AP Lab 4 finished on to Lab 5

Sandy, Vivien and Aaron working on lab day...

We completed AP Lab 4 on Monday and finished up the data analysis today in AP Biology ... This lab included chromatography to separate photosynthetic pigments AND a spectrophotometer lab to show the difference between three conditions ... unboiled in the light, unboilded in the dark and boiled in the light. We used DPIP as an indicator of light reactions of photosynthesis ... substitutes for NADP+.  We mostly got good results ... lab reports due later in the week.  We also had a classroom discussion on enzymes today.  Tomorrow is a prep up for Lab 5 - Respiration and our Chapter on Cell Communication.

In Selected Topics we reviewed for our biology test tomorrow and we started our earth science unit with a study of isobars and weather map reading.

We had practice yesterday 5-7 for our older players and hitting today after school for grades MS - 10th grade.  Tomorrow all players lift.  Today while Coach Carter conducted hitting practice, I walked on some annual ryegrass (100 lbs.) on our softball field.  Also I sprayed some roundup around the edge of the field.

This evening I worked on a Keynote presentation on Cell Communication.

Very warm for the last day of January ... 66 degrees F. (19 degrees C)  ... certainly a weird winter for weather ... too warm.

Lab 4 tomorrow

This weekend, our softball coaching staff attended SoftballCON in Louisville and the annual KSCA / Kentucky Softball Coaches Association meeting.

http://www.kyhighschoolsoftball.com/

 We saw a lot of coaches we have coached against over the last 17 years.  We also got a lot of congrats from coaches for our win at state.  We spent some time talking to coaches about KP for Miss Softball 2012 ... she is the leading candidate since she was the state tournament MVP - 2011 and hopefully that will happen.  Jessica Mendoza was at SoftballCON and spoke in the first session.



Tomorrow in AP Biology, we will will doing our Photosynthesis Lab / AP Lab # 4.  It has a chromatography component ... separating play photosynthetic pigments.  This lab uses spectrophotometers.

In Selected Topics, we have a population genetics lab.  Our Biology Unit test will be later in the week.

Softball practice tomorrow is 5-7.

Photosynthesis, Respiration and Hitting!

In AP Biology today, our class discussion was on photosynthesis in preparation for our AP Lab # 4 - Photosynthesis.  Highlights included light reactions, light-independent reactions (Calvin cycle), chemiosmosis, photosynthetic pigments / visible light spectrum, C4 photosynthesis, CAM photosynthesis and photorespiration.  Some serious biology!  Tomorrow will be our discussion on both aerobic and anaerobic respiration ... also, how to build a still - a science issue!

In Selected Topics, we ended the Great Plant Growing Contest, a genetics review and the start our studying or respiration.

Hitting after school ... tee work, bounce tennis drill, live pitching and machine.  Our next practice will be on Monday evening ... players will be taking the weekend off ... enjoy!

Cell Membrane, the Waldo Lab and Practice ...

In AP Biology today, it was a content day ... cells, cell organelles, plant vs. animal cells and cell membranes ... we have some Campbell questions tonight.  Tomorrow is photosynthesis and respiration ... Our next lab has been moved to Monday.

In Selected Topics, most of the lab was taken up by the Waldo Lab ... a forensic problem using paper chromatography.  Assigned some genetic review problems and tomorrow, we will finish up genetics and start to review for our first unit test.

We had team lifting after school today in softball and returned to the gym for some running.

Worked on my SoftballCON presentation this evening and it is about ready to go for Saturday.

http://www.softballcon.net/

AP Lab 2 in the books, genetics and softball

In AP Biology, we finished AP Lab 2 ... we did a test to show that hydrogen peroxide does not spontaneously decompose over 24 hours and we added catalase, boiled catalase and catalase from potatoes making observations of each.  We proved the presence of oxygen using the splint test.  Tomorrow we will finish our discussion of cell biology before moving on to enzymes and photosynthesis.  Next lab is being moved to next Monday (AP Lab #4 - Photosynthesis)

In Selected Topics, we finished our study of genetics.  Tomorrow, we have a paper chromatography lab (Who Killed Waldo).  This lab is part of separation science showing how to separate molecules when in solution ... distillation, centrifugation, chromatography and gel electrophoresis.

