Restoration Work Day

On Saturday I went to the Grove to do a restoration work day.

We were told to grab gloves, large cutters, and goggles. Then we headed out to the very back of the property.

The man that was leading our group told us that we were going to be cutting down buckthorn. Buckthorn is something that we learned in class already. It is an invasive species. The reason that it is especially a problem at the Grove is because the Grove's forest was predominately all oak hardwood. But because the buckthorn has grown all over the forest's floor, the seeds of the oak trees cannot fall and reproduce on the ground. The buckthorn is shading the light of the ground and the oak trees are unable to grow. Also the only importance that buckthorn provides to the animals and environment of the grove is, the deers use the tree to rub on and also get rid of their antlers when it is time.

The picture on the left is a picture of the distinctive color of the inside of buckthorn bark. It is an orangish pigment and when I cut into the tree it looked as though there was an orange circle going around the outer part of the tree.

To begin with, almost all of the forest floor was covered with the invasive tree, but at the end it looked more like the picture to your right. We made many piles of buckthorn.

These piles will be burned and the stubs remaining will be poisoned by workers at the Grove. It was a great experience and I'm glad that I was able to help out my community, i can't wait to see if the oak forest is able to grow back!

Still pumping that blood!

Thursday April 21 - Heart Dissection!

On Thursday we dissected a heart! But before all the cutting, we took a quiz on the heart, parts of the part, and functions those parts carry out. This dissection was on UP27-32. Before you cut the heart ''like a doughnut'' Mrs.Stein quizzed each lab group to make sure you knew the parts of the heart. Then we cut it in half, and examined in interior of the heart. Gross, right? But actually there were some neat things you could do. If you stuck one finger through the pulmonary artery and another through the superior vena cava (I think) you could touch your fingers!
The homework due on Monday were as follows:
Finish UP27-32
4 Corners worksheet on 33.2
Here are some pictures of the heart:
Monday April 25 - Pulse Lab
At the start of class, we got back some graded work and a grade report! We went over our quizzes and overall, the average was a C. Today before beginning a lab we talked about your pulse, just to get a gist of things before the lab. For the lab we worked in partners. We first tested our resting heart rate and then did several activities meant to increase of slow down your heart rate such as holding your breath or exercising.
The homework from today is as follows:
Read AND annotate UP33-35
Finish Pulse Lab - Due Thursday!

The next scribe will be...........Amanda! (sorry :)

Extra Credit!

SPECIAL PROGRAM! Saturday, April 30th and Tuesday, May 10th: Emerald Ash Borer Workshops

The Emerald Ash Borer beetle has damaged millions of trees in the U.S. an has now invaded Glenview. Join the Village of Glenview and the Glenview Park District to learn more about this noxious pest, including its biology and natural history, treatment and prevention programs and what to do if you suspect an infestation; Workshops held in the Program Barn at The Grove, 1421 Milwaukee Ave.; Sat., April 30, 2-3:30 p.m. (includes field observations) or Tues., May 10, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
E-mail for more information about the workshop: judy.ksiazek@glenviewparks.org
See this website for more about the Emerald Ash Borer: http://na.fs.fed.us/fhp/eab/
Saturday, May 14th is CHICAGO RIVER DAY
You're invited to join in the fun at the 19th annual Chicago River Day! Help to beautify the West Fork of the North Branch of the Chicago River with trash pickup. Work gloves and bags will be provided, as well as FREE T-shirts for participants! Please meet at Kohl's parking lot off of Willow Rd.; 9:00-12:00.
E-mail for more information: rflakne@glenview.il.us
Saturday, May 14th: Restoration Work Day at Kent Fuller Air Station Prairie
Help Air Station Prairie's restoration team remove invasive plants to make way for native prairie grasses and forbs. Bring work gloves if you have them. Please meet at the Tyner Interpretive Center, 2400 Compass Rd.; 9:00-12:00.
http://www.glenviewparks.org/Air-Station-Prairie-Tyner-Center/restoration-work-days.htm

Saturday, May 28th: Restoration Work Day at The Grove National Historic Landmark
The Grove's restoration team needs your help to remove non-native, invasive plants and make way for native wildflowers, grasses and trees. Bring work gloves if you have them. Please meet at the Grove Interpretive Center, 1421 Milwaukee Ave.; 9:00-12:00.
http://www.glenviewparks.org/The-Grove/get-involved.htm

Wednesday April 20th
Agenda:

• Get a stamp for UP 11-17


• Discuss the heart


• Work on colorcode

Homework:

• UP 21-23


• QUIZ ON HEART TOMORROW! STUDY!

