BMS Science 7

Wrapping it up

2009-05-26T16:03:00.000-07:00

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.

Lab Reports Completed - now onto Cells

2009-05-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

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 Report Dates

2009-05-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

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.

Site Descriptions for Lab Report

2009-05-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

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.

Lots of things coming up...

2009-04-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

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.

Thinking about Cells

2009-03-26T13:23:00.000-07:00

For Tuesday, March 31st, please freewrite in as much detail as you can in response to this prompt:

What are living cells?

As we continue with water.....

2009-03-24T03:52:00.000-07:00

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?

Trip Letter

2009-03-18T04:23:00.001-07:00

Hi All,

Don't forget to get the 7th Grade Travel Letter signed by a parent for today's class.

Homework for Thursday, 3/5 and Topics for the Rest of the Year

2009-03-04T09:58:00.000-08:00

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.

Conferences, Self-assessment, and NO QUIZ

2009-03-03T08:47:00.000-08:00

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.

Strawberry Creek Lab Report Criteria

2009-02-24T16:10:00.000-08:00

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?

Water Quality Hypothesis and Methodology

2009-02-24T16:02:00.000-08:00

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).

Water Quality Continued

2009-02-17T07:39:00.000-08:00

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.

Thursday Field Trip Postponed

2009-02-03T05:03:00.000-08:00

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).

Continuing Water Quality

2009-02-02T08:08:00.000-08:00

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!

Where are we?

2009-01-15T15:49:00.000-08:00

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!

Current and future work

2009-01-08T15:25:00.000-08:00

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!

Water Use Survey Reminder

2008-11-29T20:36:00.000-08:00

Hey All,

Hope Thanksgiving was restful and fun. Remember that your water use survey is due on Tuesday, 12/2. I will trade that for an update on any missing work you have - what a deal!

EBMUD Reminder

2008-11-20T07:16:00.000-08:00

If you did not finish the questions and writing about the EBMUD system in class, be sure to have it completed for next Tuesday, 11/25. Have a great weekend!

Directions for MythBusting

2008-11-20T07:15:00.000-08:00

PIRATE MYTHBUSTERS DIRECTIONS!!!!
For each myth being tested, please set up a new page IN YOUR SCIENCE NOTEBOOK to detail the steps of the scientific method:

* The Question (the myth):

* Hypothesis:

* Experiment Methodology (how did they do it?):

* Explanation of what happened in the Experiment (what happened when they did it?):

* The Data (the information gathered):

* The Conclusion (Was the myth busted or not? Was it a valid experiment? What future research, questions, or experiments stem from this experiment?):

EMAIL SCIENCE GOALS AND SCHEDULE FOR NEXT WEEK

2008-11-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

What great discussions about "California's Real Water War" and "Saving the Bay Again" today. If you have not completed these responses, please do so!

BY TOMORROW, NOVEMBER 14TH: EMAIL ME YOUR 3 SCIENCE GOALS FOR THE END OF THE SEMESTER (end of January).

For Tuesday, November 18th, we will be discussing Michael Pollan's "Why Bother?"

I will be gone at the National Science Teachers Association conference in Portland, OR on 11/19-21.

For Wednesday, November 19th, please have completed reading the EBMUD water booklet and be prepared to complete worksheets and writing responses in class.

On Wednesday, November 20th, the class will be viewing Myth Busters episodes, using them to reinforce understanding of the scientific method.

Homework, Tests, and Other Fun Stuff

2008-10-24T06:15:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

Great work in the garden this week. The transformation has begun!

Don't forget - test next Wednesday (10/29). Use the test review handout as your guide. We will have a thorough review in class on Tuesday, but PLEASE study over the weekend.

Also, don't forget the "California's Real Water War" and "Saving the Bay Again" readings and answers to the prompts (these were due yesterday).

FINALLY, any missing work needs to be completed by next Thursday (10/30).

Loose Ends

2008-10-17T15:08:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

There is a lot going on in class these days: Thank you for building the compost sifter, creating the final garden map for Chaparral House, and for keeping up on your EcoChores. You are keeping up with them, right?

Here are some things that have been due or are coming due soon:

You should have finished reading "Why Bother?" by now - we will discuss it sometime next week.

For 10/15, you should have finished your hypothetical hypotheses.

We are quickly moving into water studies in the next week. We will wrap up Drop in the Bucket on Tuesday.

Have a great weekend!

Composting and Why Bother?

2008-10-08T11:19:00.001-07:00

Hey All,

Sorry I have been sick. For Wednesday, 10/8:

After watching Do the Rot Thing, respond to the following three prompts in DETAIL, and email your answers to me:

1. DESCRIBE how a compost pile is a SYSTEM.

2. How do humans fit into the causes and effects in this system?

3. Who is the coolest composter in this video? and why?

ALSO, read "Why Bother?" up to the line on page three for Wednesday.

Garden Map Assessments

2008-09-30T16:42:00.000-07:00

Please complete the half-sheet Self- and Peer-assessment sheets on your garden mapping project for class on Wednesday, 10/1.

Final Soil Writing

2008-09-30T16:37:00.001-07:00

If Simon's assessment (checklist) indicated that you still need to fix or complete your work, please do that for class on Wednesday, 10/1.

Garden Ecology Observations

2008-09-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

We will continue our garden ecology observations on Tuesday in class. I have your sheets. Remember the procedure:
1. Choose a meter-long section in a productive garden plot.
2. In that meter, identify at least 10 different living things.
3. In that meter, identify at least 5 different non-living things.
4. What are at least 5 living or non-living things beyond the garden plot that may affect your research plot?
5. Give some good examples of how you think things that you have identified interact in the garden plot.

Ouch! Where are all of the garden maps?

2008-09-26T15:44:00.000-07:00

A reminder that the Garden Maps were due today, and it was your group's responsibility to get yours to me. Props to those who got me their maps: Pascal, Yashoda, Kaila, Emma, Aster, Vivek, and Nina. Where are the rest? Have a good weekend.

Finish Garden Maps

2008-09-23T16:26:00.000-07:00

We have spent most of two classes at Chaparral House Garden taking measurements and plotting the main features of the space. Please work with your parter(s) to complete the map on your graph paper by the end of Friday, September 26th. Include your names, measuring device, scale, and major features.

Soil Writing Self-assessment

2008-09-23T16:24:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

Don't forget to complete the self-assessment on your soil writing and to make improvements on that writing by tomorrow, September 24th.

Welcome to 7th Grade Science!

2008-09-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

It was great getting a chance to meet on Thursday - I am very excited about this year's investigations and learning in science!

Due Wednesday, September 10, please read the National Geographic "Where Food Begins" article, and write a good paragraph in your science notebook in response to the following prompt:

After reading this article, how has your view of the importance of soil changed or been intensified? Please cite three important pieces of information from the article that make you feel this way.

Hope you all are having a good weekend!