Syllabus Week 5 September 29-October 3

Monday September 29
IN CLASS
Explore new Agenda
Test Prep
Team building: Human Knot


Tuesday, September 30
IN CLASS
Local social scientist Dr. Miriam Azim
comes to do a social-science experiment on Social norms!
Very fun!

HW: Take home test!
Complete the test without help from friends and parents

Wednesday, October 1
IN CLASS
Take-home test due!
Introduction to Ecology!
Investigate Milkweed bug habitats!


Thursday, October 2
IN CLASS
“Sorting out Life” Investigation

Friday, October 3
IN CLASS
Video population Study--
Jane Goodall Movie: “Among the Wild Chimpanzees.”

HW-Weekend
10 minute observation in the "spot" that you have been observing.
Here are things to record-
Your Name,Time, Date, Temperature,
Weather, sounds, insects, birds, wildlife,
trees etc. What do you see around you?

Lab Report Format and Grading

Pts. Description

3 Title: Briefly states the topic of the lab. Includes Name and Date

5 Introduction: Give Background Knowledge of the subject, States question and hypothesis


5 Materials: Lists ALL materials needed for the lab


5 Methods: A narrative that describes all steps used in the lab to test the hypothesis. This section should not be a bulleted list, but a paragraph describing what was done to carry out the experiment. It should be so clear that someone else would be able to follow your directions to repeat the lab. (Like a recipe) First, next, then….


5 Results: A narrative that describes all the data collected in the lab. This section should not be a bullet list, but a paragraph describing what was found out in the experiment. It should EXPLAIN your data table.


5 Data Table: Clear and repeat what your table looked like in your lab.

5 Conclusions: Wraps up the paper, describes what all the data means and ultimately what was accomplished by the experiment. Did you accept or Reject your hypothesis?


5 Correct Formatting: 12 pt Font, Body Text double spaced, Correct Spelling, free of grammatical errors, complete sentences.


38= Total Points

Syllabus Week 4 September 22-26

Scientific Method

Monday September 22
In Class-
Hand in HW from the weekend into the box
Journal Prompt: How does the yeast experiment relate to the scientific method?
Computer Lab: Work on Lab reports- Due on Friday as your QUIZ GRADE for the scientific method.

HW- Work on your lab report due Friday (your quiz grade for the scientific method)
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Tuesday September 23
In Class-
How does your phenology project relate to the scientific method? —Write out your proposal with the handout I give you.
Go over Phenology experiments one on one.

HW- Work on Lab report due Friday
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Wednesday September 24
In Class-
TBA


HW- Work on Lab report due Friday
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Thursday September 25
In Class-
Study day for Celebration of Learning- Organize binders, Note check,


HW- Work on Lab report due Friday

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Friday September 26
In Class-
Hand in Yeast Lab report—Remember this is your “quiz” on the Scientific Method
1st day of Data collection for Phenology – FIELD DAY

HW-Study for the BIG celebration of learning on Monday!

Syllabus- Week 3 September 15-19

Life Science Syllabus- Week 3 September 15-19

Monday September 15
In Class:
Journal Prompt: What is an organism?
If you did not take the quiz- See me now—you will take it in the Hall right now.
Go over the quiz
Is Yeast alive?—Why or why not? I have some yeast that I am wondering if it is still “good.” How could you test to see if they were still alive?
Write out an experiment that we could do to see if they are still “active.”
-Make sure you have everything in the right place in your binder, for a binder check tomorrow!

HW:
-Make sure you have everything in the right place in your binder,
for a binder check tomorrow!
SQ3R P.6-9 on Asking about Life.

Tuesday September 16
In Class:
Finish up Experimental Designs by asking: What is our question? Describe our methods of finding out if the Yeast is alive or not.
Choose one experiment to do as a class.
Make a Data table together in preparation for the Lab/Experiment tomorrow
Lab safety/expectations.

Wednesday September 17
In Class:
Yeast Experiment Lab!

HW:
SQ3R P. 16-17

Thursday September 18
In Class:
Write up Lab reports together on Laptops- email to Ms. Fineis when finished.

Friday September 19
In Class: Phenology Field Day!

HW:
Go to that same spot outside near your house, sit quietly and describe it for 10 minutes. –This time, what has changed here? Please include Temperature, Time, Date, NAME, and DETAILED observations.

Outdoor Observation Journal Quotes...

This past weekend's assignment was to sit outside for 10 minutes and record nature observations from one spot. Here are some highlights from journals:

"I am so glad that I was given this assignment because if not I normally wouldn't have made time to go outside and appreciate this beautiful Fall day."- Morgan

"A breeze picks up, only to die back down again.."-Nicole

"The landscape falls away sharply to an expanse of hillside strewn with rocks and ferns curling outward to absorb the sun's nurturing rays." -Sarah W.

