Well we are back and ready to tackle the rest of this years information! I'm happy to see everyone again and look forward to finishing our year together!
Biology
We covered module 9 that was read at home over the break and started Module 10. Please make sure your vocabulary lists are up to date, as well as your OYO questions. I do not have vocabulary quizzes listed on the syllabus because those are surprise and if you have your list completed, you may use your vocab. listing as an "open book" tool.
Next week we will finish out Module 10. There is an experiment on Wednesday that requires sunshine so I will watch the weather forecast for next week and then decide if we will be able to proceed with it.
I also assigned an extra credit assignment that is due in 2 weeks. Please draw the Water cycle (either at the ocean or watershed, not both), the Carbon cycle, the Oxygen cycle and the Nitrogen cycle. Each drawing is worth 5pts of extra credit added to your lowest test score!
Chemistry
We moved through Module 9 this week and finished up with two experiments that highlighted the difference between polar covalent bonds and purely covalent bonds. Please read Module 10 to page 334, stopping before Molarity.
I gave a quiz on the polyatomic ions and most of the grades were very good. For a few students, I am offering a re-test on Monday that will allow them to average the new grade in with their old grade to bring it up.
I am also working on an extra credit assignment that can be added to their lowest test score. If you are struggling at all with the material, PLEASE come to me! I am more than happy to work with you outside of class (no charge at all) and make sure that you feel better about the material. My goal that everyone "gets" the material (gets it, not necessarily loves it).
We did a rather thrilling "explosion" yesterday and ALL of the students were told numerous times that this is not to be done at home without parental supervision. We took all necessary safety precautions and the result was satisfying, even in the rain. Again, this is not to be done at home!
Advanced Biology
We worked our way through most of Module 9 and will finish up the rest next week as well as moving into Module 10. Module 10 is very short, only 18 pages so we will try to move through all of it next week. The test for Module 9 will be mainly vocabulary. Expect a figure of the eye to be on the test to label. I will be checking notebooks next week so please make sure they are complete!
We did cow's eyes dissections this week and I enjoyed everyone's enthusiasm and willingness to participate! Dissections aren't for everyone but so much beauty in our creation can be witnessed when we see the complexity of different organ structures!
I hope everyone has a great weekend! If for some reason, you did not receive your syllabus, please let me know!
Susan Matthews
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Time to slow down a little!
We have 4 weeks left and still a lot to do! However we're slowing down a little both in Chemistry and Adv. Biology so that we make sure we get the material covered completely.
Biology
We looked at onion epidermis cells that were stained with iodine to assist with identifying cell structure. We also looked at cork but it is always difficult to get cork cut thin enough to accurately see the orderly nature of the cell structure. We also looked at prepared slides to assist with identifying both plant and animal cells.
Move ahead into Module 7 with your reading and make sure you do your OYO and vocabulary listing.
Chemistry
We finished discussing all of module 6 this week and spent today working on practice problems in class. After working problems by themselves, it was decided that most of the class could use an extra week to cement our knowledge of stoichiometry. We will NOT have a test next week and will continue working until everyone is more confident. So stay in module 6, re-reading and doing practice problems. In this case, practice really does make perfect.
Advanced Biology
We completed half of module 6 this week (to p. 165) but the muscle identification is so intense that we stopped there and will pick up with the other half next week and will test on the 2nd half of module 6 on Wednesday. The test should not be that long which will still give me time to start prefacing the next module so that we don't lose too much ground.
I was very pleased with the test grades today - good work everyone!
Have a great weekend!!
Mrs. Matthews
Biology
We looked at onion epidermis cells that were stained with iodine to assist with identifying cell structure. We also looked at cork but it is always difficult to get cork cut thin enough to accurately see the orderly nature of the cell structure. We also looked at prepared slides to assist with identifying both plant and animal cells.
Move ahead into Module 7 with your reading and make sure you do your OYO and vocabulary listing.
Chemistry
We finished discussing all of module 6 this week and spent today working on practice problems in class. After working problems by themselves, it was decided that most of the class could use an extra week to cement our knowledge of stoichiometry. We will NOT have a test next week and will continue working until everyone is more confident. So stay in module 6, re-reading and doing practice problems. In this case, practice really does make perfect.
