Learn About Ohio Animals

Today we are going to learn more about animals that live in Ohio.

There are two websites you can use.

To go to the website - click on the blue words.  When you see blue words, it usually means it is a hyperlink. Hyperlinks are paths that take you from one place to another place when you are on the internet. Each hyperlink is a URL.  URLs are addresses for where things can be found on the internet.

Ohio Dept of Natural Resources http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/species_a_to_z/SpeciesGuideIndex/americancrow/tabid/6534/Default.aspx

Ohio History Central

http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Category:Natural_History_Animals?c=NH&s=ANMLS

Using SAS Curriculum Pathways to Learn More About Science Concepts

SAS Curriculum Pathways is a site offered FREE to any k-12 Public school.  There are interactives, web lessons and lab activities that can be downloaded and used in your classes - or for review at home by your students.

We have a Bay account - you need to ask me for the student user name.

Using Teacher's Domain To Support Science Lessons

Teachersdomain.org is a free site that offers videos, interactives and lessons through the resources of PBS. You can create an account to save "bookbags" of your favorite activities, which can be shared with others.  Each video or lesson interactive comes with a background essay for the teacher, discussion questions and a transcript. Many of the resource videos can be downloaded and remixed if you have a free account.

Try out this link - Animated Global Rainfall Map

A related resource are the interactive activities available from NOVA.  The new NOVA website includes lessons and many video resources.   A list of the interactive resources is available HERE

Using PHET To Teach Science Inquiry

PHET Was created by the University of Colorado as a tool to help students explore science and math concepts using web based simulation.  All of the simulations are JAVA based - you need to have the updated version of JAVA on your computer to run the simulation.  They will not work on iPads.

Click to Run

Global Food Crisis

Final Project

These are the scenarios to choose from

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dc39nfhs_94cbv64nh5

Infectious Disease Part 2 May 15

Your group should get together and share information from yesterday - turn in your work to me - or let me check it on your computer screen.

Next, Go to http://www.koshland-science-museum.org/exhib_infectious/tracing_emerging_diseases.jsp Pick 5 hotspots for emerging infectious disease and read about the impact of disease in this area - take notes in your notebook - and show me when you finish

Finally - Go to this interactive - move the "target" around to view information about where the invaders are - and what they are. Choose 5 targets for each of the 3 invaders and descrive them in your notebook. Show me when you are done. http://www.koshland-science-museum.org/exhib_infectious/where_are_they_int.jsp

If you are done, you can play Pandemic II (see yesterday's post)

Infectious Disease Webquest May 14, 2009

First - read JUST the introduction on this site http://www.koshland-science-museum.org/teachers/wq-id_bf_002.jsp

Second - decide in your group who is going to be researcher 1, 2, 3 and 4 - and then begin doing the webquest. http://www.koshland-science-museum.org/teachers/wq-id_bf_003.jsp
FOR RESEARCHER 3 - question 5 - use this link http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/Flu/understandingFlu/Treatment.htm

You will have 2 days to complete this activity.

If you finish early you can play Pandemic II on this site - watch the tutorial first http://www.sharenator.com/Pandemic_2/

We will be using the following website in class to continue our discussion http://www.koshland-science-museum.org/exhib_infectious/index.jsp

Climate and Evolution May 6, 2009

Tomorrow we are going to begin to tie together what we have learned about human evolution, extinctions, natural selection and the timeline of human migration - and relate all of this to ecosystems and climate.

First To help you begin thinking about this - take the quiz online and record the right answers and the questions in your notes http://anthro.palomar.edu/practice/ho2quiz3.htm



Secondly, using your flip book timeline of human migration - on the BACK of the flip book - map out the timeline of human evolution - For each species, explain the background of the name, give a date range for when it lived, describe its basic diagnostic features and where specimens have been discovered. Use this website http://www.archaeologyinfo.com/species.htm

The Next Extinction May 4, 2009

The assignment for today can be found at http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dc39nfhs_78hhqdxmgx

If you haven't finished the Last Great Extinction Assignment - you can find the directions for the 4 choices HERE

Assignment for April 23 STEM CELL RESEARCH

Use this link to view the assignment http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dc39nfhs_6755v8csr2

Understanding Human Evolution

Today we are going to do some online activities to help you better understand how we can use genetics and anatomy to look at the timeline for human evolution and migration.

Finish your timeline we started in class by going to the ATLAS OF HUMAN JOURNEY site and clicking on journey highlights under at the bottom right of the image. Find at least 1 more highlight to add to each of the year tabs on your timeline.

Now you are ready to look more closely and genetics and human evolution.

The first activity is a chromosome matching activity called the CHROMOSOME CONNECTION
When you are done with it - answer the following questions:

1. How many chromosomes do we have in common with all three primates used?
2. How many chromosomes do we have in common with our closest relative?
   
3. What is our closest primate relative- how do we know?

The second activity looks at similarities and differences between primate anatomy and human anatomy that have allowed us to be bipedal (walking on two legs) and walking upright. BUILDING BODIES Drag bones from the bone box to either the human or primate column.

