Second Day of the New Unit

Tuesday November 30th, 2010
Today was the 2nd day of our new unit. When we first got into class, Mrs. Stein had us turn in our color coding homework into the bin, and we also got a new stamp for our Meiosis 11.4 homework. We also picked up our graded Protein Synthesis Activity.

After that, Mrs. Stein started to discuss a little more about Meiosis and how it differs from Mitosis. We took some notes, but Mrs. Stein reassured us that it is beyond necessary to understand what she's talking about before we write it down. If not, we can always ask for help. She pulled up a slideshow with the notes below, first giving us the phases in each Meiosis I and Meiosis II. Later, were slides on Mendel's Law of Independent Assortment, Crossing Over, and Meiosis in Men vs. Women.

Some things she pointed out were that:
-Dna replication does not occur between Meiosis I and Meiosis II.
-Meiosis II looks A LOT like Mitosis!
-Crossing over occurs only in Prophase I of Meiosis I.
-Meiosis has a greater variety of gene combinations.

Notes:
Independent Assortment:

• Mendel's Law of Independent Assortment
• Alleles (form of a gene) separate independently of each other
• Leads to formation of MANY different genes

Here is the link for the slides that you may of missed:

http://www.slideshare.net/debdstein/meiosis-phasesiosis-phases


The Homework is:
**Read 11.1 in textbook (Mrs. Stein is trusting us to read on our own without notes!)
**UP Pages 29-31
All for tomorrow^

With the last 10 minutes of class, Mrs. Stein showed us some slides and explained a few genetic terms you can find on UP 21. This will help on the homework (pages 29-31)
Also, she discussed Punnett Squares and how to create them, along with ratios, percents, and fractions for phenotypes and genotypes. She went over the pages for homework, and all the important steps on creating a punnett square and finding the Genotype and Phenotype.
Examples:
Genotypes- ex. 1 Aa : 1 aa, 50% Aa, 50% aa
Phenotypes- ex. 3 green : 1 yellow, 75% green, 25% yellow


aaannddddd...the next scribe is ZoE!

The Start Of Something New

November 29, 2010

Today we started the new unit of "Meiosis, Genetics, and Genetic Technology."

We started off class by getting back our graded tribune articles and online activity that we started in the computer lab November 23rd.

Next we started notes on chromosome numbers, meiosis, and interphase( to your left)

We ended class with some extra time to do the homework which was:

-read 11.4 and do the double bubble map "mitosis vs. meiosis" OR a flow "steps of meiosis"

-color and annotate UP 13-14

I found this video that I thought might help if you don't understand meiosis and the chromosome numbering.

And I thought this was funny:

The next scribe is...Gianna

Gobble Gobble Gobble!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break with lots of rest and family time!  I have been spending my break getting caught up of grading, making pears for Max, and hanging out with family. I finally finished all of the classes Cancer Papers... phew! Overall, you guys did a nice job on the DNA/RNA test.  We will get grade reports on Monday with those scores.  I hope everyone is ready to get started on MEIOSIS... NOT MITOSIS!!!!  If anyone wants to get a head start on homework... Monday night's homework is... (drumroll please!)

READ 11.4 and do EITHER a double bubble map comparing Mitosis and Meiosis... OR a Flow Map titled "Steps of Meiosis"

We will be working on a colorcode in class on Monday... whatever you don't finish of that is homework too! Gobble Gobble!

Our next scribe is... Calie

More Restoration Dates for Extra Credit!!!

More Dates for extra credit! Same rules as before... take pictures there, post it to the blog... write about your experience on the blog... You may do this ONCE a semester for extra credit. But you may go as many times as you would like... however, you can only get extra credit once a semester.


Saturday, December 4th: Restoration Work Day at Kent Fuller Air Station Prairie
Help the Kent Fuller 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, December 11th: Restoration Work Day at The Grove
Help The Grove restoration team remove non-native, invasive plants to 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

Sunday, December 12th: Restoration Day at Harms Woods
Sponsored by the North Branch Restoration Project. Activities include brush cutting, weed removal and seed collection. Please meet at the Forest Preserve Glenview Woods parking lot on the west side of Harms Rd. just south of Glenview Road; 9:00-12:00 or 1:00-4:00.
https://webmail.glenbrook225.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=f6c5a1bd8e3549a880bef69ca287cf62&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.northbranchrestoration.org%2fcalendar.html

Saturday, January 8th, 2011: Restoration Work Day at Kent Fuller Air Station Prairie
Help the Kent Fuller 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, January 22nd: Restoration Work Day at The Grove
Help The Grove restoration team remove non-native, invasive plants to 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


