Monday 12/10:
According to Haley B from 5th hour...
Today in class, we filled out all the parts of a leaf and their functions on the leaf cross section worksheet. Then, we worked on the leaf structure lab with our lab partners. We looked at a prepared slide of a cross section and a dry mount slide of a tradescantia leaf. We drew a picture of each in our packet. When we finished that, we started cutting out the parts of a leaf to glue together and label. For homework, we had to finish the packet, including labeling the drawings, putting together our model of a cross section of a leaf, and answering the summary questions.
Tuesday 12/11:
Today we split our time between two activities. We began the day by talking about pigments and how light works. Then we started a chromatography lab where the students separated the pigments present in a spinach leaf. Once the lab was set up, we came back to our seat and talked through a majority of the light dependent portion of photosynthesis. (We did have to stop with the build up of Hydrogen ions which just left the kids on the edge of their seats!) Then we went back and checked in on the pigment lab results. It was really cool for the students to be able to see the colors we had been describing earlier in the day.
Wednesday 12/12:
Thanks to Matt B in 5th hour...
Today we talked about The Calvin Cycle- the process where plants use ATP and NADPH made from the light dependent reaction to make organic compounds such as glucose. This process takes place in the Stroma of the chloroplast out side the Thylakoid. This process begins with 3 RuBP hooking to 3 CO2 (with help from the enzyme Rubisco). This creates an unstable 6-carbon molecule which breaks into two almost immediately creating 6 3-PGA molecules. Then ATP from light dependent reactions donate a phosphate and become ADP (this goes back to the thylakoid). The molecules fromed are now 6 Biphosphoglycerate. After this NADPH adds energy and the posphate breaks off (the NADPH is now NADP+ and it returns to the thylakoid). We have formed 6 G3P molecules. One of then leaves and the other five are turned into RuBP to begin the cycle all over again. It takes two G3P to form a glucose so this cycle must be repeated to make a glucose molecule. IMPORTANT: for this cycle we add CO2 and ATP and NADPH from the light dependent reactions. We get G3P (eventually glucose after another cycle) and ADP and NADPH to return to the thylakoid. There is a test on photosynthesis on Friday. The Calvin Cycle is covered in the text book on pages 120 to 121 for carbon fixation and 122-123 for a summary.
Thursday 12/13:
Just in from 5th hour...
Today in class we reviewed all of what we had learned over the past couple of days regarding photosynthesis. We recapped all the major ideas of the Light Reaction, which was the production of ATP and NADPH, and also the Calvin Cycle, which produced glucose. After we reviewed, we were given a worksheet to complete with our partners, it was a great review for the test. Mrs. Giegler also told us that we should know the parts of a leaf, pigments, and reactants and products for the test. Prior to the test, we were given book pages in which we could read, to really enforce the information we had begun to learn. We were also given homework daily, so there were plenty of resources available for us to do well.
Thanks to James F from 6th hour...
Today, we took a 30-question quiz on light reactions, the Calvin Cycle, and leaf structure.
After the quiz, we began to talk about glycolysis, a biochemical pathway that breaks down glucose. We took a few notes, but ran out of time to discuss it fully. For homework, we had to take one page of notes on cellular respiration.
Upcoming events
Today we are going to dig into cellular respiration. We will start by going over the half of glycolysis that gives off energy and hopefully continue through the Kreb's cycle into the electron transport change. The day will be very heavy on notes but I hope that we will be able to tackle a majority of the difficult content early in the week so that the students have more time to digest the information.
Tuesday 12/18:
Our goal today will be to tackle anaerobic respiration. We will begin with a short discussion about the two versions of this type of respiration. Then we will move onto a fun little lab that shows some of the properties that we have been talking about.
Wednesday 12/19:
Today we will finish up anything that we have not yet completed. Then we will take some time to review enzymes, photosynthesis and cellular respiration. We have a few review packets to complete and I plan on doing a modified version of the writing on butcher paper like what we did for the big cell test.
Thursday 12/20 & Friday 12/21:
Depending on how the week goes we will have a test on one of these two days. I think that the students will be more focused with a test on Thursday but if we are pressed for time, I will move the test to Friday and use Thursday as a day to continue reviewing. If the test is on Thursday, we will use Friday to go over the test and then either start to take a look at DNA or use the time to watch part of an episode from the amazing series called LIFE which aired on the Discovery Channel a few years ago.
Please make sure that the students talk to me if they will not be at school on Thursday or Friday so that we can determine when they should take the test.