Week of 10/26 to 10/30:
This week we will wrap up Natural Selection and focus on Evidence of Evolution. We will be finishing Rock Pocket Mice on Monday. Tuesday we will be writing a CER for Natural Selection using Peppered Moths, Bunnies (bean lab) and Rocket Pocket Mice.
On Wednesday we will be finishing our CER and starting on fossil evidence of Evolution. Thursday we will focus on embryology evidence and on Friday we will look at comparative anatomy and molecular biology (DNA) as our final pieces of evidence. A study guide for our final life science assessment will be provided on Tuesday. This assessment will be on Monday, November 2nd. On Friday students will be coming home with a brown paper bag and a graphic organizer for motion. Students are to choose 4 items that represent motion and bring them to class on Monday.
Assignments and DUE Dates:
Monday 10/26- Finish Rock Pocket Mice and Darwin’s Natural Selection
Tuesday 10/27- Revisions, CK-12 Article: Evolution Evidence guided notes (Read the posting in Google Classroom for all of the specific information)
Rock Pocket Mice and Darwin’s Natural Selection DUE, Study Guide
Wednesday 10/28- CK-12 Article: Evolution Evidence guided notes, Finish Revisions, Study Guide
Thursday 10/29- CK-12 Article: Evolution Evidence guided notes, Revisions DUE, Study Guide, Patterns in Embryos
Friday 10/30- CK-12 Article: Evolution Evidence guided notes DUE, Patterns in Embryos, Finish Study Guide (due on Monday), Motion Brown Bag Items
Pedigrees, Codominance, Natural Selection and Evolution Assessment will be on Monday 11/2
Week of 10/19 to 10/23:
This week we will be moving on to another topic in our life science unit, natural selection. We will be learning about genetic mutations role in giving organisms different traits and then how these traits help an organism survive. We will be focusing on rabbits, peppered moths and rock pocket mice.
Our CK-12 article will also focus on natural selection.
Assignments and DUE Dates:
Monday 10/19- Revisions
Tuesday 10/20- Revisions, CK-12 Article: Natural Selection guided notes & practice questions
(Read the posting in Google Classroom for all of the specific information)
Wednesday 10/21- CK-12 Article: Natural Selection guided notes & practice questions, Revisions DUE
Thursday 10/22- Finish CK-12 Article: Natural Selection guided notes & practice questions, Finish Peppered Moth Gizmo,
Watch Theory of Evolution videos (if you didn't during class)
Friday 10/23- CK-12 Article: Natural Selection guided notes & practice questions DUE, Peppered Moth Gizmo DUE
Week of 10/12 to 10/16:
Monday we will be creating pedigrees for our own families for tasting PTC. We will also be working on finishing analyzing pedigrees. This analysis will be due by Thursday 10/15.
Tuesday and Wednesday we will be focussing on inheritance that does not follow Mendel's Laws, codominance. We will be reviewing how to make and analyze Punnett squares and using our genetics vocabulary using codominance inheritance.
Thursday we will be taking a life science checkpoint. After the checkpoint we will begin collecting data for organisms in different environments.
Assignments and DUE Dates:
Monday 10/12- Revisions, Pedigree Analysis (last two pedigrees, pages 8 & 9),
CK-12 Article: Non-Mendelian Inheritance guided notes
(Read the posting in Google Classroom for all of the specific information)
Tuesday 10/13- Revisions, CK-12 Article: Non-Mendelian Inheritance guided notes, Pedigree Analysis
Wednesday 10/14- CK-12 Article: Non-Mendelian Inheritance guided notes, Revisions DUE, Finish Pedigree Analysis
Thursday 10/15- CK-12 Article: Pedigrees guided notes DUE, Pedigree Analysis DUE
Friday 10/16- No School, Enjoy your long weekend
Week of 10/5 to 10/9:
Last week we focused on Punnett squares and what could happen if two parents were crossed. This week we are going to focus on pedigrees and what traits have been passed through a family. We will also be investigating non-Mendelian inheritance by looking at codominance.