Advanced Biology
We completed half of module 6 this week (to p. 165) but the muscle identification is so intense that we stopped there and will pick up with the other half next week and will test on the 2nd half of module 6 on Wednesday. The test should not be that long which will still give me time to start prefacing the next module so that we don't lose too much ground.
I was very pleased with the test grades today - good work everyone!
Have a great weekend!!
Mrs. Matthews
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
week 10
Biology
We finished module 5 this week and took our test on modules 4&5. If you were not here for the test then I will give it to you when you come back as a take-home test. We will be moving into Module 6 and our study of plant and animal cells next week. There is a lot of vocabulary for this module so make sure you keep up with it or you will get overwhelmed. We will be looking at cork structure as well as onion epidermis for our lab next week.
Chemistry
We worked on stoichiometry this week and I gave a list of steps to follow to solve stoichiometry problems. Keep this available as you work through the OYO questions this week, finishing out the reading of Module 6.
Our experiment demonstrated limiting reactants as we inflated balloons by using baking soda and vinegar. Finish your lab write-ups and keep your notebooks up to date please! Our lab time next week will be used cementing our knowledge of stoichiometry problems.
Advanced Biology
We got half way through our module on muscle anatomy and will finish this module up next week. We will be having a test on Wednesday which will cover muscle physiology and anatomy. The anatomy will be broken down into muscle "regions" so it will be easier to study them this way.
Remember that your coloring book is also a great studying resource!
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Matthews
We finished module 5 this week and took our test on modules 4&5. If you were not here for the test then I will give it to you when you come back as a take-home test. We will be moving into Module 6 and our study of plant and animal cells next week. There is a lot of vocabulary for this module so make sure you keep up with it or you will get overwhelmed. We will be looking at cork structure as well as onion epidermis for our lab next week.
Chemistry
We worked on stoichiometry this week and I gave a list of steps to follow to solve stoichiometry problems. Keep this available as you work through the OYO questions this week, finishing out the reading of Module 6.
Our experiment demonstrated limiting reactants as we inflated balloons by using baking soda and vinegar. Finish your lab write-ups and keep your notebooks up to date please! Our lab time next week will be used cementing our knowledge of stoichiometry problems.
Advanced Biology
We got half way through our module on muscle anatomy and will finish this module up next week. We will be having a test on Wednesday which will cover muscle physiology and anatomy. The anatomy will be broken down into muscle "regions" so it will be easier to study them this way.
Remember that your coloring book is also a great studying resource!
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Matthews
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Week 9
Biology
We completed our osmosis experiments today as well as a demo on diffusion. Please complete module 5 reading, making sure you keep up with the "OYO" and your vocabulary lists. I will be doing a notebook check next week so please make sure your books are up to date!
Chemistry
We finished module 5 and will be moving into module 6, stoichiometry, next week. Read to P. 182 in Module 6 - also, make sure your notebooks are up to date and that you have completed the calculations for our "Measuring the width of a molecule" lab. 5pts of extra credit will be awarded to the students that complete their calculations and have them in their notebooks when I do a check next week!
It is really important to keep up with the reading and the "OYO" questions through this next module! If you are struggling, then please let me know as we are going through it!
Advanced Biology
We have finished up Module 5, the physiology of muscle and are moving into Module 6 where we will work on identification. Please read to p. 165 in Module 6 and complete the "OYO" questions as well as the vocabulary list.
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Matthews
We completed our osmosis experiments today as well as a demo on diffusion. Please complete module 5 reading, making sure you keep up with the "OYO" and your vocabulary lists. I will be doing a notebook check next week so please make sure your books are up to date!
Chemistry
We finished module 5 and will be moving into module 6, stoichiometry, next week. Read to P. 182 in Module 6 - also, make sure your notebooks are up to date and that you have completed the calculations for our "Measuring the width of a molecule" lab. 5pts of extra credit will be awarded to the students that complete their calculations and have them in their notebooks when I do a check next week!
It is really important to keep up with the reading and the "OYO" questions through this next module! If you are struggling, then please let me know as we are going through it!
Advanced Biology
We have finished up Module 5, the physiology of muscle and are moving into Module 6 where we will work on identification. Please read to p. 165 in Module 6 and complete the "OYO" questions as well as the vocabulary list.
