New Website

Anyone who is still following this blog, or just happened to stumble upon it, can find me at http://mrgumpert.weebly.com/.

Week of April 26

This week we are studying senses and frogs. Day one, you will be adding new vocabulary to your science dictionary and answering the questions for Section 6-3. Day two, you will be doing a lab on senses. Day three, there will be a quiz on frog anatomy in preparation for the the frog dissection on day four.

Homework:
Book Questions 6-3: Due Friday

There will be no SNA, but that does not mean you can't still read science articles. One came out just today about how US college students are showing actual addiction to text messaging and social networks. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20954/20100426/ustudents-suffering-from-internet-addiction-study.htm

Week of April 19

We are charging ahead. This week in science we are studying digestion and circulation. Day one will be vocabulary on the digestive system. Day two will be a lab about chemical digestion and time for the section questions. Day three will be vocabulary on the circulatory system and a lab about the same system. Day four will be a vocabulary quiz over the sections on nerves, digestion and circulation, so make sure your science dictionaries are up to date. Scanned copies of the textbook sections are on the student server and available from any computer in the school.

Homework:
SNA: Due Friday
Book Questions Page 65: Due Friday

Vocab Quiz: On Friday

Please read one of the posts about Science News Articles (Is it Science?). I am still seeing articles that are not science.

SNA Alert

Think whales are big? How about a colony of microbes the size of a country?

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=mat-of-microbes-the-size-of-greece-2010-04-18

Week of April 12

This week in science we are studying the Nervous System. Day one, you will read the section in the textbook and add vocabulary words to their science dictionaries. Day two, you will answer the section questions and take notes on a part of the section as a small group. Day three, we will do a lab activity on reaction time. Day four, you will present their notes to the whole class and take a short quiz.

Homework:
Book Questions Page 180: Due Friday
Lab Questions from Day three: Due Friday
SNA 4-16: Due Friday

Make sure that you FULL NAME is on everything you turn in.

Scanned copies of the textbook are available on the school server, which can be accessed from any computer in the school.

Is it Science? (Repost)

I have seen a few SNAs come in that are not about science articles.

When selecting an article, ask yourself these questions:

Was something invented?
Was something discovered?
Is it about someone doing research?
Does it explain natural phenomena?
Is it about some new technology?
Is it happening in outer space?
Does it involve an organization like NASA or NOAA?
Does it look like something that might be featured on the Discovery Channel?
Is it an article provided by Mr. Gumpert?

If the answer to all of those is a definitive NO, keep looking. There are a bunch of links on the right side of your screen. If you are unsure, ask me.

SNA Alert!

New kind of wearable body armor puts a whole spin on the term "tank top."

http://news.discovery.com/tech/t-shirt-body-armor-tank.html

Week of April 5

This is SBA week, so there will only be three meetings. This week, we are finishing the muscular system. Day one, you will have two coloring sheets and a crossword puzzle to complete. Day two, we have a lab on counting pushups and working with percentiles, as well as a review worksheet for section 1-4 in the textbook. Friday, we have a lab on muscle fatigue and a quiz. Completion of the worksheets from day one will make the quiz much, much easier. There is no SNA this week.

Homework
Due Friday:
Muscle Coloring Sheets (2)
Skeleton/Muscle Crossword
1-4 Review Sheet (Muscular System Review)
“Arm Yourself” Lab (Pushups)

The graph for Friday's lab will be due on Monday.

Mid quarter reports will be here soon. Make sure you check your Power School grades on a regular basis to make sure you are not missing anything, but do not disrupt class to do it.

Miss the Chicken Wing Lab?

Use this pdf document to draw a the chicken wing. Label the bones and at least two sections of muscle.

www.classjump.com/jwhite/documents/3067219914.pdf

Then write a brief summary of each of the six sections on this page about muscles.

http://yucky.discovery.com/flash/body/pg000123.html

Turn in by Monday April 5.

Muscle Notes Video!

This is a video version of the notes you took / will take in class. The sound is a bit sketchy because my "recording studio" was a concrete stairwell. Enjoy.

Week of March 29

This week in science, we are studying muscles. Day one, you will read the new section and add the vocabulary terms to their science dictionary. Day two, we are doing a dissection of a chicken wing. Day three, you will take notes on muscles from a narrated Power Point show. Day four, you will take a quiz over the vocabulary terms from the three sections we have done so far: Homeostasis, Skeleton and Muscles. We will also be watching a video from Bill Nye the Science Guy.

