Welcome to Ms. DR’s Biology Homework Page. Check this page if you are absent from school, or if you need assignments or hand-outs. Let me know ASAP if you have problems with this page or other parts of the website! NOTE: Dates posted are the dates the assignment is DUE. NOTE: You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open pdf files posted on these pages. Download the free program here:
Homework for Week of 1/23
Your Third Term assignment for your IRP can be downloaded here. Note that your progress report is due on Monday, March 26, and that you must schedule a check-in with me at least three weeks before then!
Monday 1/23	Ms. DR will be out of school today. You will not have class. Be sure to sign-in in the caf so you will not be given a cut.Ms. DR will not be in class. In preparation for this week’s lab, read pp. 383-386 about restriction endonucleases and gel electrophoresis in Chapter 20. Use the Biology Place gel electrophoresis tutorial to walk yourself through the lab and see animations of how gel electrophoresis works. Also read the Lab Bench pages about how restriction enzymes work. Be prepared to ask me questions when I see you in class tomorrow.
Tuesday 1/24	Read Chapter 18 pp 328-340: Genetics of Viruses
Wednesday, 1/25	Pre-lab questions due.
Friday, 1/27	We will begin our discussion of viruses in class. Sordaria lab write-up. Remember that you must do one formal lab per term. You will have three more labs this term. You should do a chi-squared analysis of your own data, and then another analysis of the composite data from the class. If you want a larger data set, you are welcome to use data from previous years.
Homework for Week of 1/30
Don't forget to get your permission slip and dismissal form signed and $13.00 in cash to Ms. Purdy on February 8, 7:30 AM, if you want to go on the Broad Insistute field trip on March 16 or 29!! Spaces will fill up, and it's first come, first served for all 108 AP bio students.
Monday 1/30	Electrophoresis Lab Day.
Tuesday 1/31	Read Chapter 18 pp 340-3p51: Genetics of Bacteria
Wednesday, 2/1	The Bio teachers will be having an in-house workshop today (stay tuned for the amazing world of synthetic biology!) so there will be NO CLASS. However, you have to keep up the pace. Use your time in the caf to work together to master operons (lac and trp) and anything else you don't yet own in chapter 18. Electrophoresis Post-Lab questions due. In order to answer the last question you will have to read about Southern Blots and a little more about genetic engineering techniques. For now, read pp. 383-386 in Campbell and Reece.
Friday, 2/3	Virus comic strip due Read chapter 19 with attention as follows: Look at the key concepts lsited on page 354. Read enough so that those general ideas make sense to you. Figure 19.1 - Levels of chromatin packing; tandem repeats (useful in real-life DNA fingerprinting); gene amplification (p. 360); transposable elements (p. 360); it's cool to know that immunoglobulin genes undergo somatic cell rearrangement. Figure 19.7 outlines all the levels at which gene expression can be controlled. Use the subsequent figures to have a clue how it all works. We've touched on a lot of this before. Know the vocab and don't sweat the minute details. You should remember how cancer arises and spreads from your readings back in Term I (Cells unit).
Homework for Week of 2/6 Don't forget to turn in your permission slip, dismissal form, and $13.00 in cash to Ms. Purdy 7:30 AM Wednesday 2/8 if you want to go on the Broad Insistute field trip on March 16 or 29!! Spaces will fill up, and it's first come, first served for all 108 AP bio students.
Monday 2/6	For chapters 20 and 21, please become familiar with the following: Read the introductions and summary (pp. 375, 400-401) Know Figs. 20.1, 20.7, 20.8 Vocab: restriction enzymes, sticky ends, plasmid, recombinant, DNA ligase, genomic library, genomics, PCR, (microarray is a nice to know - not essential. It'll explain sme of the lab set-ups you might see on crime and doctor shows on TV) Concepts to know on a basic level: Fig. 20.3 I would read the section starting on 393 about the practical application of DNA technology. I would know the following for Chapter 21: Read the introductions and summaries (pp. 402-403, 424) Fig. 21.2 Vocab: totipotent, stem cells, homeotic genes (Hox genes), blastula, gastrula, gastrulation, apoptosis. We'll tackle plants in April.
Tuesday 2/7	Please log on to this website and take the pre-test (not graded - just data for Dr. Kuldell) before doing the lab tomorrow. Transformation Pre-Lab Due. Transformation Lab in class.