We had throwing and hitting for MS, freshmen and sophomores today after school ... inside/outside tee work, tennis ball drill with Coach Marr, side toss with Coach Bunton and pitching machine with Coach Carter.  We will lift tomorrow after school.

Picts are from hitting today!

AP Lab 2 Blues ...

We tried to finish most of our AP Lab today without much success.  Most groups had not read their labs and got a late start, not finishing in 90 minutes.  I was disappointed since I came in Sunday evening to set up the lab for today.  Most groups looked as though they cross contaminated their equipment ... we will try and fix this lab tomorrow as we finish part 2C.  We also will prep up our AP Lab 4 ... Photosynthesis and work some in cell biology.

Posting

In Selected topics we worked on several modes of inheritance and had sample problems ... we did a problem on ABO blood types and learned how to generate a pedigree.  I assigned the genetic problem "Will you find my baby" for tomorrow.

We had softball practice for the older players from 5-7 this evening.  Lifting followed by hitting (tee work, tennis ball drill, live lite-flight ball hitting and pitching machine (2) fastball / change.  We finished up about 7:30.  Tomorrow we have practice for the younger players.

Long day!

Softball, Bees and AP Lab 2 (on Monday) ...

We are going six days a week in softball now ... a change from previous years when we could only condition until February 15th ... now under the leadership of KHSAA Director Julian Tackett  (hopefully not for long), we have nearly unrestricted practice most of the year.  Guess he doesn't realize we teach and our players are students first.  Rumor has it, that it is in response of AAU pressure in basketball ... of course policy made because of the golden sport in Kentucky.

In any case, we had practice after school on Friday and lifted on Saturday morning ... we have been throwing and taking infield indoors in addition to hitting.  Saturday, one of our former players, Lori,  from our team in 2000 that finished third on our first trip to state, came out to work with her niece, Erica.  Lori is a teacher in our district ... hope she wasn't too sore on Sunday!

At school on Friday, we finished up our study of biochemistry with about a half block of biochem poker.  We also have started our study of cells, organelles and ECM.  Tomorrow, we will be doing our third lab of the semester, AP Lab #2, Enzyme Catalysis Lab.  This lab uses catalase to breakdown hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen.  Students will determine the amount of hydrogen peroxide remaining after different time trials using a titration.  This week will be a lot cell work and our photosynthesis lab later in the week.


Mr. Anderson's / Montana ... review of lab 2
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOro8GWXxx8


In Selected Topics, we finished our planarian regeneration lab with good results.  We started our study of genetics with a short review and the Citibank Robbery Problem.

Today was really warm and I was able to check all our hives this afternoon ... with live bees in all but, four are still light for honey.  I added bee candy (15 pounds of sugar, corn syrup, water and creme of tartar, mixed together and boiled, then poured in pie pans ... looks a little like white fudge.) I made on Saturday to nearly all hives ... some had eaten quite a bit ... going to be in the mid-50's all week so they will continue to feed.

Mitosis / Meiosis Lab and AP Biochem ...

In AP today, we were able to get through our biochemistry unit ... part of learning to speak biology.  We continue to prep our next lab which will be on Monday (AP Lab # 2 - Enzyme Catalysis Lab) by having a discussion again about enzymes and binding sites.  Tomorrow we start cell science and will have a half block spirited game of biochem poker to review our biochemistry.

In Selected Topics, we wrapped up our Microscope Lab by studying onion root tip slides that showed several cells in different stages of mitosis (cell division).  We also graphed some data from elevated heartrate when smoking ... part of our ACT review.  We will finish the paperwork tomorrow and hand in this lab.  Tomorrow we start our study of genetics which will conclude of first unit of biology.

We had hitting after school today for all players starting with our middle school students and ending with our seniors ... tee work, tennis ball drill, side toss and a multiple plate drill using the pitching machine.   Coach Bunton worked all day yesterday and today trying to organize our uniforms. As usual, over half our players failed to hand in their uniforms last year which makes a lot of work for us.  A part of softball I won't miss when I am not coaching!

Softball tryouts are just around the corner ... February 15 and 16.

Club Day ...

Today was club day ... or actually partially a club day since about half the clubs did not meet.  What this means is that we have people leaving class for half a block to  ... well actually, I do not know what they do. We went on with class without them and they will have to try and catch up.