Saturday, January 22nd: Restoration Day at Harms Flatwoods
Sponsored by the North Branch Restoration Project. Seasonal activities include brush cutting, weed removal and seed collection. Please meet at Forest Preserve parking lot on the west side of Harms Road, directly west of Old Orchard Road where it ends on Harms Road; 9:00-12:00.
http://www.northbranchrestoration.org/calendar.html#

Sunday, January 30th: Restoration Day at Harms Flatwoods
Sponsored by the North Branch Restoration Project. Seasonal activities include brush cutting, weed removal and seed collection. Please meet at Forest Preserve parking lot on the west side of Harms Road, directly west of Old Orchard Road where it ends on Harms Road; 9:00-12:00.
http://www.northbranchrestoration.org/calendar.html#

Saturday, February 5th: Restoration Work Day at Kent Fuller Air Station Prairie
Help the Kent Fuller 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, February 19th: Restoration Work Day at The Grove
Help The Grove restoration team remove non-native, invasive plants to 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

Sunday, February 20th: Restoration Day at Harms Woods
Sponsored by the North Branch Restoration Project. Activities include brush cutting, weed removal and seed collection. Please meet at the Forest Preserve Glenview Woods parking lot on the west side of Harms Rd. just south of Glenview Road; 9:00-12:00 or 1:00-4:00.
https://webmail.glenbrook225.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=f6c5a1bd8e3549a880bef69ca287cf62&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.northbranchrestoration.org%2fcalendar.html
Sunday, March 6th: Restoration Day at Harms Flatwoods
Sponsored by the North Branch Restoration Project. Seasonal activities include brush cutting, weed removal and seed collection. Please meet at Forest Preserve parking lot on the west side of Harms Road, directly west of Old Orchard Road where it ends on Harms Road; 9:00-12:00.
http://www.northbranchrestoration.org/calendar.html#

Saturday, March 12th: Restoration Work Day at The Grove
Help The Grove restoration team remove non-native, invasive plants to 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

Saturday, March 19th: Restoration Work Day at Kent Fuller Air Station Prairie
Help the Kent Fuller 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, March 26th: Restoration Day at Harms FlatwoodsSponsored by the North Branch Restoration Project. Seasonal activities include brush cutting, weed removal and seed collection. Please meet at Forest Preserve parking lot on the west side of Harms Road, directly west of Old Orchard Road where it ends on Harms Road; 9:00-12:00.
http://www.northbranchrestoration.org/calendar.html#

BUCKTHORN EXPERIENCE

Yesterday, Anastasia and I were a part of the North Branch Restoration Project, and cut buckthorn at Harms Flatwoods. When we got there, we signed in and went went to the west side of the forest preserve to cut buckthorn. With us were normal volunteers and also students from New Trier. The person in charge of the group told us that buckthorn was being a problem in that it surrounds native trees like the oak tree and doesn't allow them to reproduce. He told us that whatever was green, was buckthorn. Buckthorn was the only plant still standing with its leaves, so it wasn't hard to miss. When me and Anastasia got to the site where we were going to cut buckthorn, we saw SO much of it! It was everywhere. It was taking over everything else. When we went inside the forest preserve, we took a clipper and we went and cut buckthorn, while the experienced people were putting up controled fires so we can burn the buckthorn. For some odd reason, this computer isn't leting me upload the pictures onto the post, so see Anastasia's. SORRY.

Anyways, Anastasia and I thoguth we'd be cold so we dressed up so warmly, and when we got there, with the four fires and the hard work, we were dying of heat. It was pretty interesting in that me and Anastasia helped the forest preserve from this invader, buckthorn. It was a lot of fun, and I would do it again any time!

Website to help with protein synthesis

I found a link on this website with the University of Utah that helps you learn genetics. Under the column transcription and translation, there is an interactive little game to help remind you of the base pairs and how tRNA and mRNA create a protein. It also shows the Genetic Code chart. Underneath, there is a animated example of protein synthesis. Hope this helps!

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/dna/

Buckthorn Adventure!

Today Vicky and I went to Harms Flatwoods. When we got there we signed in, and they explained to all of us what buckthorn is. Buckthorn is an invasive plant that causes a big problem. It out-competes native plants for nutrients, light and moisture threatens the future of forests and serves as a host to other pests.
We then walked to the forest preserve and there they gave us saws, and clippers.

Materials we used:



Clipper



Saw



Me cutting buckthorn



Buckthorn





Buckthorn was EVERYWHERE! We knew what plants were buckthorn because they had marked them with orange paint.

After cutting the buckthorn we took it and added it to the fire they made. The purpose of the fire was to burn the bucktorn down. They had set up 4 fires and this is how they looked:



Fire

We had a lot of fun!