Hi All,
Thanks for the Chromosomes and DNA short presentations today - please see the year through to the end. Too many people did not complete this assignment.
I will have your lab reports graded to hand back in the morning, along with a one-page DNA and chromosomes paper. You may want to use these to complete your self-assessment.
YOUR SELF-ASSESSMENT IS DUE FRIDAY, MAY 29TH.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Lab Reports Completed - now onto Cells
Hi All,
Lab reports were due Tuesday, and most of you have completed them. Thanks for all of your efforts to draft and refine your work!
Yesterday, you were to complete the prompt related to the plant and animal cells handout. The prompt: In our notebook, please identify differences between plant and animal cells.
Next week, we will look at plant and animal cells under a microscope, focus on the organelles of animal cells, and zoom in on the chromosomes and DNA.
Lab reports were due Tuesday, and most of you have completed them. Thanks for all of your efforts to draft and refine your work!
Yesterday, you were to complete the prompt related to the plant and animal cells handout. The prompt: In our notebook, please identify differences between plant and animal cells.
Next week, we will look at plant and animal cells under a microscope, focus on the organelles of animal cells, and zoom in on the chromosomes and DNA.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Lab Report Dates
Today, your Conclusion is due.
I will be handing back your Hypothesis, Experiment Methodology, Performing the Experiment, and Data Analysis sections.
Your completed lab report, including Introduction is due on Tuesday, May 12th.
Please see the previous blog entry if you are in need of more site details for your Performing the Experiment section.
I will be handing back your Hypothesis, Experiment Methodology, Performing the Experiment, and Data Analysis sections.
Your completed lab report, including Introduction is due on Tuesday, May 12th.
Please see the previous blog entry if you are in need of more site details for your Performing the Experiment section.
Site Descriptions for Lab Report
Strawberry Canyon (wild)
This site is in the upper part of the watershed, just below the University of California Botanical Garden. This stretch of Strawberry Creek is in a narrow forested valley without development upstream. There is a narrow, rocky creek bed, and the banks range from about 10 feet to 30 feet in height. An unpaved recreation trail runs alongside the creek. This trail is primarily used for runners, walkers, and dog walkers (lots of canine evidence left behind).
Strawberry Creek Park (urban)
This is a short daylighted stretch of Strawberry Creek, which extends for about 150 yards before again flowing under the city. The creek bed is mostly shaded, and consists of smashed pieces of the culvert that formerly contained the creek in this area. This area of Berkeley is urban with a mix of residences, businesses, streets, sidewalks, and the park, which does provide some protection for the water. After leaving the park, the creek again goes underground, and doesn't surface again it exits the culvert into San Francisco Bay at the bottom of the watershed.
Where Strawberry Creek Meets the Bay (industrial)
The last stretch of the creek is underground as it passes through the industrial area with warehouses, manufacturers, railroad tracks, the freeway, and traffic congestion. This bottom area of the watershed - where the Amtrak station and Truitt&White are now located - was the site of a large Huichin (Ohlone) shellmound. This mound was built over the 3,700 years that these people inhabited Strawberry Creek before European settlers took over the area. The actual spot where the creek hits the Bay can only be sampled when the tide is low. Otherwise, the tidal influence mixes salt water in with the creek's freshwater, and results are not accurate.
This site is in the upper part of the watershed, just below the University of California Botanical Garden. This stretch of Strawberry Creek is in a narrow forested valley without development upstream. There is a narrow, rocky creek bed, and the banks range from about 10 feet to 30 feet in height. An unpaved recreation trail runs alongside the creek. This trail is primarily used for runners, walkers, and dog walkers (lots of canine evidence left behind).
Strawberry Creek Park (urban)
This is a short daylighted stretch of Strawberry Creek, which extends for about 150 yards before again flowing under the city. The creek bed is mostly shaded, and consists of smashed pieces of the culvert that formerly contained the creek in this area. This area of Berkeley is urban with a mix of residences, businesses, streets, sidewalks, and the park, which does provide some protection for the water. After leaving the park, the creek again goes underground, and doesn't surface again it exits the culvert into San Francisco Bay at the bottom of the watershed.
Where Strawberry Creek Meets the Bay (industrial)
The last stretch of the creek is underground as it passes through the industrial area with warehouses, manufacturers, railroad tracks, the freeway, and traffic congestion. This bottom area of the watershed - where the Amtrak station and Truitt&White are now located - was the site of a large Huichin (Ohlone) shellmound. This mound was built over the 3,700 years that these people inhabited Strawberry Creek before European settlers took over the area. The actual spot where the creek hits the Bay can only be sampled when the tide is low. Otherwise, the tidal influence mixes salt water in with the creek's freshwater, and results are not accurate.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Lots of things coming up...