Homework:
SNA: Due Friday
Questions from chicken wing lab: Due Day three
1-4 Book Questions: Due Friday

There are scanned copies of all the section readings on the student section of the school server, which can be accessed from any computer in the school.

Because SBAs are next week, there will be no SNA due next week. You're welcome.

Is It Science?

I have seen a few SNAs come in that are not about science articles.

When selecting an article, ask yourself these questions:

Was something invented?
Was something discovered?
Is it about someone doing research?
Does it explain natural phenomena?
Is it about some new technology?
Is it happening in outer space?
Does it involve an organization like NASA or NOAA?
Does it look like something that might be featured on the Discovery Channel?
Is it an article provided by Mr. Gumpert?

If the answer to all of those is a definitive NO, keep looking. There are a bunch of links on the right side of your screen. If you are unsure, ask me.

Week of March 22

Continuing our tour through the human body, this week in science we will be looking at the skeletal system.
Day one, you will read Section 1-2 and add the key terms to your science dictionary.
Day two, you will take notes on a part of the section with your table group and generate one question for use on this week's quiz Then as individuals, you will answer the questions on page 19.
Day three, we will do a lab activity looking at the ratios of the lengths of various bones and take the quiz.
Yes, the quiz is going early this week because on day four, we are going a team field trip.

Homework:
1-2 Questions Due Day Three
Golden Ratio Worksheet Due Friday (If not finished in class)
SNA Due Friday

I will be posting links for SNAs periodically, so it would behoove you to check back from time to time.

Found another one

This too would make a good SNA.

Piezo crystals + Water + Sound = Hydrogen

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18661-crystals--sound--water--clean-hydrogen-fuel.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news

Contact lenses with LEDs

Looking for an SNA? Check this one out.

http://uwnews.org/article.asp?articleid=39094

Week of March 15

Beware the Ides of March.

It is a new quarter and we are beginning a new unit: the human body.

Day one this week, you will read about homeostasis and record the section’s vocabulary terms.
Day two, you will work in groups to prepare notes on a part of the reading. You will also complete the section review questions. As a group, you will write one question from their part of the section to be used in a quiz on Friday.
Day three, we will have a guest speaker to talk about the organs of the body.
Day four, you will present your notes to the class and take the quiz.

Homework:
Science News Article- Due Friday
Section Questions- Due Day Three

Week of March 8

This week in Science, we will be doing absolutely nothing. Enjoy your Spring Break, but don't spend the entire time in front of the TV.

Week of March 1

The winds of change are blowing strong. This week in science, we are discussing change over time. Day one, students are doing an activity that illustrates the geologic time scale and making a paper animal. Day two, we are watching a PBS video on the travels of Charles Darwin. Day three, we will use the paper animals from earlier for an activity that shows how different species are related. Day four, we will watch another PBS video that discusses how scientists are using this sort of information today.

Homework:
Due Day three for use in activity- Paper Animal.

There is no SNA this week.

Anyone who has RECENT assignments that need to be made up needs to do so by Wednesday so we have time to record grades.

Week of February 22

This week in science we continue our unit on genetics. Days One and Two, will be doing guided reading from the book, with a section outlines. Day Three, I will review Punnett Squares and you will do some practice problems based on Spongebob Squarepants. Day Four, you will do an in-class lab that demonstrates the principles of probability (tossing a coin several dozen times). Bring a calculator to help with the associated math. If you are going to be gone on Friday, you must get the lab from the Class Documents folder and complete it in a timely manner.

For those of you who know you are going to be out days in advance, I want the lab turned in beforehand. If it does not come in early, a big big nasty zero will sit in the gradebook at least until Monday.

Don't forget, SNAs are back this week.

Hoorah For Embedded Videos!

This video illustrates how to use a Punnett Square.

Out on Friday?

Anyone who misses the DNA Extraction Lab on Friday will need to complete the virtual lab and the questions that go along with it. The link to the lab and questions is in the links bar (DNA Extraction Web Quest) and below.

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AZt-hp5FPwIDZGNra2Q5bThfM2Nid3dxeGQy&hl=en

Technical Difficulties

For some reason the Google Docs page containing the all the notes and handouts has become unavailable to users without a Google account. I am trying to figure out why that is. In the meantime, the contents of the page have been added to the folder "Gumpert Science" on the student shared section of the server.

