This unit was on macromolecules. For this unit, I completed 9 assignments including the 8 above and the last one below. There was also a check in test on macromolecules that I took on Google classroom. The first Assignment was a short reading with a few questions I answered as I read. This introduced the four macromolecules—carbohydrates, nucleic acids, proteins and lipids, and their monomers—monosaccharides, nucleotide, amino acids and fatty acids. The next assignment was a group project that went into more depth about each macromolecule. The information we found included the monomer of the macromolecule, dietary sources of it, its functions in a cell, and examples of it. My macromolecule was protein. The third assignment was an edpuzzle video with questions to answer at certain intervals. The video was titled Biological Molecules and was a crash course video that delved into the macromolecules we get from food—carbohydrates, protein and lipids. The following assignment was a macromolecule chart that was similar to the group project we did, but I had to do all four macromolecules on my own (except for nucleic acid which was given as an example). In the nutrition label challenge, or macromolecule challenge, I analyzed the nutrition labels of three food items I collected from my kitchen. I recorded the total grams of carbohydrates, fat and protein for each item and learned what was in the food I was eating. For the webquest assignment I watched a slideshow for each macromolecule and answered questions on a separate slideshow. For the fast food challenge, I had to pick a fast food restaurant and try to create a balanced diet with the given criteria. I chose Subway and was not able to create a balanced diet with just the items on their menu because they are too high in protein and sodium. For the food testing assignment I watched a video on using standard tests with indicator solutions to test food substances for the presence of certain macromolecules and recorded the results. The final assignment was the Murder and a Meal case where my group and I used the results from the same tests that were on the food testing video to determine the restaurant where a murder victim was poisoned. There was also a quick group assignment I completed using information from the nutrition label challenge and a graph to answer questions. I put a button to that page at the bottom of this section.

Macromolecule—a macromolecule is a very large molecule, or polymer, comprised of smaller molecules. These smaller molecules are called monomers. This entire unit was about macromolecules.

Biomolecule—a biomolecule or biological molecule includes any of numerous substances that are produced by cells and living organisms. Biomolecules have a wide range of sizes and structures and perform a vast array of functions. The four macromolecules discussed in this unit are all examples of biomolecules.

Organic Molecule—an organic molecule is a molecule of the kind normally found in living systems. Organic molecules are usually composed of carbon atoms in rings or long chains, to which are attached other atoms of such elements as hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. Carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids and lipids are all organic molecules that come in many different forms.

Carbohydrate—carbohydrates are a macromolecule found in food and they are an important part of a balanced diet. They are the sugars, starches and fibers found in fruits, grains, vegetables and milk products, and they provide cells with short-term energy. Carbohydrates commonly contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, and were included in all the assignments for this unit.

Monosaccharide—monosaccharides are the monomers of carbohydrates. They are simple sugars soluble in water. Some monosaccharides include glucose, fructose and galactose.

Disaccharides—disaccharides are formed when two monosaccharides are joined together. Like monosaccharides, disaccharides are simple sugars soluble in water.

Polysaccharide—polysaccharides are composed of many monosaccharides.

Oligosaccharide—oligosaccharides, like polysaccharides, are composed of monosaccharides. The main difference between the two is that oligosaccharides are made of fewer monosaccharides than polysaccharides.

Nucleic Acid—nucleic acids are another macromolecule. Unlike carbohydrates, protein and lipids, nucleic acids are not attained from food. Nucleic acid carries an organism's genetic code. DNA and RNA are both nucleic acids. Nucleic acids commonly contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and phosphorous, and were also included in all the assignments for this unit.

Nucleotides—nucleotides are the monomer of nucleic acids. They are made of three components: a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogenous base.

Proteins—proteins are another macromolecule found in food. There are many different types of proteins. Some act as messengers, some act as antibodies, and others form structural components of organisms, such as muscle or cartilage. Proteins commonly contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, and were included in all the assignments in this unit.

Amino Acids—amino acids are the monomers of proteins. There are 20 different amino acids commonly found in the proteins of living organisms. Small proteins may contain a few hundred amino acids, while large proteins may contain thousands.

Lipids—lipids are macromolecules found in food as fat. They are soluble in nonpolar solvents. Because of this, phospholipids form cell membranes, and other lipids store energy for organisms to use after depleting their short-term carbohydrate energy. Lipids commonly contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, and were also included in all assignments in this unit.

Fatty Acid—fatty acid is the monomer of lipids. Fatty acid pertains to any long chain of hydrocarbon, with a single carboxylic group and aliphatic tail.

