End of the Road

As Andrew (in general biology) so aptly pointed out yesterday, "Wow!  This is your last class at TASIS ever!"  This fact hadn't really dawned on my yet, so thanks Andrew for bringing it to my attention :)

You have been a wonderful and entertaining IB class.  Ms. Bloodworth is an excellent teacher who not only knows her stuff, she is also an examiner for the IB, so you'll have even more insight into what the IB is looking for with IA's and exams.

Right now you're taking your final exam, hopefully feeling confident in your answers.   I'm aiming to have these graded by 10am on Thursday, so after that time you may email me if you want to know your grade.

Have a wonderful summer!

Ms. Saxe

IA Write Up Due - Thursday May 24

On Thursday May 24th, your data collection and processing / conclusion and evaluation components of the IA are due.  You must bring a printed copy of this to class.  Be sure to look at the information on www.i-biology.net

Leaf Disk Assay

If you've been wondering what we've been doing since the last post, we've still been working on the leaf disk assay.  Below is the student progress chart.  Each "X" represents one trial and each trial can take between 15 and 25 minutes to run, depending on how long it takes the leaf disks to sink.

The 0% solution will be just the soap and water solution, without any sodium bicarbonate.  This serves as the control.  Remember to also record qualitative observations!!

Leaf Disk Assay Updates

Today H period tried using the ivy from behind DeNobili and had moderate success.  One thing we learned is that the infiltration of the leaf disks works better when there are fewer disks in the syringe.

We will no longer add baking soda to the cup, just the baking soda and water solutions.

You may choose to change the concentrations of the solutions to 0.5%, 1% etc.  Tomorrow we will make the final decision for the concentrations.

Floating Leaf Disk Assay

In addition to the procedure in the post below, here are some notes:

Add 2.5g of Sodium Bicarbonate (not 3cm)

The independent variable you decided on is to vary the concentration of sodium bicarbonate in solution:

2% (0.15g)
4%
6%
8%
1%

To ensure the 'freshness' of the leaves, we will use ivy from the wall behind the science labs.

Photosynthesis IA

Read about your next IA here.  Take notes on the procedure.  We will be starting this IA on Monday.

Photosynthesis PowerPoints

Below are the PowerPoints from i-biology.net.  On Monday we will be starting your last IA of the year (a DCP and CE).

Topic 3.8 (Core)

Photosynthesis (3.8 Core)

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Topic 8.2 and Option C

Photosynthesis (C4 & AHL)

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DBQ's - Photosynthesis

That's right, it's been a while since your last DBQ.  Today we worked through the DBQ's on page 105 and 106 as a class.

Remember that your Design IA is due on Friday!

Design IA #2 - Enzymes

Below is a table with those of you who know what enzyme, IV, DV and type of measurement you will be using for your IA.   If over the weekend you decided to change your design, please let me know.

Name	Enzyme	I.V.	D.V.	Measured with
Gabri	Lactase	Δ pH	Δ temp.	Temp. probe
Sebastian	Salivary amylase	Δ pH	Time of Rxn
Aleksa	Peroxidase	Δ pH	Δ temp	Temp probe
Sofia	Pepsin	Δ pH	Δ temp	Temp probe
Csilla	Amylase	[enzyme]	Δ temp	Temp probe
Thais	Lactase
Lud	Salivary Amylase	[enzyme]	Δ in [sugar]	Glucose meter
Zoe	Pectinase	Δ pH	Volume of juice	cm3
Dani	Lactase	Δ pH	Δ temp.	Temp. probe

If your name is not listed or if your information is incomplete, get going!

Remember to have a sample data table in your design as well as a place to record qualitative observations / data as well.

Photosynthesis - Topic 3

Today we continued review photosynthesis and the information in topic 3.

Photosynthesis

Today we started to learn about Photosynthesis.  For homework, watch the video below and take notes on the details of the light dependent reactions.  You can take notes in the packet you received in class today.

You can read about each of the components from the video and see still images here.

Design IA

Tomorrow will be the last time you will be able to work on your Enzymes Design IA (see below) in class.  On Thursday we will start our last topic of the year:  Photosynthesis (get ready for another great song!)

