Winter Break!

Have a wonderful winter break everyone! Good luck to everyone who has tournaments and races. When we get back from break we'll start with the cell cycle and mitosis/meiosis. How do cells reproduce? What happens if cells reproduce uncontrollably? Why are there two different types of reproduction?

Navigating the Scientific Literature

reminder! the ebsco host and popular news article write ups are due tomorrow in class if you haven't already emailed them to me. Thanks to those of you who have turned yours in early.

It's JUA time!

JUA starts this Sunday at Noon in the Master Classroom. We're leaving at 4:45am on Monday so make sure you set an alarm. We'll return on Tuesday evening (you might be a bit late for study hall). Most classes only meet once next week, so you'll be finishing presenting the Anatomy Jig Saw.

Anatomy Jig-Saw (Friday and Saturday)

Admit Slip: Name as many body systems as you can

Objective: students will complete a jig-saw activity to learn the body systems and present what they learn to the class. Each person/group must state:

*Name of the System
*Major Organs/Components
*How it functions

Students will review systems by playing 2 truths and a lie.

Navigating the Scientific Literature

All honors classes met today in the ARC computer classroom. We learned how to use EBSCO host to find peer reviewed, full text journal articles. The assignment is posted below and the first one is due DECEMBER 14th.

1. Browse recent articles by looking at the magazine section of the ARC. You can also search for articles on line. Possible magazine of interest include: Time, Newsweek, Wired, Men's/Women's Health, National Geographic.

2. Find the original research article in the EBSCO health resources database.

QUESTIONS TO ANSWER ABOUT THE ARTICLES

1. For the Magazine article: (15 points)
Give the title, author, and date of publication. (1pt. each)
Give a sentence or two that summarizes the scientific findings reported. (3 pts.)
Describe any figures or tables that accompany the article. (1 pt. if applicable)
Does the article include responses from the scientific community? Explain. (3 pts. if applicable).
Does this article give you enough information to evaluate whether or not the results are likely to be replicable? Explain. (5 pts.)

2. For the peer-reviewed article: (20 points)
Give the citation in the sample scientific format provided in the handout: authors’ surnames and initials, date, title, journal, volume, pages. (4 pts.)
Devote a sentence to each figure and table, explaining the results that are presented. (8 pts.)
How many references are cited by the article? (2 pts.)
Would you recommend this article to a friend who is a non-biologist? Explain. (6pts.)

December 14th only: How will you judge the scientific validity of information you encounter on the web or in secondary sources? (5 points)

January 15th only: In choosing between pdf and full text for viewing scientific articles, which format is better for printing? Which is easier to read on the screen? ( 5 points)

February 12th only: Choose what you think is the most significant figure in the peer reviewed article. Write at least 4 sentences explaining the figure and why you think it is the most significant in the article.


Due dates: December 14th, January 15th and February 12th. Your assignments must be typed and include a copy of the NYT article and the actual article.

Value of the assignments:
December: Since this is your first one, it will count as a homework
January: This will count as a quiz
February: This will count as a test.

You can work alone or in groups of up to three. Only one assignment per group.

What do you want to learn?

Admit Slip: Based on what you saw at Body Worlds 2, what new questions do you have about how your body works?

Objective: Students will create and answer their own questions about the human body.

Homework: Honors classes: bring an recent science article that relates to some aspect of biology to class.

Reminder:
All honors classes meet in the computer lab on the lower level of the ARC on Thursday.

Body Worlds2

Field Trip!

Special thanks to a very generous parent for providing over 100 students the opportunity to go to the Museam of Science in Boston to see Body Worlds 2 and "The Human Body" at the Omni.

For more information on the exhibit please visit:
Gunther von Hagens' Body Worlds website.

54321's for the winter term

There are two changes in the 54321.

a) New Dute Date & Time: Noon on Sunday

b) New Grading Scale: To make life easier in the grade book, the 54321 is now graded on a 1-5 scale (5 is the best, this 5 = 100%, 4 = 80% etc..) Also, 54321's will now be factored into homework and not class participation.

The Immune Response (for Friday 12/1 and Saturday 12/2)

Admit Slip: How does your immune system work?

Objective: To examine the defenders involved in the nonspecific and specific body defenses.

Homework: Immune System Questions