Blog Archives - Button's Place

Day 32

9/30/2015

Wednesday and the week continues....................
The AP Biology students finished up their discussion of cellular respiration. It's really important to understand that cellular respiration is a series of redox reactions where energy is passed from one molecule to the next with the end product being a bunch of ATP.
The Biology students looked at different stages of mitosis and discussed the characteristics of each stage. The students will begin a lab tomorrow where they will observe these stages and make calculations to determine how long each stage takes.
The Chemistry students continued their review of the Unit 2 material by doing a lot of practice problems. They will be ready!

Day 31

9/29/2015

My ears were totally better today. Not that I really wanted to listen to anyone.
The AP Biology students went over the details of cellular respiration today. Know what's cool? The reason you breathe oxygen is to draw electrons through the electron transport chain. The electron transport chain is super important. The gas chamber works because it messes with the electron transport chain.
The Biology students learned a lot about mitosis, that miracle of biology that guarantees newly produced cells have the same exact genetic content as any previous "mother" cell.
The Chemistry students began a review of the information that is essentially the Unit 2 Learning Objectives. I think we will be ready for an exam this coming Friday.

Day 30

9/28/2015

My ears are all messed up today. And if there is one person who doesn't need additional hearing troubles, it's Helen Keller.
The AP Biology students finished the data analysis section of the Guided Activity portion of the Cell Respiration Lab. Generally, we got decent data. Certainly, the hypothesis that germinating peas respire at a higher rate than the non-germinating peas was prove to be accepted according to our data. Tomorrow, we will spend some time on the specifics of cell respiration.
The Biology students received updated grades today. Some students, like Seth and Morgan, are pretty happy. Others, however, are the opposite of that. We also had a quiz on cell organelles and diffusion which, of course, we having been spending time on.
The Chemistry students learned the most important relationship on the Periodic Table today and that is, I believe, the pattern of electronic configuration of the elements. We also turned in the Periodic Table assignment.

Day 29

9/25/2015

Friday! Yay! Football game tonight, bike shopping tomorrow and doing nuthin' on Sunday. What a great life!
The AP Biology students completed Part A of the Cell Respiration Lab today. Using germinating peas and their trusty respirometers, the students measured the oxygen consumption of said peas. We will analyze the results on Monday.
The Biology started and completed an activity on Diffusion. The students put a starch-glucose solution in a dialysis bag and placed it in a beaker with a water-iodine solution. Diffusion ensued. Notes were taken. Lessons were learned.
The Chemistry students spent the period finishing (or getting close to finishing) the Periodic Table activity started earlier this week. Congratulations to Liliana and Amber for getting close to the identity of the mystery element which turned out to be Selenium.

Day 28

9/24/2015

Man, this year is going by fast! Day 28 already??! Wow!
The AP Biology students reviewed the procedure for the Cell Respiration Lab which will take place tomorrow. We also talked about some of the technical aspects of measuring the rate of cell respiration using a respirometer that measures the decrease in oxygen within a system. Oh yeah.
The Biology students discussed the process of diffusion which, of course, is the movement of particles from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration. We also reviewed the use of dialysis tubing to create a semi-permeable membrane.
The Chemistry students continued the activity to re-create the Periodic Table using the characteristics of 31 elements. The students also attempted to discover the identity of a "mystery element" by finding its place among the other 31 elements. We will finish up this activity tomorrow.

Day 27

9/23/2015

Yay yay it's Collaboration Day!
During Collaboration Days, we spend time looking at different colleges, discussing financial aid and generally talking about how awesome college is. Today in all of my classes, we talked about UC Berkeley or, as it is known to many, Cal. I have some intimate knowledge of Cal and we were able to discuss getting into Cal and how much it can cost with a certain degree of accuracy.

Go Bears!

Day 26

9/22/2015

When is it going to rain!!??!! I keep hearing about this El Nino thing and I haven't seen a cloud in 5 years!
The AP Biology students started and completed an activity today that simulated the action of enzymes. Students broke toothpicks in much the same way the Vikings broke the bones of the vanquished innocents they plundered.
The Biology students finished up the Cell Observation Lab today by checking out a water plant in hopes of seeing cytoplasmic streaming. Alas, it was not to be. However, they did get to see a tomato horn worm which is almost as good. The lab is due tomorrow.
The Chemistry students discussed the construction of the Periodic Table and started an activity where they put together their own Periodic Table using the characteristics of a variety of different elements. We will continue that activity on Thursday as tomorrow is a Collaboration Day.

Day 25

9/21/2015

Monday drew in like a big cat hunting the Serengeti plains. Ah....poetry.
The AP Biology students discussed Meiosis or, as it is sometimes known, reduction division. The Mitosis and Meiosis Lab will be put to bed, as it were, by tomorrow. The next lab assignment, Cell Respiration, is right around the corner.
The Biology students got their exams back today and we went over it, in detail. Some students really need to do better and, in the spirit of fairness and higher learning, the students will have an opportunity to try their "luck" again on the exam. Come by my room on Thursday during Achievement and watch the action.
The Chemistry students reviewed, for a final time, the calculations regarding gram - mole - atoms/molecules calculations and isotope identification. We then had a quiz on the said material.

Day 24

9/18/2015

Friday and Day 24. You know what that means? The school year is officially 2/15ths complete. Only 13/15ths left to go!
The AP Biology compiled class data for their observations of the different phases of mitosis within onion root tip cells. The lab will be due on Wednesday at the beginning of class.
The Biology students began a lab exercise on the comparison of plant and animal cells. Today we looked at our own cheek cells by taking a small sample of cells, staining them and observing them. We will continue the lab on Monday.
The Chemistry reviewed both gram - mole - atom conversions and isotope notation problems. We have a quiz on Monday on this material. The Chemistry and Biology students also learned a way to remember grocery lists that is truly magnificent.

Day 23

9/17/2015

There has been some technical difficulties with this website the last couple of days which has prevented me from keeping the blog rolling along but I think these errors have been rectified, so away we go......
The AP Biology students started Activity B in the Mitosis and Meiosis Lab. They observed a typical "field of view" of onion root tip cells and counted the number of cells in interphase, prophase, metaphase and so forth. In this way, we will be able to calculate the time it takes to complete each of the phases. We will compile class data tomorrow.
The Biology students took their first exam of the year today. Once everyone has taken the test, the results will be given back to the students.
The Chemistry students watched a cool video on gold and copper. Sounds boring, doesn't it? Well, it wasn't. We also continued our practice calculations regarding gram to mole conversions and isotope notation.