Finished with Invertebrates!

Today, we finished up our study of invertebrates with the Chapter 29 test!  We have learned a lot about the different ways that invertebrates feed, respire, circulate vital materials, excrete harmful materials, and reproduce.  It has been an interesting unit!

Now, we are going to study humans for the rest of the semester!  Students will get a little taste of human anatomy and physiology in our final unit!  I am very excited about the few weeks coming up...this is by far my favorite time of year!  

Don't forget to complete your homework tonight!  You need to fill in the Body Systems Packet and be prepared for a quiz over the information on Friday.  We will be discussing and drawing the different body systems tomorrow in class!

Have a great evening!  See you tomorrow!

Mrs. Lawson

Studying Arthropods and Echinoderms!

We are getting ready to wrap up our study of arthropods and echinoderms.  Yesterday, we discussed the different groups of arthropods (crustaceans, spiders and their relatives, and insects and their relatives).  Tomorrow, we will discuss echinoderms.  The rest of the week should involve reviewing for the Chapter 28 Test and taking the test on Friday.  

The homework that you completed for last night will be checked tomorrow!  It wasn't checked today due to the large amount of juniors absent for the Eastman Career Day field trip.  

Have a great day!

Mrs. Lawson

Fruit Lab

Today in class, we collaborated with Mrs. Hurlbert's Culinary Arts class to discuss all we have learned about fruits.  Mrs. Hurlbert's class has also been discussing the different types of fruits.  We joined her class and explained the different types of biological fruits.  We also got to sample some yummy fruits in the process!!!  Students were able to sample traditional fruits such as apples, bananas, pears, and strawberries as well as some exotic fruits such as starfruit, papaya, mango, and pepino melons!  As we discussed each fruit, students were asked what type of fruit it was that they were eating.  I think everyone really enjoyed this class collaboration project!!!

Little reminder...your flower models are due on Monday!  Make sure you label each of these parts:

• Carpel
• Stamen
• Petals
• Sepals
• Anther
• Filament
• Stigma
• Style 
• Ovary
• Ovule

Have a great weekend!  See you Monday!

Chapter 24 Test Tomorrow!

Students,

Don't forget that your Chapter 24 test is tomorrow!  Make sure you look over your notes/review guides from this chapter as well as study your flower diagrams and gymnosperm and angiosperms life cycle!  

After the test, we will begin discussing animals!  So congratulations...you made it through plants!  

Also...don't forget your flower model project due on Monday, October 24th!  Please feel free to ask any questions you may have!  I will be HAPPY to help!

Grades will be distributed next week.  But everyone should already know what you are making as I told you your grades on Friday.

Have a great day!

Mrs. Lawson

More Leaf Practice

After grading the leaf tests last night, I realized that students needed more practice identifying the important characteristics of leaves.  Since it was a shortened class period due to homecoming, it was the perfect day to provide more practice and an opportunity to correct tests.  Students completed their test corrections and extra practice in class and should have no homework.  

Hope everyone has a wonderful evening!

~Mrs. Lawson~

Leaf Identification Test Tomorrow!

Tomorrow, you will put your leaf identifying skills to the test.  There will be leaf samples in the lab for you to examine and answer questions about.  Your homework for tonight (and all the work we did in class today) should help prepare you for the test.  Make sure you know how to tell whether a leaf is:

• Simple or compound
• If compound, what type of compound it is (even pinnate, odd pinnate, or bi-pinnate)
• Petiolate or sessile
• Opposite or alternate arrangement on the stem
• Parallel, pinnate, or palmate venation
• Entire, lobed, parted, or serrated 

These are the major concepts that you will be tested on tomorrow!  Be ready!
Before we take our test, you will be turning in your homework...make sure it is ready and correct!!!

See you tomorrow!
~Mrs. Lawson~
 

Chapter 22 Test Tomorrow!

Chapter 22 test will be tomorrow!  Make sure that you study the study guide that I gave you in class today!  It will be very beneficial to you!  The questions that I asked on the study guide are questions that I KNOW will be on the test tomorrow!  Also due tomorrow will be your Chapter 22 Review Packet (Sections 1-5).  

Since classes are going to abbreviated tomorrow due to the PLAN test, after the test, we will discuss BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology) rules and procedures.

See you tomorrow!  Please study and be prepared for your test!

