Plans for the Day

Hello all!  Here is our agenda for the day:

Physical Science- We will watch a short video about Motion and continue our discussion about work and power.

Biology II and Biology II Honors-  You will have a few minutes at the beginning of class to study for your Flatworm Quiz.  After taking the quiz, we will continue our worm discussion by talking about Roundworms and the diseases that they cause.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Wednesday, February 6th

Hello all!  Hope everyone had a great day yesterday!  Here is our agenda for the day:

Physical Science:  We will be discussing Newton's Third Law of Motion and calculating momentum problems.

Biology II Honors:  We will review what we learned yesterday about the general characteristics of fungi and continue our discussion to include the four major groups of fungi and their specific characteristics.

Biology II:  You will get the test back that you took yesterday, review the general characteristics of fungi, and discuss the four major groups of fungi and their specific characteristics.

Have a great day!

Happy Tuesday!

Hello everyone!  Here is our agenda for the day:

Physical Science-  We will be reviewing for and taking your Chapter 2 Test over motion.  

Biology II Honors-  We will check your homework (Animal-like Protist Table) and begin our discussion of the Plant-like Protists.  We will also be going back in lab to view some species of Plant-like Protists.

Biology II-  We will finish up the short portion of notes that we did not finish yesterday and then finish the Plant-like Protist Lab.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Another long weekend!

I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend and is ready to get back to work!  Here is the agenda for the day:

Physical Science-  We will continue to review for our Chapter 2 Test.  We will work on our chapter 2 review packet and work more speed and acceleration problems for review.  Your test will be TOMORROW!  Please study and be prepared!

Biology II Honors-  We will finish our discussion about Animal-like Protists and view some specimen in lab.  You will have the Animal-like Protist Table for homework.

Biology II-  We will begin our discussion about Plant-like Protists and will begin to view some of those specimen in lab as well.  We will also be checking our homework from Thursday (Animal-like Protist Table), so please be prepared for that.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Agenda for Wednesday, January 23rd

Good morning!  Today in class, we will be:

Physical Science-  Beginning our discussion of acceleration and working acceleration practice problems.  We will also finish up our motion graphs packet.

Biology II Honors-  We will be Gram staining!  Do not forget to turn in your Bacterial Disease project which is due today!

Biology II-  We will be checking our Protist Concept Map (homework from last night) and will begin our discussion of Animal-like Protists.  After our discussion, we will go back into the lab and use microscopes to look at some different examples of these protists.

Have a great day!

After a long break for flooding/snow...

It is time to get back to work!  I hope that everyone enjoyed their extended break from school.  I hope we are all well rested and ready to get back to the grind!

Physical Science- We will continue working on our speed problems and begin to look at motion graphs.

Biology II Honors-  We will be taking our Chapter 19 Test over Bacteria and Viruses.  Do not forget that your projects are due TOMORROW!  We will also be Gram Staining tomorrow...finally!  :)  Remember to wear appropriate clothing as we discussed and to tie back long hair.

Biology II-  We will also be taking our Chapter 19 Test over Bacteria and Viruses.  We will start working on our next chapter (Chapter 20-Protists) as soon as everyone is finished with the test.

Have a great day!

Welcome to the Spring 2013 Semester!

I apologize for my delayed post to our classroom blog!  From now on, I will do my best to post at least every other day to keep parents updated and students reminded of the happenings in our classroom.

I also wanted to mention my procedure for when we are out of school due to weather...whatever we miss while we are out, we will do the DAY we get back.  For example, if we are scheduled to take a test but are out that day, we will take the test the day school is back in session.  This policy stands for homework, quizzes, and projects as well.

Physical Science- Today, we will be finishing up our speed problems and discussing how to graph motion.

Biology II Honors- We will be taking our Chapter 19 (Bacteria and Viruses) test and starting Chapter 20 (Protists).  Be prepared to Gram Stain tomorrow if we are in school.  That means...wear lab quality clothes, tie hair back, and wear close-toed shoes.

