Week 36! Week 36!

Yes, dear students, 9×4 = 36. We are at the end of the end. Or is it the beginning of the beginning? Summer opens up opportunities for Senior Research, travel abroad, travel to Colorado for the lucky trio and time to relax and recharge. We will wind this wonderful year down with several laid-back activities. Please don’t forget your apbio surveys I asked you to complete. Your responses will help me make my class better for the class of 2012. Aside from the weekly schedule below, this is my last post of the year. It has been a pleasure teaching all of you and learning from all of you. I can’t wait to see many of you in APES next year. Regardless whether or not you take APES, each of you is welcome to drop by The Lair anytime. Just to reiterate what I said in class last Friday, I will write honest recommendations for anyone and everyone who asks.

Sincerely,

Mr. Reardon, aka Bossman

Monday (5.17.10): National Board Assessment for Reardon. Study Hall for ap biology students.

Tuesday (5.18.10): What’s the big idea? Come to class ready for a completely silly activity in which we uncover the biggest and deepest concepts in ap biology.

Wednesday (5.19.10): Walk to Jones Valley Urban Farm (JVUF) for a glimpse of sustainable agriculture.

Thursday (5.20.10): All M/S teachers out for Senior Luncheon. Students on “Friday Focus” schedule. Honors Assembly at 2pm. Dismissal at 3pm.

Friday (5.21.10): LAST DAY OF CLASSES. Excel tips and tricks using survivorship data from our ecology unit.

End of the year survey

end of year survey
asfa. ap biology.
spring 2010.

In order to complete my self-evaluation for ASFA, I need to collect some information from you that may provide insights into the effectiveness of my pedagogical strategies.
I want you to type your answers and place a completed survey into a folder on my door by the end of 18.may.2010. Wait, scrap that, you will place your completed forms in a large, worn-out envelope that will be available in class on 18.may.2010. I will be out on May 17 for National Boards and out on May 18, playing mercenary teacher in Montgomery. See, I take my personal time to go teach somewhere else. Yes, I am completely obsessed and insane. This combination makes me a successful educator.

This survey consists of open-ended answers. I want (and need) your honest feedback. Your responses will help improve my practice and the science instruction in the ASFA M/S department. Thank you for your time.

1. What teaching strategies were the most effective for your learning style? For instance, do you respond best to traditional lectures or guided laboratory activities, or more open-ended laboratory activities like our biodiversity surveys. Or do you prefer a combination of several approaches. Take up as much room as you like.

2.  What are the four major ideas (big picture ideas) you learned this year in AP Biology.

3. Please list the most difficult concepts you encountered in AP Biology. Why do you think they were difficult for you?

4. Which laboratory activities, or series of activities, did you  find to be the most engaging? Please explain why you found these actives engaging.

5.10.2010

We’ve been talking about this since August. We’ve been preparing for this since August. This is the marathon you guys have trained for. Read, think, breathe, relax, focus and execute. I am so proud of each and everyone of you.

I’ve been thinking about this for a while…

“If ignorance is bliss, then you guys should be completely miserable.”

You don’t need luck, you just need to focus and do your best. Your scores will reflect your hard work.

ap Biololgy: Baby, It’s May outside.

“As around the sun  the earth knows she’s revolving. And the rosebud always knows to bloom in early May. Just as time knew to move on since the beginning. And the seasons know exactly when to change.”

– “As” by Stevie Wonder

That, my friends, is photoperiodism.

We have tilled the ground. We planted the seeds long ago. We worked the soil, we improved it. We pulled weeds. We nurtured, and we watered, and we never took a rest. We appreciated the blooms, those insights into the innerworkings of biological systems. We tracked our progress as we looked between the different systems. We talked  about the emergence of greater complexity from the synergy of these various systems. We adapated to new situations. And we never took a rest. It’s May, my friends. It is harvest time. You are all ready for 5.10.2010. You should all be proud of the work you completed. Go and reap the benefits of hard work.

Monday (5.3.10): AP Lab 11: Animal Behavior (Crickets, light and Chi-square analysis). Receive practice FRQ 1.

Tuesday (5.4.10): AP Calculus Prep. Receive practive FRQ 2.

Wednesday (5.5.10): AP Calculus Exam. Smoothie run for those left standing. Receive practive FRQ 3.

Thursday (5.6.10) AM: Tough Topics in AP Biology: Bioenergetics, Neuromuscular junction, Development and organogenesis

Thursday (5.6.10) PM: AP Biology Review Free For All. Receive practive FRQ 3.

Friday (5.7.10): Most students in AP US History Exam. Available students will review with me.

asfa ap bio, the last week before AP exams begin

As you can see…this blog has become a place to diseminate (sp) information. That’s all I’m really good for these days. I am ready for the AP exam season to begin. We’ve been working hard all year and you guys are quite well prepared. We’ll spend this last week of quality instructional time with four objectives: 1) finish our botnay unit, 2) learn how to perform a Chi-Square Analysis, 3) get familiar with animal behavior labs and 4) do some review. Next week I’ll cover some important modules in the AP biology curriculum that we didn’t have time to investigate during the course of the year. If you’re not here for those sessions, then you need to get the notes from someone.