Assignments and DUE Dates:
Monday 10/5- Revisions, Finish Assessment Corrections
Tuesday 10/6- Revisions, CK-12 Article: Pedigrees guided notes & practice questions (Read the posting in Google Classroom for all of the specific information),
Assessment Corrections DUE
Wednesday 10/7- CK-12 Article: Pedigrees guided notes & practice questions, Revisions DUE
Thursday 10/8- CK-12 Article: Pedigrees guided notes & practice questions
Friday 10/9- CK-12 Article: Pedigrees guided notes & practice questions DUE
Week of 9/28 to 10/2:
This week we will be applying our genetics vocabulary terms (page 16 and 17 in your notebook) to create and analyze Punnett squares. We will be practicing in small groups, whole class and individually. Monday we will go over how to make a Punnett square and practice with our table groups and whole class. Tuesday and Wednesday we will be using a Gizmo to create and analyze Punnett squares. Thursday will be more individualized based upon each person's need. Friday there will be a short assessment over genetics vocabulary and Punnett squares. After the assessment we will be moving on to pedigrees.
Assignments and DUE Dates:
Monday 9/28- Revisions, Finish Heredity Practice Problems (in class), Review genetics vocabulary and Punnett squares
Tuesday 9/29- Revisions, CK-12 Article: Punnett Squares guided notes & practice questions (Read the posting in Google Classroom for all of the specific information),
Review genetics vocabulary and Punnett squares, Assessment Corrections
Wednesday 9/30- CK-12 Article: Punnett Squares guided notes & practice questions, Revisions DUE, Review genetics vocabulary and Punnett squares,
Assessment Corrections
Thursday 10/1- CK-12 Article: Punnett Squares guided notes & practice questions, Review genetics vocabulary and Punnett squares, Assessment Corrections
Friday 10/2- CK-12 Article: Punnett Squares guided notes & practice questions DUE, Punnett Square and Genetics Vocabulary Assessment,
Finish Assessment Corrections (due Monday 10/5)
Week of 9/21 to 9/25:
This week we will have our first assessment. It will be on Tuesday over reproduction, mitosis and meiosis. Study guides are due at the beginning of class on Monday.
Monday we will review for the assessment on Tuesday. This review will look different depending on the needs of each student.
Tuesday is the assessment. Tuesday is also science in Growth so after the assessment students can work on their CK-12 article.
Wednesday we will be starting into the genetics part of our life science standards. We will be starting with vocabulary terms that will be important as we learn about how traits are passed on using Punnett squares and pedigrees.
Thursday and Friday we will start applying our vocabulary terms as we start Punnett squares.
Assignments and DUE Dates:
Monday 9/21- Study Guide for reproduction, mitosis & meiosis assessment DUE, Revisions
Study for your reproduction, mitosis and meiosis assessment
Tuesday 9/22- CK-12 Article: Pea Plants guided notes (Read the posting in Google Classroom for all of the specific information)
Assessment over reproduction, mitosis & meiosis , Revisions DUE
Wednesday 9/23- CK-12 Article: Pea Plants guided notes
Thursday 9/24- CK-12 Article: Pea Plants guided notes
Friday 9/25- CK-12 Article: Pea Plants guided notes DUE, Heredity Practice Problems DUE
Week of 9/14 to 9/18:
This week we fill be focussing on the differences and similarities between mitosis and meiosis. We we be using videos, models and text to help us with learning about these processes.
THERE WILL BE AN ASSESSMENT OVER REPRODUCTION, MITOSIS & MEIOSIS ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22ND.
A study guide for this assessment will be provided to students on Wednesday 9/16. This study guide will be due at the beginning of class on Monday 9/21. The study guide and all other assignments on reproduction, mitosis & meiosis must be completed and turned in before the assessment in order to be eligible for reassessment.
Assignments and DUE Dates:
Monday 9/14- Revisions
Tuesday 9/15- CK-12 Article: Mitosis vs. Meiosis guided notes and digital practice questions
(Read the posting in Google Classroom for all of the specific information), Revisions
Wednesday 9/16- CK-12 Article: Mitosis vs. Meiosis guided notes and digital practice questions
Revisions DUE, Study Guide for reproduction, mitosis & meiosis assessment
Thursday 9/17- CK-12 Article: Mitosis vs. Meiosis guided notes and digital practice questions
Study Guide for reproduction, mitosis & meiosis assessment
Friday 9/18- CK-12 Article: Mitosis vs. Meiosis guided notes and digital practice questions DUE
Finish Study Guide for reproduction, mitosis & meiosis assessment (DUE Monday 9/21)
Assessment over reproduction, mitosis & meiosis will be on Tuesday, September 22nd
Week of 9/7 to 9/11:
This week we will be wrapping up reproduction and starting into cell division.
