2/5

Students did their final genetic disorder presentations on Monday. Overall, students did a great job on their projects! Projects will be graded and handed back by early next week.

This week, students were introduced to the concepts of adaptations, evolution, and natural selection. We discussed the voyage of Charles Darwin and the important discoveries that he made on the Galapagos Islands. Students are currently working on creating "designer animals." In this activity, students were given four environments to choose from, and they were required to design an animal with the adaptations necessary to survive in the chosen environment. Students had to consider what their animal would eat, how it would defend itself, maintain body temperature, care for its young, find shelter, etc. After designing everything, students will choose a card that explains how their current environment will change, and then students must decide whether their animal will still have the right adaptations to survive. On Monday, students will present their "designer animals" to the class. Next week, we will discuss several examples of natural selection that occur everyday, and students will do a "peppered moth" lab to simulate how natural selection occurs.

1/29

This month seems to have gone by so quickly! Students spent the majority of the week in the computer lab working on their genetic disorder projects. Class presentations began on Thursday, and we will finish on Monday. Our next chapter will explore how mutations lead to the evolution of organisms.

1/22

On Tuesday, we reviewed for our Chapter 6 Test. Students were assessed on their knowledge of DNA structure, history, function, and advances on Wednesday. Students were given their topic and partner assignments based on the topic sheets that each student turned in last week. We spent the rest of the week in the IMC to begin our research. Students are required to research and create a presentation for the class about their chosen genetic disorder. Students can choose to create a slide show, brochure, or poster of their "final product." We will spend three more days in class next week working on the project. Students will also sign up for their presentation date (and due date) next week.

1/15

On Monday, students began searching for possible topics for their genetic disorder project, which we will begin next week. This week, we also began our discussion of selective breeding, cloning, and genetic engineering. We watched a video entitled "Understanding the Power of Genes" that reviewed these advances in genetics and controversies of genetic engineering. We will discuss some of your "ethical" opinions next week! We will be taking the test over chapter 6 (DNA) on Wednesday, and then we will begin working on the genetic disorder project in class. Students will receive their topic and partner assignments on Wednesday!

1/8

This week, we discussed the structure and history of DNA. We learned how DNA replicates and how DNA nucleotide bases pair up (like puzzle pieces). On Wednesday, we built an edible model of DNA based on our knowledge of its structure. On Thursday, we discovered how the DNA code actually works. We discussed how 3 DNA bases code for an amino acid and that a group of amino acids make up a protein (the chemical messenger that tells the cell what to do). We even had the chance to "view" the DNA of a pea when we did our DNA extraction lab on Friday. When you get those labs back next week, just remember that you can take the "recipe" home and try to extract DNA from other sources!


Next week we will talk about genetic engineering and watch a great video on cloning, DNA forensics, and more! We will also begin picking out topics for genetic disorder projects.

12/18

This week, we discussed four common genetic disorders (cystic fibrosis, sickle-cell anemia, hemophilia, and Down syndrome). We spent time reviewing our genetics chapter on Tuesday and Wednesday, and took the chapter test on Thursday. When we return from break, we will discuss the structure and function of DNA.

Enjoy your two weeks off! I'll see you in 2010!

12/11

On Monday, students worked in small groups to practice using Punnett squares. On Tuesday, students participated in the "Face Lab." In this lab, students had to play the role of parents and flip coins in order to determine which traits would be passed on to their "child." This lab reinforced how alleles are passed from parents to offspring and how probability (in our case, flipping a coin) plays a major role in genetics. Students had to use the results from their coin flips to draw a picture what their "child" would look like. I will be hanging up these lovely (or not so lovely, in some cases) pictures next week. This week, we also discussed how certain traits were located on the X chromosome and that sex chromosomes determine our gender (XX for females, and XY for males). We used this knowledge to learn how to do X-linked Punnett squares. We spent time practicing these Punnett squares in small groups on Friday, and it seems like students are really getting the hang of it! Next week we will discuss a few common genetic disorders and take our Chapter 5 test (on Thursday).