and don't wear your favorite clothes! Homework will be to complete lab questions and to finish a review handout for Fridays test. I suggest that you study for at least an hour this evening to prepare for Thursday's review game. The more you know, the more we can review and the more useful the review will be to you. 

Thursday: Review game. I really hope you studied! Tonight, homework will be to STUDY and complete a review handout that will help you study. Please study for 1 hour tonight. I really want to see improved grades on Friday's test. 

Friday: Test day! Weekend homework is to revise your research papers. They count for a large portion of your grade so work hard on them!

Field Trip to National Museum of Nuclear Science and History

Whoa! It has been a crazy week! It feels like our field trip on Tuesday was weeks ago rather than days ago. Now that the science fair has happened, and you all performed wonderfully, I have time to reflect on our lovely trip. I would like to again thank Layla's mom and Mahnoor's uncle for helping us drive so that the field trip could happen!

I have to say that I even enjoyed driving back and forth to the museum. The 5th and 6th grade boys rode in my car and it was amusing to hear you guys discussing your video games with so much enthusiasm . When we got to the museum we found seats in a big spacious classroom that had experiments set up on tables around the outside of the room. Of course, all the girls sat at one table and al the boys sat at another (I sat at the girls table).  Our educator was very enthusiastic and had been a teacher for a very long time before she started working at the museum. She introduced us to the concept of nanotechnology by giving us a quiz about what types of nanotechnology had already been developed. Its amazing how much nanotechnology is already being used! Next, we worked on getting a handle on how small a nano really is by measuring our hands in nanometers and then trying to cut a piece of paper as thin as a nanometer (imposible!).

Next we learned that a lot of nonotechnology is constructed out of carbon molecules, in which the carbon atoms come together in hexagons that for little spheres that look like a soccer ball. To help us understand this shape, we folded up a buckey ball. Buckey was the name of the scientist that discovered the structure of this special carbon molecule.

After building these models of carbon molecules, we learned that it is very, very hard to see nano particles. In order to see them, an electron scanning microscope is needed. Instead of looking at nano particles, scientists "feel" them by using special instruments. We modeled this idea by pulling a "nano probe" over a magnet and feeling the bumps. The little bumps represented nano particles and showed us how scientist's feel nano particles.

When the carbon buckey balls are put together to make a tube, they are incredibly strong. To model this concept, we did an experiement with stacking pennies on post-its between two small paper cups. First, the post-its were laid flat and students stacked as many pennies as they could on the paper. Then, the two post-its were rolled up into two small tubes and pennies were stacked on the two tubes. If you could get the balance right, the two tubes were much stronger than the flat pieces of paper.

Then we learned about the importance of surface area by place an alka seltzer tab in water with food coloring and a crushed alka seltzer tab in water with food coloring. The crushed tablet fizzed fatser and for less time because more of the tablet was exposed to the water at once. This is important in so many biological and chemical applications. Surface area is why cells are small!

We also learned about nano technology is sunscreen. Nano particles allow sunscreen to be clear instead of white like the lifeguards in movies with white noses. Inorder to see the effects of sunscreen with nano particles, the girls made bracelets out of UV beans and coated some of the UV beads with sunscreen before heading outside. The beads without sunscreen turned pink, blue, and purple, while the beads with sunscreen stayed white.

Meanwhile, the boys got a handle on how hard it is to pick up nano particles, move them around, and put them together. Two teams were made and one team member would choose lego blocks to hand the builder. The builder wore large oven mitts and had to construct a house of a certain shape and size. It was a lot harder than they thought it would be, but eventually there was success. This showed that it is difficult to work with small materials when you are big, but that it is possible.

After this competition, we moved out into the museum and had our guided tour. We first learned about all the positive uses of radioactivity in medecine. I now know why radiation kills cancer cells, but not regular cells; it targets fast growing cells. This is why it also affects hair follicles and the digestive tract! We observed uses of radiation in everyday life throughout the last century, before people learned that radiation could be harmful to your health. Then we learned about the creation of the atomic bomb, how radioactive material is mined and purified. We learned about the bombs dropped in world war 2 and about the sentiments behind the cold war. We saw fall-out shelters and examples of reading material people had during that time. Next we saw how much nuclear bombs have changed over the years and looked at examples of modern nuclear warheads.

