7th and 8th Grade: Week of October 27-31

Hello,
This week we will be continuing our Food Chemistry and Respiration unit. Specifically we will be learning more about glucose and begin testing liquids and foods for fat content. The homework and due date is as follows:

Tuesday, October, 28: Answer the following in complete sentences:

1. What is diabetes? How does it relate to glucose?
   
2. What percentage of Americans suffer from diabetes? Is it increasing or decreasing?
   

Thursday, October 30: Answer the following in complete sentences:

1. Go to your kitchen cabinet and make a list of all the kinds of cooking oils in your house. Make a list of the oils along with the grams of total fat, saturated fat, and trans fat (found under the heading Total Fat)in a table form. The information can be found in the Nutrition Facts on the back of the bottle. Do some research on saturated fats and trans fats and be prepared to contribute your research to our discussion on Thursday. Does it appear that some oils are healthier than others?

total fat sat. fat trans fat
Example: 1. Vegetable Oil 14 grams 2 grams 0 grams

As a reminder:
Thursday is a half-day with students dismissed after 4th period (11:34 am). Parent-teacher conferences are scheduled for 2 pm- 6 pm.
Friday is scheduled for parent-teacher conferences from 9 am- 12 pm.
Have a happy and safe Halloween!

9th Grade: Week of October 27-31

Hello,
As posted last week, our only homework for this week is due as follows:
Tuesday, October, 28: Students will complete 15-3 Section Assessment (page 386), questions 1-3.
Wednesday we will review for the chapter test which is on Thursday (Oct. 30). The chapter test will be similar to our pre-test taken at the beginning of our evolution unit.

As a reminder:
Thursday is a half-day with students dismissed after 4th period (11:34 am). Parent-teacher conferences are scheduled for 2 pm- 6 pm.
Friday is scheduled for parent-teacher conferences from 9 am- 12 pm.
Have a happy and safe Halloween!

9th Grade: Week of October 22-24- Update

Hello,
The lessons for this week have gone slower than expected and so I am adjusting the homework schedule as follows when it is DUE:
Friday, October 24: Students will complete 15-2 Section Assessment (page 377), questions 1-4.
Tuesday, October, 28: Students will complete 15-3 Section Assessment (page 386), questions 1-3.
The chapter test is scheduled for Thursday, October 30.

9th Grade: Week of October 20-24

Hello,
We will be finishing Chapter 15: Darwin's Theory of Evolution this week. The chapter test will be next Monday (Oct. 27). Homework will be turned in Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. We will begin reading each section in class and students will complete the readings at home.
Tuesday, October, 21: Students will complete 15-1 Section Assessment (page 372), questions 1-4.
Wednesday, October 22: Students will complete 15-2 Section Assessment (page 377), questions 1-4.
Friday, October, 24: Students will complete 15-3 Section Assessment (page 386), questions 1-3.

At this point the chapter test is planned for next Monday (Oct. 27), but may be delayed if activities this week go slowly,
-Mr. Pfiester

7th and 8th Grade: Week of Oct. 20-24

Hello,
We are now in our 2nd week studying food chemistry. Last week we tested different liquids and solids for starch content. This week, we will be testing liquids and foods for glucose content. Homework is due Wednesday and Friday:
Wednesday, October 22: Answer the following questions in complete sentences.

1. How does the molecular structure of glucose compare to starch?
   
2. Although we Americans usually think of spaghetti and potatoes when thinking of starch, other cultures have different sources of starch. Make a table that lists two food sources that provide starch for each of the following continents (excluding the ones I've listed): Asia, S. America, and Europe. Extra credit will be given for providing pictures.

Friday, October 24: Answer the following in complete sentences:

1. How is it that diet Coke and diet Pepsi have no calories while the regular soda has over 200 calories? What is the artificial sweetener in the diet sodas? Has there been any research on the dangers of the artificial sweeteners?
   

-Mr. Pfiester

9th Grade: Week of October 20-24 (for those missing the Herrett lecture)

Hello,
For those students who elected to not attend last week's lecture at the Herrett Center, the following assignment is due on Friday, Oct. 24: Write a 1-page single spaced essay on a domesticated animal (such as pigs, cows, dogs, sheep) that has been subject to artificial selection. Answer the following questions in each paragraph (in order):

1. What is artificial selection? How is it different from natural selection? Why do farmers engage in artificial selection?
   
2. What animal have you picked? What characteristics have farmers selected for in this animal? Include at least 3 photos or drawings (which don't count towards the 1-page minimum) on how the animal's appearance has changed over time.
   
3. Does artificial selection show that animals and plants can change over time? How do you see your animal looking a century from now?
   
4. -Mr. Pfiester
   

7th and 8th Grade Homework- Tuesday, Oct. 14

Yesterday we started our Food Chemistry Unit. The homework is that students will record their complete intake of food and drinks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for tomorrow (Wed. Oct. 15). The list should be organized by meal. This homework is due Thursday, Oct. 16. Extra credit will be given for students who attempt to determine the number of calories for their meals. Have a great day!
-Mr. Pfiester

9th Grade Homework- Tuesday, Oct. 14

For the next two weeks we are studying the biology chapter on evolution. To help students visualize evolution, this week's homework is to study the evolution of something they are familiar with: the Apple Ipod. Students are to investigate the history of the Ipod and how it has evolved (in terms of functions and data capacity and size). This homework is being assigned today and is due on Thursday, Oct. 16. What competition is faced by the Ipod? What would happen if they didn't improve? When did the Iphone come into existence (this would be an example of speciation)? Include the answers to these questions in the homework.

7th, 8th, and 9th Grade. For this week only, all students are studying the human respiratory and circulatory system. For the 7th and 8th graders, this will serve as an introduction to our Chemistry of Food and Respiration Unit. For the 9th graders, this is the last week studying the human body. Monday we will begin our Evolution unit.

October 9 Homework. As we have been moving slower than anticipated the "Section 37-1: The Circulatory System" Worksheet will be due on Monday, October 13 (it was originally due tomorrow, October 10).