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DNA Paper Models! Our class DNA strand was completed today and we finished with 206 nucleotide base pairs! That may seem big... but 206 nucleotides is only about 0.00000006% of a normal human DNA strand which includes 3 billion base pairs! Once we finished constructing our DNA paper models, we began working on our DNA model project. Students were given the majority of the class period to either work independently or in small groups to create and engineer a model of DNA. Thus far, the progress has been great and there are some great looking models in the making!
ASAPScience Olympic videos below the break! (Click Read More to the right)
Were you able to Celebrate your Learning? Following our Unit 5: Cellular Division Celebration of Learning, students were provided a DNA information packet to serve as a general baseline introduction to our next unit - DNA, RNA, and Protein Synthesis! Over the next couple of weeks, we will be learning about the organizational structure of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid). Once a strong level of understanding of the structure is established, we will begin to investigate the processes in which DNA replicates and, eventually, forms proteins. At the end of class, students were introduced to our next big project - creating DNA models! On block day, students will be asked to bring supplies to begin their construction. They will be able to work independently or in small groups. Bonus points will be awarded for the largest, smallest, and most creative models!
Welcome back after not one, not two, but THREE Snow Days! As a result of the snow days - we will push back our Unit 5 Cellular Division Celebration of Learning to Monday, February 10th. Please use the weekend to your advantage to review the material - specifically the Cell Cycle, Mitosis and Meiosis. On Thursday, February 6th, the 2014 Winter Olympics began in Sochi, Russia. To celebrate this great event, we will be watching short interesting science videos created by ASAPScience about the Olympics each day as we start class! Today, we featured their first installment of the Olympics Series titled Amazing Olympic Facts.(posted below)
What happens if you finish your assessment with plenty of time to spare? How much time is too much time to spend on a question? The answer to these questions is individually unique to each student... What is important to note, however, is that time management is a critical skill to possess when it comes to conquering any assessment. On our last Celebration of Learning, the average student spent approximately 30 seconds per question... that includes the three short answer problems! In my best opinion, if we all take a little time to slow down, read the question thoroughly, digest the possible answer choices, then begin to think critically - we can all improve on our last performance. Additionally, through the admission of several students, I feel we can address and better improve upon our studying techniques and methods. By asking questions when we are unsure and also utilizing the many resources available to us, we can put ourselves in the best position to succeed to the highest of our capabilities. Test taking strategy:
I recommend you spend approximately 1 minute (60 seconds) for each multiple choice question and 3 minutes (180 seconds) for each short answer question In the posts below you will find a number of resources available to you (Quia quizzes, videos, images, etc) to best prepare you for the upcoming Re-Celebration of Learning on block day (January 5th and 6th).
What would you do different if you could do it all over again? On Friday, we had our first Celebration of Learning for the second semester... As per our discussion in class on Friday, I think we all agree that we could have performed much better! As a result, we will re-Celebrate our learning next block day (Feb 5th/6th) in class. On Monday, Feb 3rd, we will review some of the results and reteach some of the most commonly missed elements. I know we can all succeed at a much higher level! Looking through our assignments and short answer responses, I think one area where we can all improve is in the area of attention and effort. By reading each question thoroughly and taking the time to pay close attention to what is actually being asked, I think our scores can drastically improve!
What makes you different from everyone else on this planet? More specifically, what makes you different than your siblings and/or parents? Here's a little math demonstrating genetic variation to boggle your mind... Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes. This means, as they randomly arrange themselves in new gametes, there are 2^23 different possible combinations of chromosomes.
Thus... the possible amount of chromosomal arrangements is as follows:
The craziest fact about those mind boggling combinations? That doesn't even take into account crossing over!
There are virtually infinite combinations in which your chromosomes and the DNA contained within it could be organized - so be glad that you are unique!
Unit 5: Cellular Division Celebration of Learning on Friday, January 31st! The Unit 5 Review is posted on Extra Help: Unit 5 Page as well as below. Please make sure to check your StudentVue/ParentVue and take care of any missing assignments. On Tuesday, I will be assigning TCB to those with assignments still not submitted. Also, I will be posting grades tonight for your Unit 5: Checking for Understanding Quiz on Quia- please make sure you complete a minimum of three attempts. I will be reporting your best score - you can take the quiz as many times as you would like. Today we discussed the process of Meiosis - the production of gametes! This process follows a very similar path to Mitosis - except meiosis undergoes two sets of division and results in four genetically unique cells! The guided notes from today's lesson are posted below.
How well do you understand the process of Mitosis? Formative assessments are a great way for students and teachers to check levels of progress towards mastery in any subject or content area. Based on the results of a formative assessment, we can adapt and modify the way we study and present material. Today, students had the opportunity to take their Unit 5: Checking for Understanding quiz on Quia over Mitosis. - Unit 5 Checking for Understanding Quiz: http://www.quia.com/quiz/4587376.html Today was also a great day for Blue Valley High School as we were fortunate enough to have a guest speaker nationally known for his presentations on social media - Josh Ochs! (joshochs.com)
What is cancer? Are all cancers the same? Cancer has been characterized as an "uncontrollable growth of abnormal cells in the body" and can impact almost any type of cell in the body. (National Library of Medicine) When our cells lack the ability to regulate or stop their growth and replication, a large collection of unneeded cells is created - also known as a tumor. Cancer is prevalent in many forms and impacts people of all ages. In 2013 alone, researchers anticipate 1,660,290 new diagnosed cases of cancer in the United States. This striking figure does not even take into account the high number of people affected by basal and squamous cell skin cancers! Over the next week, students will have the opportunity to research a cancer of their choice and create a "Cancer Calendar" following the instructions and rubric posted below. Today, students selected a wide range of cancers including breast cancer, leukemia, Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, salivary gland cancer, Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia, and many more.
Treatment options for burn victims and other severe injuries... In the world of biomedical technology and engineering, researchers are trying to develop advanced methods for healing skin cells following burns and/or other severe injuries and infections. In Unit 5 - Cellular Division, we have been discussing the process of mitosis - or the way in which somatic cells divide and replicate. A skin graft utilizes mitosis by taking healthy tissue from another area of the patient and placing it over the damaged or infected area in hopes that it will grow and form new tissue. The class had an opportunity to watch two short clips about current biomedical research in the field of skin cell regeneration. Following the clips and discussion, Mr. Hulse presented about a skin graft treatment he assisted with while working in the surgical ward of a hospital in Mombasa, Kenya!
Paraphrasing or Plagiarizing?
With an increasing shift towards electronic publications and online research databases, more and more cases of plagiarism and fraud have surfaced in the research community. One of the recent cases involved two researchers from the University of Kansas! (Article by the KC Star) Today, our students had a great opportunity to listen to a presentation by our Library Media Specialist Miss Edwards! (@MissEdwardsBVH) The students learned how to analyze a resource, identify the main ideas, effectively paraphrase the content, and synthesize a cohesive summary without plagiarizing. Following the presentation, students had time to work on their first honors work of the semester - Honors Work #3.
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Mr. Hulse
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