Monday (4/26/10): Alteration of Generations: sporophytes and gametophytes, basic evolution of terrestrial plants

Tuesday (4/27/10): Plant response to the environment. 1) Evolutionary response: C4 Photosynthesis and CAM photosynthesis. 2) seasonal adjustment to the environment: plant horomones. 3) LIfetime development, and time keeping: phytochromes.

Wednesday (4/28/10): Chi-Square Analysis of Plain m&ms. If time permits, ‘scope work in plants

Thursday (4/29/10): Animal Behavior Lab

Friday (4/30/10): Tough topic in AP Biology: Neuromuscular Junction (NMJ). OPTIONAL review session (1-3pm). OPTIONAL ap biology PRACTICE EXAM (3-4:35pm).

A word from ASFA administration…

This message pertains to any M/S junior taking AP exams planning to check out after your exam.

(Author’s note: feel free to check out if you are not going to go over 15 absences for the year. All you need is a signed note from your parent or guardian describing which days you will check out on file in student services.)

All students are expected to attend class whenever they are not taking an AP exam. However, if a student checks out via parental consent, the absence will only be excused if proper Student Handbook policy procedures for attendance have been respected and followed:

Parent Request: For reasons other than emergency, a written request must be submitted to the Student Advisor for verification and approval. When possible, please make the request at least a day in advance, and include a phone number where the parent can be reached during the day.

Students are responsible for making up any work missed. All absences do count in the specialty and core class absence rule – 15 maximum.

Author’s second note: I will be holding review sessions on May 3-4 and May 6. Any students in class on May 5 will join me for a coffee or smoothie in Linn Park.

this just in…

…from Dr. Brande. He sent me a link to MIT open course ware site. Each video lecture deals with a difficult and important concept in AP Biology.

Take a look if time permits.

http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/hs/biology/f/1/1.htm

asfa ap bio, week god-knows-what: Botany Unveiled

This week is all botany, all the time. We’ll be looking at three things primarily. First, we’ll set up experiments to investigate how plants respond to experimental conditions like high light/high heat, high wind, high humidity et al. Second, we’ll head outside to investigate plant life forms and see if life forms correlate to microclimate variability. Finally, we’ll get back on the ‘scopes and continue our investigation of plant cells and plant tissues.

Come to class prepared and ready to work. This is Crunch Time.

You should be reading Chapters 29, 30, 35, 36, 37 and 39. I will put my slides on line, and I’ll put my AP Biology Botany review slides up as well. I think the Botany review slides will be more helpful to you. They are entitled “UAM_4Apr09_Botany” I need to add some slides on Plant Nutrition (one of my favoite subjects) and phytochromes (every one say, “Far Red Reardon”. I knew you could.

asfa, ap bio (what week is it?): into the grinder!

Remember that scene in “The Wall” where the song sings, “we don’t need no education” and the faceless kids are falling off the conveyor belt into the meat grinder? No, you don’t. Well then you didn’t have older brothers in the 80s who totally warped you and you might turn out better than I. Anyway, we need some education, and we’re in the grinder. What does this have to do with anything related to biology…Well, dear reader, five bonus points to the first student who can correctly read my mind and figure out how that afore mentioned scence from “The Wall” relates to chapter 41, Nutrition and Digestion.

Monday (4/12/10), “Hollah – day”

Tuesday (4/13/10): what makes a three day weekend unbearable? But seriously, AP Practice Exam debriefing (30 min), introduction to digestive phsyiology (60 min)

Wednesday (4/14/10); Finish digestive physiology (and digestive diseases), Begin “What Fuels Fat?” in Scientific American. Reaction due Monday, 4/19/10.

Thursday (4/15/10): Observe Senior Research Posters (45-60 min), begin Botany (45-30 min)

Friday (4/16/10): Continue Botany…plant organs and tissues.

asfa ap bio, week 33: “finish” mammalian phsyiology

This is the last full week we’ll spend on mammalian physiology. Our focus will be on the central and peripheral nervous system, but I’ll introduce you to the reproductive and digestive systems as well. As promised, I won’t lecture more than 45 minutes/day (except Thursday). It’s really up to you guys to dig into Campbell, use the resources on Sharepoint, and engage me if you have questions.

Next week, I’ll assess what we’ve learned about NS, Digestive, and reproductive systems; then we’ll start our last unit of the year…BOTANY

Monday (4/5/10): Workshop 2 on Neurophysiology. Work day in the lab.

Tuesday (4/6/10): Continue with Experiments. Discuss synaspses, evolution and function of brain regions.

Wednesday (4/7/10): Final Lecture on Neurophysiology. Investigation of the cerebral cortex. Discuss associations, Autonomic nervous systems, and the NMJ.

Thursday (4/8/10): Overview of Reproduction and Development 1

Friday (4/9/10): Introduction to Nutrition and Digestion. Interpret Scientific American article, “What Fuels Fat?”