Of course when we walked in Mrs. Stein had the "pumps your blood" song playing. :) We got an acorn stamp for our homework. Next, we took some notes about the heart to prepare ourselves for the quiz tomorrow. We are responsible for knowing the different parts and their function. Also be familar with the diagram of the heart, and the path blood takes. At the end of class Mrs.Stein was there to answer any questions while we worked on our homework. Tomorrow we will be disecting sheep hearts! Don't forget to study for the quiz! :)

UP 21-23:

• label & color page 21


• just color page 22


• just color the top half of 23 & color and label the bottom half
  
  
  

The next scribe will be chloe!

"Pump it up song..."

Now I know, never to ask for a pump it up song in biology class. I found out the hard way... just kidding Mrs. Stein :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_d0ykpzQgY <--

Agenda:

• Hand in Cornell notes (on 33.1)
  
• Discuss circulation
  
• Video clips

Homework:

• Read & Annotate UP #11-17

---------------------------------

After Mrs. Stein's creative way of waking us up, we started off the day when you walked into class, you were supposed to pick up a new unit packet, a new calendar, and then Mrs. Stein passed out our grade reports; it had our Digestions & Excretion Test scores' on them. Next, we were to do a sort-of activity, with 1 or 2 other people, in the UP packet - page 9 - and they were questions based on what you already know about the circulatory system. After that, Mrs. Stein just went over the answers in class before the bell rang. Finally, Mrs. Stein showed us one of her other "pump it up" songs to us while we were heading onto our next class.


Here are the answers to the packet questions:

#1: earthworm (5 pairs = 10 hearts)
#2: 5 liters
#3: 50% water, 45% red blood cells, & 5% salt, hormones, minerals, proteins, etc.
#4: 27,500,000,000,000 red blood cells (made in bone marrow and carry oxygen)
#5: 200-300 million
#6: 120 days (spleen clears out old red blood cells)
#7: 7 mm
#8: Rhosus Monkey
#9: female - 1/2 lb. male - 0.7 lb (size of a fist)
#10: 30% larger, 400 grams
#11: 62,000 miles (through diffusion, capillaries (blood vessels) transport red blood cells single file
#12: 1.5 million
#13: 60-80 - 72 beats per minute
#14: 32 beats/min
#15: opening & closing of valves
#16: bright red
#17: dark reddish/blue
#18: heart disease
#19: 100,000,000 per minute
and finally... #20: 5 liters per minute




Next scribe is.............. Natalie :)

Wednesday the 13th

Today in 2nd period biology we discussed the Kidney. Some of the notes for today are the following...

The kidney

- Removes metabolic waste and helps to maintain homeostasis (i.e. keeps salt and water levels in balance)

- Three major steps the kidneys preform are...

- Filtering blood

- Reabsorbing nutrients

- Collection and excretion

- The nephron

-Basic unit of the kidney

- Filtration

- water, Urea, glucose, salts, amino acids and vitamins filter into nephron

- Reabsorption

- needed materials reenter the blood stream

- Collection and

- concentrated urine is collected and leaves the kidney

The second half of class we saw a urine demonstration were we tested for glucose.

There is no homework due tomorrow but there is a test friday on digestion and excretion. The homework that was due today was the kidney dissection lab on pages 23-28 in the unit packet.

IZZY IS OUR NEXT SCRIBE

Bill Nye the Science Guy (Science Rules!)

List three organs that make up the excretory system.

.....

1. Lungs 2. Liver 3. Kidney

Yes in class we got started with some simple questions about the process of the excretory system and we can all look forward to some dissection of sheep tomorrow!

YAY. *Contain your enthusiasm*

We then took some brief notes to further understand what were suppose to have read and took notes on. (30.4) The most basic and important snippet of the notes was that the word Excrete means to get rid of waste and there are two kinds digestive and metabolic. We then voted to watch Bill Nye the Science Guy for the rest of class. (Which ended up not being so acurrate) In the end it was a very chill monday biology which is good because I think half the class was asleep anyway. Have good week!!

Next Scribe is...... ALEX