~Mrs. Lawson~ 

Parent Teacher Conference Day Tomorrow!

Students are out of school tomorrow due to Parent Teacher Conference Day.  If any parent would like to schedule a conference with me, please call 423-354-1325.  Our guidance office handling the scheduling of conferences.  I will be glad to meet with any of you!

Students do not have homework over the long weekend.  But you do need to be prepared for a Chapter 22 test review on Monday and a Chapter 22 Test on Tuesday.  

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Yeast Fermentation Lab

Yesterday in class, students got the opportunity to see fermentation in action!  Since we have been studying fungi, we have discovered that yeast is a unicellular fungi that is able to break down sugar to produce ethanol and carbon dioxide.  Our experiment allowed us to see the carbon dioxide produced by combining warm water (a moist environment for yeast's ascospores to become active), yeast, and sugar in a test tube.  We capped off the test tube with a deflated balloon and watched as fermentation took place!  We were able to see bubbles rising in the test tube to indicate the fermentation was taking place, and eventually, the balloons started to inflate!  Students were excited to see the balloon inflate and even started thinking of different experiments and ways you could observe fermentation in action!  I was very proud of their hard work and responses to this lab.  Here are some pictures of our time in lab:

We started out by adding equal amounts of warm water to each of the 4 test tubes.

Then, we added equal amounts of yeast to each of the 4 test tubes.

Our next two steps were to add sugar to test tubes 1 and 2.  Test tubes 3 and 4 did not get sugar.  They served as our control group.  After mixing the solutions together, we capped the test tubes off with balloons to catch any carbon dioxide gas that was made.

Our last task was to observe fermentation in action!  If all went correctly, test tubes 1 and 2 should have had tremendous growth in theirs balloons as carbon dioxide was created as a by-product of fermentation.  Test tubes 3 and 4 should have had no air in them other than what may have still been in the balloon from the atmosphere before it was attached to the test tube.  No growth should have occurred.  Here are pictures of our results!

I hope everyone really enjoyed this experiment!  It was fun for me for sure!

Quick reminder that you have a Chapter 21 (Fungi) Test tomorrow!  Please study and be prepared!

~Mrs. Lawson~

Mushroom Dissection!

To introduce fungi after a short lecture, we dissected mushrooms in lab.  Students were required to view the hyphae (thin filaments that make up the body of a mushroom) and the gills under both a compound light and dissecting microscope.  I think the students found that viewing a mushroom was much more interesting than they thought.  The hyphae actually have a sparkly, glistening look to them.  Here is a peek of our lab activities today:

Don't forget your homework this evening:

1)  Finish your Section 1 Review Guide

2)  Finish your Mushroom Dissection Lab

3)   STUDY for your Chapter 21 Section 1 Quiz!

~Mrs. Lawson~

Protist Test Tomorrow!!!

I hope you will take the time tonight to prepare for the Protist test tomorrow!  We had some really great review game scores, and some that were not so great.  Fill in those gaps, and make sure you know your material before class tomorrow!

Major things that seemed to be missed:
1)  How we classify Kingdom Protista and its phyla
2)  What organisms belong to what phyla (ex:  An amoeba is a sarcodine.)
3)  What accessory pigments belong to what multicellular algae phyla
4)  All of the different phyla (animal-like, unicellular algae, & multicellular algae)

Those are some tough questions, but I have no doubt that you all can learn this information and use it to make AWESOME test grades!

Good luck!
~Mrs. Lawson~

Prepare for Test Review Tomorrow

After finishing up Chapter 20's discussion today of Fungus-like Protists, we worked the remainder of the class period on a study guide and key term review.  These are to be completed for homework if they were not finished in class!  You should also look over them several times to be able to actively participate in the review game tomorrow and to get the most benefit from it possible!!!

As extra review, see if you are able to identify to following protists:

Your Chapter 20  Test will be Friday!

Have a great afternoon!
~Mrs. Lawson~

Protists

After wrapping up our chapter on bacteria and viruses, we are now discussing protists.  Students are often very unfamiliar with these little creatures.  For the past couple days, we have been talking about protists and how they are classified.  We have also been in the lab viewing microscope slides with protists.  The students seem to really enjoy viewing the different shapes and structures that protists have!