Enzymes Design IA

On May 4th you will have a Design IA due.  This is only the design component, you will NOT need to actually do this IA.  Since you don't need to actually conduct this investigation, a shortage of equipment will not be a limiting factor for your experiment.

You will design an experiment that specifically addresses this statement:

Investigate a factor that may effect enzyme activity.

Go here to see a list of common enzymes in the human body.  Recall the factors that affect enzyme activity (temperature, pH, substrate concentration).  You will need to research your enzyme and include appropriate background information.  Make sure you cite these sources!!!!

The blue and green book reminds you that time should NEVER be an independent variable (pg. 5).

Your experiment can NOT be the same as anyone else's in the course.

E period - you will have class time on Monday and Wednesday to work on this.

H period - you will have class time on Tuesday and Wednesday to work on this.

Lastly, please, please, please remember that this is one aspect of your IB grade that YOU have complete control over!

Starting to get it....

Congratulations to all of you for the scores on your recent test on cellular respiration and enzymes.  This is not an easy topic and you all did well.

Cellular Respiration Basics

Respiration (Core)

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Cellular Respiration Review & an Update

Today students worked in small groups to review cellular respiration.

And now for the update:

On Friday we were going to review your internal assessments, however I think you would all benefit from the extra day to prepare for the test, so instead of having your test on Thursday, you will have your test on Friday.

On Thursday in class we will discuss your internal assessments. 

Wrapping up Cellular Respiration

Today (or tomorrow for H period) we wrapped up cellular respiration.  For homework, label the electron micrograph and discuss the relationship between the structure of a mitochondrion and its function.

Cellular Respiration Resources

Go to the blue tab

at the top of the page for links to resources to learn about cellular respiration.

Pictures of the map of cellular respiration

Today we drew a map that traced the flow of matter and energy through cellular respiration. Can you follow along?  Click on the pictures to make them larger.

Surprise! It's a Quiz

What do you know about enzyme activity and the basics of cellular respiration?  It's time to find out!

Today students had a short IB quiz (3 multiple choice, 1 DBQ and 1 open response question).

Tomorrow we will continue learning about cellular respiration.

When we return from Spring Break - on Thursday April 19th you will have a test on Topics 3.7, 8.1/C3, and Enzymes.  This test will be multiple choice questions and open response.

Cellular Respiration

Inspired by Mr. T, H period participated in a spaced learning experiment.  You had a foundation for this information so we built on that with the information in the slides below.

H Period:  Your job is to review this PowerPoint twice tonight.

E Period: You will participate in the spaced learning experiment on Thursday.

Cell Respiration (8.1 & C3)

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Cellular Respiration

Today we completed topic 3.7. We used songs and music videos to help us learn.

Oxidative Phosphoylation (Lion King beat)

Cellular Respiration to the tune of 'Californication.'



Search for more songs at with the MASSIVE Database.

Introducing Cellular Respiration

Today students used the slideshow below to play a trivia game to introduce them to cellular respiration.

Intro to cellular respiration

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Your only homework is to work on your IA.  You should be spending AT LEAST 45 minutes per night working on this.

Internal Assessment Write Up

Today we discussed what you need to do to earn "complete" scores for your Internal Assessment.

As you write your IA make sure that you are referencing the IB Biology Guide for Internal Assessment.

Below are a list of links that will help you with your IA.

Data Collection & Processing from I-Biology

Conclusion & Evaluation from I-Biology

IB Bio Excel Stat Book - download an excel workbook with a flow chart to help you determine how to process your data.

IBO Website with samples of Complete & Partial graphs and tables. - see what it takes to have earn a complete.  The difference is in the details.

Errors for consideration in your conclusion & evaluation

How to determine a confidence interval for your data

IA Due Friday March 30th

Your completed IA is due on Friday March 30th in class.  You must have a printed copy.  This is what is being sent off to the IB.  You should also email me a copy so we can have a back up in case something happens to your computer.

Internal Assessment

Over the course of this week, students will be working on their internal assessment.  Be sure to refer to the blue and green guide to make sure that you properly complete the assignment.

