Apologia Biology: Cell Models

I need to teach my husband’s Physics class how to graph and do linear regression analysis with the graphing calculator.  He just taught them how to graph in Excel.  We used the graphing calculator in Chemistry last year.  I can use graphing calculators to explain linear regression in motion.  My husband, Rob, can switch with me and monitor my Biology class.  I’m going to have the kids make animal and plant cell models.  NIH has a free publication, Inside the Cell.  I don’t want edible models.  When a kid makes an edible model the jello cytoplasm inevitably oozes everywhere.  Yuck.  Instead, I have play doh, buttons, beads, beans, pipe cleaners, etc.  This rubric or guide specifies the organelles and requires both definitions and a key.  This is exactly what I want.

Apologia Physics and Physical Science: Excel

My husband, Rob, teaches Physics.  He retired from a Finance career.  He wants his kids to learn how to use spreadsheets.  So, Rob dragged in four of our laptops to class.  He borrowed one and one kid worked through the excel lesson on her phone.  One student, Cassidy, helped Rob teach, moving around the room helping.  (Cassidy is a techie and had had Excel in middle school.). Rob used this guide, Excel for Physics.  He spent two classes teaching the kids how to enter data, create formulas, and graph.  Before class, Rob tackled a simple data set using both Excel and Google Sheets for comparison.  He likes Google Sheets; graphing in Sheets is more straight forward.  All four of our laptops have different Excel versions, including the one from Office 365.  Rob loves spreadsheets and loathes graphing calculators.  His class will use spreadsheets all year.  I will review graphing on the calculator and doing regression analysis one class soon.

Apologia Physics or Physical Science: Motion

My husband, Rob, teaches Physics (His new blog is here.). I have taught Physical Science, but can’t do a good job with Physics like he can.  I do help him plan labs.  One recent lab was Speed, beginning with Hot Wheels Speedometry.  Yes, this program is designed for elementary aged children.  The physics kids still need to understand how to measure velocity.  This summer, my grandson brought over a GoPro Hero session and hot wheels car adapted for this mini GoPro camera.  It took me two hours to figure out how to load the camera on the car and sync it to the iPad.  The problem was the plastic cage on the camera.  I’d never used a GoPro before.  We had two of the Physics kids come over this summer to make sure they can sync the camera to the iPad before we started class.  The teens took seconds.  In the Physics class, Rob set up Hot Wheels track and brought in wood ramps, balls, rulers, and Hot Wheels Cars, along with the GoPro camera and its car.  I charged up the camera right before class.  I explained to Rob that the kids could figure out speed with a stop watch on their phones.  One teen, Cassidy, counted frames on the camera over a known distance and time to determine speed per frame.  Then they could just count frames.  I paid $99 for the GoPro (Amazon) and $7 (eBay) for the little car.  We had the Hot Wheels track and cars.  Rob had Lowe’s cut two boards at one meter for ramps.  Now, we did not use the Hot Wheels Speedometry per se; Rob did use the guide as inspiration for good questions.  Look at the fourth grade curriculum.  It’s terrific if you’re a novice with Motion.

Apologia Biology:Cells or Module 6

Since our next unit is Module 6, Cells, I’m back on my quest for less expensive microscopes.  Yes, again.  I think the My First Lab Duo Scope Microscope is the Alaska Fairbanks microscope sold by escience Lab Kits.  I bought an escience kit from shop goodwill.com with this microscope.  It has no markings.  The reason I’m obsessed with this quest to identify the microscope is because it is excellent!  I’m not sure it is worth $70, maybe $20.  I know families spend hundreds of dollars on microscopes and slides for Biology.  The kids mainly need a microscope for Biology—hence my quest.  Is there a less expensive microscope that works.  Shop eBay and Goodwill for a Duo Scope Microscope, especially if you don’t want to gamble with a microscope from Goodwill.

Check out this review.  But, try to find one for $20.  It’s still a toy—a good toy, but a toy.

