End of the Semester

Well, it is right around the corner!   One more full week before the semester is over.  I plan on giving progress reports several times next week so you will know exactly where you stand for your grade.  Remember to please come in before or after school to help get caught up!

Finish strong!!

Progress Reports

I have posted all the grades that I have as of now.  Several of you did not remember to turn your Specialized Cell Structures paper back into me, therefore I do not have a grade recorded for you on that assignment.  Also, the most frequently incomplete assignment is the Endosymbiosis Discussion.  This was to be a 1 - 2 paragraph summary of your Endosymbiosis WebQuest.  Please get this assignment, and any others you are missing, turned in as soon as possible.

Remember to dress for the lab on Monday; closed toe shoes, have something to tie long hair back.

Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions and I will reply as soon as I am able: robert.reynolds@plainview.k12.tx.us

Cell Membrane Critical Thinking Questions

1.  Predicting:  What would happen to a sample of red bllod cells if they were placed in a hypotonnic solution?  Explain your prediction.

Red blood cells that were placed in a hypotonic solution would swell and possibly burst (lyse).  The reason for this is that there is more water than solutes in a hypotonic solutionvwhich causes water to move into the cell.

2.  Inferring:  Would you expect skin cells to contain more or fewer mitochondria than muscle cells?  Explain your answer.

Mitochondira produce energy and muscles cells require more energy than skin cells.  Therefore, skin cells would be expected to contain fewer mitochondria than muscle cells.   

3.  Inferring:  The pancreas, an organ in certain animals, produces enzymes used elsewhere in the animal's digestive system.  Which type of cell structure(s) might produce these enzymes?  Explain your answer.

The type of cell structures that produce enzymes are ribosomes and rough endoplasmic reticulum.  Enzymes are made of proteins and proteins are mode by these two cell structures.

4.  Applying concepts:  As waste chemicals build up in a cell, homeostasis is threatened.  State how diffusion helps a cell maintain homeostasis.

Diffusion helps a cell maintain homeostasis by moving materials from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.  Since waste chemicals have built up in the cell, there would be a higher concentration inside the cell than outside the cell.  Diffusion will move the waste chemicals out of the cell.

5.  Compare and contrast:  Diffusion and active transport are processes that are inportant to the cell maintenance of homeostasis in organisms.  Compare and contrast the two processes.  Provide at least two differences and one similarity.

Diffusion and active transport are different in that diffusion does not require energy and active transport does.  Also, diffusion moves materials from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration, whereas active transport moves materials froma n area of low concentration to an area of high contentration.  The two processes are similar in that they each move materials across the cell membrane.

Review, Review, Review

One of the items we focused on today in class was completing the "Specialized Cell Structures" worksheet.  Please use this as a tool to study for the Unit Test on Thursday.  This is one of many tools you have been given to prepare for the test. 

I also passed back to you the Animal Cell Coloring worksheet and the Plant Cell Coloring worksheet.  All three of these (Specialized Cell Structures and both cell colorings) will be due on Friday. 

If you are missing any work or need help on any assignment, please come in during my tutorials: Mon-Fri 8:00 - 8:15 and Mon - Thurs 4:00 - 4:30.  Even those these are my posted times, I am usually here at 7:30 and stay until 6:00.  You are welcome to come by any of those times for help.

Time to really buckle down!   Only 4 weeks left in the semester!!

GO DOGS

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

We will continue our study of homeostasis and the cell membrane.  There is a Unit Test scheduled for Thursday.  To help you be better prepared for the Unit Test, we will review Specialized Cell Structures on Monday.  On Tuesday, we will look at Key Terms for Homeostasis and Cell Transport. 

Here are some websites to help study the cell membrane http://www.biology4kids.com/files/cell_membrane.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/C004535/cell_membranes.html

http://www.wisc-online.com/Objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=ap1101

http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/cells/plasmamembrane/plasmamembrane.html


Here are some website to help with studying about cell transport and homeostasis
http://library.thinkquest.org/C004535/cell_membranes.html

http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/biobooktransp.html#Cells%20and%20Diffusion

http://www.northland.cc.mn.us/biology/biology1111/animations/transport1.html (great animations, requires free Adobe Shockwave to view)

http://nhscience.lonestar.edu/biol/bio1int.htm#transport (a list of cell transport animations)

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Homeostasis.aspx

Incoming Freshman

The 2012-2013 school year is quickly approaching.  The stores around town have been putting out school supplies for a few weeks.  The shelves are emptying quickly!!!!

A very important date is coming up; Thursday, August 16th.  There are two things that are happening, which are valuable to you as an incoming Freshman.  One is Freshman Orientation.  This will be held in the cafeteria.  Boys should be there no later than 8:00am.  Girls should report at 11:30.  There are several pieces of meaningful information that you will obtain during orientation.  Some of them are: the school song, how to please your teacher, dress code, extracurricular activities (band, athletics, etc.), the bell schedule...the list is very long.  As you can see, Freshman Orientation is a very important event!

Also, registration is being held at PHS on Thursday, August 16th, from 8:00 am - 8:00 pm.  If the NEW library is completed, registration will be held there.  If the new library has not been completed, registration will be held in three separate classrooms.  Look for directions as to where to go when you arrive for registration.  Your parent/guardian must be with you for registration.

If you miss registration on Thursday, don't worry.  We have another day of registration on Saturday the 18th.  Hours for registration on Saturday are from 10:00am - 4:00pm.


See you soon!!!
Mr. Reynolds

Congratulations - you made it!!!!

Today and tomorrow, students will be taking their semester finals.  Thursday's schedule of tests will include class periods 1-4.  Students will be released at 12:28.  On Friday, students will be taking tests for class periods 5-8 and will again be released at 12:28. 

Freshmen students are being informed, in their English final, whether or not they met the minimum standard on all End of Course (EOC) STAAR tests.  Students that did not make the minimum standard are to attend summer school.  Summer school will meet at Estacado Middle School beginning June 19th and ending July 13th. 

Be sure to check this blog throughout the summer as I will be updating it much more regularly. 

Have a blessed and safe summer!!!