Ayah's AP Biology Scavenger Hunt Photos

Picture #1: This first picture I have shows a leaf, and what I meant to show was the cuticle layer of a plant. The cuticle layer of a plant is the first layer of any leaf and it is a kind of waxy covering that protects the plant of many things like UV rays of the sun or prevents the plant from drying.

Picture #2: This next picture is of an autotroph (also called producers). An autotroph is an organism that produces energy from non organic molecules such as sunlight. An example of an autotroph is a plant because it produces energy for itself through photosynthesis. Plants use water and sunlight to produce glucose.

Picture #3: The thirs picture I took shows a leave named a frond. A frond is like a big leaf divided into little leaves. Ferns are plants that do have, mostly, fronds.

Picture #4: This picture I took next was a suppossed to be an example of a heterotroph. A heterotroph is an organism that consumes another organism to get its energy. An example of a heterotroph is fungi.Picture #5: The last picture I took was suppossed to be show seed dispersal by wind, but it was very difficult to take a picture demonstrating it. A plant has many ways of making new plants. One way is spreading its seeds everywhere by either water, wind, or animals. In this case, I chose a plant that usually uses seed dispersal by wind.

The Hot Zone (Part 1)

By now you should have read (or you should be completing) the first part of the book The Hot Zone. Post your responses to this section as comments to this post. (Do not create a new post for this.)

Questions to respond to:

1. What did you think about the reading?

2. What did you learn?

3. What questions do you still have?

Remember, comments are due by Friday, July 1, 2011.

I look forward to reading your responses!

Science in the News

During the school year, each student will be assigned to post an entry about science in the news on the blog. Your job is to do a little bit of internet research to find a science-related news article. You are to read, understand, and explain the article and its significance.

Each "science in the news" blog entry should include the URL of the article that you read so that the rest of the class can have access to the article. In addition, you should include a paragraph that briefly summarizes the paragraph. You should also include your own insight, input, or opinions in this paragraph.

This assignment is meant to help us recognize the importance of science in our daily lives as well as current happenings in the world.

A reliable source of information is: http://www.sciencedaily.com

If anyone else found good resources, please share!

What Does a Scavenger Hunt Post Look Like?

Please read the blog post at the following URL: http://dahsapbiology2010.wordpress.com/2010/05/25/what-does-a-scavenger-hunt-post-look-like/

This post gives an explanation of what I am looking for in your blog entries. It also gives a sample.

If you have any questions, please ask. One of the benefits of this blog is that you can ask questions to your peers and to me.

How to Blog Safely

Blogging is a very public activity. Anything that is posted on the Internet stays there. FOREVER! Deleting a post simply removes it from the blog it was posted to. Copies of the post may exist scattered all over the Internet. That is why we need to be careful and follow some simple, clear, safety rules.

FIRST RULE:

To protect your privacy, you need to set up your account using ONLY your first name. If you have the same first name as another classmate or your username is already used, then let’s add only your last initial (or your middle initial and last initial) to your first name, like ZainabA.

SECOND RULE:

Do not use pictures of ourselves in our profiles. If you really want a graphic image associated with your posting use an avatar — a picture of something that represents you but is NOT of you.

Student Blogging Guidelines:

1. Students using blogs are expected to treat blogspaces as classroom spaces. Speech that is inappropriate for class is not appropriate for our blog. While we encourage you to engage in debate and conversation with other bloggers, we also expect that you will conduct yourself in a manner reflective of a representative of this school.

2. Never EVER EVER give out or record personal information on our blog. Our blog exists as a public space on the Internet. Don’t share anything that you don’t want the world to know. For your safety, be careful what you say, too. Don’t give out your phone number or home address. This is particularly important to remember if you have a personal online journal or blog elsewhere.

3. Again, your blog is a public space. And if you put it on the Internet, odds are really good that it will stay on the Internet. FOREVER. That means ten years from now when you are looking for a job, it might be possible for an employer to discover some really hateful and immature things you said when you were younger and more prone to foolish things. Be sure that anything you write you are proud of. It can come back to haunt you if you don’t.

4. Never link to something you haven’t read. While it isn’t your job to police the Internet, when you link to something, you should make sure it is something that you really want to be associated with. If a link contains material that might be creepy or make some people uncomfortable, you should probably try a different source.

(Information adopted from AP Biology Teacher Kim Foglia)

Please read this rules and guidelines, and add any on to the comments if you feel I have not adequately addressed an issue.