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February 28, 2006
Monday, we discussed the characteristics and classification of members of kingdom Anamalia. Using several examples from our Jekyll island experiences we sorted organisms into the major animal phyla. We also watched a video about animals. Homework was to read pages 310-317.
We will be departing from our specific animal classification studies periodically over the next few weeks as we work on our wildlife documentaries.
Here is the overview and timeline for the project. More information will follow. For homework, please brainstorm ideas for your project and gather more information to help develop your theme.
Posted by Carroll at 06:46 PM
I want to thank the parents who encouraged their children to participate in our fun learning adventure on Jekyll Island last week. It was a blast. I hope that you enjoyed the pictures and stories. Your children were wonderful and you should be proud. As we continue our studies of animals and ecology this month, it is evident that we will have many more Jekyll examples to refer to. You would not believe the list of animals that students could recall from their lessons and that we discussed in class on Monday.
A message from our nurse, Caroline Waters- Please pick up your left over medications from the trip (in the clinic). They will be disposed of if you do not pick them up before the end of the year..
Posted by Carroll at 06:36 PM
TrackStar : View Track Member in Text :
Here are some useful links for your research. Please let me know if you locate a great source and I will post it for others to use.
Posted by Carroll at 06:08 AM
February 19, 2006
Visit the following track to find information to help you complete the science assignment for Jekyll week.
Links to these 15 sites can be found on the left side of the page.
Posted by Carroll at 04:09 PM
February 18, 2006
To check out what is happening at Jekyll this week, go to mabryonline.org and choose Jekyll Blog on the front page or go directly with the link below:
http://mabryonline.org/mglc/science/7th/jekyll/
Parents can comment on each post by clicking comments underneath a post.
Posted by Carroll at 08:54 AM
I am so impressed with the great plant kingdom concept maps that were submitted on Thursday. Great job students! I brought them home to grade and will not be able to get them posted before Jekyll Week.
I know that you are packing for our Jekyll trip, but I found another great plant site ...for showing the classification for specific plants. Check out the latin titles for vascular and flowering plants.
http://plants.usda.gov/
Posted by Carroll at 08:47 AM
February 16, 2006
Go to the following link to see video and read about plant stimuli studies at Indiana University's Biology department. Some of these videos are soo cool. I wonder if we could do that?
http://plantsinmotion.bio.indiana.edu/plantmotion/starthere.html
Check the link below to find out more about flowering plants.
Anthophyta
Plant Information Center
Posted by Carroll at 06:42 AM
February 15, 2006
Plant Projects are due on Thursday. Please review the scoring rubric and make sure that you have met all the criteria for a great grade.
Today in class we completed our lab comparing monocots and dicots and drew a diagram of the reproductive organ of many plants...a flower. You should have diagrams, drawings, and questions completed and your journal on the shelf in the room. Can you tell if a plant is a monocot by it's flowers, stems, and leaves? I hope so. If you were absent today, please plan to come in early on Thursday to make up the lab.
Posted by Carroll at 07:21 PM
February 11, 2006
I am getting ready for my field trip to Jekyll and it is cold and rainy outside. The long range forecast looks pretty good, but that is just a forecast. It is better to be prepared...so... imagine going to all of your outdoor classes in weather conditions like we have this weekend. Rainy? Windy? Cold? Occasionally, part of a class is done in a classroom, but mostly we go outside, rain or shine.
Check over your packing list and start gathering your items to pack this weekend. Remember to include a waterproof outer layer (a cheap poncho works) and several layers for warmth. Remember a warm hat and gloves too. Looking stylish is not important, staying warm and dry is! Do not go shopping for all new stuff, borrow from family members, if you can.
Wouldn't it be great if we prepared for awful weather and had warmth and sunshine instead? I'm hoping for clear skies.
Posted by Carroll at 09:35 AM
Grades have been updated today so you can check iParent. Sorry for the delay in posting- grading independent study projects slowed me down. There are a few assignments in student lab journals that I still need to evaluate and add to my gradebook. Journals are at school so I will catch up with them next week. Progress reports go home on Wed. Please email me if you have any questions about grades.
There have been several students who have missed several days in a row and who still have not made up all of their work. Please meet with me Monday or Tuesday before school to make up tests, quizzes, or lab work. Other assignments can be done on your own and submitted for evaluation.
Posted by Carroll at 09:20 AM
February 10, 2006
Friday is our "field work" day and we will use a dichotomous key to work on identifying the lichens that we collected on campus, in Sweat Mtn. Park, and at student homes in the community. By the end of class today, you should be able to explain what isidia, soredia, soralia, apothecia, thallus, and lobes are.