Wednesday, 2/8	Here's the powerpoint about synthetic biology that we were discussing in class on Monday. Take a few minutes and read this short commentary about applications of the human genome project on the tenth anniversary of its completion. The intro is linked to three good articels on the topic. Download the full text of Cancer's Genome and The Human Genome a Decade Later. They will give you context for all of our recent classwork.
Friday, 2/10	How do you prepare for a unit test in AP Biology? How, in particular do you use the textbook? Post your textbook reading strategies to the "Advice on How to Study" GoogleDoc! Fell free to highlight other people's good advice, to make (school-appropriate!) comments. Review the notes handout about the electrophoresis lab. There is no write-up due for this lab. In order to review the miscellaneous material in chapters 19-21, please complete this open-notes, all sources available take-home "quiz." You may research and discuss answers with classmates, but you must write the answers by yourself. Now take a little break and enjoy this "animal behavior" video.
Homework for Week of 2/13 IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: If you are interested in participating in a summer internship at the Broad Insitute, applications are due on Wednesay, February 15! NNHS can only send 4 students, so if you want to be one of them, you must talk to Ms. DR ASAP and complete the application . This is an extremely competitive opportunity, so if you are not serious about your desire to participate, don't express interest.
Monday 2/13	MOLECULAR BIOLOGY TEST: Chapters 16, 17, 18 and selected topics in 19, and 20. Electrophoresis and Transformation Labs.
Tuesday 2/14	Transformation Post-Lab questions due. Please also post your data to the BioBuilder website. The pass code is natbioethics.
Wednesday, 2/15	TAKE NOTE: Is anyone free E block this Thursday (tomorrow) and interested in participating in an Innovations Lab show and tell with Senator Kerry, Mayor Warren, the MA Sec'y of Education, and a bunch of other suits? You'd be joining a few of Ms. Purdy's students to talk about the synthetic biology lab and ways it could be expanded at NNHS. I'm happy to brief you. Send me an e-mail and let me know!! Today we start out discussion of Evolution, the underpinnings of all of biological science. Before class today, read Chapter 22 and write a "Study Guide" to be given at random to one of your classmates. The study guide should inlcude about 10 questions that will help both you and someone else focus on key concepts, important vocabulary, and Big Picture context of the topics covered in the chapter. Here's a re-try for the website for the post-transformation (BioBuilder) lab. If you can, please post answers to the quesitons.
Friday, 2/17	Here's some weird bio (with an evolution twist) just for fun. It's less than two minutes long. Complete the study guide randomly given to you in class. Read Chapter 23 to review and solidify material covered in class this week.
Homework for Week of 2/27
Monday 2/27	If you haven't yet received the AP exam registration form, download it here. It's your repsonsibility to register for the exam. Read James Bull's article on applied evolution. Write one paragraph stating what you found most compelling about the article, and why. Here's a recent NYT article that might shed some insight into why, in this era of genome sequencing, fossils are still fascinating fonts of information to evolutionary biologists.
Tuesday 2/28	Population genetics pre-lab due. The Biology Place website has some useful information and practice problems for Hardy-Weinberg calculations. These will help prepare you for the lab. Read about current thinking on Darwin's "tree of life". Answer the reading questions. Check GoogleDocs for the Term IRP conference sign-up sheet.
Wednesday, 2/29	There is a phenomenal website for evolution education from UC Berkely. Before you read the NYT article, read this "chapter." Read NYTimes Evo-Devo article and answer reading questions. Make sure you read about Peter and Rosemary Grant on pages 426 and 427. Answer the post-lab questions for the Population Genetics lab. Do the H-W calculations to the best of your ability. We'll go over them in class.
Friday, 3/2	Read Chapter 24. AP Exam registration deadline is this Friday. Registrations submitted after Friday will incur a late fee of $50. Check out the YouTube video of the lyre bird This is guaranteed to make you appreciate the weirdness of evolution and life in general! Read about the evolution of genes and answer the reading questions.
Homework for Week of 3/5
Monday 3/5	If you are going on the Broad field trip with Ms. Purdy on Wednesday the 16th, you must have your signed dismissal slip in by today. If you are signed up and unable to go, please let me or her know ASAP so she can take people from the waiting list. Read chapter 25. Juniors: Finalize your decisions for science course selections for next year. Be sure to think seriously about taking one or more of our amazing science electives listed on pages 56-57! Read the article about the evolution of lactose intolerance from the Berkeley Evolution website. Answer the questions at the end of the page.