Tomorrow, we will be finishing up our Plant-like Protists Lab by looking at several of the protists we discussed in class today.  Students will be looking at Euglena, Diatoms, Dinoflagellates, and other interesting creatures.

There will be no homework over the long weekend!  I hope everyone enjoys being off Monday and Tuesday!  :)

~Mrs. Lawson~

Have a great long weekend!

I hope everyone enjoys their long weekend!  Here are some things to be looking to for next week:

Monday:  Bacteria "Wanted" Poster or Virus Model due!!!!!!!!!  If you have any questions over the weekend, email me.  I will respond to them as quickly as possible.  My email address is courtneylawson23@gmail.com.  After we turn in our projects, we will review Chapter 19 (Bacteria and Viruses) for the remainder of the class period.

Tuesday:  We will take our test over Chapter 19.  Please be prepared!!!  We will begin discussing Protists after the test.

Thanks!

~Mrs. Lawson~

Biology II Update

Hello Students and Parents!  I have a few updates to share with you today!

1)  1st period:  do not forget to turn in your BYOT form back to me!!!  This is very important to be able to use your choice of technology device once we start this program in early September.  If you do not return this form, you will not be allowed to use your technology.  So please do not miss this opportunity because you did not turn in a form.

2)  Bacteria "Wanted" Poster or Virus Model due August 29th!  I gave out your guidelines yesterday in class.  Please ask me if you have ANY questions.  I will be glad to answer them!  Don't miss points because you did not ask a question.  I am very excited to see what you all come up with!  :)

3)  Don't forget (which I know you won't) that we are out of school this Friday, August 26th due to the Bristol race.  Enjoy your long weekend and use it to work on your project!

4)  Cross Country Scrimmage Meet today at Daniel Boone High School at 6:30 p.m.  All you cross country runners...don't forget your shirt money.  The sooner you turn it in, the faster I can get the shirts ordered and get them to you!!!

Thanks!

~Mrs. Lawson~

Bacteria!

Today in class, we started our discussion about bacteria and started a case study about food poisoning.  Students were required to look at the facts of a case study and determine what food at the picnic caused the illness.  They also were required to determine the bacteria that made everyone sick.  We didn't completely get finished, so we will be working on that tomorrow.

I really encourage students to look over their notes again after class.  This really aides in memory.  They have also received a review worksheet that they need to complete.  

If time allows tomorrow, we will be looking at microscopic views of bacteria.

See you tomorrow!

~Mrs. Lawson~

Reminders for Tomorrow

If you still haven't turned in your signed parent letter for extra credit, your permission form to post pictures on this blog, or your $15 lab fee, please try to have all that in by the end of the week.

1st period:  You have additional things to turn in for the school.  Please see yesterday's post for a list.  Also...for extra credit, you can bring in a roll of paper towels.

3rd period:  For extra credit, you can bring in a box of Kleenex.

4th period:  For extra credit, you can bring in hand sanitizer.

See you tomorrow!  We will continue our Biology I Review and get started with Bacteria on Thursday!

~Mrs. Lawson~

Welcome Back!!!

Welcome back!  I hope everyone had a great summer and is excited to start another school year!  This is the website where you will be able to get homework and test reminders.  It will also be a great way for your parents to keep up with what you are doing in Biology II.  There was a lot of information given out today so I am going to summarize it for you in a list format, class by class.

Things to be brought back to school:

1st period:  Rights and Responsibilities Sheet (yellow) signed by parent, Student Data Sheet (pink), Medical form (white), $15 school activity fee, Parent Letter (orange) signed by parent for extra credit, and Permission form for pictures to be on blog (blue), and $15 science lab fee.

3rd period:  Parent letter (orange) signed by parent for extra credit and permission form for pictures to be on blog (blue), $15 science lab fee.

4th period:  Parent letter (orange) signed by parent for extra credit and permission form for pictures to be on blog (blue), $15 science lab fee.


***The $15 school activity fee and science lab fees are optional, and students will NOT be punished in any way for failure to return them.  But they do go to providing your child with the lab supplies and classroom supplies that they need to get the most out of their time at South and in Biology II.***


I hope everyone had a wonderful first day at school!  I am looking forward to this semester!  Tomorrow, we will continue to go over "Beginning of School" stuff and start a review to refresh your memory of Biology I concepts that often pop up in Biology II.


Thanks,
Mrs. Lawson