In AP Biology today, we put Lab 1 to bed ... this lab report is due on Monday.  Students will have to graph results and make some final analysis of data.  We went over our next lab ... AP Lab#2 - Enzyme Catalysis Lab ... using catalase and its substrate hydrogen peroxide to study the rate of reactions and how enzymes work.  We spent some time studying biochemistry at the end of the block.

In Selected Topics, we started our Cell/Microscope Lab which we will wrap up tomorrow.  We also reviewed cells and organelles ... structure and function.  Tomorrow we will study cell division ... mitosis and meiosis.

We lifted weighs after school today in softball and worked on our uniform problems (a part of coaching I will definitely not miss ... player's reluctance to turn in their uniform has always been a big problem!)

Tomorrow in softball, we have hitting in flights starting with our middle school players.

rr

Club Day tomorrow ... storm interrupts today.

In AP Biology, we wrapped up our Osmosis Lab today and did analysis our data.  We have the water potential equations to do tomorrow but should spend most of the day on biochemistry and proteins.

Selected Topics continued their regeneration lab (this lab will end next Monday) and checked our plants in our Great Plant Growing contest ... we finished the block working on analysis of food labels and some biochem vocabulary.  Tomorrow we start our study of cells.

We had hitting for our younger players after school ... tee work, front toss, live pitching and machine.

Headed home afterwards and worked on my Keynote presentation on cells.

We had a cold front come through today ... this morning it was about 60 degrees which is a red flag in January and just have noon, the front came through.  We had a severe storm / tornado drill for about 25 minutes but in the end just a cloud burst with some wind ... cold tonight with some serious north wind!

We have Club Day tomorrow so some students will be out of each class ... will work through it!

rr

Dandelions, Coyotes and back to school ...

Yesterday was a beautiful day ... I got up early before church to watch a coyote hunting just behind my back yard and after church took a walk ... I saw a few dandelions blooming ... a confusing winter for plants, I hope the trees will hold back and not get frosted later.  The median spring frost free date here is April 11th, so it is a long way away.

Tomorrow in AP Biology, we will finish our Diffusion Osmosis Lab ... generate classroom data, lab questions, potato data analysis to find the osmotic equivalent to sucrose and observations of onion cells when subjected to a hypertonic solution.  We will also continue our study of biochemistry.

In Selected Topics, we will analyze food labels, change the planarian water, check our plants and start our study of cells.

Softball practice tomorrow will be for MS, freshmen and sophomores ... hitting after school.

Sandhill Cranes and a Snow Day ...

We had a Snow Day and did not go to school on Friday.  I went into school about noon and two students help me mass out the potato cores from of AP Lab we started on Thursday ... thanks Aaron and Taylor!

On Friday evening, I took a long walk to Long Creek then back through the Goat Field to Holland (stop my Granny's) and home ... about 4 miles.  It was pretty cold and cloudy ... not too many animals out, however, they might see me and I don't see them.  Worked on some school stuff Friday night while listening to the basketball games.

We had softball practice this morning (Saturday) ... lifting, a obstacle course, hitting and throwing.  We started at 8:00 AM and finished up at about 10:00.  We had about 20 players make it into practice ... remember that our next practice session is Tuesday after school.  I went back into school after practice and worked.

I got home just before lunch then, went to on a walk in the the middle of the afternoon.  The sun came out while I was walking.  I heard a group of sandhill cranes down on Long Creek about a week ago but could not see them.  While on my walk this afternoon, I heard three groups go over and could see one group of about 50, heading north to the lake.  Usually I don't see or hear them until the first week in February and they seem to be arriving a little earlier this year.  Also, Kentucky (why, I really don't know) has a hunting season on Sandhill cranes this year ... the season ends tomorrow and 38 has been shot ... the limit in KY is 300 for the season per all hunters.  There does not to be much sport in shooting something that will fly into your corn field and stand there while you shoot them !!!

I only had my point and shoot camera and below is the best picture I could get ... they were pretty far away and I was at maximum zoom ....

Explored the spring furthest from our house today ... it has a big patch of twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla) in this small valley during the spring.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffersonia

This spring starts near the top of the ridge then runs over some shale and disappears about 200 feet further down the small valley.  I checked for planaria and did not find any after checking several spots.  Will try again sometime ... it is pretty isolated from other water sources.  Also, moss on an outcropping near this spring.  Sue Neal and I went to Bowling Green this evening to eat with John and Claire.  It was fun.