Apologia Biology: Ecology Completed

Today we reviewed all of the vocabulary with this slideshow I made.  Then, I gave groups of students cards with the terms to create concept maps.  I wrote the terms on to card stock.   A concept map challenges a student’s understanding of the terms, their relationships, and the connections.  The best free software to create concept maps or c maps is from IHMC.  (One of the best commercial concept mapping software is Inspiration.). I like free.  Yes, these two activities took the entire class.

Apologia Biology: Lynx and Hare

Today we had a dichotomous key quiz, reviewed the guide for the Giant Food Web, and did the Lynx and Hare Predator-Prey Simulation.  The kids graphed the data.  The kids have this exercise, Deer Predation or Starvation to graph for homework.  Yes, I have photos!  Below are images of the children doing the Lynx and Hare activity and my example of the food web, list of species, notes, and list of scientific names.

Apologia Biology: Microscopes

I’ve been ordering microscopes from showgoodwill.com all summer.  Only one was a big miss.  I have eight now.  It is a gamble buying microscopes second hand.  I limit my bid to $25.  Now, one of the better microscopes wouldn’t focus.  I researched simple repairs.  All I had to do was rotate the two coarse adjustments in opposite directions and the problem was gone.  Good Will frequently has eScience Lab sets.  One I bought had a simple microscope with the kit.  I think it is this one, My First Lab duo scope microscope.  It’s not bad!  I checked it with several slides and the details are fine.  The microscope is battery operated.  The kids can use these anywhere in the classroom.  I would not pay more than $25 for a used microscope.  Ordinarily, I don’t recommend microscopes that are essentially toys.  But this one actually works!

Update!
This digital microscope is about $34 on Amazon.  You plug it into a laptop or Chromebook and open the camera app.  The magnification on the microscope slides was terrific.

Apology Biology: Ecology Quiz

Today, we had a quiz.  I used the forest ecosystem species for the food web and these leaf dichotomous keys. (This is the second key.). The room is tight.  So every other student got either a food web or dichotomous key.  They did the second activity once finished with the first.  Wow.  Most did not know how to follow a key.  Some could create food webs.  We went through the key step by step and reviewed food webs.  By the end of class all of the kids submitted a food web.  I’m quizzing again Tuesday on keys.  Things are plodding along in a normal fashion.  Kids are going to drown if they don’t start completing assignments.   Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!!!!

Apologia Biology: Capture-Recapture Beans (Ecology—Module 10)

Today was Capture-Recapture with white beans.  This site has a good explanation, too.  We’re doing several classic ecology activities.  I introduced this with a brief discussion about measuring deer populations; this method is broadly used.  Each group had a large cup of white beans and removed a large handful to mark with sharpies and replace with the other unmarked beans.  The students mixed the beans together well and removed a small handful or a small sample.  Next, they counted and recorded the number of marked and unmarked beans for each trial.  My kids did six trials; three trials are the minimum.  They used calculated the population estimate and then percent error. 

For example, if the group marked 50 beans, and had an average of 11:72......
50/x = 11/72
x=327
Once, the group made an estimate, they counted the actual number of beans, say for this example the true number of beans was 357.

Percent error= 357-327/357 x 100 = 8.4%

One group did have less than 10% error.  The girls followed directions and mixed the beans well.  We had a brief discussion about population estimates.

We’re going to finish the vocabulary and food webs before proceeding.  I like to do a few ecology activities so the kids can sample what environmental studies might entail.  This activity also has a bit of math-another plus!

Apologia Biology: Ecology Quiz One

The first quiz is this week.  I’m going to give each child amdichotomous key to follow and identify 5-6 plants and a food web to creat with 10 organisms.  I like the assessments to mirror the topic and activities.  Here is the dichotomous key and the flower cards.  (Here is the answer key.)    I plan to distribute different sets of four pictures to each child to reduce the temptation to copy another’s answers.  I plan to practice tomorrow with these and quiz with this plant classification activity or this one.  Now here are two food web examples for a quiz.  This example uses cards with pictures of the organisms.  If your child has a learning difference, the cards may be easier to use to create a food web.  I am solution oriented.  Let’s find a way to see if the child understands the concept.

