Worms Worms Worms Worms

The Advanced Biology class is doing a unit on annelids and worms in particular. This is to commemorate our new class pets, a pound of red wrigglers! If you don't know much about red wrigglers, check out this link that tells you how valuable that they are.

Students should watch the video below a few times to familiarize themselves with the internal structure of the earthworm preparing for this week's dissection. Please leave a comment using the comment link below, letting me know that you viewed it to receive a point of extra credit in class.

Is There Life On Mars?

In class, we've been talking about the characteristics of life.  Do you think that there's life on other planets?  NASA has been sending missions to Mars for years looking for life.  They've now found methane on Mars and believe that this could mean that there's life on Mars.

Read the article here and then come back and answer these questions for 1 to 3 extra credit points.  Click on Play Audio to hear the article read to you.  Click on the 2 pictures to see the animation.

1. What is methane?
2. Why do scientists think it is evidence of life?
3. Do you think that this proves life on Mars?  Explain.

Remember to put your name and science period in your comment.

Welcome to a brand new school year!

This is our school's science blog that you'll be using throughout the year.  Look around and get familiar with it.  You'll be part of making it even better this year!  A big part of using a blog is posting comments. Practice sending a comment to the blog.
You can write about your first day of school or something that happened to you this summer.

Some of you may be experts on blogging, but I'll go through the steps for everyone:
1. Read the post
2. Click the word Comments below the post
3. A box for your comment will pop up
4. Write your comment in the white space - INCLUDE YOUR NAME and CLASS PERIOD
5. Type in the verification word exactly as you see them
6.  Under Choose an identity, choose Anonymous
7. Click Publish Your Comment
8.  Close the pop up window

BTW: Your comment won't show up on the site until I've looked at it.
Tip of the Day: If you are sending a long comment during the year, type it up as a Word Document and then paste it into the comment box. :)

Living Things

   Biology is the study of living things.  Have you ever thought about what makes something living?  For 1 to 3 bonus points on your next test, view the video at this link,

What Makes Something Alive? Video

Return to this post and make a comment on these questions.  Write in complete sentences:

1. What are some traits make a thing alive?
2. Flames can grow, move, and reproduce. Are flames alive?  Explain

Don't forget to include your name and your science period on your post!  The point option ends on Friday, September 11th.

Lab Safety Letters

Students and Parents,

Below is a link to the pdf of the 2-sided Lab Safety letter that needs to be read and signed before all science students can take part in science labs.  I sent a copy of this home. Students can't be successful in science without taking part in labs, so please get this turned in soon. You can read over and sign the one I sent from school, or you can print this one out and get it to me.  Thanks!
Safety Contract to Print out, Read, and Sign
Here's the same contract in Espanol