Email Updates Science 2010-2011 – Vol. 5 – Number 3 – November 7, 2010
Greetings from Mr. Brewer,
You are receiving this email because either you are a student or the parent/guardian of a student in one of my Seventh Grade Science classes at Eckstein Middle School. This is the third edition of many update emails to follow. I send regular updates about the class once a month throughout the year. Please encourage other parents/guardians that you are in contact with to subscribe with for these updates by following the link: http://wp.me/pPBhk-G.
Please respond with any feedback about the email updates, daily reminders, etc., that you wish to comment on. Thanks.
In this mailing you will find:
1). What have we been doing in the last few weeks?
2). What will we be doing in the next few weeks?
3). First Quarter Grades Comments and/or Questions
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1). What have we been doing in the last few weeks?
We concluded the first quarter with explorations of the importance of genetic variation among the population. We conducted an investigation about DNA in order to build our foundational knowledge about the importance of this genetic code in our bodies. We built two models of DNA in order to understand the importance of the protein bases (adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine) as well as the base pairings (adenine & thymine; cytosine & guanine) to understand the molecular structure. We attempted to learn how DNA codes for information by combining sequences of amino acid codons.
We concluded the first unit of the nature of living organisms with an online test that targeted understanding of the structure and function of the cell and living organisms. More on the results of this test are detailed in Section #3 below.
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2). What will we be doing in the next few weeks?
In the second quarter we will investigate bacteria in our classroom using agar cultures in Petri dishes and learn that bacteria always reproduce exponentially. Students will write their results in a formal lab.
We will investigate the reproductive processes of plants by dissecting several flowers and learning the names of each individual part. Each student will be asked to make a pollination story cartoon (either written or on computer) to explain the role of seed dispersal and the growth cycle of plants. Following that we will focus our attention on the difference between several of the animal phylums — invertebrates, vertebrates, and insects. We will conduct a dissection of one animal from one of these phylums in order to be able to compare and contrast the similarities and differences. We will conclude the quarter addressing ecology and human interdependence of the environment by focusing on the of the importance of native and invasive species throughout our environment.
In the third and fourth quarter we will be our studies of the Human Body System by examining the circulatory system. We will have the opportunity to feel a sheep heart so that we could learn how the most important muscle in our body — the heart — looks and works.
We will focus our attention to the importance of the circulatory system and how it affects our overall health. We will examine how the field of bioengineering makes it possible to better treat heart diseases. We will simultaneously be examining the importance of how health effects the ability of the heart to function effectively.
At the end of this unit students will have the opportunity to try their own expertise at developing an alternative blood vessel in much the same way that a bioengineer would test common materials. Students will write their results in a formal lab.
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3). First Quarter Grades Comments and/or Questions
The first quarter concluded on November 5, 2010. There are two assignments that seem to be developing questions about grading and point value: the Eoldea & Paramecium Comparision Lab and the Is It Made of Cells? Assessment.
The Elodea & Paramecium Comparison Lab was graded on completion and accuracy. Student were given three days in class to complete this lab. Students were to base their knowledge on what they had observed throughout the unit using the microscopes, journal notes, resources provided in class, and other relevant materials. The major objectives including stating similarities between two eukaryotic cells (animal and plant) as well as the differences between animal and plant cells and between a single-celled organism and a multi-celled organism. The lab was valued at 100 points because it is the culminating performance assessment of the unit involving microscopes and definitions of the structure and function of living cells. Students received a “credit (cr)” or “incomplete (inc)” if the work did not reflect the knowledge and performance that was achieved through the classwork and/or that the time in class to complete this assignment was not used to best the students’ ability.
The Is It Made of Cells? Assessment was completed in class using the available school computers. The test consisted of three parts and students were not allowed to use their journals and/or notes. Part 1 provided a list of several items and asked students to evaluate whether these items were made up of cells or once made up of cells. Part 2 provided a website to refine the level of complexity of items that are made of cells and that make up cells and asked students to revisit the list. Part 3 addressed the function of living organisms by specifically comparing items that are done only by plants, only by animals, or by both. The assessment proved to be more difficult for students than I had intended and thus everyone was given a “satisfactory (s)” and the test was not counted for a grade. We will revisit this concept at a later date in the next quarter after some re-evaluation of the materials; this will focus mainly on the difference between single-celled organisms and multi-celled organisms and items that make up cells and items that are made of cells.
One skill that I did not teach in regards to both of these assignments that is an expectation of all students and assumed to be important at all times is the reading of directions. Please encourage your student and/or yourself to read directions carefully. If at any time you do not understand, advocate for yourself and ask for help. If you do not ask for help you cannot receive help on what it is that you do not understand.
Thanks for your support and understanding.
mabrewer
http://www.mrbrewer.org