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Matthews
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Week 8
We were missing a lot of students today due to the PSAT as well as illness. We are officially over the halfway point and now is the time to reach deep for more energy so that we can finish well. I know many of you have lots of assignments piling up, but I encourage you not to fall behind on your reading or your notebooks. Class will go so much smoother if we are all on the same page!
Biology
We worked with bread molds and cheese molds today. Not many things gross me out, but blue cheese sure does! For next week, read to p. 140 in Module 5 as we begin the "Chemistry of Life"! You will need to choose one experiment - either 5.1 or 5.2 to complete at home. Please make sure that you do the write-up for the experiment that you did at home because we will be sharing results in class!
Chemistry
Today we reconstructed a model of the decomposition of water. It took a little problem solving, but both groups got positive results!
We are entering the world of moles as we get ready to hit the heart of chemistry - stoichiometry! Please finish reading Module 5 do ALL the OYO problems! These give you valuable practice as we start to work with converting from grams to moles. We will finish Module 5 with ample practice converting!
Please make sure that if you do not understand any of the concepts, that you don't wait until right before a test to tell me. I am more than willing to help but I can't do that if I don't know you're struggling.
Adv. Biology
With only 2 students today, it was a very laid back class. We viewed striated muscle under the microscope and worked on coloring exercises 5. 1 and 5. 2. Please complete these coloring exercises at home!
We will finish reading Module 5 this week. Make sure you keep your vocabulary up to date as well as the OYO questions. !
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Matthews
Biology
We worked with bread molds and cheese molds today. Not many things gross me out, but blue cheese sure does! For next week, read to p. 140 in Module 5 as we begin the "Chemistry of Life"! You will need to choose one experiment - either 5.1 or 5.2 to complete at home. Please make sure that you do the write-up for the experiment that you did at home because we will be sharing results in class!
Chemistry
Today we reconstructed a model of the decomposition of water. It took a little problem solving, but both groups got positive results!
We are entering the world of moles as we get ready to hit the heart of chemistry - stoichiometry! Please finish reading Module 5 do ALL the OYO problems! These give you valuable practice as we start to work with converting from grams to moles. We will finish Module 5 with ample practice converting!
Please make sure that if you do not understand any of the concepts, that you don't wait until right before a test to tell me. I am more than willing to help but I can't do that if I don't know you're struggling.
Adv. Biology
With only 2 students today, it was a very laid back class. We viewed striated muscle under the microscope and worked on coloring exercises 5. 1 and 5. 2. Please complete these coloring exercises at home!
We will finish reading Module 5 this week. Make sure you keep your vocabulary up to date as well as the OYO questions. !
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Matthews
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Week 7
Week 7 is completed and we're almost to the middle! Let's not lose our pace and keep working to finish strong!
Biology
This week we entered the Kingdom of Fungi. We took a walk this morning to find mushrooms which we dissected and attempted to find spores. We were able to find a few to view under the microscope. We also made slides from dissolved yeast which we stained to be able to see budding yeast cells. For next week, finish up module 4 and keep up with your vocabulary list and your OYO questions. Please make sure your notebooks are up to date! You never know when you might need them! Strong hint!
Chemistry
We finished out module 4 this week and worked on balancing equations. We also took a test today on Modules 3 & 4 and the grades were much better this time. We start talking about moles next week in Module 5 as we lead up to stoichiometry. Complete your reading to p. 149 and do the OYO questions as you read.
Advanced Biology
We finished up module 4 this week and took a test on Modules 3-4. The grades were great! Good work! We also had some creative fun time making all of the synovial joints out of edible substances! A great stress reliever after the test! For next week, read to p. 136 in module 5 and do the OYO questions and your vocabulary list!
If you missed a day this week then just go by the syllabus to know your assignment. If you missed a test, then I will be give it to you next Monday. Please try and bring it back to class with you on Wednesday.
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Matthews
Biology
This week we entered the Kingdom of Fungi. We took a walk this morning to find mushrooms which we dissected and attempted to find spores. We were able to find a few to view under the microscope. We also made slides from dissolved yeast which we stained to be able to see budding yeast cells. For next week, finish up module 4 and keep up with your vocabulary list and your OYO questions. Please make sure your notebooks are up to date! You never know when you might need them! Strong hint!