Tuesday 3/6	Make sure you are all caught up on your reading. Registration TOMORROW for a great April vacation seminar on Bioengineering at the Whitehead Institute. First come, first served!
Wednesday, 3/7	Population genetics abstract and formalized data presentation (i.e. informal lab write-up). Make it look good.
Friday, 3/9	EVOLUTION TEST: Chapters 22-25, readings, and population genetics lab
Homework for Week of 3/12
Be sure to check in with Ms. DR to give her an update of your IRP. Note that your research paper is due on March 26, and you need to have spoken to her at least a week before then. Want to do something amazing over April Vacation? Register NOW for the Whitehead Institute Spring Seminar for High School Students. Spaces are very limited.
Monday 3/12	Remember DNA replication and mitosis? Here's some amazing animation in aTED talk that will make you realize how much you've learned, help you review, and show you a new level of detail that will blow you away. Here's another TED talk where octogenarian scientist Elaine Morgan discusses the aquatic ape theory of human evolution. There's some great food for thought! Cladogram questions from in-class exercise due.
Tuesday 3/13	Animal Behavior interlude. Start work on your animal behavior observation project. Read chapter 51 pages 1121-1136.
Wednesday, 3/14	Read the remainder of chapter 51. Check over this outline of the chapter and make sure you can explain a little bit about each topic. (Quiz likely)
Friday, 3/16	Skim Chapters 32 and 40 for an introduction ot anatomy and physiology. Understand the organism - organ - tissue -cell heirarchy. Use this link to learn about Animal PHYLA and HISTOLOGY (cell/tissue types). Keep reviewing until you can get a perfect score on both of the online quizzes (PHYLA & HISTOLOGY):
Homework for Week of 3/19
Monday 3/19	Read Chapter 42 for content mastery. Listen to Mr. Snow's heart rap and download the lyrics here. Signed dismissal slips for Broad Field Trip on March 29 if you haven't yet given them to me!
Tuesday 3/20	Here's a brief NPR story on the first human trial of a pump-less artificial heart. The first patient lived without a pulse for a month before dying from his underlying disease. Circulation Lab in class (Pre-read pp. 871-877)
Wednesday, 3/21	MCAS schedule. NO CLASS today.
Friday, 3/23	Circulation Pre-Lab questions will be collected at the beginning of class. Work hard to finish the circulation lab today. If the Daphnia live through the night, we'll do the last part of the Circulation lab in class. More Circulatory and Respiratory Systems. Use the handouts from class and the reading guide for a reminder of what's most important. Term III Comprehensive Make-Up test (Moecular Biology and Evolution, and a little bit of animal behavior) after school. Meet in room 473.
Homework for Week of 3/26
Monday 3/26	Term III IRP research paper due. Another 2 minute animation, this time depicting my her, Michael Pollan's, sustainability message. Very clever! We will wrap up chapter 42, circulation and respiration, and begin the digestive system. Read chapter 41 for content.
Tuesday 3/27	Digestions story: Use your creativity to tell the story of a meal's treacherous journey throught the digestive system. Be sure to include each organ involved in the digestive process from end (mouth) to end (rectum), and the physical and chemical environment to which the meal is subjected at each stage. Powerpoint with downloaded figures of all the important stuff (begun in class) can be viewed here.
Wednesday, 3/28	Final discussion and reading quiz for digestion, circulation, and respiration. Circulation post-lab questions answered legibly and thoroughly. This is the only thing you need to hand in for this lab. If you chose to do the Animal Behavior extra credit project (observations and experimental design) it is due today. Take a 2.5 minute break to remember why bio is so cool! NOTE: Broad Institute Trip tomorrow for those of you going with me. Meet in the lobby outside of the Main Office at 7:50 sharp!
Friday, 3/30	Special Topics in Anatomy and Physiology Jigsaw in class Term III Ends. NO late work accepted after today.
Homework for Week of 4/2
Monday 4/2	Anatomy and Physiology special topics presentations. Test Questions and PowerPoints due today.
Tuesday 4/3	Wrap up presentations. PNS/CNS, neurons, and neuromuscular junctions. Read Chapter 48, with focus on pp 1022-1036. Chapter 49, pp 1080-1086. The CD-ROM is really helpful for this material. Here are the links to last years'"extra systems" PowerPoints: Endocrine System; Reproductive System; Excretory System Here's a Reading Guide to support our thinking about these chapters.
Wednesday, 4/4	Immune System discussion and video in class.
Friday, 4/6	NO SCHOOL: Good Friday