Year-End Reflection & Clean-up

What a year!  It has been my great pleasure to get to know so many students this year.  Sophomore year can be quite a challenge, so it is nice to look back and realize that many of my students truly demonstrated tremendous personal and academic growth.  With the year winding down, I asked my students to help me identify what went well and what could be improved so that I can continue to grow and develop as a teacher.  Their year-end reflections will help guide my instruction next year.

To all of my students: have a relaxing, fun, and safe summer break.  Keep learning, seek challenge, and do science!  And of course, stop by and say hi from time to time.

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Evolution: Evolution Project – Reflection

The Evolution Project concluded today with students reflecting on their learning during the project and using their rubric to grade their project.  The reflection and grading was recorded on the evolution project reflection worksheet and turned in along with the rubric, the written summary, and the additional project item.  The variety of topics covered, the depth of student research, and the quality of work was impressive.  Examples of student work are located on the Evolution Projects page.

Evolution: Evolution Project – Days 6-8

Students are continuing to work hard on their Evolution Projects.  Students have the option of presenting their work on Thursday for 10 points of extra credit.  Projects are due Friday, with students using their grading rubric to grade their projects and completing a reflection worksheet.  Students who finish the project early are encouraged to complete any missing assignments.  Looking for inspiration?  Check out the videos below:

Evolution: Evolution Project – Days 3-5

Students spent the rest of this week working on their Evolution Projects.  We are taking full advantage of our access to the computer cart in our room and student research is progressing rapidly as a result.  As a reminder, there is a list of possible research topics listed on Day 1 of the project, along with links to a website resource for each topic.  Remember, projects are due next Friday and are worth 100 points.

Evolution: Evolution Project – Day 2

Students created a rubric for their Evolution Projects today.  They used an example project and rubric as a guide, then filled out their own based on the type of project they intend to complete.

Evolution: Evolution Project – Day 1

With the Biology EOC behind us, and the end of the school year rapidly approaching, we began our last project of the year.  The Evolution Project is designed to provide students with the opportunity to research a topic of high interest and consider what the future holds for their topic.  Today, students received the Evolution Project outline.  They were tasked with selecting a topic from those provided, or coming up with their own.  Some students were quickly able to identify their project of interest and jumped right into the research.  Other students spent much of the class period learning more about the listed topics and it was exciting to watch them research and eventually determine their project topic.  The project is worth 100 points and is due next Friday (June 12).

Evolution Project Resources:

• Antibiotic resistance
• 3D printed organs
• Cloning
• Human evolution – Becoming Human (PBS)
• Artificial cells
• Diet, metabolism, and the intestinal microbiome
• Genetic engineering
• Vertical farming
• Lab-grown meat
• Non-animal protein sources
• Hydroponic farming
• Optimizing farming with sensor technology
• Lab-grown clothing
• Water purification
• Air purification
• Accelerated topsoil production
• Ocean acidification
• Carbon sequestration
• Artificial photosynthesis
• Artificial reefs
• 3D printed structures
• Terraforming
• Seasteading
• Build-a-biome