Tuesday we will be reviewing graphing and will graph the data that we collected on asexual and sexual reproduction last week.
Wednesday we will focus on the advantages and disadvantages of asexual and sexual reproduction by working cooperatively on a card sort. You will get your reproduction active reading (from Friday 9/4) back. If there is something that you need to revise (fix) this assignment you will have until Friday to make these revisions and turn it back in. The organism articles that you got in class on Friday 9/4 are due on Wednesday.
Thursday we will switch gears and start to focus on cell division. We will start with mitosis on Thursday and then meiosis on Friday. The CK-12 article: Asexual Reproduction guided notes and online practice questions are due on Friday.
Assignments and DUE Dates:
Monday 9/7- No school, Labor Day
Tuesday 9/8- CK-12 Article: Asexual Reproduction guided notes and digital practice questions
(Read the posting in Google Classroom for all of the specific information)
Finish organism reproduction articles, due tomorrow
Wednesday 9/9- CK-12 Article: Asexual Reproduction guided notes and digital practice questions
Organism reproduction articles DUE, Revisions (on reproduction active reading from Friday 9/4)
Thursday 9/10- Finish CK-12 Article: Asexual Reproduction guided notes & digital practice questions, Finish Revisions
Friday 9/11- CK-12 Article: Asexual Reproduction guided notes and digital practice questions DUE, Revisions DUE
Week of 8/31 to 9/4:
This we will continue to focus on reproduction.
Monday we will finish the CK-12 Modes of Reproduction guided notes together. We will also take some time to organize our binders.
On Tuesday we will have our first kick off question and review sexual and asexual reproduction with the Amoeba Sisters (a great life science resource). We will also have time to work on the CK-12 article: Modes of Reproduction digital practice questions (accessed through CK-12 in the bottom right corner of the article).
Wednesday and Thursday we will be doing a hands on lab looking at the populations of organisms that reproduce asexually and organisms that reproduce sexually. This data will help us as we review graphing next week.
On Friday each student will get a set of articles to read about an organism and determine the reproduction method that each organism uses. For each article there will be a chart that will be filled out about the organism. This assignment will be due by Wednesday, Sept. 9th
Assignments and DUE Dates:
Monday 8/31- Charge my Chromebook
Tuesday 9/1- CK-12 Article: Modes of Reproduction digital practice questions
Wednesday 9/2- Finish CK-12 Article: Modes of Reproduction digital practice questions
Thursday 9/3- CK-12 Article: Modes of Reproduction digital practice questions DUE
Friday 9/4- Picture Day, Work on types of reproduction articles (DUE by Wednesday 9/9)
Week of 8/24 to 8/28:
This week we will be taking OST pre-assessment checkpoints to get baseline data on what each person knows about our 8th grade standards already. Monday will be life science, Tuesday will be physical science and Wednesday will be earth science. Each checkpoint has 8 questions. On Monday and Tuesday after the checkpoints you will log into Explore Learning/ Gizmos to collect data on your reaction time using your sense of sight and hearing. On Wednesday you will then use this data to write a CER pre-assessment.
Thursday we will be starting our Life Science Unit with investigating the two types of reproduction that living things use. The focus of this will be on how many parents are involved and the genetic makeup of the offspring (identical or non-identical to the parent). We will also learn about advantages and disadvantages of asexual and sexual reproduction.
Friday we will continue our focus on reproduction and learn how to accurately complete the 8th grade version of the CK-12 article guided notes by reading the article Modes of Reproduction together and filling in the guided notes as we read.
Throughout the week we will finish setting up our science binders and notebooks.
Assignments and DUE Dates:
Monday 8/24- Remember to charge your Chromebook
Tuesday 8/25- Remember to charge your Chromebook, Open House 5 to 7 pm
Wednesday 8/26- Remember to charge your Chromebook
Thursday 8/27- Remember to charge your Chromebook
Friday 8/28- Remember to charge your Chromebook, Get some sleep