Week of Feb 15

We have a short week due to Conferences. Day one, we will be introducing/reviewing vocabulary for the genetics and heredity unit. You will present their interpretation of the assigned word as a poster, a skit or a rap. Day two, we will be doing a DNA extraction lab. Using a few simple procedures, you will extract DNA from fruit. The accompanying questions will be due the following Monday.

Homework: Due the next class period- DNA Extraction Lab questions, if not completed in class

Anyone who is absent for this lab will complete a virtual lab. See me for details.

Since there are only two meetings, there is NO SNA this week. However, anyone who is still missing last week's SNA should plan on doing one to make it up.

Class Documents

Some of the class documents have been moved to the Student Shared volume of the server. They can be found in the "Gumpert Science" folder.

Notes

Power Point slide shows for Mitosis and DNA are both posted under Class Documents.

Also, the link "All Sorts of Animations" has animations of biochemical processes, including DNA structure and replication, which are absolutely amazing.

Eureka!

It turns out that paperclips do float and a penny can hold up to 2.5 milliliters of water, under optimal conditions. These pictures are from the Water Lab we did during Microscope Week.

Week of February 8

This week in science, we are making the transition for cells to genetics. This week will be heavy on notes, but light on homework.

Day one, we will be watching a video hosted by Bill Nye on the Greatest Discoveries in Genetics. Day two, students will read from the textbook about the cell cycle and answer questions on it. They will turn in the questions at the end of the period. Day three, students will take notes on mitosis to reinforce the reading. Day four, students will take notes on the structure and function of DNA.

All notes will be available under Class Documents.

Homework for this week: SNA (as always) and Mitosis coloring sheet, both due Friday.

There are only three lectures remaining in the Science for Alaska Series. They are worth 10 points of extra credit EACH. Bring in a summary of at least one half page and a pamphlet or handout provided by the speaker.

Finally (and this is very important) any students that are still missing work having to do with microscopes have until Friday to make arrangements with me. Thereafter, all zeroes become irreparable.

Grades

Grades are almost up to date, including the stuff we did this afternoon. Please check Power School to see if you are missing any work.

Week of Feburary 1

Apologies for the late post.

This week in science, we will be finishing up our unit on microscopes. Day one, students will have time for last minute work on their Microscope Task Sheets and will be taking a vocabulary quiz on microscopes. Day two, we will do some work out of the textbook on the history of microscopes. Day three, students will make a simple microscope using a pair of hand lenses, and take a few notes to reinforce the reading from day two.

If you were absent at any time during the microscope lab, you must make arrangements to make up the work.
There is time to do so during lunch, Contact next week, before school and after school.

Homework this week:

Microscope Task Sheet due Feb 1

Microscope Lab Write up (optional to replace a missing grade) due Feb 2

Remember that Science Fair and the Science for Alaska Lecture Series are still available for extra credit.

Mid Quater Reports Are Coming!

That's right, and they will be followed in short order by Parent Teacher Conferences. Check your grades for any missing assignments and talk to your teachers. The worst we can say is "No, it is too late to turn in that missing assignment." Also there is a quiz on Monday.

Easy Points: Take Two

It's that time again. Send me an email before the start of school on Monday (9:30am) and I will add two points to an assignment or quiz of your designation. Power School will not let me give a score over 100%, so these will be "save it for a rainy day" points.

Remember that you have internet access during contact, before school, after school and during lunch. You can also get online at the Noel Wien Library during the weekend.

Now that everyone is (cough) looking at my blog (cough) on a bi-weekly basis (cough), I am sure that my inbox will be flooded by the start of the weekend.

Microscope Menu

The items on the "Microscope Task Sheet" have increased to eight. The coloring sheet has been added, and one of the previous items was split into two. All the worksheets for this week, as well as the task list, are posted under Class Documents. There is still a quiz on Monday.

Worksheets for the Microscope Menu

All the worksheets for this week have been posted under Class Documents. There will be a quiz on microscope vocabulary on Feb 1.

Week of Jan 25

Next week in science class, we are diving into microscopes.

Day One will be an introduction to the scopes and preparing slides. The rest of the week will consist of the “Microscope Menu.” There will be six items that students need to complete by the end of the day on Friday and it will be up to you in which order they will do them.

One of the six items is a vocabulary review flippy for the parts of the microscope. I will be giving a quiz on microscopes the week after next, and you will be able to use the flippy while taking the quiz.

QUIZ FEB 1. No one is allowed to be surprised this time.

Homework: Vocab Flippy, due Feb 1, for use on the quiz

New Plan

The pace of the class has dictated that we move the water lab to next week. It will be one of the stations in the "Microscope Menu."