Indicators(+ result/- result)—indicators are substances whose solutions change color due to changes in pH. When combined with another substance, the resulting color determines whether the substance the indicator was added to tested positive or negative for whatever the indicator is used test for.

Iodine—iodine is an indicator solution used to test a substance for the presence of starch. If the resulting color of an iodine test is the same orange the iodine solution was originally the result is negative. If the resulting color of an iodine test is blue/black the result is positive.

Biuret—biuret is an indicator solution used to test a substance for the presence of proteins. If the resulting color of a biuret test is blue/green the result is negative. If the resulting color of a biuret test is lilac/purple the result is positive.

Benedict's—Benedict's reagent is an indicator solution used to test a substance for the presence of reducing sugar (simple sugar). If the resulting color of a Benedict's test is blue/white the result is negative. If the resulting color of a Benedict's test is green, yellow, orange or brick red precipitate the result is positive. A brick red result contains much more reducing sugar than a green result.

Ethanol—ethanol emulsion is an indicator solution used to test a substance for the presence of lipids. If there is no emulsion after an ethanol test the result is negative. If there is white emulsion after an ethanol test the result is positive.

DCPIP—DCPIP is an indicator solution used to test a substance for the presence of vitamin C. If the result of a DCPIP test is a non-clear (blue, purple, pink) solution the result is negative. If the result of a DCPIP test is a clear solution the result is positive.

Standard—a standard is an idea or thing used as a measure, norm, or model in comparative evaluations (such as the color results of some of the indicator solutions above).

calorie—the small calorie or gram calorie (cal) is the amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius.

Calorie—the large Calorie, food calorie or kilocalorie (Cal, calorie or kcal) is widely used in nutrition. It is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius.

Daily Value—daily value is used in nutrition labels on food products to measure the amount of each nutrient you would get from consuming that food product compared to the suggested daily amount from the Reference Daily Intake.

Reference Daily Intake—the Reference Daily Intake used in nutrition labeling on food and dietary supplement products in the U.S. and Canada is the daily intake level of a nutrient that is considered to be sufficient to meet the requirements of 97-98% of healthy individuals in every demographic in the United States.

Carbon—carbon is the chemical element with the symbol C and atomic number 6 on the periodic table. Carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids and lipids are all carbon-based macromolecules.

Hydrogen—hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids and lipids all contain hydrogen atoms.

Oxygen—oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. Carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids and lipids all contain oxygen atoms.

Nitrogen—nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Proteins, nucleic acids and lipids all contain nitrogen atoms.

Phosphorus—phosphorus is the chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Nucleic acids contain phosphorus atoms.

Producer—a producer is an organism that produces organic compounds from simple substances such as water and carbon dioxide. Producers synthesize many of the macromolecules we need to grow and survive.

Photosynthesis—photosynthesis is the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water. Plants require nitrogen in the form of ammonia to maintain chlorophyll and enable plants to use sunlight to synthesize sugar from water and carbon dioxide. Nitrogen is also a major component of of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. Plants need proteins to survive.

Nitrogen Cycle—the nitrogen cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which nitrogen is converted into multiple chemical forms as it circulates among atmosphere terrestrial, and marine ecosystems.

Ammonia—ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen. Plants require ammonia for photosynthesis.

Nitrite—in the nitrogen cycle, ammonia is converted to nitrite by ammonia-nitrifying bacteria.

Nitrate—in the nitrogen cycle, nitrite is converted to nitrate by nitrite-nitrifying bacteria. Through the process of dentrification nitrate is converted to oxygen and nitrogen gas which is released into the atmosphere to restart the nitrogen cycle. Most of the nitrogen plants get is in the form of nitrates from the soil, which they convert into ammonia through a process called nitrification to use for photosynthesis.

I learned a lot about macromolecules during this unit. Before I had never really considered what was in the food I was eating, but now I will definitely try to do so more often. I also did not have much knowledge of nucleic acids going into this unit. I knew more about carbohydrates, proteins and lipids because I had a macromolecule unit about them in 7th grade. That unit did not include anything about nucleic acids, so I was really eager to learn about them during this unit.