Big Lab Day and Biochem Poker! ... pictures!

Picts from our AP Lab, third block class today ...

In AP ... it was AP Lab #1, Diffusion and Osmosis Lab ... this lab took up the whole block and it appears we were able to get some good data.  We will put classroom data on the board tomorrow for analysis.  We will also finish the last part of the lab ... onion cells and plasmolysis.

In Selected Topics in Science, we started our great plant growing contest using pea seeds.  After starting the seeds ... some in soil and some in wet paper towel, we had a spirited game of Biochem Poker to conclude our study of biochemistry ... it was fun with some wild play ... will take a picture of the winners next time in class and post it ...

We had hitting after school today in flights ... a hundred plus balls per hitter ... tee work, front toss, live pitching and machine.  We are making some headway ... players seeing the ball better now that we are hitting regularly.  If we have a snow day tomorrow, we will not have practice ... but, will try and lift on Saturday morning after it warms up.

Drove home in the snow ... we have about an inch of snow and Holland Road was covered in a few places.  Snow Day tomorrow?

rr

AP Lab #1 tomorrow ... Diffusion and Osmosis

First AP Bio test of the year is in the book.  We will be moving next week through biochemistry into chemical reactions and enzymes.  Tomorrow we will be doing our second lab of the course.  This lab has four parts and takes two days to complete ... this lab simulates how cells operate and the conditions in which they exist ... hypertonic, isotonic and hypotonic ... also water potential calculations, plasmolysis, lysis and selectively permeable membranes.  An important lab as we prepare to study cells.  I will have to get to school early to set up the lab.

In Selected Topics, we continued you our regeneration lab today by changing the water in the petri dishes and making an observation.  We finished our discussion of proteins and worked on some vocabulary.  Tomorrow,  we will play a little biochem poker in addition to some ACT practice.

After school, Coach Carter and Coach Bunton took softball practice while I was at a faculty meeting.  I have updated our softball schedule on the KHSAA website if you want to check it out.

Did not get home in time to take a walk and Sue Neal is hoping for a snow day tomorrow or on Friday.  I do not think it is going to happen.

I will try and get some pictures of our lab tomorrow and post them!

First AP Bio test tomorrow

We spent today in AP Biology, reviewing for our ecology test, prepped up our Diffusion and Osmosis lab for Thursday and worked on biochemistry.  Tomorrow we have our test on Ecology and our first lab.  For a good review of the lab Thursday check out Mr. Anderson on youtube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUcP_sZ1eCk

In Selected Topics in Science, we had a molecule modeling lab in which we modeled molecules of biological importance using marshmellows and toothpicks. We also worked on biochemistry at the end of the block.  Tomorrow we will finish our study of biochemistry ... proteins and nucleic acids.  Our great plant growing contest will start on Thursday ... who will be able to grow the biggest plant in two 20 days ???

After school we had an ecology test review for over an hour ... helped Vivien with some vocabulary ... tough when you are working in your second language!!!

I got home after dark and printed out our AP Bio test for tomorrow.

Listen to the Patriot basketball games while typing ...  Go Pats!

Monday ... Ecology, Labs and Biochem

In AP Biology today, we worked on our Ecology review.  Tomorrow a little more review and a review session after school.  Ecology Test Wednesday ... Diffusion Osmosis Lab #1 on Thursday.

Selected Topics prepared for our molecule modeling lab tomorrow.

After school ... softball lifting and hitting for upperclassmen from 5-7.

AC Beekeepers met from 7-9 ... Gordon Vernon gave a program on feeding bees in the winter.  As usual ... it was great!  Long day!

Below ... Perry and Jonathan working on a 2-D design of an organic molecule for our modeling lab tomorrow!

Friday and Saturday ... nice weather!

On Friday ... In AP Biology, we tested our 24 hour bottles (light, dark and screened).  Our results were lower than expected so we will have to analyze why on Monday ... not enough light, not enough algae, too much zooplankton with the algae ... ???  We will review for our ecology test now scheduled for Wednesday ... we will have an addition study session on Tuesday after school for those that want to attend.   Our Ecology test will be only a half block test.  We will also start our study on water and biochemistry on Monday also.  AP Lab 1, Diffusion and Osmosis Lab will start on Thursday.

