Happy Mole Day! The mole is an important number to chemists, and it is equal to 6.02 x 10^23; hence, October 23 is Mole Day.
Events of the Past Week
Monday - Monday was a day to finish measuring objects under the microscope. I added to objects for the students to measure in order to give them more practice. Afterwards, we spent a great deal of time reviewing for the test we took on Tuesday and Wednesday. This included reviewing the many things we had learned about the microscope.
Tuesday - We only had 37 minute periods on Tuesday, so I split up the test over two days to make sure that everyone had enough time to take both parts (the written and the multiple choice) of the test. We took the written portion on Tuesday because the class periods were longer on Tuesday than they were on Wednesday. Most students finished early. When everyone was done, the students were given the remaining time to work on their cell organelle campaigns.
Wednesday - Due to College Night we had only 28 minutes in each class period. Most students completed the multiple choice part of the test early. Students were given a reading on the cell theory, with 6 questions to answer at the end of it. Many completed the assignment in class, but a few had to finish for homework.
Thursday - The students began Thursday by taking notes on the similarities and differences between plant and animal cells, as well as prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Feel free to use their notes to quiz them on the similarities and differences between the different types of cells! That took about 15 minutes, and once I was done lecturing to them they had the rest of the time to work on their campaigns.
Friday - We began class by looking at the results of the test the students took on Tuesday and Wednesday on graphing, the metric system, scientific notation, and the microscope. I answered any questions the students had about anything they got wrong, and then the students had time to work on their campaigns. A lot of campaigning began on on Friday, as stickers and business cards were handed out, and posters were hung all over the room! It is quite a colorful place right now!
Upcoming Events
Monday - Monday is the big day for students to present their campaigns to the class! Each time will have 3 minutes to try to convince the class to vote for their organelle as the most important organelle. I've seen some really clever slogans, posters, and smear campaigns. I can't wait to see what they are able to come up with for their presentations! The students posters will be hung in the hallway outside of the classroom after school.
Tuesday - If we have to finish any presentations, we will do that first on Tuesday. Then, we will be looking at various plant and animal cells under the microscope. We will look at a water plant called Elodea, the skin of a yellow onion, and cheek cells which the students will obtain from the inside of their own mouths. Don't worry, nobody will be hurt in this endeavour!
Wednesday - We will finish our plant and animal cell labs if need be. Then, we will review for our quiz on cell organelles, prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, plant and animal cells, and the cell theory, which will be on Friday.
Thursday - Class will begin with voting for the most important organelle in the class. I wanted to give the students time to check out people's campaign materials, whether it be a brochure, flyer, sticker, webpage, facebook page, twitter account, video, or anything else that was produced. There will be a little extra credit for the organelle that wins the election, but I don't want to make the vote worth actual points toward the final grade. The reason is that sometimes these can become popularity contests, and I don't want a student's grade to be impacted if they are not the most popular person in class.
When the voting is completed there will be a review sheet for the students to complete in order to help prepare for the Friday quiz.
Friday - This is the final day of first quarter! It's hard to believe how quickly the school year is going. There will be a 50 question, 25 point matching and multiple choice test on everything from our cell unit so far. This will probably not take the full period. Once everyone is done with the quiz we will probably be taking a look at our first quarter grades.
Graba Geek of the Week
We have co-geeks of the week this week, as one lab team from my first period and one from my second period class went above and beyond with their campaign project. Michael Pautler and Katie Zara came in before school on Friday with their completed poster and multiple copies of their flyers to post on the board to surprise people when they came into class. The posters were very clever, colorful, and definitely got a reaction from the class. Here is one of them:
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