Hey All,
We are off to Mendocino County for our field work tomorrow.
Please do not forget that the next two sections of your lab reports (including the edited previous sections) are due next Tuesday, May 5. So, you will have your edited hypothesis and experiment methodology AND the first drafts of your Performing the Experiment and Data Analysis sections. Don't forget to have a nice, well-labeled graph that your data analysis text refers to.
We are off to Mendocino County for our field work tomorrow.
Please do not forget that the next two sections of your lab reports (including the edited previous sections) are due next Tuesday, May 5. So, you will have your edited hypothesis and experiment methodology AND the first drafts of your Performing the Experiment and Data Analysis sections. Don't forget to have a nice, well-labeled graph that your data analysis text refers to.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Thinking about Cells
For Tuesday, March 31st, please freewrite in as much detail as you can in response to this prompt:
What are living cells?
What are living cells?
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
As we continue with water.....
Hi All,
As we continue our water studies, I will be getting you a complete data set to begin working with next Tuesday. While you await that, I want you to begin viewing a very interesting film that is the starting point for our next unit on cells and DNA - The Journey of Man. Please complete the following work for Thursday's class.
At the halfway point of The Journey of Man, I hope that you are enjoying the scientific and cultural intensity of this film. Spencer Wells sums up the common difficulty of bridging science and culture when he asks, "What do you do when everything you believe in flies in the face of everything you know?" As a good scientist, he sets out with a set of hypotheses to gather data and test those hypotheses. Please answer the following two questions in your science notebooks for Thursday, March 26th:
1. For you, what was the most profound or useful scientific information or phenomenon addressed in the film so far? How and why did it affect you?
2. What was the most interesting or profound cultural element addressed in the film so far ? How and why did it affect you?
As we continue our water studies, I will be getting you a complete data set to begin working with next Tuesday. While you await that, I want you to begin viewing a very interesting film that is the starting point for our next unit on cells and DNA - The Journey of Man. Please complete the following work for Thursday's class.
At the halfway point of The Journey of Man, I hope that you are enjoying the scientific and cultural intensity of this film. Spencer Wells sums up the common difficulty of bridging science and culture when he asks, "What do you do when everything you believe in flies in the face of everything you know?" As a good scientist, he sets out with a set of hypotheses to gather data and test those hypotheses. Please answer the following two questions in your science notebooks for Thursday, March 26th:
1. For you, what was the most profound or useful scientific information or phenomenon addressed in the film so far? How and why did it affect you?
2. What was the most interesting or profound cultural element addressed in the film so far ? How and why did it affect you?
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Trip Letter
Hi All,
Don't forget to get the 7th Grade Travel Letter signed by a parent for today's class.
Don't forget to get the 7th Grade Travel Letter signed by a parent for today's class.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Homework for Thursday, 3/5 and Topics for the Rest of the Year
Hey All,
Homework for Thursday:
1. Write a detailed explanation of YOUR town development preferences (following up on yesterday's activity).
2. Complete your conference prep responses from yesterday's blog entry.
As you set goals for the remainder of the year, I want you to know where we are headed. Main topics include:
1. Completing our water quality studies and lab reports around land use in the Strawberry Creek Watershed.
2. The ecological and biological effects of climate change.
3. Cellular biology, chromosomes, DNA, and population genetics.
These areas can be included in your goal setting as you prepare for conferences. Please talk to me for more specifics to help you set good goals.
Homework for Thursday:
1. Write a detailed explanation of YOUR town development preferences (following up on yesterday's activity).
2. Complete your conference prep responses from yesterday's blog entry.
As you set goals for the remainder of the year, I want you to know where we are headed. Main topics include:
1. Completing our water quality studies and lab reports around land use in the Strawberry Creek Watershed.
2. The ecological and biological effects of climate change.
3. Cellular biology, chromosomes, DNA, and population genetics.
These areas can be included in your goal setting as you prepare for conferences. Please talk to me for more specifics to help you set good goals.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Conferences, Self-assessment, and NO QUIZ
Hi All,
Conferences are next week. Time to get ready......
For Wednesday, 3/4:
Look at your science progress report and also consider our current water quality work. Please respond to the following in your notebook:
1. Identify one science content Strength.
2. Identify one science content Area of Growth.
3. Identify one science content Challenge.
4. For #1-3, find at least one piece of work that demonstrates each.
5. Reflect on your personal goals at the end of your report card: A. Have you met them? B. If not, how will you meet them? C. Come up with three more goals for the rest of the year.