Apologia Biology: Button Dichotomous Key

The kids are struggling with the Button Dichotomous Key.  In fact one child is coming over for help. Perfect!  I’m a firm believer that a bit of a struggle is the way to make kids think.  There are several approaches kids can take to classify buttons.  I gave them plastic, wooden, and metal buttons in a huge variety of shapes, sizes, and number of center holes.  The kids can start by sorting them into colors, then shapes, then number of center holes, and perhaps, material: plastic, metal, or wood.  They can name each button and then sort them.  Once they have things sorted the child can prepare his or her key.  The key is a list of questions.
Step 1.  Is it wood?  Go to step 2.
Step 2.  Is it painted?  The button is Flora buttons
Step 3.  Is it plastic?  Go to step 4.


This is not complex, but mirrors dichotomous keys.  Fun, right?

The child came over and was stuck how to start.  My husband explained that these keys are like ‘if then’ statements in coding for computers.  You need a place to go for yes and a place to go for no.  I had the student sort his 25 buttons.  He sorted them by color.  I asked him what another method might be and he answered by shape.  The student, M., started with orange buttons.  Is it orange?  Go to step 2.  Is it round?  The name is Orange buttonus.  My only suggestion is to put all of the colors (or shapes or material, etc) in the first question.  Is it orange? Go to step 2.  Is it red?  Go to step 6.  Is it navy?  Go to step 10.

I should have given them 10 buttons and wish I had had more wooden and metallic buttons.  There are 17 or 18 kids and I have to justify expenses.  Consequently, most of the buttons are plastic-$10 per pound from Walmart.

Apologia Biology: Dichotomous Keys

Today, we followed my plan.  Whooo!  We started by constructing the scoring rubric for the giant food web.  Class began with the Pamishan or alien dichotomous key.  (Here is a key—a few answers have slightly different names.). This takes patience because following an identification key is a new activity.  Start each new species at number 1 of the key.  Once, they got the idea, we did the Jelly Belly Dichotomous Key activity.  Each child has 10 jellybeans.  The child takes one bean and works through the key.  For example, a red bean might be cinnamon.  After, the kid works through the key and writes Dow his answer, cinnamon, he or she tastes the jellybean to see if the guess is correct.  The kids like this lab.  The class repeated the Jelly Belly lab to hammer dichotomous keys into their brains.  The last thing I did was to give each child a bag with 25 different buttons.  Their job is to create dichotomous keys for their buttons.  BTW--Jelly Belly Dichotomous keys is fun for any size group.  It's more fun with a few children--they like to compare their favorite and least favorite flavors, such as popcorn.

Next time, I want to review vocabulary, do two quick dichotomous keys, and allow time to work on the giant food web.  In order for the child to obtain full credit for the giant food web it must have a title, between 50-100 organisms, organisms assigned to trophic levels correctly, color coded, arrows from the meal to the diner, and a separate list of the common names and scientific names for all of the organisms.  The kids have two more weeks to complete the food web.  Please recall the kids have to complete another dichotomous key, research vocabulary, too.  I want to allow enough time and not overwhelm them—yet.

Apologia Biology: Environmental Vocabulary

Biology Introduction: Module 10-Ecosystems

Vocabulary:

Antibiosis

Abiotic

Autotroph

Binomial Nomenclature

Biomass

Biome

Biosphere

Biotic

Carnivores

Chemotroph

Community

Competition

Consumers

Decomposer

Ecology

Ecological Pyramid

Ecosystem

Food Chain

Food Web

Habitat

Herbivore

Heterotroph

Microorganisms or Microbes

Niche

Population

Predator

Prey

Producer

Omnivore

Symbiosis: Amensalism, Commensalism, Mutualism, and Parasitism

Taxonomy

Trophic Levels: Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Quaternary Consumers

Topics for Study:

1. Vocabulary

2. Ecosystems

3. Levels of Organization

4. Energy Flow

5. Food Chains and Food Webs

6. Species Interactions

Key Concepts:

1. “All organisms interact with both their physical environment and with organisms in the web of life.” (BSCS)