Chemistry
We finished out module 4 this week and worked on balancing equations. We also took a test today on Modules 3 & 4 and the grades were much better this time. We start talking about moles next week in Module 5 as we lead up to stoichiometry. Complete your reading to p. 149 and do the OYO questions as you read.
Advanced Biology
We finished up module 4 this week and took a test on Modules 3-4. The grades were great! Good work! We also had some creative fun time making all of the synovial joints out of edible substances! A great stress reliever after the test! For next week, read to p. 136 in module 5 and do the OYO questions and your vocabulary list!
If you missed a day this week then just go by the syllabus to know your assignment. If you missed a test, then I will be give it to you next Monday. Please try and bring it back to class with you on Wednesday.
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Matthews
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Week 5
Well it was a rainy end to our week but a productive one! Here's the breakdown of the week by class.
Biology
We viewed our pond cultures again today and the egg cultures were definitely the winner! I may give these cultures a few more days to grow and pull them out again on Monday and see if we can see some of our protozoa on a larger scale. The ones we saw today were quite small! We were able to see a few Euglena and some Paramecium, however.
Please finish reading Module 3 next week and complete the OYO questions and vocabulary lists. We will have a short test on Modules 1-3 on Wednesday. Please have your notebooks up to date!
Chemistry
I returned the chemistry tests and gave the quizzes on the first 20 of the periodic table. The grades were fairly good but we do need to buckle down some. Remember to always label your answer with the correct unit!
Our experiment today showed helped to highlight the difference between covalent and ionic compounds in a tangible way.
Read to p. 113 in Module 4 for next week and complete the OYO questions. Our lab time on Wednesday will be very busy so please come prepared - that means read over our experiments before you come! We will be doing Exp. 4.1 and 4.2 in class. Steps 1 & 8 of Exp. 4.2 will need to be done at home before you come!! Make sure your lab notebooks are up to date!
Adv.Biology
We used our skeletal models today to help solidify our memorization of the skeletal system. Many thanks to Shelby's family for letting us borrow "Stinky". We also have "Steve" and "Bonita", our smaller models to assist us. There were quite a few coloring exercises for us to do this week so we did not get them all finished. Please try to go through these at home. The drawings of the cranial bones are quite good and will really help with your memorization.
For next week, read Module 4 to p. 110 and complete the OYO questions and vocabulary listing. We will do Exp. 4.2 in class but Exp. 4.1 will need to be done at home!
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Matthews
Biology
We viewed our pond cultures again today and the egg cultures were definitely the winner! I may give these cultures a few more days to grow and pull them out again on Monday and see if we can see some of our protozoa on a larger scale. The ones we saw today were quite small! We were able to see a few Euglena and some Paramecium, however.
Please finish reading Module 3 next week and complete the OYO questions and vocabulary lists. We will have a short test on Modules 1-3 on Wednesday. Please have your notebooks up to date!
Chemistry
I returned the chemistry tests and gave the quizzes on the first 20 of the periodic table. The grades were fairly good but we do need to buckle down some. Remember to always label your answer with the correct unit!
Our experiment today showed helped to highlight the difference between covalent and ionic compounds in a tangible way.
Read to p. 113 in Module 4 for next week and complete the OYO questions. Our lab time on Wednesday will be very busy so please come prepared - that means read over our experiments before you come! We will be doing Exp. 4.1 and 4.2 in class. Steps 1 & 8 of Exp. 4.2 will need to be done at home before you come!! Make sure your lab notebooks are up to date!
Adv.Biology
We used our skeletal models today to help solidify our memorization of the skeletal system. Many thanks to Shelby's family for letting us borrow "Stinky". We also have "Steve" and "Bonita", our smaller models to assist us. There were quite a few coloring exercises for us to do this week so we did not get them all finished. Please try to go through these at home. The drawings of the cranial bones are quite good and will really help with your memorization.
For next week, read Module 4 to p. 110 and complete the OYO questions and vocabulary listing. We will do Exp. 4.2 in class but Exp. 4.1 will need to be done at home!
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Matthews
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