1. How can researchers use the foramen magnum in a skull to tell if it was an upright walker or a four legged walker?
2. Describe other differences between the primate and the human skull.
3. How do human pelvic bones (hips) look different from primate pelvic bones?
4. How can researchers use the pelvic bones to tell if it was an upright walker or a four legged walker?
5. What would you expect the spine of an upright walker to look like?
6. The femur is the thigh bone. Compare the femurs of the human and the primate - what do you notice that makes the femurs of the human- upright walker - different from the primate?
7. The lower leg bones (tibia and fibula) are also different in the human and primate. Why would the human bones need to be longer and thicker?
8. Look at the angle of the humerus (upper arm) and the shoulders in the primate and the human. Explain why you think they are different?
9. Why are the primate's upper arms longer and thicker than the human?
10. How are the thumbs and big toes different in the primate and the human?
11. If you were a paleontologist, which fossil bones would be most helpful in deciding if the specimen was an upright walker?
12. If you were a paleontologist which skull pieces would be most useful in determining if the specimen was an upright walker?

For the last activity - take a look at evolution and our choices to pick a mate- what did you answer after each page of information? How did your final answer compare to those of everyone else who took the survey? EVOLUTION AND LOVE

Genetic Journey of Mankind Parts 2,3 and 4 April 2 and April 3

Continue working on you human evolution online packet -

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dc39nfhs_58cs2hnbg2

I have added section 3 and 4 to it - Ms. Miner has hard copies for you. If you haven't finished part one - you may work on it first - but remember, you are responsible for completing this work on your own if you do not finish it during class time.

PIctures from our human past

Human Evolution Part 1

This is our first assignment in what will become a quarter long project.

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dc39nfhs_58cs2hnbg2

You will need to keep a folder of ALL of this work for the quarter. It will be evaluated each week and will be used for your final exam.

Punnett Squares

Today we are going to look at how scientists can figure out the probability - the chance - that offspring from a set of parents will have a certain trait - like attached earlobes.

Part 1 - Read about Punnett Squares and do the practice problem on THIS SITE

Part 2 - Now read about sex linked traits ( traits that are carried only by girls or only by boys) on THIS SITE then do the practice problems on THIS SITE

Part 3 - Try the Sponge Bob Genetics Problems on the handout

For Or Against Genetically Modified Organisms?

We are going to be debating a group of students from Greene County JVS on March 10. We will be debating whether or not we should be genetically modifying organisms. Today you need to find 4 sources that are either in favor of doing this or against doing this.

HERE IS THE ASSIGNMENT to help you get ready for the debate.

Genetics and Designer Babies - Looking at Ethical Decsions

Yesterday in class - you and your partner created a baby - using coin flips to model the random selection of alleles that are contributed by both parents. Right now, we have no control over what genetic combination our offspring will receive. Read the article "Genetics Will Let Parents Build Their Baby" .

Answer the following questions:

1. Would you choose to genetically "program" your baby?
2. Do you think it is RIGHT to offer parents the ability to pick and choose the traits they would like their child to have? Explain.
3. How would you feel if you knew that you are the way you are because your parents MADE THE CHOICE to make you a boy or girl, picked your hair color, your intelligence etc. What problems might this cause?
4. The experts think that the ability to program the child would make our world even more competitive - do you agree or disagree with this? Explain
5. Would it be ok to program genes for health reasons? How would this change society?
6. If you knew in advance that your child carried a gene for cancer or some other disease - would that effect your decision to Have the child? Or would it influence how you treated the child once they were born?
7. George Annas feels that genetic engineering will add to the divide between rich and poor - explain your thoughts on this? Why do you think he feels this way?
8. Post a comment on this blog explaining your point of view on Genetically modified kids - give at least 3 supporting details to back up your opinion. The post won't show up immediately - I moderate the blog.
   

Genetics and Study Island Feb 24

Today you are going to do some interactive genetics activities to learn more about dominant and recessive traits.
Go to http://nature.ca/genome/04/041/041_e.cfm
Do PASS THE GENES and MIX THOSE GENES

When you are done, write up an explanation of what you did and what you learned about genotype, dominant and recessive traits.

Then, go to studyisland.com and work on your assignments. Remember, people who have NOT taken the OGT or NOT PASSED the OGT need to do any assignments EXCEPT the biology assignments. Juniors who have passed the OGT SHOULD be doing the cells, evolution and genetics assignments.

Taking a Fieldtrip With Charles Darwin

Yesterday you had a chance to read about how Charles Darwin's ideas and observations have effected science for the past 100+ years. Then, you had a chance to see how he started to develop his ideas by making his journey on the Beagle. Today you have a chance to take a fieldtrip with Darwin - this is an interactive site. You are going to learn that Darwin didn't come up with the THEORY of EVOLUTION - he came up with the THEORY OF NATURAL SELECTION - which is HOW evolution occurs.

TODAY'S FIRST LINK - use the red arrows to advance through the first 4 slides - then use the blue arrow at the bottom of the box when Darwin appears - Answer the questions that are asked on the trip - Answer questions 1-6 to turn in.

1. What are the 3 misconceptions about Natural Selection?
2. In your own words, explain what we can learn about Survival of the Fittest from Cave Salamanders?
3. Define FITNESS according to Darwin
4. Explain how phenotypes prove that Natural Selection isn't random. Give examples.
5. Define Environmental Selective Pressure
6. Why did long tongued salamanders have higher fitness than the short tongued ones? Explain how this shows that Natural Selection doesn't create variation.

TODAY'S SECOND LINK - Understanding the Genetics of Variation
Play FITNESS FEVER and keep a log of what you learn about your fish. READ THE INTRODUCTION SCREENS.

IF YOU HAVE TIME - Play the FISH ADAPTATION GAME

• How are the different kinds of fish living near the reef alike? How are they different from one another?
• Did the fish that you built succeed in the reef environment? Why or why not?
• In what ways is this activity related to the evolution of coral reef fish?
• Explain what it means to say that a fish is adapted.