2. “All biological activity requires energy.” (BSCS)

3. Create and label a food web.

Apologia Biology: Ecology ongoing saga

The first few units are always slow.  The kids have so many things to learn.  Yesterday, we did the owl pellet lab.  Each child dissected a pellet.  (I had extras for ambitious students.). The kids created simple food webs based on the prey identified in the dissected pellets.  We picked a barn owl because it is common.  The children had several rodent species and a few bird skulls.  Most decided to include a mouse, shrew, and vole, all herbivores, which eat seeds, such as acorns, maple seeds, and pine nuts. The kids researched the scientific names for all species.  In some cases, we used Quercus sp. for oak acorns, Acer sp.and Pinus sp. for maple and pine.  This means, the seeds are oak, maple, and pine without specifying the species.  The food webs are organized into trophic levels, titled, and color coded.  The kids are working on a giant food web.  I wanted to give them an opportunity to create a simple one as an example first.  Tomorrow, (or next week depending on the Hurricane Florence) we’ll determine a scoring rubric for the giant food web.  Tomorrow we’ll tackle dichotomous keys and assign the vocabulary.  Basically, there are one or two activities and time to work on the food web each class.  

Apologia Biology: How to set up a lesson

How does one set up a lesson?  One way is to begin with a model, such as the 5E model. My main approach is to frame the instruction around one concept and plan a host of activities germane to one concept.  Most lessons begin with either a lab or activity; this approach lets me assess student knowledge, slip in mini lessons, and grab their attention.  Once the kids complete a task, I review the answers and do a little instruction.  My lessons are structured to build from previous labs and activities.  For example, instead of a lecture about a food web, we make one in class: brainstorm species in the local ecosystem, explain tropic levels, show a good example of a food web, and set the class to work.  In terms of the food web, I provide a scoring rubric, similar to this one, but a rubric the kids and I construct together and determine a deadline together.  Finally, in terms of assessment, the child either has met the guidelines or has not.  I prefer to have the child make revisions rather than deduct points. The final project should be ready to submit to a student portfolio.

This approach is daunting.  Try testing another teacher’s 5e lesson.  Just starting?  Do the lab in the Apologia textbook first before reading the chapter.  Look for another activity similar to the lab in the book.  Create a concept map from the vocabulary or locate a crossword puzzle similar to this Ecology puzzle.  Start with two or three ideas, lessons, mini project, labs, whatever that aren’t in the book which relate to the topic.  I look for hands-on Biology simulations like butterfly camouflage, especially if the activity takes 20-30 minutes.  There will be time for discussion, additional instruction, and another activity.

My husband, Rob, still balks at this approach to instruction.  He teaches Physics and would like to lecture most of the time.  The kids learn more from doing.  Rob usually starts with a lab now and gives the kids more time to experiment as long as they are engaged. Rob loves vocabulary and problem sets.  The kids do loads in Physics.  He wants them to use spreadsheets; they have a robust instruction in Excel and graphing.  Yes, now they do many labs, too.

Apologia Biology: Microscopes and Slides

This year my Biology class has 18 students, the largest Biology class I’ve had in years.   What’s the issue?  Equipment.  Most of the expenses are minor, such as more owl pellets or buttons for taxonomy.  But microscopes are going to be an issue.  I bought most of them from Goodwill.  (shopgoodwill.com) for about $20-$25 each with shipping.  These microscopes were all a gamble.  One I ordered was just a toy and another had issues with the coarse adjustment.  Happily, I fixed this one with guidance from this site.  Trust me the issue was minor.  I have had excellent luck with items from Goodwill.  Now that I have six functional microscopes, Space is another problem.