In Selected Topics in Science, we worked on ecology vocabulary.  We also had a discussion on J and S-shaped population growth curves, emphasis on the human growth curve.  We started our study of biochemistry ... next week, we will have our Molecules of Importance Lab where we will model important organic molecules.  Biochem poker will be next week also as we explore how small molecules (monomers) and combined to make larger molecules (polymers).  A big week ahead!

Friday after school we had softball practice for our older players.  This morning, all players lifted weights, did some running and threw for several minutes.  We have practice for older players after school on Monday.

Today after practice, I went to Duke's to pick up some softball supplies.  This afternoon, I checked our beehives ... most are doing well this winter ... today since it was near 60 degrees ... bees were moving around in the hives instead of being clustered up staying warm.  One hive from a split this summer in the goat field is very weak and may die out.  They have not fed well all fall.  Three other hives are very light ... but bees look okay.  Since the bees were moving around, I had to use a little smoke this afternoon so, I used my new Christmas 10" smoker ... it worked well!!!

AP Lab 12 and Regeneration Lab underway and picts!

We got our first lab of the semester started in the two sections of AP Biology.  This lab (Dissolved Oxygen and Primary Productivity Lab) has three parts and took the entire block to test several samples and setup the 24 hour bottles.  We had 18 lab groups working in 2's and 3's. Tomorrow we have some sample questions to go over and we will post our classroom data.  It was a good first four days in AP Bio.

A couple of pictures from first block AP Biology today below ...

In Selected Topics in Science, student cut their planarian into two pieces.  This organism will regenerate into two organisms over the next ten days ... we have talked about genes and proteins and generally what will happen as the back end of the planarian grows (regenerates) a new head.  Tomorrow we will start our study of biochemistry and molecules of importance in everyday life.

We had our first softball winter practice today.  Lots of hitting / swings!  Tomorrow we will have our older players in to hit and throw. We will lift on Saturday morning.  I will send out to parents tomorrow our practice schedule of  January and the first two weeks of February.

AP Lab 12 tomorrow and operating on the planaria!

School:

Tomorrow we have our first lab in AP ...  The Dissolved Oxygen and Primary Productivity Lab.  This Lab as three parts and will take up most of the block.  Some parts of the lab will continue for 24 hours and we will test those bottles of water on Friday before wrapping up the lab.  Pearson Publishing as a short good review of the lab ...  http://www.phschool.com/science/biology_place/labbench/lab12/intro.html

We finished up ecology in AP today but will review some tomorrow and Friday before turning our attention to water and biochemistry.   Our ecology test will be on Tuesday and will take about half the block.  Our next Lab will be AP Lab #1, Diffusion and Osmosis Lab ... toward the end of next week.

In Selected Topics we started our regeneration lab with a light and dark test, some observations and a feeding.  Tomorrow we will change water and cut the planarian into two parts.  This lab continues for about 10 days while regeneration of the head takes place.  We worked on ecology in this class also ... food chains and ecological succession.  Biomes, biogeochemical cycle and global ecology problems are on tap tomorrow.  On Monday or Tuesday, we will start the Great Plant Growing contest.

I will try and take some pictures of the lab work tomorrow and post them.

I rode to school and back with Sue Neal today.  Got home in time to take a long walk and stopped by Granny's to fill her birdfeeder and take out her trash ... walked home in the dark and there were coyotes howling everywhere!  I saw several deer and a redtail hawk on my walk.

Tomorrow will be the first day of winter practice for softball.

AP Bio Day 1

It was back to school in Allen County today although two of the counties adjacent to Allen County were out for snow.  We had more snow in Holland than in Scottsville but by northern standards it was just a dusting!

School:
This was the first day of AP Biology.  Most people that know anything about AP Biology thinks it is insane to try to cover the content and the twelve required labs in a single semester.  It is difficult but for serious students it works ... hopefully,  we have no snow days.  Last year, we had 14 and it really hurt!

