Lesson 1 - Monday, Jan 20
Today in science: Students were provided with their last in-class work session dedicated to writing their Practice Essays, Parts 1 and 2. During this time, students had the opportunity to meet with the teacher to get help on either essay (or both!).
Regarding Part 2, students were given the following guidance/tips/suggestions in today’s lesson, which has also been entered into Veracross…
1. Unlike Part 1, there are no word number requirements for this essay.
2. In this essay, you have been asked to explain how DNA is related to AMINO ACIDS and then how AMINO ACIDS are related to EYE COLOR (the way to connect AMINO ACIDS to EYE COLOR is by learning a tiny bit about special “melanin” molecules, which are large, protein-like molecules created by the RIBOSOMES).
3. Be sure you make use of TWO important models that are available to you.
A) The first CLASS CONSENSUS model can be found at this LINK.
B) The second STUDENT model is one you created either yourself or with a small team of classmates in class using words such as DNA, RNA, RIBOSOMES, AMINO ACIDS, and PROTEINS.
4. If you need to watch the DNA video we watched in class to help you better understand DNA, RNA, AMINO ACIDS, and PROTEINS, then you can watch it again with this LINK.
Homework: Dr. M has set a WEDNESDAY, 22 JANUARY deadline for both essays. In other words, both essays must be submitted (turned in) to the Google Classroom prior to the end of the school day on Wednesday, but students will not be given time to work on their essays in class on either Tuesday or Wednesday.
Lesson 2 - Tue, Jan 21 (B, C) & Wed, Jan 22 (H)
Today in science: For the start of our new unit (Unit 7.4), we made a new entry in our Science Notebooks called “INV #5 – Food Log.” This involved recording a detailed list of the foods and drinks we’ve consumed during the last four main meals (plus any snacks). We then classified our foods and drinks according to the following categories: Plant-Based, Animal-Based, and Unknown/Other. We had some difficulty, though, classifying consumable items such as salt, mushrooms, and water.
C & H period students also wrote down their current answers to an important start-of-unit question, “What is food?” Dr. M promised to save students answers so that they can look back on these first-day answers at the conclusion of our new unit.
Homework: Dr. M has set a WEDNESDAY, 22 JANUARY deadline for Parts 1 & 2 of the Practice Essays. In other words, both essays must be submitted (turned in) to the Google Classroom prior to the end of the school day on Wednesday, but students will not be given time to work on their essays in class on Wednesday.
Lesson 3 - Wed, Jan 22 (B, C) & Thu, Jan 23 (H)
Today in science: B & C periods did some useful research concerning a number of the ingredients listed on the ingredients list for the Cap’N Crunch™ cereal. During this research, they not only found out that many of the coloring agents used to make Cap’N Crunch™ cereal are petroleum (and/or coal tar) based, but others such as the artificial flavors and the B vitamins are either laboratory- or biofactory-based. We also decided that the salt used in the cereal is probably rock-based, which we can also call “mineral-based.”
H period was able to see the final, summarized version of the useful ingredient research done by B & C periods. After considering this research (remember, Andreas N. was the one who started this whole project with his curiosity about the ingredients found in the Cap’N Crunch™ cereal!) H period students were asked to create a list of all of the animals they recall eating during their lifetime. Dr. M recorded this list in the Digital Science Notebook. H period was the first class to finish compiling their list of the names of the types of animals they can recall eating.
Homework: Only students who have not yet submitted (turned in) Parts 1 & 2 of their Practice Essays (see Lessons 1 & 2 above) have science homework tonight.
Lesson 4 - Thu, Jan 23 (B) & Fri, Jan 24 (C, H)
Today in science: B period was asked to finish compiling their list of the names of the types of animals they can recall eating, and then to classify these animals according to the scientific animal groups to which belong, e.g., mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, etc. When finished, Dr. M asked students to pick a single animal from the list and begin researching (using internet sites such as Wikipedia) what that particular animal eats. For each food, students need to then find out what that animal eats. They need to follow this processes until they come upon an organism–or object/entity–for which they cannot identify its preferred food. To represent their research findings, students have been asked to use a mind map format with boxes and arrows (including animal photos is also acceptable). Finally, we also discussed make the direction of the arrows connecting the organisms in a particular way.
C period had the chance to review the results of B & H period’s deeper dive into the multiple origins of the ingredients of the Cap’N Crunch™ cereal. In particular, they examined the middle column of our classification table, which shows the ingredient origins of the cereal’s non-plant and non-animal ingredients.
H period was first asked to classify the animals they listed during Lesson 3 according to the scientific animal groups to which belong, e.g., mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, etc. When finished, Dr. M asked students to pick a single animal from the list and begin researching (using internet sites such as Wikipedia) what that particular animal eats. For each food, students need to then find out what that animal eats. They need to follow this processes until they come upon an organism–or object/entity–for which they cannot identify its preferred food. To represent their research findings, students have been asked to use a mind map format with boxes and arrows (including animal photos is also acceptable). Finally, we also discussed make the direction of the arrows connecting the organisms in a particular way.
Homework: Only students who have not yet submitted (turned in) Parts 1 & 2 of their Practice Essays (see Lessons 1 & 2 above) have science homework this weekend. Dr. M sent Veracross notifications at the end of the school day on Friday to those students who had yet to turn both of these assignments in.
Announcements...
The DRIVING QUESTION of our current unit is: Where does food come from?
C & H period homework collection days: Wednesday & Friday.
B period homework collection days: Tuesday & Thursday.
This is last week of the Fall Semester! Spring Semester begins on Monday, Jan 27.