The Maker Space at the library is spacious, but not nearly large enough to accommodate a dozen microscopes and 18 kids working.  The Space isn’t designed to be a science lab.  I have six good microscopes and one of the Maker Space tables has electrical outlets.  So, we’ll do four or five rotating stations which will allow me to work closely with the kids learning how to use microscopes at one table.  Here is my plan: make cell models,, label microscope diagram, microscope quiz, plant and animal cell coloring pages,  and stages of mitosis with yarn.  Hopefully, these tasks will occupy everyone for two class periods or two and one half hours.  The kids can finish most of these projects at home.  The other aspect is that I can modify all of these activities.  Three of the kids are middle school ages and auditing the class.  For example, this microscope diagram has a word bank and fewer parts to label.  Students can make plant and animal cell models with clay and limit the number of organelles.  Simpler animal and plant cell models can be substituted as well.  These techniques work well for students with learning differences and guards their dignity.


Microscope slides!  Goodwill (shop goodwill.com) also often has prepared microscope slides.  I purchase slides through eBay and Amazon, too.  The Apologia Biology slides are often available on eBay.  Amscope Set A and Amscope Set B have a huge assortment of animal, plant, and microbe slides.  Note the shipping time if your set is coming from China, where most of these sets originate.  I have almost 300 slides because even limiting students to six microscopes requires several copies.  Also, I like the kids to use microscopes for each major unit.  If we’re studying bones, they should see bone cells.  I’m big on holistic education: look at a bone slide, make a bone model, study a skeleton, name bones, label diagrams, etc.  Too much of a good thing is just right!

Update: I hadn't thought to try the $34 digital microscope with slides.  We used it with money and larger objects.  My thought was to try it with dissections.  But, we used it with prepared slides on Tuesday.  Astounding.  Take a look.

Apologia Biology: Dichotomous Keys

I’m in the middle of planning several lessons for Ecology, Module 10.  I like to begin with Ecology because I can slip in lessons on nomenclature, taxonomy, levels of organization, etc.  I have several dichotomous key activities.  First, a a dichotomous key is usually a guide to identify organisms.  Bird or plant guides often use dichotomous keys.  One activity I use as an opener is Pamishan Creatures or Alien Dichotomous key.  This activity has been around awhile.  Before I start, I explain what a dichotomous key is.  Then they tackle Pamishan creatures.  After 15-20 minutes, we review their answers.  Next, the kids do the Jelly Belly dichotomous key.  At this point the kids have much more confidence working through the keys.  So, I break out the buttons.  I have several pounds of buttons: round, square, raised, flat, plastic, wooden, metallic, etc.  This time the kids are creating their own keys for their buttons.  Each group has 15-20 mixed buttons to name and classify before creating the key.  This exercise can take awhile.  When kids get stuck, show them the jelly bean key.  Ask how they differentiated between the jelly beans.  The kids can start with shape, color, composition (metal, wood, or plastic),  raised, or flat.  All of the keys may be different.  Fine!


Note that we’re using a progression-just as you would use in art or music.  Really, I like to use hands-on lessons that stretch their thinking skills. (Education experts have loads of explanations and jargon.).  Don’t be alarmed if your child cannot finish the button key.  Go ahead and help.  This activity requires higher order thinking your child may not be ready for developmentally.  I like families to work together on a tough assignment.  Last year, my husband assigned bike gears to his Young Explorers Chemistry and Physics class to do at home.  The kids worked with their families as a team.  Perfect!  I’ll post photos when we do the keys.

Apologia Biology: Owl Pellet Lab

On Tuesday the Co-op class is dissecting owl pellets.  We need to break things up.  I ordered owl pellets from Amazon (20 small and six large—there are 18 kids). The plan is to explain what an owl pellet is, distribute bone sorting cards, proceed with the dissections, and debrief the lab.  Once the kids determine which rodents were eaten by the owl, they will research what the rodents eat and create a simple food web.  The completed food web has a title, all relevant species in the correct trophies levels, with their respective scientific names.  I think we can complete all of these tasks in 75 minutes.  Any student who hasn’t can finish at home.  By the way, I don’t assign grades to food webs.  I have the kids make necessary corrections until the food web is complete and correct.  This owl pellet lab handout is a terrific way to help you organize your owl pellet dissection.  Here is an excellent overview of how the owl digests prey and regurgitates the pellet.

