Apologia Biology

The class is creating DNA paper models to describe replication, transcription and translation. The girls are still gluing the model.  I showed them a section of DNA that translates into an amino chain.  Show your kids the amino acids structures and codon charts to emphasize the relationship  between the DNA and the proteins produced.  You can buy a protein kit. I keep sets of Tangles and use them to demonstrate how individual amino acids form chains which fold into protein molecules-more of a model.  Next time,me plan to type blood, finish the model, and finish a PTC genetics lab. The girls tested everyone at church and took home more papers to test their families for more data.  The PTC paper is available from Home Science Tool.

Apologia Biology: Designer Baby Project Update

Sorry, illness has kept me offline.  My Bio class has been working through DNA replication, transcription, and translation with paper clips and a crash course of organic molecules.  We did a load of genetics activities, too. For more info, check the headings from last year's blogs.

Right now, the girls are writing blogs about designer babies.  The idea is to better understand the moral implications, particularly for Christians.  I start with a concept map to outline some of the terms.  Here is a copy of a concept map, materials for the DNA extraction, and the paper clip DNA activity.  Fun, right?

Apologia Biology: Module Five and Organic

Okay, we are almost I panic mode and will probably add session after our Christmas break.  Today, we did a review of Organic, built molecules, and introduced several classes of organic molecules before discussing glucose.  We may be doing the Organic chemistry in greater depth than is necessary.  I just know that I needed more background to understand it.  My answer is more nomenclature instruction.  We reviewed alkanes, alkanes, alkanes, cycloalkanes, aldehydes, ketones, and organic acids, along with glucose.  Let me leave you a taste of the topic from Khan Academy.

Apologia Young Explorers: Human Anatomy

We're combining the two chapters on Digestion and Nutrition.  Today, we traced the path a bolus travels through the digestive system and created paper models the kids assembled and labeled on to paper vests.  This link has a similar set of digestive organs. We used patterns from Adorable Wearables because we hope to use this activity with the Head Start class next month when we teach nutrition.  Today, we spend most of the time working on nutrition games.  The kids are developing matching games, board games, bingo boards, and even a version of Twister for next month's outreach event with Head Start.  Cool, right?  So we didn't get to the puzzle or digestion review materials.  Next time!

Outreach with Head Start!

Our Co-op meets at church; on the same campus, in the Knights Hall, is a Head Start class of twenty. Our kids perform monthly programs for the kids. I like to do outreach events.  The four year olds get a little science enrichment; the Co-op kids all gain leadership experience.  We aim for monthly, half-hour sessions.  This month we chose Instant Snow, Grow Beads, and two forms of Jumping Pepper.  One version uses dish detergent and the other with a ballon and static electricity.  Aren't the kids adorable?  We chose four activities we hadn't had time for last session.  Nancy, the Head Start teacher, wanted to limit the session to about 30 minutes to allow time for recess before lunch.  When we plan these activities, we make sure to have all of the materials in advance and to allow enough time to set up materials, typically between 30 minutes and an hour.  We plan for 15-30 minutes for clean-up after.  With twenty four year olds, we divided the class into four groups and rotated the stations.  There were ten Co-op kids facilitating the event, ranging in age from six to fourteen.  I worked with the six and seven year old at their station.  Consider doing this sort of activity with your Co-op.  All of the kids involved benefit.

NSTA Energy Series review

There is a lot to like in the Next Generation Energy Series, which includes Earth's Climate Change: Carbon Dioxide Overload, Energy from Earth's Core: Geothermal Energy, Energy from Living Things: Biomass Energy, Energy from Nuclear Fission: Splitting the Atom, Energy from the Sun: Solar Power, Energy from Wind: Wind Farming, Fracking: Fracturing Rock to Reach Oil and Gas Underground, and Living in a Sustainable Way: Green Communities.  Energy in the form of geysers, dung, turbines, and algae as well as sustainability and the resulting issues.

Reducing the complexities concerning the environmental aspects of energy topics is no small feat.  The series explores a wide range of energy resources.  Each book in the series is well composed with descriptions, historical references, maps, graphics, data, and loads of photos.  I especially like some of the stories.  My favorite, in Energy from Wind, (pp. 18-19) is about a child in Malawi who built a wind turbine.  The content is sound and the series tackles available and emerging energy resources.  Each book contains a glossary, index, additional resources, and a 'hands-on' activity.  

Teachers are going to love the questions, especially those which lend themselves to the 'claim-evidence-reasoning' model.  Fracking (p. 21) has this question, "Some landowners have become very rich leasing their land to fracking companies.  They give permission for the company to drill on their land in return for a percentage of the profits.  If you were offered a similar deal for the land your home was on, what would you do and why?  Would the potential earnings outweigh the environmental impact?"  The questions in this series can serve as writing prompts or evaluation questions.  The series is timely in light of the Next Generation Science Standards and STEM initiatives and would make a fine addition to a library's collection, which is just where my set is going.

Apologia Biology Module 5

The class started the Biochemistry in Module 5 with an introduction to Organic Chemistry. This Organic Naming Worksheet and answer key are my introduction. I started with a brief description of alkanes: straight-chain, saturated, hydrocarbon molecules.  I wrote the names, Greek prefixes, and halogens on the board.  After we did some practice naming, I had the girls write and draw a ton of organic molecules and build them with molecular kits.  My plan next, is for the class to construct biochemical molecules: carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins with a Molecules of Life molecular model kit.  Yes, I do have quite a bit of equipment.  I've purchased a number of these molecular kits on eBay and surprisingly Good Will.   In my experience, it helps to build the molecules.  If you locate molecular kits, here are carbohydrate, lipids, and protein worksheets for Labaids kits.
 Let me leave you with a good overview of organic naming.

