It is Monday night and both Joey and I are running fevers. Given the high likely-hood that I will not be in tomorrow, I am posting class assignments on the website. I hope to be there tomorrow but please post any questions or comments to the blogs if you have them. I will check from home periodically.

-Mr. K

————–

• Review the Exam Outline that is posted on the website. If you have any questions, post them to the blog.
• In the groups I assign, complete Topic Review Word Doc.
• In the same groups, post a short blurb (about 5 sentences) to the EXAM SUMMARIES post on my website. Your post should include a short summary of concepts, key terms, BFFs, and any applications for the information.
• Check GradeSpeed to make sure that all of your grades are in order.  Do not post grade issues to the blogs, email me at ckremer@sles-sa.org
• Write sample test questions and post them to the blog.

READ THE DIRECTIONS FROM THE SUB-PLAN Post.

Post your exam summaries here after completing the Topic Review Handout. If your group finishes early, post sample questions related to your topic.

DO NOT PRINT OUT REVIEWS FOR EACH CLASSMATE. THEY CAN LOOK AT YOUR SUMMARY ONLINE AND IT IS A WASTE OF PAPER.

Groups

CELL ORGANELLES – Lilly & Jake

BODY SYSTEMS (non nervous, repro, endo) – Reagan & Jessica

PERIPHERAL NS & PATH OF AN IMPULSE – Ann (sometime E) & Claudia

CENTRAL NS & PARTS OF BRAIN – Henry & Jacob

TYPES OF NEURONS – Matt & Natalie

PREBIRTH STAGES OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT – Emma & Susannah

POST BIRTH STAGES OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT – Regan & Caroline

MALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM & PUBERTY (M&F) – Maddie & Anjali

FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM & MENSTRUATION – Ana & Abby

MULTIPLE BIRTHS – Christopher & Steele

GLANDS OF THE ENDOCRINE – Charlie & David

BASICS OF HEREDITY/KEY TERMS – (someone double up please!)

STRUCTURE OF DNA – (someone double up please!)

MITOSIS & MEIOSIS – (someone double up please!)

EVOLUTION – Hope

Here is your exam outline.  We will be reviewing in class Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  If you have any questions over the weekend, post them here and I will do my best to answer them.  We will be reviewing cell structure and Punnett Squares on Tuesday.

end-of-year-exam-outline

-Mr. K

For the rest of the week, you will be studying Charles Darwin and The Theory of Natural Selection.

• Watch the video “Elements of Science – Biological Evolution” as a class.
• Post a reaction to two of the discussion questions to the comment section of the blog.  All posts should be unique and well though out.  Feel free to use your textbook and my links to answer the discussion questions. (All comments should be at least 4 sentences and should contains new ideas that no one else has posted).
• Complete the Charles Darwin Webquest turn in your data log sheet and quetions to Cinderella.

Discussion Questions

1. How do you think natural selection and evolution relate to disease spread (like swine flu)?
2. Does evolution ever occur so quickly that it can be easily observed in one species?
3. What are some of the struggles of using fossil records to support the theory of evolution?   Does this effect how you feel about the theory?
4. Geologists think that the earth is roughly 5.6 billion years old.  How do you think they arrived at this number?
5. Scientists believe that early life first formed in conditions similar to deep ocean hydrothermal vents.  Why would life be different there then in our ecosystem?

Helpful Links

• Take a Trip with Charles Darwin
• Understanding Evolution (Berkeley)
• The Complete Works of Charles Darwin

-Mr. K

I am off to D.C. with the 8th grade, but I am leaving you all sorts of science work to keep you busy while I am gone.  Here is your work for Monday and Tuesday.

1.  Finish your “Fetal Pig Forensic Dissection” Lab with your group. Turn it in (in Cinderella).

2. Complete the Pig Puzzle (Processes)” in pairs.  Turn it in (in Cinderella).

3. Answer the Fetal Pig Post-Lab Discussion Questions.  Turn it in (in Cinderella). You may use the any internet resources you can find. fetal-pig-post-lab

You will have Monday and Tuesday to complete the work so don’t worry about doing it as homework Monday night.

-Mr. K

Thanks for doing so well in the lab on Tuesday.  In honor of your dissections, try to answer these jokes in the comment section!

1.  What does the letter “K” have in common with a pig’s tail?

2.  How did the pig get over the fence? (Courtesy of Evan Tanner)

-Mr. K

Thank you for the pretty banner and the puppy.  I am feeling much better and very much like looking at the Get Well Soon message hanging in my room while getting a snuggle from my newest buddy.

-Joey

Now that you have studied Pig Anatomy and Physiology through the Virtual Pig Dissection, you need to revisit your earlier work.  I have attached the first version of your PowerPoint (pig-powerpoint).  Please meet back with your group and rewrite your page.  Be specific about the organs in the system and any other information that you have learned about how it works in pigs.  You ma add a second slide of information if you find that you dont have enough room.  Let’s make a great presentation!

-Mr. K

On Wednesday, we will take a short quiz over the bones in the human body.  Make sure you know how to spell them and know their correct locations.  A good diagram is on page 345 in the textbook. Notice that the carpals are by the wrist while the metacarpals are in the palm.  In the feet the tarsals are by the ankle while the metatarsals are the bridge of the foot.  KidsHealth.org has a little video you can watch to practice.

-Mr. K

We are now preparing for our fetal pig dissections.  In order to learn the most about ourselves and large mammals during the dissection, we need to orient ourselves.  I want each of you to review the links provided in this post.  Then, post a short comment on the similarities and differences between human and pig anatomy.  Some of the post are extremely technical, please rewrite the information in your own words. Note: you will read about every system but post about only one.

Your post should:

1. Tell us what the system does in 2 sentences.  
2. Provide major similarities and differences between the human and pig system. (orientation, organ size, organ function, structure)
3. Explain any other interesting facts you learned.

Links

• human pig comparisons
• The Pig Site
• TurboSquid Pig Diagrams
• Davidson University Pig Dissection Lab
• Virtual Pig Dissection
• Ultimate Fetal Pig Anatomy Review
• You may use Ebsco and Worldbook but NO GOOGLE SEARCHES!