Students will also have the opportunity to work on their plant projects.
For homework, please read Chapter 9 and work on your concept map or article summary.
Posted by Carroll at 07:01 AM
On Thursday classes watched an interesting video about members of the plant kingdom and corrected their quiz on protists and fungi. The remainder of class time was for DEAR. For homework, read the first of the two chapters about plants.
The following download explains our current project on plants:
Plant Characteristics.doc
Classifying Plants
Posted by Carroll at 06:51 AM
Any student medications for the Jekyll trip need to be given to the nurse in the original container. Please do this by Monday.
Pack for cold and rainy weather- It is better to be prepared than not (see suggested packing list). Also, remember to label your duffel and sleeping bag container as well as your clothing and other items.
Please email me if you have any questions.
Posted by Carroll at 05:36 AM
February 08, 2006
Cobb County Water System has invited us to participate in their Mascot Design Contest. The goal is to create a concept to be used for the design of the Cobb County Water System's mascot.
Check out their website at Cobb Co. Water System to learn more about their environmental and conservation programs.
Cobb Water has been very supportive of Mabry for several years and I would like for my many creative students to participate in this opportunity. (Thanks Jennifer and everyone for your help with conservation efforts in the Mabry community!)
Address the following questions when creating the design:
Why is drinking water important to me, my family, and our community?
Where does drinking water come from?
Why is it important to conserve our precious water resource?
Why is protection of the water supply even more critical now than ever?
Why is preventing water pollution important?
How will this mascot (your design) demonstrate/portray the education programs and public information objectives of the Cobb County Water System?
Submit designs on 11 X 17 paper. Outline suggested dimensional aspects for the final product and include suggestions for materials, colors and production.
Keep in mind that a person must be able to fit into the mascot costume.
Entries must be postmarked by March 31, 2006. See me for the address.
National Drinking Water Week is May 7-13, 2006 and winners will be announced then.
Posted by Carroll at 06:34 PM
If you visited the fun facts about fungi on a previous link, you may have discovered the curious Pilobolus fungi. For a 10 point bonus added to your quiz on Wednesday, please describe the life cycle of this fungus in writing and turn it in to me by Friday.
Posted by Carroll at 06:14 PM
For classwork: Create a table to compare algal blooms in saltwater and fresh water using pages 229 and 230 as a reference. What are they called? Where do they occur? Describe the stages of each. How do they impact humans? How do humans affect them? If you were absent, please complete the class assignment and show it to me when you return.
Today (Wednesday), following the above assignment, students took an open note quiz about protists and fungi. From the scores, I can tell that some of you need to spend a little more time reviewing and reading assignments.
When finished, students read an interesting article about how nitrogen cycles in an aquarium.
It is time for us to add some fish to our new tank. Is anyone interested in making a donation to the tank? Please let me know. I will explore the idea of setting up an account at the local fish store so you can pick out what you want to contribute and I can get the fish and bring them to school at a convenient time. Any ideas?
Posted by Carroll at 06:07 PM
On Tuesday we shared our notes/outlines of the text section (pages 233-242) on fungi using our Promethean Board. We also watched a video that included much information about protists and fungi.
If you are absent (Connor, we miss you), please take notes or make an outline for pages 233-242 and show it to me for a check.
Explore the following link to learn some interesting facts about fungi.
Posted by Carroll at 05:57 PM
February 03, 2006
Here are some interesting links about lichens.
little known facts about lichens
Posted by Carroll at 05:17 PM
Today we prepared our lichen samples for identification and placement in our class herbarium. All samples should have the location (latitude and longitude) as well as substrate listed on the outside of the envelope. Students also viewed their samples through the stereoscopes and attempted to use the dichotomous keys provided. We will continue our investigation and classification of our samples next week (on our field studies day) as we learn some of the vocabulary associated with their identification.
The classes who brought popcorn set up an experiment to compare different water samples for the growth of water mold (actually fungus like protists). Six types of water were used: creek water, tap water, bottled water, aquarium water, old aquarium water, and water from the tank that does not yet have fish. These organisms are oomycetes and the experiment and information can be found at the following link. It will take a few days for us to see any growth. Check out the link below even if you have not yet set up an investigation. There are some good ideas there for other investigations. For homework, please finish reading about fungi in your text (233-242).
Posted by Carroll at 04:54 PM
Wednesday was a review day for our scheduled chapter 6 test on Thursday. If you were absent, you can pick up a copy of the questions that were used for our review game from me when you return to school. Thursday was our test and DEAR day.
Posted by Carroll at 04:07 PM