Week of January 18

This week, we will continue exploring cells and organelles. Students will be taking a few more notes and doing some book work in class. We will also discuss macromolecules. On Friday, we will be doing a couple of lab activities involving water and introducing microscopes in preparation for next week.

Homework:
Due Friday- Page 24 questions (there will be class time)

Now for a few words on extra credit. The Science for Alaska Lecture Series begins Tuesday Jan 19th. Students can earn 10 points by attending a lecture and writing a summary of the presentation, at least half a page.
More information: http://www.uaf.edu/scienceforalaska/fbx-lectures/

Second, the science fair is coming up soon. I will distribute an outline for a project in class this week and explain the criteria.

The Big Finale

After a final measurement, the students each made a graph to show how their eggs were affected by the various solutions they used. Most of them showed an overall increase in size. Others showed fluctuation through the course of the lab.

The point of this lab was to give students a chance to see the effect of solutions with different densities on a membrane bound cell. The more stuff there is dissolved in the solution, the higher its density, and the more the egg will shrink. However, if there is more stuff dissolved inside the cell, which for the most part is what we observed in class, then the water outside the cell will move inside, causing the egg to swell.

If students were to try this at home, with permission of course, placing a de-shelled egg in an extremely dense fluid, like corn syrup or molasses, would cause the egg to shrink as water moved out of the cell, following its concentration gradient.

Overall, the students did very well on this lab. We only had a couple of mishaps involving broken eggs. None of them ruined any books, papers or articles of clothing.

Cell Vocab Quiz

Final online reminder, there will be a vocabulary quiz over the first 15 terms from the semester. The list is still in Class Documents.

Also, there is an easy extra credit opportunity. If you (the student) email me with your name and class period between now and the end of the day on Tuesday, I will add two points to your quiz grade.

Cells: A Sense of Scale

We looked at this website in class the other day to get a sense of the relative size of various cells, organelles and other small things.

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/cells/scale/

The Egg Lab Continues...

In part two of the egg lab we placed the de-shelled eggs in salt water. Most students discovered that the salt water made their eggs swell. Some increased their size by six centimeters!

In part three, students placed their eggs in a solution of their own choosing. Most used some kind of colored water. A few combined that with hand soap or Big K soda. One used a mixture of vegetable oil and baking soda.

We will be finishing the egg lab shortly and students will make a graph that shows how their egg was affected by the solutions they used.

Week of January 11

Happy weekend everyone!

This coming week in science class, we will continue our egg lab, learn more about cells and organelles, make a vocabulary flippy, graph the data from the egg lab and take a short quiz about cells.

Make sure you bring your data sheet to class!

Homework:
Due Friday: Vocab flippy, which we will begin in class on Day One
Due Tuesday/Wednesday: Bring in a solution from home to use in the egg lab

I will provide colored water, but if you would like to use something more exotic, you will need to bring that from home. Remember, you can't use anything that you are not allowed to bring to school.

The vocabulary list and the notes on Diffusion are posted under Class Documents. Have another look if you missed anything.

Egg-citing Egg-speriments

On Friday, we began an investigation into how eggs react to various solutions. Step one was to soak chicken eggs in vinegar for three days. Students recorded data about their eggs and predicted what would happen to them. These data are all being recorded in the "Egg Lab Data Sheet," posted in Class Documents in the links bar.

Next week, we will continue the investigation, collection more data and making more predictions.

For the final step of this investigation, students will place the egg in a solution of their own choosing, as long as it not flammable, hazardous or an energy drink such as Rockstar. Suggestions in have class have included soda, milk, ketchup, lemon juice and colored water.

After the eggs have soaked in the three different solutions, students will make a graph showing how their egg changed size over the course of the investigation.

Check back later for updates on the investigation.

Week of January 5

This week, we will be discussing molecular movement, cellular vocabulary and a review of lab safety. There will not be any homework due this week, but we are starting a few projects that will be due next week. Please don't wait night until the night before to do your projects. Planning ahead makes everyone's life better.

Don't forget that Science News Articles are still perpetually assigned, so keep your eyes peeled for interesting science news.

A New Semester Dawns

For those who have not yet met me, my name is Rob Gumpert and in this new semester, I will begin my formal student teaching in Mr. Shier's science class. I will be teaching third and fourth periods for the duration of the semester.

On this blog, I will post weekly agendas, homework assignments and other related materials.

Feel free to contact me at rgumpert@northstar.k12.ak.us.