MYP Science IV

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Mr. Russ Kupperstein and Mr. Brendan Tobin

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Recent Announcements

  • Course Outline now posted With plenty of crucial information and necessary procedures, the course outline for our MYP Science IV class is now up. We will be using this document extensively on day one ...
    Posted Aug 1, 2011 11:32 PM by Russ Kupperstein
  • Past Units from 2010 Please disregard the specifics for units found under "Forms and Docs" for now as these are planned by previous teachers. They are posted merely as a guide to how I ...
    Posted Aug 1, 2011 11:28 PM by Russ Kupperstein
  • Update to reading list Three textbooks available to you for download in pdf format have been added to the "Reading List" section of the website. These will be referred to in homework assignments, and ...
    Posted Aug 1, 2011 6:03 PM by Russ Kupperstein
  • Additions to Class Agenda The class agenda for the first seven class meetings have been added to the site. These are given to provide a sense for where the class will be headed over ...
    Posted Jul 30, 2011 8:25 PM by Russ Kupperstein
Showing posts 1 - 4 of 4. View more »

Recent Homework

  • Homework for Day 27 HOMEWORK: Biology For You pg. 104-107 (#1-9 pg. 106-107)
    Posted Oct 13, 2011 6:57 PM by Russ Kupperstein
  • Homework for Day 25 HOMEWORK: Biology For You pg. 100-103
    Posted Oct 13, 2011 6:56 PM by Russ Kupperstein
  • Homework for Day 23 HOMEWORK: Biology For You pg. 96-99
    Posted Oct 13, 2011 6:55 PM by Russ Kupperstein
  • Homework for Day 30 HOMEWORK: Biology For You pg. 147-159 (#1-9 pg. 158-159)
    Posted Oct 13, 2011 6:54 PM by Russ Kupperstein
  • Homework for Day 29 HOMEWORK: Biology For You pg. 139-146
    Posted Oct 13, 2011 6:54 PM by Russ Kupperstein
Showing posts 1 - 5 of 21. View more »

Unit: Healthy Living Through Science
AOI: Health and Social Education
Unit Question: How does my lifestyle impact my health?
Content Standards:

    Part 1: Personal Hygiene and Disease - The Microscopic World
  • Become familiar with biological organization and the characteristics of life.
  • Recognize the structure and functions of viruses.
  • How to use a microscope.
  • Understand that all living things are composed of cells.
  • Appreciate the relationship between cell structure and function.
  • Know the structure of a typical plant and animal cell.
  • Recognize the different types of cell transport
  • Identify the different stages of mitosis
    Part 2: Personal Choice and Physiological Health - The Human Body Experience
  • Students will explain why digestion of large food molecules is essential.
  • Students will explain the need for enzymes in digestion.
  • Students will state the source, substrate, products and optimum pH conditions for one amylase, one protease and one lipase.
  • Students will draw and label a diagram of the digestive system.
  • Students will outline the function of the stomach, small intestine and large intestine.
  • Students will distinguish between absorption and assimilation.
  • Students will explain how the structure of the villus is related to its role in absorption and transport of the products of digestion.
  • Students will draw and label a diagram of the heart showing the four chambers, associated blood vessels, valves and the route of blood through the heart.
  • Students will state that the coronary arteries supply heart muscle with oxygen and nutrients.
  • Students will explain the action of the heart in terms of collecting blood, pumping blood, and opening and closing of valves.
  • Students will outline the control of the heartbeat in terms of myogenic muscle contraction, the role of the pacemaker, nerves, the medulla of the brain and epinephrine (adrenaline).
  • Students will explain the relationship between the structure and function of arteries, capillaries and veins.
  • Students will state that blood is composed of plasma, erythrocytes, leucocytes (phagocytes and lymphocytes) and platelets.
  • Students will state that the following are transported by the blood: nutrients, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hormones, antibodies, urea and heat.
  • Students will define pathogen.
  • Students will explain why antibiotics are effective against bacteria but not against viruses.
  • Students will outline the role of skin and mucous membranes in defence against pathogens.
  • Students will outline how phagocytic leucocytes ingest pathogens in the blood and in body tissues.
  • Students will distinguish between antigens and antibodies.
  • Students will explain antibody production.
  • Students will outline the effects of HIV on the immune system.
 
Unit: A Renewable World
AOI: Community and Service
Unit Question: How can we provide sustainable energy to humans of any socioeconomic status?
Content Standards:
  • Describe how neutrons produced in a fission reaction may be used to initiate further fission reactions (chain reaction).
  • Distinguish between controlled nuclear fission (power production) and uncontrolled nuclear fission (nuclear weapons).
  • Describe what is meant by fuel enrichment.
  • Describe the main energy transformations that take place in a nuclear power station.
  • Discuss the role of the moderator and the control rods in the production of controlled fission in a thermal fission reactor.
  • Discuss the role of the heat exchanger in a fission reactor.
  • Describe how neutron capture by a nucleus of uranium-238 (238U) results in the production of a nucleus of plutonium-239 (239Pu).
  • Describe the importance of plutonium-239 (239Pu) as a nuclear fuel.
  • Discuss safety issues and risks associated with the production of nuclear power.
  • Outline the problems associated with producing nuclear power using nuclear fusion.
  • Distinguish between a photovoltaic cell and a solar heating panel.
  • Outline reasons for seasonal and regional variations in the solar power incident per unit area of the Earth’s surface.
  • Solve problems involving specific applications of photovoltaic cells and solar heating panels.
  • Distinguish between different hydroelectric schemes.
  • Describe the main energy transformations that take place in hydroelectric schemes.
  • Solve problems involving hydroelectric schemes.
  • Outline the basic features of a wind generator.
  • Determine the power that may be delivered by a wind generator, assuming that the wind kinetic energy is completely converted into mechanical kinetic energy, and explain why this is impossible.
  • Solve problems involving wind power.
  • Describe the principle of operation of an oscillating water column (OWC) ocean-wave energy converter.
  • Determine the power per unit length of a wavefront, assuming a rectangular profile for the wave.
  • Solve problems involving wave power. 
Unit: Optical Technology
AOI: Human Igenuity
Unit Question: How has the study of optics benefitted our society?
Standards:
  • understand what reflection, refraction, dispersion and total internal reflection are.
  • understand how lenses work and how they correct near and far sightedness.
  • explain the operation of flat, concave and convex mirrors and lenses
  • explain the formation of rainbows, the colours of the sky and eclipsed moon, the operation of fibre optic cable and the presence of the blind spot.
  • Appreciate how research into optics has affected the quality of our life.
 
Unit: Energy Transfer Through Waves
AOI: Human Igenuity
Unit Question: How can we harness the energy in waves to benefit humankind?
Content Standards:
  • understand the basic properties of transverse and longitudinal waves.
  • understand what the various parts of the wave function are called
  • understand the evidence for the wave nature of light and sound.
  • recall the differences between sound and light.
  • Understand the basics of seismology and how it has enabled a determination of the internal structure of the Earth.
  • recall the electromagnetic spectrum and its uses.
  • evaluate the evidence to ascertain if mobile phones are safe.
 
Unit: Life, the Universe and Everything
AOI: Environment
Unit Question: Are we alone in the universe?
Content Standards:
  • Understand the scale and structure of our universe.
  • Be aware of some of the evidence presented as ‘evidence’ of UFO’s.
  • Be aware of the current search for and communication with, extraterrestrials.
  • Encode an image into binary format and be able to decode binary sequences into images using prime number theory.
  • Understand the Sun is a star powered by fusion and it has a finite lifetime.
  • Discuss the current search for Earthlike planets and the NASA Origins programme