Biology II- We will also be taking our Chapter 19 (Bacteria and Viruses) test and starting Chapter 20 (Protists).

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Schedule for the rest of the week

Because of the PLAN test given today, all of my classes are at different points in our discussion of Sponges and Cnidarians.  Tomorrow will be used to "catch up" and get back where I planned for each class to be.  

1st period:  We will finish sponges and continue on with our discussion about Cnidarians.

3rd period:  We will take our Chapter 26 Section 1 Quiz and then pick up where we left off with Sponges.  From there, we will move on to our discussion of Cnidarians.

4th period:  You all are right on schedule!  We will discuss Cnidarians!

The remainder of the week will consist of a review day (Thursday) and Chapter 26 Test (Friday).  Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Fruit Lab Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is an exciting day in our class!  After spending the past several weeks and three chapters studying the different types of plants, tomorrow is a fun lab day for us!  We will be discussing the different types of fruits and sampling both ordinary and exotic fruits!  Some of the different types of fruits that we have learned about are:  pomes, drupes, aggregate fruits, multiple fruits, hesperidiums, and berries.  We will be able to sample each of these types of fruits!  

With all that being said, this is your official reminder to bring the fruit that you signed up for!  Hope you all have a great evening and are looking forward to class tomorrow!

Plan for the Week

Hello everyone!  Hope you all had a great weekend!  Here is a brief summary of our plan for the week:

Today:  We discussed reproduction in gymnosperms and angiosperms.  We also reviewed the life cycles of both gymnosperms and angiosperms and reviewed floral anatomy.

Tuesday:  We will sign up for what fruit you are going to bring on Friday.  In addition, we will discuss pollination, the development of fruit, and seed dispersal.  

Wednesday:  We will take our quiz over Floral Anatomy!  Make sure you look over your flower diagram and are label to label each structure and identify certain structures as male or female.  We will use the remainder of the class period to review for your Chapter 24 Test.

Thursday:  We will be taking the Chapter 24 Test.  After the test, you will use the iPADS to go on a "fruit webquest" to discover the different types of fruits in preparation for our lab tomorrow.

Friday:  First and third periods will collaborate with Mrs. Hurlbert's Culinary Arts class to identify the different types of fruits and to sample regular and exotic fruits!  Fourth period will have this same experience.  We just won't be able to collaborate with culinary because of class schedule.

Well...that's the plan for the week!  Looking forward to it!

Leaf Test Tomorrow!

Don't forget that you have your leaf lab test tomorrow!  There will be live specimen of leaves in the lab for you to identify their characteristics.  Here is a quick review of the characteristics you are responsible for:

• Simple vs. Compound
• If compound, then odd pinnate, even pinnate, or bipinnate
• Opposite or Alternate arrangement on the stem
• Petiolate or Sessile
• Leaf Margin (entire, serrated, lobed, or parted)
• Leaf Venation (pinnate, palmate, or parallel)

After the leaf test, we will be discussing Chapter 24 Section 1  as we continue our Plant Unit.

See you tomorrow!

Chapter 23 Test Tomorrow!

After reviewing for your test today, you should be prepared to take the Chapter 23 Test tomorrow.  Make sure that you study and have completed your Section 1-5 Review Guides and your Chapter 23 Study Guide.  Also, if you were not able to finish your writing assignment in class, that needs to be turned in tomorrow!

Friday will be your Leaf Test!  I will have live examples for you to look at and identify the characteristics of.  You will also need to know how to use a dichotomous key to identify tree species based on leaf characteristics.  We practiced this LOTS on our leaf walk yesterday!!!

Have a great afternoon!

Leaf Walk Tomorrow!

Now that we are leaf experts and are able to identify the different characteristics of leaves, we will go out in the field to use our leaf knowledge to identify trees!  We will be taking dichotomous keys and field guides with us to be able to identify species of trees based on their leaf characteristics!