The tour ended outside with all the bombers and missiles that have been retired from use. It was a beautiful day and everybody enjoyed the fresh air. We ran around the yard and looked inside all the airplanes. Next, we headed back inside and played in the Einstein lab. Some of use tried to build up enough air pressure to shoot a ball all the way to the ceiling to ride a stationary bicycle fast enough to power a television. 

We ended our trip by trying to build a nanotube out of carbon molecule building blocks. The teacher told us that non of the visiting classes ever finished the tube, but our tour guide told us that he had finished it. It ended up being a lot harder than it looked. We didn't finish the tube, but we did get it to reach almost over our heads when we communicated and cooperated. Next time we will get it all the way to seven feet tall!

Thank you again for such a wonderful day of learning and playing! I can not wait for our next trip together! :)

Assignments and Announcements Jan 14-18

I am still not used to it being 2013! I feel like I need to write it everywhere in order to get it in my head, so this is was is going on for the week of January 14th, 2013!

Here is a link to the week's (and last week's) packet, in case it is left at school: Chapter 4 Packet

Reminders:
1. There is a test this Friday.
2. Science fair projects (boards and research papers) are due next Wednesday. The fair is next Friday (1/25/2013)

Announcements:
Our first field trip is next Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013. We will be going to the Nuclear Museum to participate in a special program on nano technology and then will enjoy a guided tour of the museum. We will be back at school in time for lunch. The cost of the trip is $7 for students and free for chaperones. We need two parent volunteers to help drive and chaperone. Please email me is you are interested!

Monday: 
Today in class we started two experiments. We placed pineapple chunks on prepared gelatin in plastic containers and allowed the pineapple to sit overnight. We will observe the gelatin tomorrow to see what effect the pineapple had. We also measured the masses of two de-shelled eggs (I removed the shells by dissolving them in vinegar over the weekend; it was the first time I dissolved egg shells and it was really fun and cool: see picture). We then placed the de-shelled eggs in distilled water. We will measure the mass of the eggs again on Wednesday to see if water diffused into the eggs (osmosis). We will then submerge the eggs in corn syrup and measure the mass again on Friday to see if water diffused out of the eggs (osmosis, again!). There is a handout for homework today. 

Tuesday:

We will start class by observing our two experiments set up yesterday. 

Today we will read the last section (sect. 3) of our chapter on cellular processes. Homework will be to complete the section 3 assessment and there will be a short handout to help review for Friday's test. 

Wednesday: 

We will take the masses of our eggs and transfer the eggs into corn syrup solution.

We will also do a short activity observing diffusion in cold and hot water. 

Finally, we will work on the the chapter review section at the end of the chapter and fill the answers in in the space provided in the packet. Homework will be to finish the questions we did not do in class and a handout.

Thursday: 

We will review material for the test. Come prepared with questions you might need to ask after having worked on the chapter review assignment in the text. Homework will be to STUDY! Use your vocabulary foldable, the packet, the summary at the end of the text chapter. I will also hand out a chapter review worksheet. Use it to study, it is also homework. 

Friday:

Test Day!!!

Packets and permission slips are due.

Weekend homework is to work really, really hard on your science fair project! Make it something you will be proud of! Do good work!

Hey Girls!

On January 26th, there is a free science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) event at UNM for girls grades 5-9. Students from Salam academy have attended in previous years and have reported that it is a fun and educational event with free goodies and really interesting projects, activities, and scientists to meet! I will be attending the teacher workshop, so I will see you there!

Here is the link to the official website and online registration:
Expanding Your Horizons Albuquerque Conference

Check out this video that shows you some of the amazing activities you may participate in! There may be veterinarians, marine biologists, doctors, forensic scientists, or astronauts available to teach you and show you what they do in their career!


In addition, girls who attend will receive one free homework assignment!!!!