Apologia Human Anatomy Young Explorers Muscles

Yes, we are still proceeding at a  glacial pace.  Today, we completed three labs: Muscle Fatigue, Reaction Times, and Hot Hand.  The kids had finished the muscle lab two weeks ago when we last met.  I summarized their data on the board.  Creating bar graphs and averaging the data took an hour. I had the older kids copy the summarized data and take averages while the younger kids did some copy work.  Everyone created bar graphs.  I helped the kids set up axes, count by fives, and plot the data.  The kids plotted everyone's data and then we dicsussed briefly what the graph represents.  I wanted the class to get an idea that the graph summarizes the data they collected. This process took an hour.  Next the kids each did ten trials with rulers to collect reaction times.  Once again, I had the class average and graph the class data.  For the third lab, the kids took temperature measures for their fingers, palms, wrists, elbows, and under arms with the digital thermometers using Sparkvue and Vernier equipment.  The kids summarized an average for each body part in one bar graph from their data.  By the third time, the kids were setting up axes and graphing with aplomb.  They also have a good grasp of experimental design.  Everyone can create a bar graph!

Apologia Biology: Module 4 Fungi

Yes, we are stilling moving at a glacial pace.  Today, we did complete Module 4!  The girls completed most of the lab exercises in Module 4.  First, I had them dissect a mushroom before teasing out the hyphae for a look under the microscope.  The girls studied yeast, blue cheese mold, mushroom gulls, and hyphae.  I pulled slides from my collection: penicillin, budding yeast, a mushroom, etc for comparison.  The girls spent quite a bit of time sketching the slides.  After a brief fungi overview, the girls worked on a report about penicillin.  I asked them to post to their blogs and send me the link.  The report should include a description of penicillin, its function, and a brief history.  I asked them to explain why it was lucky scientists had used mice rather than Guinea pigs for early test studies on     penicillin.  Here is an article.                 Fungi Photos

Apologia Human Anatomy Muscles and Malaria

First, malaria?  My biology class is finishing protists and had an assignment about protists to teach the elementary aged Anatomy class.  Today worked for the biology class to teach and share a hands-on activity complete with glitter.  Obviously, is lesson was well received.

So what did we do pertaining to Lesson 3, Muscles?  First, we studied different muscle tissue under the microscope and made sketches for our notes, making an effort to label the sketches.  The kids looked at cardiac, smooth and skeletal muscle slides.  (I've accumulated a nice collection from eBay and Amazon.  In fact, I just broke down and  bought 100 Basic Biology prepared microscope slides because the set of 25 slides had only a few anatomy slides.  I had bid on mitosis slides and protozoan slides successfully from eBay.  The set of 100 does have a corn tip slide with good shots of the mitosis.). No, this activity isn't in the text.  I think the kids benefit from experience with microscopes. We took a quiz on the parts of the microscope after a quick review.  (I take the younger kids to the hall outside the classroom to have them identify the parts orally and then help them spell the words and write the terms correctly.  We make a point to note the dates on their work for their portfolios.)

The kids played with my motion detector from Pasco using the Exploring Motion Graphs Sparkvue lab.  I showed them how to collect data, clear the runs, and angle the motion detector.  They rains, hopped, skipped, and did cartwheels to compare the graphs.  Why?  I want them to have exposure to the technology.  We can do more with the Sparkvue lab next time.  We collected the data for the Muscle fatigue lab.  We ran out of time and will review and graph the data next time.  I love this lab!  You need clothes pins and a timer.  Be sure to do at least three trials.  The kids worked in pairs, taking turns to collect data or act as timer to give their fingers a rest between trials.  Fun, right?  I had the kids paste the muscle transparencies into their notebooks for their personal persons and instructed them to color the muscles as home-work.  Next time, we'll do some comparisons, graph our lab data, and work on muscle identification.

Apologia: Biology Module 3 Really!

We finally completed Module 3 today in class.  We started by looking at the pond samples the kids have cultured.  Whoa! We did not look very long.  What an odor!  Basically, I out a drop of stain on a sample.  For the most part, the slide had bacteria, loads of bacteria.  I reviewed the kids' corrections to their reports and made a few more notes.  Today, we discussed this WSJ article on nosocomial infections of Clostridium difficile.  

I shared a presentation about protists, checked their biological keys in their notes, and asked about their reading.  We spent a good bit of time doing a little comparative morphology.  Basically, we looked at different phyla and created  charts comparing different aspects: nutrition, reproduction, cell wall composition, unique features, representative species, etc.  The girls polished their Malaria presentation and delivered it to the Anatomy class this afternoon.  I like this type of alternative assessment.  The kids presented the lesson and were able to field all of the questions I hit them with, such as 'Where is malaria most prevalent?' or 'How is it transmitted?'  The Malaria project was the result of an assignment, called Mrs. Jones, from the CDC I assigned as home-work last week.  They concluded with a hands-on activity about malaria.  Perfect!  The next time we meet, which won't be for two weeks, we'll tackle Fungi.

Want to see another form of alternative assessment?  Take a look at Meg's blog.