During this unit, I feel like I did a good job comprehending the subject matter and gained a new skill in considering what was in the food I eat. I feel like I did a good job comprehending the information I learned about macromolecules. Sometimes I have trouble comprehending something in a class, so I just read and memorize the information we go over, but in this unit, I really managed to understand macromolecules in what they are, why we need them, their molecular structure, etc. In the introduction to macromolecules assignment, I really understood the short reading and had an easy time answering the questions. The concepts that were introduced of monomers and polymers really stuck with me, making the subsequent assignments easier and more interesting for me. This unit gave me a new skill of considering what was in the food I eat. I've always tried to make healthy choices when I eat, but I never really thought about what was in the food I was eating, what my body needs from that food, and why I need them. An assignment that made me think about these questions and more was the nutrition label challenge (or macromolecule challenge). For this assignment, I had to choose three items from my kitchen and analyze the nutrition label. Things I was looking for were grams of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, and the percent of my daily value that they constituted. I also looked at the ingredients in the foods I chose and found that they were pretty good. The Campbell soup contained some chemical preservatives in the pasta but that was to be expected since those cans are good for a few years. In the graph analysis I got to review the information I recorded in the nutrition label challenge and had to decide which would be the best choice for breakfast to provide me with energy throughout the school day. I was looking for more protein and some lipids, and perhaps some glucose to help wake me up in the morning.

Two things that I could have done better and will continue to improve upon include time management and researching information. I could have definitely managed my time better during this unit. I am usually free during lunch and I have no 5th period so I should try to use more of that time for school work or exercising. I usually exercise after school, but doing so during 5th period would leave me plenty of time and allow me to do more school work earlier in the day. Or I could break up my school work and do some during 5th period, then take a break after school to exercise before completing my work. For example, during the edpuzzle assignment, I had plenty of time to complete it during class but I kept rewatching segments because I was confused. Because of this I had to finish the assignment after school. Some of the questions were asked before the video had gone over the answer so I had to watch the video on my phone after school to answer the questions properly, rather than guessing. While I am glad I didn't guess on some of the questions, I could have just watched the video separately during class to answer the questions rather than waiting until after school. If I had done so, I would have watched the video on youtube on my chromebook rather than on my phone. I also had trouble researching information for some assignments during this unit. There are many sources online and I often found different or contradicting information online. I should have done more research to make sure what I wrote was correct. A good example of this would be the macromolecule graphic organizer (or macromolecule chart). On the chart I had trouble finding the exact information I needed. For instance, I had to find the monomer of carbohydrates; in the introduction to macromolecules assignment the monomer of carbohydrates was listed as sugar, but on the internet, some sources said it was sugar and others said that the correct term was monosaccharide. I put both down (one in parentheses) and we went over it the teacher had monosaccharide. I should have gone with the more popular answer of monosaccharide when I was researching and been confident in my answer. I now realize that the monomer was listed as sugar on the introduction assignment because Ms. Mathews wanted to introduce the term monosaccharide when we learned about it in subsequent assignments. I also found sources saying that the elements contained in lipids were mostly carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, but when we reviewed the assignment the correct answer was that lipids contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen; like protein rather than like carbohydrates.

Two C's that I demonstrated during this unit were collaboration and citizenship. There were several group assignments during this unit, including the macromolecule introduction assignment, the specific macromolecules assignment, the biological molecules edpuzzle assignment, the fast food challenge, the Murder and a Meal assignment and the macromolecule graph analysis practice assignment. In some of these assignments we worked individually but were in groups, such as; the macromolecule introduction, the biological molecule edpuzzle, the fast food challenge and the macromolecule graph analysis practice assignments. In the specific macromolecules assignment, we divided up the work and each did our own macromolecule which we wrote our name on. Finally, in the Murder and a Meal assignment, we all worked together on the entire slideshow. During the Murder and a Meal assignment I really demonstrated collaboration and citizenship. Everyone in my group worked well together and we decided to divide up the work. We each contributed and reviewed everything so we could help each other and understand all the information we had collected. When we were determining the restaurant that the victim was poisoned at, my group mates made a mistake. I explained the correct answer and why it was correct and one of my group mates immediately understood. The other still had trouble understanding so I kept my cool and explained the answer to him in many different ways until he too understood my reasoning. When we were all in agreement, we discussed what to write for our CLEAR paragraph and I typed it out. Another assignment I demonstrated collaboration and citizenship during was the specific macromolecules assignment. I was in a group of four and I asked everyone which macromolecules they wanted to research. No one had any preferences so I assigned a macromolecule to each member and made sure they were all satisfied. We each collaborated on the slideshow by working on our macromolecules. After I finished writing my section I checked if my group members were doing alright. One of them was almost finished with his section, but the other two seemed lost. I explained to them what to do for each part of their section and helped them research. Neither of them seemed to want to do their work, but I continued to push them and help them and they ended up getting most of their sections done. By helping my group mates and supporting them I demonstrated citizenship. We were only being graded on our section but I still helped my group mates because I wanted them to succeed and to not get left behind later in the unit.