Blogs

After doing the DNA extraction activity (which I initially thought would be totally useless to me), I found enough in it to make it very useful as a lab during the chapter on mixtures and solutions.  I can use it to illustrate "like dissolves like", polarity, ion attraction and repulsion, the terms hydrophilic and hydrophobic, and model building.

Here's the lab:

TOPIC: DNA, INHERITABLE CHARACTERS AND MUTATION

OBJECTIVES:

OK, Mr. Franklin, I missed your strawberry DNA extraction. It's not that I don't find this an interesting subject, it's just that "something got in the way" this morning. I do wonder if my genes or my influence will have an altering effect on my children's habits and behaviors over the course of their lives. I know that my DNA gave both of my teenagers their flat (large) feet and curled toes. I know that my wife's DNA gave our son Max his blue eyes and our daughter Dakota has my brown eyes. Max has recently found new ways to "harness" his appearance to perpetuate an attractiveness to the opposite sex. Is that because of different body shapes originating from our combined (my wife's and my) DNA?

Interesting article on the front page of the NYTimes this past Sunday, on the web and the "literacy debate."

This years Science as Inquiry (SaI) institute so far has been a valuable experience for the participating teachers in many ways. There is a good balance of discussion and constructive work each day which thoroughly engages everyone involved and also accommodates nicely to everyone’s different interests and/or hopes of the institute.

I think the Inquiry Institute is off to a wonderful start.  The participants are excited and engaged everyday.  The teachers are easily connecting with one another. Already they have produced some amazing collaborative pieces, including lesson plans for use at multiple levels. 

The casual structure of the institute allows teachers to interact with the material presented according to their own interests.  Wil often wanders the room engaging individuals in debate about the morning’s topics.  There are ample opportunities for the participants to reflect on incorporating inquiry into their own pedagogical practices. 

I chose to use a Biology Labs On-Line activtiy because I have used The Fly Lab in the past and the company claims that these virtual labs are inquiry based. Initially, the Fly Lab seemed exciting in that it was a virtual lab that permitted an investigation into the genetics of the Drosophila melanogaster without using the flies and in a time frame possible with our schedule. After several years, I noticed thet students were easily frustrated by the technical difficulties of doing a lab online and became bored with the tediousness of the activity. I decided to investigate another online lab, Population Genetics, according to the criteria we set in this Institute for open-ended inquiry exercises.

The lesson I chose is from The School District of Philadelphia's Curriculum & Instruction's website. http://www.phila.k12.pa.us/offices/curriculum/

Click on science, click grades 7&8, go to the right & click on MSP Companions. You will see a list of 7th &8th grade topics per report card period. I chose 8th grade-2nd report card -Inside the Restless Earth. Click this & look for Learning Resources/ Extension Activities. The activity is called Sequencing Time & the goal of this lesson is for the students to understand the necessity and the processes of placing events in sequence.

The lesson I chose is from The School District of Philadelphia's Curriculum & Instruction's website. www.phila.k12.pa.us/offices/curriculum

Click on science, click grades 7&8, go to the right & click on MSP Companions. You will see a list of 7th &8th grade topics per report card period. I chose 8th grade-2nd report card -Inside the Restless Earth. Click this & look for Learning Resources/ Extension Activities. The activity is called Sequencing Time & the goal of this lesson is for the students to understand the necessity and the processes of placing events in sequence.