IA practice

Today students had the opportunity to practice their design before officially beginning their IA next week.    Many of you realized that you needed to change your procedure, use smaller quantities or just by chance chose the optimal time for your experiment to run.

Below are link to the manuals for the Vernier Probes you might have chosen for this experiment.  These manuals also include the actual uncertainties for the equipment as established by Vernier.

Gas Pressure sensor
pH sensor
Temperature sensor

For Monday (or Tuesday) set a goal for your self.  You have four hours of class time to complete this experiment, so manage your time wisely.

Wrapping up Enzymes

Today we finished learning about enzymes.  The remainder of the class period students worked on revising the experimental designs.

In addition to meeting deadlines, a big part of the IB is staying organized.  If you don't already have a Biology Folder in your Documents, on your computer, make one!

Develop a system for naming your work, so it is easy to find.  Your Internal Assessment should be saved as:  IA_Catalase_DDE

DDE stands for Design, Data, Evaluation, since these are the components of your lab.  In the fall you would have saved the stream work for Academic travel as IA_Academic Travel_E.

A copy of your design lab is due tomorrow in class.

Enzyme Inhibitors & Design Labs

Today we took time for you to peer assess your design labs.  One of your peers asked if you could make revisions based on the grades you received from your peers.  Since we have a little extra time in class tomorrow, you will have an opportunity to do this, so make sure you bring your computer to class.

Enzymes HL Topic 7 and SL Option C

Today (or tomorrow for H period) we continued learning about enzymes.  By the end of this class students were able to:

State that metabolic pathways consist of chains and cycles of enzyme- catalysed reactions.

Describe the induced-fit model.

Explain that enzymes lower the activation energy of the chemical reactions that they catalyse.

Below are the animations we used in class.

Blood clot formation is an example of a metabolic pathway.

Click here for an animation demonstrating a biochemical pathway.

Click here for the induced fit model animation.

Below is a great tutorial on energy and enzymes, click the picture to link to the tutorial.

Homework: A final reminder that your Design IA is due tomorrow in class.  You must submit a printed copy. 

Enzymes Internal Assessment

Today we spent half the period discussing your first official Internal Assessment and the remaining half of the class reviewing your test on Topics 3.1-3.5 and 7.1-7.4.

You will be investigating the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide by catalase.  

On Wednesday March 7th, you must submit a completed Design for this experiment.  Essentially this Design would be suitable for submission to the IB.  You will have Friday March 9th to play in class and tweak your design.  You will be graded on the Design that you submit on March 7th and this will be the last grade you have before midterms.

Your Design should have:

A Title

Research Question & Background Information

Null Hypothesis (Ho) and Alternative Hypothesis (Ha)

Table that lists the Independent & Dependent Variables, as well as Controls.

Materials (with uncertainties)

Photograph of experimental set up ** You do not need to include this at this time, however you do need to identify a space for it in your paper. ** You do not need to include a protocol diagram.

Method (listed in steps).

A data table

A couple of things to keep in mind: 

* Your lab design can not be identical to another student (even if they are in a different period).

* If you research information on this topic, you must cite it in your Design.  This includes information contained in the Background section.

* As you are designing the experiment be mindful of how you will collect the data, since you will actually be doing this experiment.

* Internal Assessments count for almost 25% of your overall IB grade.  Since unlike a test, you know exactly what your Internal Assessment will cover, you should take the extra time to make it perfect.

* Refer to the rubric you received for the Osmosis Design Lab for more details on the requirements.

Enzymes

Yesterday and today we started our work on Enzymes.  Today we finished 3.6 (core).  You all have the pink calendar for the next four weeks so that you can see where we are going and when you will have time to work on your internal assessment.

Today we used the simulation below to look at the effects of manipulating temperature, pH and substrate concentration on enzyme activity.

Tomorrow we will be talking about what enzymes you can use for the experiment as well as the equipment that is available.

Class on Friday

Ms. Kavalauskas is covering E period and Mr. Kirsch is covering H period tomorrow.  You are expected to review your syllabi and prepare for your test.  Make sure you know the command terms so that you can correctly answer the questions.