"There were a lot of dried up places. On a couple of trees and grass there were spider webs on them. I did find some signs of animals and bugs." - Jennifer G.L.

"As I sit here, everything is perfectly silent except the wisps of a light breeze rustling...the branches and the chirp of grass hoppers, occasionally a warble or caw of a bird resounds across the sky or in the boughs above....Life envelops me in a cradle of splendor."
- Sawyer

Phenology Pictures: Septmber 5, 2008

New found Plants!


Picking our sites...



More signs of a coming fall! Fruits have begun to dry into seed.

Phenology-September 5, 2008

"So, What is Phenology all about?"

Phenology is the study of relationships between climate and biology over time.

This year we will be exploring the ecosystem along an irrigation channel of Flat creek just behind our school. During our time outside we will collect information on how different elements of the environment change throughout the seasons, explore concepts of ecology and become familiar with the secret worlds along the stream that we so often overlook.

Through student's work with the flat creek phenology project, they will:

- monitor how an ecosystem changes through data analysis.
- write and illustrate detailed descriptions of a personal study area.
- connect our explorations with concepts we learn in the classroom.
- conduct and independent science projects to answer a question about the Flat Creek ecosystem and communicate their findings formally.
- be able to describe ways organisms interact and the role non-living factors play in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.

HOW TO SQ3R

The SQ3R Method

Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review

(From:http://www.ic.arizona.edu/ic/wrightr/other/sq3r.html)

SQ3R (Robinson, 1970) is a method for active elaboration of material that you read, say in a textbook. It consists of 5 steps. I'll talk in terms of a chapter from the text, but this can be adapted to almost anything.

1. Survey (1 minute): Before beginning reading look through the whole chapter. See what the headings are -- the major ones and the subheadings; hierarchical structures seem to be particularly easy for our brains to latch onto -- check for introductory and summary paragraphs, references, etc. Resist reading at this point, but see if you can identify 3 to 6 major ideas in the chapter.

2. Question (usually less than 30 seconds): Ask yourself what this chapter is about: What is the question that this chapter is trying to answer? Or -- along the curiosity lines -- What question do I have that this chapter might help answer? Repeat this process with each subsection of the chapter, as well, turning each heading into a question.

3. Read (slower for some of us than others!): Read one section at a time looking for the answer to the question proposed by the heading! This is active reading and requires concentration so find yourself a place and time where you can concentrate.

4. Recite/write (about a minute): Say to yourself (I do this out loud so I have to study where I don't embarrass myself) or write down (I sometimes do this in the margins of the book itself ) a key phrase that sums up the major point of the section and answers the question. It is important to use your own words, not just copy a phrase from the book. Research shows that we remember our own (active) connections better than ones given to us (passive), indeed that our own hierarchies are generally better than the best prefab hierarchies.

5. Review (less than 5 minutes): After repeating steps 2-4 for each section you have a list of key phrases that provides a sort of outline for the chapter. Test yourself by covering up the key phrases and seeing if you can recall them. Do this right after you finish reading the chapter. If you can't recall one of your major points, that's a section you need to reread.

This method works. It works for me and it has worked for many students in the past. If you have recommendations for how to improve it, I would welcome them for the "next edition" of this mini-lesson.

Reference

Robinson, Francis Pleasant. (1970) Effective study (4th ed.). New York: Harper & Row.

SYLLABUS: September 8-12, 2008

Monday September 8, 2008
IN CLASS
Each one teach one in Lab Station Groups- 1.Cells 2. Stimulus 3. Reproduction 4. DNA 5. Use E 6. Grow & Development


HOMEWORK
SQ3R Section 2 (p40-41) in your Textbook.
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Tuesday, September 9, 2008
IN CLASS
SCHOOL PICS -1st period
Habitat Lap Sit Activity
Trophic Levels discussion
Biome/Trophic levels Lab activity

HOMEWORK
None!

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Wednesday, September 10, 2008
IN CLASS
Chemistry of Life:
LAB
Proteins
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Nucleic Acids
*Field Trip to Center for the Arts. Leave at 10:30

HOMEWORK
Create a study guide for the quiz, based on your notes from class, and your textbook.


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Thursday, September 11, 2008
IN CLASS
Review Material From the last week
Create a Creature activity

HOMEWORK
Study for your quiz!

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Friday, September 12, 2008
IN CLASS
Celebration of Learning! (QUIZ)

**On, Characteristics, Necessities and Chemistry of LIFE.