NO TEST OR QUIZ THIS WEEK. JUST CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON YOUR LAB REPORTS.
Conferences are next week. Time to get ready......
For Wednesday, 3/4:
Look at your science progress report and also consider our current water quality work. Please respond to the following in your notebook:
1. Identify one science content Strength.
2. Identify one science content Area of Growth.
3. Identify one science content Challenge.
4. For #1-3, find at least one piece of work that demonstrates each.
5. Reflect on your personal goals at the end of your report card: A. Have you met them? B. If not, how will you meet them? C. Come up with three more goals for the rest of the year.
NO TEST OR QUIZ THIS WEEK. JUST CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON YOUR LAB REPORTS.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Strawberry Creek Lab Report Criteria
The following are the standards for your Strawberry Creek Lab Report. Please follow them carefully (final due date to be determined):
GENERAL EXPECTATIONS FOR THE PAPER
Format:
12-point “normal” font
Double-spaced
1” margins
Headers (titles) at the beginning of each paper section
Writing Quality:
Pay attention to: legibility, spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence and paragraph structure. Be DETAILED and DESCRIPTIVE!
Sources:
For this paper, please compile a bibliography at the end of the paper, at least including: author, title, URL (if applicable), and publication date.
SECTIONS OF THE PAPER
Introduction: A few sentences introducing the reader to what follows in the paper
Hypothesis:
• Should be an “If….., then…..” statement.
• Should show cause and effect with one independent and one dependent variable.
• State your reasoning for the hypothesis (i.e. past observations, experience, research, etc.).
• Needs to be TESTABLE.
Experiment Methodology:
• What will you test for and why?
• What equipment will you use?
• What sites will be tested and why?
• What will be the frequency, duration, timing, and number of samples you will use and why?
Performing the Experiment:
• Describe your testing sites in as much detail as possible.
• Explain why you chose to use the data that you did.
• Explain how and by whom the data were collected.
• Describe what the field experience was like.
Data Analysis:
• Describe the data that you used, and what they mean.
• Compare the results from your different test sites and/or conditions.
• You must have at least one graph, well labeled with your independent variable on the x-axis and your dependent variable on the y-axis.
Conclusion:
• Explain whether your hypothesis was confirmed, disproved, or partially confirmed/disproved, and why you say this.
• What were some occurrences in the lab process that may have affected your results unintentionally? (e.g. human error)
• What are the next steps for this scientific process?
• What further questions or possible future research do you come away with from this experiment?
GENERAL EXPECTATIONS FOR THE PAPER
Format:
12-point “normal” font
Double-spaced
1” margins
Headers (titles) at the beginning of each paper section
Writing Quality:
Pay attention to: legibility, spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence and paragraph structure. Be DETAILED and DESCRIPTIVE!
Sources:
For this paper, please compile a bibliography at the end of the paper, at least including: author, title, URL (if applicable), and publication date.
SECTIONS OF THE PAPER
Introduction: A few sentences introducing the reader to what follows in the paper
Hypothesis:
• Should be an “If….., then…..” statement.
• Should show cause and effect with one independent and one dependent variable.
• State your reasoning for the hypothesis (i.e. past observations, experience, research, etc.).
• Needs to be TESTABLE.
Experiment Methodology:
• What will you test for and why?
• What equipment will you use?
• What sites will be tested and why?
• What will be the frequency, duration, timing, and number of samples you will use and why?
Performing the Experiment:
• Describe your testing sites in as much detail as possible.
• Explain why you chose to use the data that you did.
• Explain how and by whom the data were collected.
• Describe what the field experience was like.
Data Analysis:
• Describe the data that you used, and what they mean.
• Compare the results from your different test sites and/or conditions.
• You must have at least one graph, well labeled with your independent variable on the x-axis and your dependent variable on the y-axis.
Conclusion:
• Explain whether your hypothesis was confirmed, disproved, or partially confirmed/disproved, and why you say this.
• What were some occurrences in the lab process that may have affected your results unintentionally? (e.g. human error)
• What are the next steps for this scientific process?
• What further questions or possible future research do you come away with from this experiment?
Water Quality Hypothesis and Methodology
Hi All,
For today, you should have typed and printed your hypothesis and experiment methodology. For tomorrow, Wednesday 2/25, make sure the two following assignments are completed: 1. IMPROVE your hypothesis and methodology based on the criteria from today's class. and 2. Make sure that you have a hypothesis in your notebook for how you think our Ecolab riparian model (willows) will affect nitrate levels in our "stream" (water bottle).