If you need help, I will be checking my email while I am away, so if you have questions, you can email me.  Be specific in your questions, please don't email and say "I don't get______,"  what specifically are you having trouble understanding.

Connection: Consequences of errors in DNA

Sickle Cell Anemia:

Replacement of A with T at the 17th  nucleotide in a beta chain of hemoglobin.

The mutation changes from GAG (glutamic acid) to GTG (valine).

People with sickle cell anemia are resistant to malaria (very helpful in areas with a high rate of the disease).

Helpful Review Links

Since the International Food Fair is Thursday night and E period had some pretty good arguments for postponing the test, your test is now on Monday (for E period) or Tuesday (for H period).

Here are some links to help you review:

DNA Replication - silly
DNA Replication - also has review quizzes 
Transcription and Translation - Basic : From DNA Dolan Learning Center
Transcription and Translation - Advanced : From DNA Dolan Learning Center

How DNA is packaged -  From DNA Dolan Learning Center
Transcribe and Translate a Gene Game 

Macromolecules: an overview, primarily text
Macromolecules glossary
Lipids animation 
Functional groups
Chemistry overview and functional groups
Properties of Water
Chemistry Tutorial

H Period Homework Help

H period homework:

Please complete questions 9, 10 and 11 in the packet.  Use the PowerPoint and the links in the post below.

For question #9:

Click the picture to link to an animation and explanation on how tRNA is activated.
You do not need to know the term aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase. 

For Question #10:

The structure of a ribosome.

For Question #11

Visit Hartmut "Hudel" Leucke's lab page by click on his picture of a polysome, for a great explanation of how these ribosomes work together.

Topic 7: Transcription & Translation

Today we reviewed the core information on transcription and translation, before moving on to the details of these processes in topic 7.  Below is the PowerPoint from Mr. T for these sections.

Protein Synthesis: 7.3 & 7.4 Transcription and Translation AHL (IB)

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See an electron micrograph of a polysome (and for an explanation) here.

A detailed explanation of the activating enzyme reaction that joins the amino acid to the tRNA

A detailed explanation of the structure of tRNA.  This is far more detail than you need to know, but can be helpful in understanding the structure.

E period homework: Complete questions 6, 7 and 8 in the packet.

3.5 Transcription & Translation

Today we started to learn about transcription and translation.  We started by looking at the  Learn.Genetics Firefly overview and then watched this clip of translation from the DNA Learning Center.  We spent the rest the class going through the core material for Transcription and Translation (see the PowerPoint below).

Protein Synthesis: 3.5 Transcription & Translation (SL)  .

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For homework you need to complete the packet.  Please let's not have another "Most of you didn't do your homework so you have pop quiz" quiz.

Wrapping up Replication

Today E period had a "Most of you Didn't Do Your Homework, so You have a Pop Quiz" Quiz.  We spent the remainder of the period clarifying any questions on DNA replication.

Tomorrow we will start transcription and translation.  Remember to write in your planners that on February 17th (Friday) you will have a test on the current syllabus packet.  Topics are listed in the sidebar.

DNA Replication

Today we started DNA replication.  We used this animation to help us learn the basics.  St. Olaf's explanation, here, is also very easy to understand.  For homework, due Wednesday:  complete all of the packet, except the back of the last page.

Watch the Mechanisms of DNA replication below.  Without the sound can you identify which is the leading strand and which is the lagging strand?

7.1 - DNA Structure

Today we went into more detail on the structure of DNA, specifically addressing, how does all of that DNA fit into such a small space?!

Click to watch a video on how histones are used to package DNA

Tomorrow we will finish 7.1 and work on a review of 7.1 and 3.3.  Homework for tonight (due tomorrow):  Complete the DBQ on page 58 in your book.   This will be the last grade before interims!  Tomorrow you will get back your tests on Topic 2.

DNA Structure

Yesterday (or today for H period), we started 3.3 finished DNA structure.   After finishing 3.3  we spent the last 15 minutes of class reviewing 3.2.

Image from Wikimedia

Click the picture below to link to a game to build your own DNA molecule.