During our first day, we started right in on our review of ecological concepts and made good progress.  Our discussions centered around energy flow through ecosystems, succession both primary and secondary and symbiosis.  We will finish ecology tomorrow and prep up our lab for Thursday ... we will be using LaMotte kits to determine the amount of dissolved oxygen in water.  This lab has three parts ... testing water of different temperatures,  testing bottles with algae and water in the light and dark over a 24 hour period and testing bottles with screens to simulate samples taken from a eutrophic pond.

Tomorrows topics in AP Biology include biomes and biogeochemical cycles.

In Selected Topics in Science, we prepped up our lab for tomorrow, The Planarian Regeneration Lab (which takes 10 days to complete) and reviews some basic science concepts.  We will start our science survey with biology and ecology starting tomorrow, in addition to starting our lab.

Softball practice starts on Thursday ... I have posted times outside of my room.

Got home in time to take a walk to the Long Creek bottom and back ... it was cold and the ground frozen.  There was still snow on the north-facing hills.  I saw several deer.  Tapped on several bee hives along the way and they buzzed up so must be clustered and waiting for warmer weather.  I will check a few hives this weekend.
rr

Snow, Collecting samples and goodbye to the Holland PO

School tomorrow ... hopefully our AP Bio students are ready to go!  We will have homeroom in first block to pick up schedules.

It snowed today off and on ... we had a lot of birds at our birdfeeders ... mostly goldfinches, juncos, tufted titmouse(s), cardinals and mourning doves up close to the house.  I always throw down some seed on the sidewalk when feeding and the goldfinches gather there ... sometimes 30+ at a time.

I collected planaria and moss (appears to be Spirogyra) from the spring and creek this afternoon for labs later this week.

This week the Holland post office will close.  It was started in 1881 ... everything changes and with just a few dozen boxes and limited hours, it was one of the first to go in the USPO overhaul.

Happy New Year and on to AP Bio ...

Over the last few days,  Sue Neal and I went up to Ohio for a late Christmas.  We were joined by our children and had a great night opening gifts and visiting at my sister's house.  The next day we went up to eat lunch with my Dad ... at the famous Old "Y" restaurant (at the junction of US 62 and OH 321 in Highland County) known for their Y Fish Sandwich!

That afternoon, we went up to see our nephew play in the Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic Basketball tournament held a Wittenberg University in Springfield, OH.  Jess plays for Marian Unversity (IN) and they beat Olivet College (MI) in the first round of the tournament.  On our way up, we went through Cedarville College.  Wittenberg has a beautiful campus in a great small city, located half way between Columbus and Dayton.  A Lutheran-affiliated university founded in 1845.  Great NCAA D-III school with a very good academic reputation.  Their volleyball team was the D-III national champions last year.

http://www.wittenberg.edu/

http://www.cedarville.edu/

First cousins break it down after the game!

Yesterday, we got up at 3:00 AM to take Hannah to the airport ... she was the last to leave, heading back to San Francisco.  It was great to have our children home for a while!  Also, finished up bush-hogging ... saw lots of rabbits, deer and a coyote.  Cleaned off the bush-hog and put it in the barn for the winter.  Finished in time today for a walk to Long Creek and back.  It was unseasonably warm the last few days but suppose to cold (by Kentucky standards) starting tomorrow.

SCHOOL ...
Finishing some odds and ends grading this evening and will go in to school to prepare the algae for our lab on Wednesday or Thursday.  Keep working on the Ecology reading for Christmas Break ... we will be going through that material quickly.  See you all on Tuesday ... looking forward to getting back to work!

Most important AP Bio - Ecology concepts ...

Symbiotic relationships ... mutualism, commensalism and parasitism ... with examples!
Two types of populations growth ... exponential (J curve) and logistic (S curve) ... logistic leads to carrying capacity!
Life strategies ... K-selected and r-selected ... with examples!
Defense mechanisms and mimicry ... Batesian and Mullerian mimicry, aposematic coloration and cryptic coloration ...
Biomes ... especially the tropical rainforest, desert, freshwater and marine!
Biogeochemical cycles ... especially nitrogen (nitrification, ammonification, denitrification and nitrogen fixation) and carbon-oxygen (photosynthesis and respiration)

other ... food webs and succession.

Commit to working all semester ... as in sports in is not about the test (game) it is about preparing everyday to be the best student (player) you can be.  A work habit that will make you successful in AP, college and life ... DO IT!

rr