For today, you should have typed and printed your hypothesis and experiment methodology. For tomorrow, Wednesday 2/25, make sure the two following assignments are completed: 1. IMPROVE your hypothesis and methodology based on the criteria from today's class. and 2. Make sure that you have a hypothesis in your notebook for how you think our Ecolab riparian model (willows) will affect nitrate levels in our "stream" (water bottle).
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Water Quality Continued
Hi All,
Hope you all are having a good break! Reminder about our work as we move ahead. After developing good hypotheses related to water quality and land use in the Strawberry Creek Watershed, we really dug into our field work last Thursday in the muddy canyon. By that point, you should have had your hypothesis and experiment methodology. I will check on these in class on Thursday, and we will take a look at the data that we have so far.
Hope you all are having a good break! Reminder about our work as we move ahead. After developing good hypotheses related to water quality and land use in the Strawberry Creek Watershed, we really dug into our field work last Thursday in the muddy canyon. By that point, you should have had your hypothesis and experiment methodology. I will check on these in class on Thursday, and we will take a look at the data that we have so far.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Thursday Field Trip Postponed
Hey All,
Due to predicted rain on Thursday, we will be postponing the trip to Strawberry Canyon. Instead we will do some monitoring of the creek in Strawberry Creek Park before the rains (Wednesday morning), and during the rains (Thursday afternoon).
Due to predicted rain on Thursday, we will be postponing the trip to Strawberry Canyon. Instead we will do some monitoring of the creek in Strawberry Creek Park before the rains (Wednesday morning), and during the rains (Thursday afternoon).
Monday, February 2, 2009
Continuing Water Quality
Hey All,
Don't forget the field trip on Thursday. Still need two or three drivers for it to happen.
For tomorrow, Tuesday, February 3rd, make sure you have read the "Land Use in the Strawberry Creek Watershed," and have addressed the following prompt:
How you think this distribution of land uses may affect the water quality of Strawberry Creek? Be detailed and descriptive in showing your thinking!
Don't forget the field trip on Thursday. Still need two or three drivers for it to happen.
For tomorrow, Tuesday, February 3rd, make sure you have read the "Land Use in the Strawberry Creek Watershed," and have addressed the following prompt:
How you think this distribution of land uses may affect the water quality of Strawberry Creek? Be detailed and descriptive in showing your thinking!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Where are we?
Hi All,
Today we got started reading about, and understanding, the different water quality parameters that we will test in Strawberry Creek in the coming weeks.
The boys earned a tough quiz on temperature and dissolved oxygen to be given at the beginning of class next Tuesday, 1/20.
Everyone will have a quiz on Strawberry Creek and water quality next Thursday, 1/22.
Please look for a field trip into the upper reaches of Strawberry Creek watershed during the afternoon of Thursday, 2/5.
Have a great long weekend!
Today we got started reading about, and understanding, the different water quality parameters that we will test in Strawberry Creek in the coming weeks.
The boys earned a tough quiz on temperature and dissolved oxygen to be given at the beginning of class next Tuesday, 1/20.
Everyone will have a quiz on Strawberry Creek and water quality next Thursday, 1/22.
Please look for a field trip into the upper reaches of Strawberry Creek watershed during the afternoon of Thursday, 2/5.
Have a great long weekend!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Current and future work
Hi All,
Wanted to check on where we are in our studies:
1. Good job reading and discussing the E.O.Wilson pollinators reading this week!
2. We have defined " watershed," and are continuing our studies, having read the glossy Our Watershed handout from the other day.
3. For today, you should have indicated how you expect to meet your first semester science goals by the end of the term (1/23).
4. For Tuesday, 1/13, Research your topic on the Strawberry Creek Watershed (i.e. history, geology/geomorphology, biology, or water quality). You and your partner(s) should have a 2-3 minute overview of your topic prepared for the class.
Have a great weekend!
Wanted to check on where we are in our studies:
1. Good job reading and discussing the E.O.Wilson pollinators reading this week!
2. We have defined " watershed," and are continuing our studies, having read the glossy Our Watershed handout from the other day.
3. For today, you should have indicated how you expect to meet your first semester science goals by the end of the term (1/23).
4. For Tuesday, 1/13, Research your topic on the Strawberry Creek Watershed (i.e. history, geology/geomorphology, biology, or water quality). You and your partner(s) should have a 2-3 minute overview of your topic prepared for the class.
Have a great weekend!
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