Building Molecules & Wrapping up 3.2

On Friday students used molecule kits to practice building amino acids, triglycerides and glucose.  Amino acids were linked together to form dipeptides and students acted as enzymes removing water for a condensation reaction. 

Over the weekend please study for your test on Topic 2 on Wednesday.

Topic 3.2: Carbohydrates, Lipids & Proteins

Today we learned to:

distinguish between organic and inorganic compounds
identify amino acids, glucose, ribose and fatty acids from diagrams showing their structure.
outline the role of condensation and hydrolysis creation/breakdown of macromolecules.

Tonight for homework complete 3.2.3 and 3.2.4 from the syllabus.  In the notes box on your syllabus you will see 3.2.3 already listed for you, just put these in your notes.

For 3.2.4, consider using a chart like the one below to organize your notes.

Name	Found in	Function
Glucose	animals
Lactose	animals
glycogen	animals
Fructose	plants
sucrose	plants
cellulose	plants

Tomorrow we will spend time in class working with models to build the structures of various macromolecules.  We will also wrap up Topic 3.2

Properties of Water

Today students had a short quiz the importance of water's high specific heat and how ice floats.  We discussed the thermal, cohesive and solvent properties of water.

Tonight you should review 3.1.4, 3.1.5 and 3.1.6.  The PowerPoint from class today can be found in the post below, additionally click on the pictures to link you to helpful animations.

Properties of Water (text and animations)

Homework for Wednesday

Tomorrow we will finish 3.1 by learning about the properties of water.  Take notes using this animation on the properties of water.  You will have a short (10 minute) quiz on the information.  Any notes you take you can use. 

The properties of water are so important, you can even buy a book about them here!

Elements in Living Things

Today we started Topic 3: The Chemistry of Life.  The most common elements in living things are C, H, N, O, P and S.  Mr. T's PowerPoint below has the information we talked about in class as well as upcoming information on the properties of water.

Chemical Elements and Water

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Mitosis, Microscopes and Cancer

Reminder: Your rewrite of the Design Lab is due on either Monday or Tuesday depending on when you have class.

Yesterday H period worked with microscopes to look at mitosis in onion root tips, today E period students had the opportunity to work with microscopes.

After identifying the stages of mitosis, we wrapped up Topic 2 by learning about cancer.

Both classes watched William Li's Talk "Can We Eat to Starve Cancer?"





H period also watched Jay Bradner's talk "Open Source Cancer Research."



Imagine how you much more informed you could be if you watched even just one TED talk per week.  Find all of the talks at www.ted.com

Mitosis

Mitosis is essential to embryonic development.  Watch the clip below to see how a blastocyst forms.



Bacteria divide by binary fission. How fast can one bacteria turn into many bacteria? Watch the clip below to find out.

Below is a video on the stages of Mitosis

Tomorrow we will spend the day learning about cancer.

Topic 1 Quiz

Today students had a quiz on Topic 1 (Statistics).  For next period, please make sure you have completed the notes for 2.5.1, 2.5.3 and 2.5.4.

Remember that on Monday or Tuesday of next week, your (practice) Design IA rewrite is due.

Click on the picture to link to a game that will help you learn about the cell cycle.

Still confused about the cell cycle?  Try this tutorial on Mitosis & the Cell Cycle.  Want to test yourself?  Try this quiz, if you answer incorrectly, you an explanation will pop up.

Welcome back to Topic 2.5

Today student's experimental designs were returned and we discussed what improvements needed to be made.  While I checked in with students individually, the rest of the class worked independently on sections 2.5.1, 2.5.3 and 2.5.4.  You need to finish these sections for Thursday.

All classes have a quiz on Topic 1 on Wednesday.

The rewrites of the experimental design are due for E Period on Monday Jan. 23 and for H period on Tuesday Jan. 24.

Please make sure to include background information, a scientifically appropriate title and uncertainties in your design (in addition to what is listed in the guidelines).


You do NOT need to include a protocol diagram in your rewrite. 

You MUST turn in your original design with the rewrite or you will not receive credit for the assignment.