One more note.  I’m going to break up the food web research with mini lessons.  Doing a research project can feel monotonous.  I don’t want the kids to become discouraged.

We did the owl pellet lab.  My private concerns that the lab would be too simple were unfounded.  I'm glad I went over a simple food web for owls and their prey.  The major food web is going to require heroic patience!  Notes I used red construction paper to help them see the tiny bones, they sorted.  The kids created food webs with at least three prey and three types of producers.  Each trophic level is labeled and color coded.  I hope you can see the example below.  Yes, there are 18 kids--the room is full!

Apologia Biology: House-keeping. How is the Co-op class structured?

I was reading a blog post about how to structure a one hour science block.  It occurred to me that organizing a co-op class might not be intuitive.  My background teaching includes private, public, and home-schooling Co-op classes with some consulting for science teachers.   I’ve taught in a church classroom, my home, the hall of a school, the kitchen, and more typical classrooms.  Presently, the Co-op meets in the Maker Space of a regional library.  Our class meets twice each week for one hour and fifteen minutes.  (There are fifteen more minutes available after class when we need it.  The kids car-pool to another location this year.  I don’t take extra time without notifying the families.). The Maker Space has a sink and two counters.  There are three tables, one long and two smaller tables.  The room is about 20 x 15 feet.  I have a portable white board for notes, a computer, and a wall mounted tv screen.  Our class has eighteen students.  We usually have three or four mini lessons during the 75 minutes.  Yesterday, I did a quick review of food webs and reminded the kids to add species to a list on the white board, titled, Virginia Forest Food Web.  I had brought several tablets and five of the kids brought cell phones.  (The library has robust WiFi.). The kids are taking a list of 60 or so organisms, researching their scientific names and feeding habits for food webs.  I circulate among the seven groups.  The kids are in groups of two or three.  My job is to help them get organized.  For example, I encouraged the kids to split jobs: one student locate scientific names, the other research feeding habits.  This allows me to see who already forgot the notes, make copies, and nudge everyone to stay on task.  After one hour, the kids did the cups activity or about five minutes, we reviewed the correct order for the levels of organization, and then gave them time to copy the correct list into their notes.  We spent a few minutes discussing the purpose of the cup activity.  Ideally, I like four different tasks during a lesson.  The length of time varies with the task.  Long experience dictates that it pays to have extra lessons, mini labs, quick tasks, etc. on hand.  It’s always difficult to gauge how long any lesson will take.  Every class, every child is different.  Bring extra!  I help my husband structure his Physics class which runs concurrently.  He taught at university 40 years ago—but is an excellent teacher.  He worries about timing, too.  So, we planned several lessons and dragged the extra materials back and forth—he’ll finally do the measurement lab review Tuesday.

Apologia Biology: Food Webs

Today, the kids are working in groups with the list of organisms indigenous to Virginia.  Last time, we brainstormed a list of organism with about 60 species.  Today the class is determining if the organism is a producer, carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore, researching the scientific names, and what they eat.  The kids are checking that the species are indigenous or native to Virginia before recording the information.  Next week, the kids will begin to make food webs.  We did the cup activity in groups.  The kids stacked the plastic cups in order from smallest to largest or atoms to biosphere.

New School Year: Biology

Tomorrow is the beginning of a new school year.  This year I’m teaching Biology for a local Co-op.  The first lesson is an introduction to Science prefixes and suffixes and Module 10, Ecology.  I like to open with Ecology, food webs, energy dynamics, etc.  I’ll post pix tomorrow.  But, one activity is brainstorming a local forest and all its inhabitants in order to create a food web.  We started by describing a simple food chain.  I gave the kids five minutes to brainstorm organisms that live in a Virginia woods.  The class then made lists of shrubs, trees, birds, reptiles, mammals, insects, etc.  During the discussion we reviewed binomial nomenclature with a brief mention of the latinized names in science.  After a quick lesson in a food web the kids spent the rest of the class working in groups organizing their food webs.  My plan is for the kids to research the latin names for all of the species identified and create a complex food web over the next two weeks.   Thursday, we'll do the cup activity.