week of 27 April

Hey all,
  Good to see you today!  So this week we are finishing up the evolution unit by doing the tiger lab to demonstrate whether a population is undergoing natural selection.  Wednesday and Thursday are essentially work days, with Thursday's focus being test review.

  As you hopefully remember, the evolution test is next Monday.  As always, please come to AFT if you need any help!

  Less than 8 weeks before the end of the year!  It is going to fly by.  While I of course always enjoy the advent of summer vacation, I will miss having you all as my class.  :)  Ms. L

DUE DATES:

• Evolution Unit questions - Weds 29 April
• Inner Fish Activity -- Thursday 20 April
• Evolution test - Monday 4 May

week of 13 April

Hi everyone,
  Today you did the human natural selection game and we talked about the three different types of evolution.  On Wednesday and Thursday we will look at some video clips on coevolution, talk about types of natural selection and also talk about speciation.

  As always, come to AFT if you need help!  No homework due directly after vacation as you have your usual homework:  you take a break, I take a break and we come back ready to work.  :)  Ms. L

NOTE:  to clarify about work due this week -- by the end of the day on Friday is fine.  However, be aware that I am going to blast out of here ASAP at the end of the day!!!! I will NOT be hanging around on Friday so please don't tell me you "came by at 3 to hand it in, but you weren't here".  That work would be counted late!

DUE DATES:
• Evolution Stations revisit -- Thursday 16 April (or before you leave for vacation)
• Human Natural Selection game -- Thursday 16 April (or before you leave for vacation)
• Evolution Unit questions -- Weds 29 April
• Evolution Unit test -- Monday 4 May

week of 6 April

Hi there,
  This week we'll continue with our evolution unit, beginning with watching the video "What Darwin Never Knew" in its entirety.  While it is lengthy, we feel that the information presented in it is very useful and the video is well done, so worth the time.  I hope you agree!  Thursday you'll be revisiting the evolution stations assignment for a follow up assignment.
  Remember AFT if you need help!  Please be keeping up with your reading and reading questions.  AFT is a great time to get help on these!  Also remember O-R defs are due on Thursday.  This week I'm doing one of those put all due dates even if they are far off...remember if that stresses you out, just ignore the distant ones.  Ms. L

DUE DATES:

• O-R definitions due Thursday 9 April
• Evolution Stations revisit due Thursday 16 April (or before you leave for vacation)
• Vacation = relax and HAVE FUN -- remember you get/do no work and I do the same!!!!
• Evolution Unit questions due Weds 29 April
• Evolution test Monday 4 May

week of 31 March

Hi all,
  Sorry am only posting now after we've already had 2/3 of our class for the week.  As I mentioned in class, I'm really struggling with migraines lately and am behind and overwhelmed.  I thank you in advance for your indulgence of my potentially very slow grading!

  This week:  Monday we talked about the tenets of Darwin's Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection. Make sure you understand this!  As I said today, this is THE CENTRAL idea of biological science.  As Theodosius Dobzhansky said in the title of a famous 1973 paper on evolution, "Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution." I heartily concur!  Wednesday we talked about the evidence for evolution and tomorrow you will take the quiz on the Blind Watchmaker excerpt.

  As ever, please come to AFT if you need help!  Thanks, Ms. Leary

DUE DATES:
• Evolution Stations assignment was due Weds 1 April
• Genetics test corrections (optional) due Thursday 2 April
• Blind Watchmaker reading quiz Thursday 2 April
• Blind Watchmaker questions by Friday 3 April
• O - R word root definitions Thursday 9 April
• Evolution Unit reading questions Wednesday 29 April

week of 23 March

Hey everyone,

  I won't be in class tomorrow.  Got sick Friday afternoon and am still down for the count. See you on Wednesday if you want to come to AFT, otherwise, see you Thursday for the Ax day.  Please read the plans for Monday's class!  Remember, we have AFT 3 times this week, Weds for a whole morning, so you've got lots of time to get help if you need it.

MONDAY -- time to work on the evolution stations assignment.  You may work with a partner or in a small group of three on this.  Here's how it works:

• there are 6 different folders (labeled station 1 - 6) each dealing with a different aspect of         evolution
• please note there are several of each folder -- only do each station once!
• it doesn't matter which folder you start with, they do not depend on each other
• I highly suggest doing this as a googledoc which you can then just share with me
• your task in this assignment is to work with the data provided in each folder (pictures, data set) and then answer the questions in each folder

          -- please notice that some of the questions are factual and/or ask for specific observations -- I will grade these for accuracy and detail
          -- some of the questions are asking you what you think about how the data relates to evolution
-- on these questions, I am grading you based on how well you've explained your thinking and how well you have used evidence from the station to back up your thoughts

• don't panic if you don't finish today!  THIS IS NOT DUE ON THURSDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!  I can't recall any of  the due dates right now and will update when I'm back at school, but this is definitely NOT due on 26 March!!

WEDNESDAY -- AFT all AM...feel free to come in if you want.  That could be a time where you start working on test corrections for the genetics test

THURSDAY -- Ax day -- more time for the stations + I will give you the final non-fiction reading for the year and you can start working on that if you want


Thanks, Ms. L

DUE DATES:

• Evolution stations -- Monday 30 March (unless you need Weds AFT of next week in which case, tell me)
• Genetics test corrections by Thursday 2 April
• Blind Watchmaker (last non-fiction reading) reading questions (required unless you did the
        Emperor assignment) due Thursday 2 April (OK to give me on Friday if you need another AFT)
• Blind Watchmaker quiz Thursday 2 April

week of 16 March

Hello everyone,

   This week we are finishing genetics and then transitioning to the evolution unit via a discussion of population genetics.  I'll also be talking about possible science course selections for the next two years.  There may be in-class time to work on test corrections this week.  That depends on whether or not I can give you the tests this week, as there are people who haven't taken it yet.  I'll be giving you the new unit guide tomorrow.

   Monday = test as you obviously know!

   Wednesday = talk about course offerings, start Hardy-Weinberg materials (population genetics)

   Thursday = finish talking about Hardy-Weinberg, possibly start evolution

  As always please come to AFT if you need help, Ms. Leary

DUE DATES:

• Genetics Extension activity - Weds 18 March
• Test corrections - genetics test - TBD -- I will update this...

test for Monday -- ADDENDUM -- PLEASE MAKE NOTE OF THIS FOR TEST ON MONDAY!!!!!!

Hi there,

   I forgot to discuss these two terms (pleiotropy and polygenic inheritance) with you in class due to my extreme stress in coming back from Guatemala.  You are responsible for understanding this material!  I don't think these are very confusing, but please come to AFT for help tomorrow if you need it.  I'm sorry that I omitted this, I am overwhelmed by stress lately and it is causing me to make mistakes. Ms. Leary

Please notice that pleiotropy and polygenic inheritance are essentially the converse to each other.

pleiotropy = one gene influences multiple characteristics

Ex: sickle-cell anemia allele (SCA) is a recessive blood disease. People with SCA (homozygous recessive) experience many different affects from weakness to heart failure to brain damage to kidney failure.  Not everyone who has SCA will express all of these affects in their phenotype. There is no set way that SCA manifests in a person.

please see fig 9.14

polygenic inheritance = one characteristic affected by many genes

Ex: skin color…as far as we understand it now, looks like ≥ 3 genes control  skin color (A, B, and C). Someone who is AABBCC is very dark-skinned and someone who is aabbcc is very light skinned and then there is a huge gamut in between .

please see figure fig 9.15

ALSO NOTE: there are NO questions on mitosis or cancer on this test!!!!