Week 1: September 4-6
Wednesday, September 4: Networking
To kick off the school year, students will meet the teacher, learn about our classroom, and then complete the Ten Facts About Me survey. The information they share will help introduce the students to each other and the teacher. Students will share information about themselves with each other, constructing a network diagram during the process. The survey and network diagram will be turned in at the end of class.
Thursday, September 5: Human Homeostasis (HS-LS1-3)
Computers are an invaluable tool for modern-day biologists. We will rely on computer technology frequently this school year as a means to acquire and share knowledge. For this lesson, students will work with their assigned partner to create free accounts at ExploreLearning.com. We will periodically utilize the simulations (called Gizmos) on the website. After both partners have successfully created accounts, students will work together with the assignment of completing Activity A of the Human Homeostasis Gizmo worksheet. Note: students faced a number of challenges today while working on the Gizmo (too few functioning computers and several student gmail accounts locked) so the Gizmo will not be counted as an assignment.
Friday, September 6: Human Homeostasis (HS-LS1-3)
When class begins, students will review important vocabulary concepts from yesterday’s work with Mr. Peterson. Next, students will be introduced to our class experiment. Students will monitor their heart rate and respiration rate (one minute each) on at least three separate occasions today (Friday), tomorrow (Saturday), and Sunday. Each day, students should record resting rates, rates after light activity, and rates after exercising. Students will record each data point on this Google Form and we will analyze the class set of data next week. Finally, students received copies of the class syllabus and safety contract. Students will read and return both copies on Monday, signed by both the student and a parent or guardian.
Keep Learning!
For students interested in pushing their learning beyond the content learned in class, we can look to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for High School Life Science (HS-LS) for the standards we are investigating and look for assessment boundaries. The assessment boundary for HS-LS1-3 states: Assessment does not include the cellular processes involved in the feedback mechanism. This means the WCAS exam students take at the end of their 11th grade year (based on understanding of the NGSS) will include questions that approach the assessment boundary but do not include content at that boundary. Therefore, students looking to learn at an advanced level should explore content at or beyond the assessment boundary! The Keep Learning! section located at the end of each week’s post is a great place to get started. For this week, check out the videos below focusing on Homeostasis and Negative/Positive Feedback:
The Art of Science 