Please dress accordingly!  Tennis shoes or old boots are the most appropriate footwear.  Also, wear something fairly warm as the temperature may be cool.  

Most of you did very well on your leaf quiz today, so you should feel prepared to venture out into the field and use what you have learned!

See you tomorrow!!!

Leaves, Leaves, Leaves!!!

Today, we spent the entire class period studying the characteristics of leaves.  By now, you should be able to distinguish:

• Simple vs. Compound
• If compound, odd pinnate, even pinnate, or bipinnate
• Petiolate vs. Sessile
• Parallel, Palmate, or Pinnate venation
• Entire, Serrated, Lobed, or Parted margin
• Opposite, Alternate, or Whorled arrangement on the stem 

Please do not forget to complete your "More Leaf Practice" worksheet for homework.  In the coming days, you will be putting your knowledge of leaf characteristics to the test in the classroom and in nature.  

As of today, it looks like your Leaf Quiz will be on Monday, and we will go out into the field to look at leaves on Tuesday.

Coming Back after the Long Weekend!

I hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend!  

Today in class, we started Chapter 23 which is an in-depth look at roots, stems, and leaves.  Don't forget that your Chapter 23 Vocabulary Crossword Puzzle is due tomorrow for a homework grade!

Hope you have a great (rainy) afternoon!

Chapter 22 Test Tomorrow!

Please don't forget to study for your Chapter 22 Test tomorrow!  Your Chapter 22 Packet will also be due at the beginning of class tomorrow.  In that packet, you should include:

• Sections 1-5 Review Guides
• Chapter 22 Study Guide

Also note that this week is HOMECOMING and a 3 day week for students.  Thursday will be Parent Teacher Conference Day, and Friday is an Inservice Day.  

Dress up days for HOMECOMING:
Today- Favorite College Team or NASCAR driver Day
Tuesday- Stoplight or Act your Age Day
Wednesday- School Spirit Day

Chapter 22 Section 1-3 Vocabulary Quiz Tomorrow!

Don't forget to study your vocabulary words for the Chapter 22 Section 1-3 quiz!  You have 21 words to know for the quiz!  After our quiz tomorrow, we will be looking at moss and fern structures under the microscope.

The Academic Boosters is hosting Open House tonight at 6:30 p.m.  Many teachers should be available for parents to talk to and meet with briefly.

Have a great afternoon!

Chapter 21 Test Tomorrow!!!

Tomorrow is your Chapter 21 (Fungus) Test!  Please study and have the following items ready to turn in:

• Section 1, 2, and 3 Review Guides
• Your Fungal Writing Assignment (3rd and 4th periods; 1st period did not get to this yet)

Make sure that you have studied and are prepared to take the test.  Studying the summary chart in Section 2 is a good way to organize the 4 different phyla and their reproductive structures.

Parents:  I sent home progress reports yesterday.  All students should have a copy of all their graded assignments with their overall grade as of Monday.

Chapter 21 Section 2 and 3 Quiz Tomorrow!

Hope everyone enjoyed the fermentation lab that you conducted today!  Everyone did a fantastic job!

Don't forget...tomorrow you will have a quiz over Chapter 21 Section 2 and 3.  We will also be reviewing our experiment from today and reviewing for our chapter test on Thursday.

See you tomorrow!  Hope you have a wonderful afternoon!

Chapter 21 Section 1 Quiz Tomorrow!

First of all, thank you to all three of my Biology II classes that brought in their fungi for extra credit!  We got to look at a diverse population of fungus at the beginning of class, and it was a great experience!

Don't forget that you have your Chapter 21 Section 1 Quiz tomorrow!!!  It is a 10 question quiz.

You will also get progress reports tomorrow to give you an idea of where you are in the class and what improvements, if any, need to be made.

Hope you have a great afternoon!  See you tomorrow!

~Mrs. Lawson~