7th-8th Grade Science: Week of Feb. 1-5

Hello,
As I mentioned last week in class, we will be dedicating most of this week to preparing for the Invent Idaho/Science Fair which is on the evening of Feb. 8. The only homework you have is whatever preparation is necessary for your project to completely done by your class period on Feb. 8. I'll be available after school most days to help students with their projects. Have a great week,

-Mr. Pfiester

9th Grade Biology: Week of Feb. 1-5

Hello,
This will be a busy week with a few lab. activities to illustrate the workings of the blood and circulatory systems. The homework and DUE dates are as follows:

Wednesday, Feb. 3: Section 37-2 Assessment Questions, 1-5 (pg. 955)

Friday, Feb. 5: Homemade model of Breathing. I'll explain this in more detail in class, but using a plastic 16 oz. or 20 oz. bottle, 2-3 balloons, and possibly clay and straws, you will build a model of the structures involved in breathing (similar to the drawing on pg. 964)

Have a great week,
-Mr. Pfiester

9th Grade Biology: Week of Jan. 25-29

Hello,
Everybody did a great job last week with the debates. We will most likely conduct debates again in the last few weeks of the 2nd semester. We will go back one chapter to Ch. 37: Circulatory and Respiratory Systems, beginning on Tuesday. So the homework for the week at this point and its due date are as follows:

Thursday, Jan. 28: Section 37-1 Assessment Questions 1-5 (pg. 950), using complete sentences.

Have a great week,
-Mr. Pfiester

7th-8th Grade Science: Week of Jan. 25-29

Hello,
Well, Monday is the first day of the 2nd semester and we have exactly two weeks until the Invent Idaho/Science Fair on Monday, Feb. 8. From the return slips I have received, it appears that many of you and your parents plan on attending- which is great. We will dedicate Monday and Friday to working on the fair. The only homework for the week and its due date are as follows:

Thursday, Jan. 28Section 4: The DNA Connection Review Questions 1-5 (pg. 112) using complete sentences.

Have a great week,
-Mr. Pfiester

7th-8th Grade Science: Week of Jan. 18-22

Hello,

The last day of the 1st semester is Friday. Our Science Fair/Invent Idaho Fair is only three weeks from Monday. I'll be sending a letter home to you and your parents on Tuesday inviting your family to attend and describing the event logistics. We'll dedicate Monday and (most likely) Friday to working on the fair. The rest of the week will be dedicated to our Cell Division and Genetics Unit. The only homework for the week and its DUE date is as follows:

Thursay, Jan. 21: Section 3: The Cell and Inheritance Review Questions 1-5 (pg. 105).

Have a great week,

-Mr. Pfiester

9th Grade Biology: Week of Jan. 18-22

Hello,
Friday is the last day of the 1st semester. This week is pretty much dedicated to preparing for and conducting the debates we discussed last Friday. Debate teams will prepare for the debates on Monday and Tuesday. It is only in the middle of the period on Tuesday that I will announce whether teams are "pro" or "con". The debate schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, Jan. 20: Debate I
Thursday, Jan. 21: Debate II and III
Friday, Jan. 22: Debate IV and V

Your individual performance on the debate team will determine 10% of your semester grade (the project grade). There is no homework planned at this time,
-Mr. Pfiester

7th-8th Grade: Week of Jan. 11-15

Hello,

We will continue our Science Fair/Invent Idaho Fair work this Monday and Friday. The middle of the week will be dedicated to our Cell Division and Genetics Unit. The only homework for the week is as follows:

Thursday, Jan. 14: Complete Section 5: Cell Division Review Questions (pg. 79), 1-4.

Have a great week,

-Mr. Pfiester

9th Grade: Week of Jan. 11-15

Hello,
In an attempt to promote healthy foods, I have decided that this Thursday is going to be Hummus Day. It is something easy for us to make (using only a few ingredients and a blender) in class. More information to follow. Friday we will begin our preparation for next week's debates. We will divide into debate groups of 3, assign debate topics, and learn how formal debates are conducted.

Wednesday, Jan. 13: Complete Section 38-2 Assessment Questions 1-5 (p. 984).
Thursday, Jan. 14: Bring in 3 "Nutrition Facts" Labels from food or drink items from home. For each label answer the following on a sheet of paper:

1. Look at the Total Carbohydrates section. Is the carbohydrates in this food item more fiber or more sugar? What are the grams of each?
2. Look at the Total Fat section. What kinds of fats are provided by this food item (such as saturated fat, Trans fat)?
3. From the Nutrition Facts, is this food item healthy? Why or why not?

Have a great week,

-Mr. Pfiester

PS. We will not be completing Section 3 of this chapter. The short chapter test next Monday will only cover Sections 1 and 2.

7th-8th Grade Science: Week of Jan. 4-8

Hello,
Welcome to the New Year! We only have a little over a month until our Invent Idaho/ Science Fair. I will be working closely with you to ensure you are successful with this Project, which is worth 10% of your total grade. The last day of the 1st semester is Jan. 22; at that time I will assess your progress on your project. So the homework and DUE dates are as follows:

Tuesday, Jan. 5: Apply the "Take a Class Survey" we did in class and use it with your family (and aunts, uncles, grandparents if possible). Make sure to complete the following:

1. Label your homework on a sheet of paper with the heading "Take a Family Survey".
2. Recreate the Data Table from today's activity and complete it using traits from your family.
3. Describe your findings of three of the traits from your family. Did you find primarily traits from recessive or dominant alleles?

Friday, Jan. 8: Complete Section 2: Probability and Genetics Review Questions, 1-5 (pg. 99).

Have a great week,

-Mr. Pfiester

9th Grade Biology: Week of Jan. 4-8

Hello,
The next few weeks should be quite interesting as we will be conducting our 1st Semester Debates (your performance on the debate will represent your "Project" grade- 10% of your total grade). As we have begun our unit on the human body, the debate topics will on some aspect of the human body. Next Friday (Jan. 15) students will be organized into debate groups of three and given the topic. Research will continue the following Monday and Tuesday (Jan. 18-19) with the five debates completed on Wednesday-Friday (Jan. 20-22). January 22 is the last day of the semester.
We have started Ch. 38: Digestive and Excretory Systems. The homework and DUE dates are as follows:

Wednesday, Jan. 6: Read Section 38-1 pages 971-977.
Thursday, Jan. 7: Complete Section 38-1 Review Questions, 1-5 (pg. 977).
Friday, Jan. 8: Designing a Brochure: Design and create a brochure (single sheet of computer paper made into a tri-fold- one section per nutrient) that explains how the body uses the six nutrients necessary for normal function. You must include at least one drawing or image per nutrient.
Have a great week,
-Mr. Pfiester