Hello 8th grade students and parents!

I am very excited to be starting the 2011-2012 school year! Welcome to the BCCS 8th grade life science blog. This is my class blog to help students and families answer questions whenever needed. Examples of materials that I will try to put up on the blog on a regular basis: in class notes, review packets, homework assignments, and important dates in the 8th grade.

Today in class:
- Today we completed a Density of Pennies lab. The graph from the data collected in classs as well as the questions associated with the lab are due tomorrow.

Thursday and Friday:
- We will be completing a 2 part test on the Scientific Method on Thursday and Friday of this week. Below are some good websites to help students with the scientific method and graphing if they are having any trouble with their homework or studying for the test.

Scientific Method: http://www.sciencebob.com/sciencefair/scientificmethod.php
Creating a graph: http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/default.aspx
Line graphs: http://staff.tuhsd.k12.az.us/gfoster/standard/bgraph.htm

Happy studying!
Ms. Ryland

Evolution Test Prep Materials

Tomorrow is our Evolution Unit Test.

Here are some things that will be helpful with your preparation.

HINTS:

• Make sure you can explain how evolution works (NOTES #11)
•  Make sure you can explain how the evidence of evolution has helped scientists put this theory together (how each piece supports the theory)

HELPFUL LINK:

• Website explaining the mechanisms of evolution: http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evo_14 
• This website addresses:
• Descent with modification
• Genetic variation
• Mutations
• Genetic drift
• Natural selection 
• Sexual selection
• Artifical selection
• Adaptation

 Happy studying!
Ms. Ryland

Heredity and Genetics Test Prep Materials

Hello!

Tomorrow we will have a test for our Heredity and Genetics Unit.

The topics we have covered in this unit include:

• How genes play a role in an organism's characteristics.
• The differences between inherited, acquired, and environmentally influenced characteristics.
• The relationship between genotype and phenotype.
• The three different ways that alleles can interact with one another: in a dominant/recessive relationship, a codominant relationship, or an incompletely dominant relationship.
• The differences between innate behaviors (inherited) and learned behaviors (acquired).
• The different types of seasonal behaviors: migration and hibernation for animals, and the leaf cycle for plants.
• The presence of invasive species and the role they plan in ecosystems.

Here are some helpful links for review/understanding:

• - A website explaining the differences between genotype and phenotype:
• http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evo101/IIIA1Genotypevsphenotype.shtm
• A great website explaining the use of Punnett Squares and how they work:
• http://anthro.palomar.edu/mendel/mendel_2.htm
• A website explaining the differences between CODOMINANCE and INCOMPLETE DOMINANCE
• http://www.hobart.k12.in.us/jkousen/Biology/inccodom.htm

• Information on invasive species:
• http://www.invasive.org/101/index.cfm

Here are some resources to help you study:

• - Heredity Vocabulary Review Game (there are 2 words that we didn't study)
• http://www.quia.com/jg/262311.html
• Review of Heredity and Genetics (Including genotypes, phenotypes, and Punnett Squares):
• http://www.quia.com/ba/125074.html

Extra Credit Opportunity:
DIRECTIONS: Either print out these 2 problems OR write them on a sheet of paper and bring it to class complete.

1. SpongeBob’s aunt is famous around town for her itty, bitty stubby nose! She recently met a cute squarepants fellow who also has a stubby nose, which is a recessive trait. Would it be possible for them to have a child with a regular long nose? Why or why not? Create a Punnett square to help you answer this question.

2. If SpongeBob’s aunt described in #7 wanted children with long noses, what type of fellow would she need to marry in order to give her the best chances? Create a Punnett square to help you answer this question.


Hope these are helpful.
Happy studying!
Ms. Ryland

Cell Division Test Friday

The cell division test on Friday will focus on three main topics.
1. The cell cycle as a whole.
2. Mitosis
3. Meiosis

The steps of each of these processes will be important, but the bigger understandings that will also be tested are the ideas of why BOTH mitosis and meiosis are necessary in sexually reproducing organisms, and the role that both of these processes play in allowing organisms to grow, develop, and continue their species on.

Tools for studying:
- Here are the 3 WKST's that students completed on Wednesday during class:

Mitosis and Meiosis Basics:


Applying Mitosis:


Applying Meiosis:


- Here is the review packet that students will be working on Wednesday night for homework:


These materials will be reviewed on Thursday in class as an extra review and to make sure that students have the correct information to study from on Thursday night.

Happy studying!

Cell Cycle and Reproduction Unit Information

With all of the snow days since our return, the class schedule has changed slightly.

The unit we are currently working on is "Cell Cycle and Reproduction".

We are starting our third week in this unit. There will be a small unit test at the end of this week (Friday 2/11). A review packet will be assigned for homework on Wednesday (2/9). We also use the class time on Thursday (2/10) for review.

The week following (week before February break) we will be completing our Frog dissection.

The review packet will be posted this week, along with practice questions to help students prepare.

Happy studying!

Review Quizzes and Extra Credit Opportunity

Here are the quizzes that we have taken during this unit. Because I use larger than 1.25" margins some of the formatting is a little off when I upload these, but for the most part they are still intact.

Here is a work document that has the quiz questions from the three quizzes from this unit. Quiz 1: Skin, Bones, and Muscles. Quiz 2: Nutrition and the Digestive System, and Quiz 3: The Circulatory and Respiratory Systems:



EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY:
Below is a graphic organizer that can help you organize your notes from this unit. If you complete this graphic organizer and turn it in to me on Friday (1/21) the you will receive up to 5 extra credit points on the test.



Happy studying!!

Technology Issues and Review Materials

I was planning on posting the 3 quizzes that we have taken during this unit so that they could be used to study and go through the notes again, but I cannot seem to access them from home today. I will make sure that they get posted when I am at my school computer.

In the mean time, here are a couple websites that provide really great tools to read through information and to review this information.

This website has background readings on many of the topics we have covered. When the symbol covers the organ or topic you would like to read about, simply click on it and it will take you to readings and vocabulary words practices for this topic.
How the Body Works: http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/

This website is great for review games. You can search what topic you want to review. For example, if you type digestive system into the "Keywords" and then hit search it will bring up different review games to help you review the digestive system.
Quia: http://www.quia.com/shared/sci/


Hope these are helpful. Happy studying!

Announcements for this week.

This week will be a special week in science as far as the schedule goes because of the Monday off and testing Tuesday.

Wednesday (1/5)
Today we will have our "Monday Vocabulary" which means that tomorrow (Thursday 1/6) we will have the vocabulary quiz. Here is this week's vocabulary list is below.



Homework for Wednesday (1/5) is to complete the vocabulary packet (if not finished in class), make note cards for the vocabulary terms and study for tomorrow's vocabulary quiz.

Thursday (1/6)
We will start with the vocabulary quiz and then move on to the form and function of the nervous system.

Homework is the reading and questions called "How the Nervous System Works"

Friday (1/7)
Students that did not receive an 80% or higher on the Thursday quiz will take the vocabulary quiz retake. We will then move on to take a look at the three types of neurons in the nervous system.

Friday's homework will be the reading and questions called "Divisions of the Nervous System"

Welcome

Hi 8th grade students and families!

Welcome to the BCCS 8th grade life science blog. This is a new blog for my class to help students and families answer questions whenever needed. Examples of materials that I will try to put up on the blog on a regular basis: in class notes, review packets, homework assignments, and important dates in the 8th grade.

Hope it helps!
Ms. Ryland