Here is a form for predictions about class experiments and your group experiments. Please be sure to fill in the correct form. Arigato gozaimasu.

 

Read the following article and answer the following questions in your notebook.

1. Describe what a “single code change” might be. What is the scientific term for this occurrence?

2. Is this one likely to be helpful, harmful or neutral?

3. Suggest a reason that the gene is currently common among Han Chinese but uncommon among European populations.

4. Summarise the article in a your own words. It only needs to be a few sentences.

The date for the test has been put back. It will now be on February 5th for 8B and February 7th for 8C.

Additional links which may help with test preparation:

Other resources:

Class Presentation:

Inheritance and evolution booklet
Terminology definitions

These Brainpops will reinforce some of the main ideas:
Brainpop – Heredity
Brainpop – Genetic mutations
Brainpop – Natural selection
Brainpop- Human evolution
Brainpop – Extinction
Brainpop – Fossils
Brainpop – carbon dating

Simulations:
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/traits/
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/dna/
Natural selection
Radioactive dating

Here is the study guide:

1. Explain who Mendel was, what he experimented with and the most important thing his experiments proved.
Hint: dominant and recessive.

2. Explain the connection between genotypes and phenotypes. For example, if R is right handed and r is left handed, you should be able to work out the phenotype of someone with a genotype Rr, or state the two possible genotypes of a right handed person.

3. Use punnet squares to determine possible genotypes and phenotypes of offspring, and their expected ratios.

4. Look at a pedigree chart and determine whether or not the trait shown is dominant or recessive.

5. State how many chromosomes humans have, and how many we get from each parent.

6. Explain how the gender of offspring is determined, including whether or not it comes from the sperm or the egg, and draw a punnet square to show that there is a 50% chance of a baby being a girl (or a boy).

7. Explain what DNA is and how it stores genetic code (you do not need to remember what DNA stands for, or any of the base pairs). You should be able to recall that ‘A’ pairs with ‘T’ and ‘C’ with ‘G’. Describe the relationship between the following terms: gene, chromosome, DNA, allele.

8. Explain what a mutation is, and how it is related to DNA. Why can mutations be described as positive, negative or neutral?

9. Bats, cats, whales and humans all have skeletal structures which vaguely resemble a ‘hand’ with five ‘fingers’. Explain what this suggests about the origins of all these species.

10. Humans have a tailbone but no tail. Why is this?

11. Explain, in simple terms, what radioactive dating is used for and why it is so important for the study of the evolution of life on Earth.

12. Explain what an adaptation is and describe two adaptations in animals that make them well suited to their environment (including humans).

13. Explain the process of natural selection and how this leads to the evolution of species. Give examples of adaptations that have happened as a result of natural selection (eg giraffes and neck length). For this, you should have a good understanding of the ‘bunnies evolution’ exercise.

14. Explain the process of selective breeding, one benefit and one problem it can cause, and give at least two examples of species which have been selectively bred for humans.
Note: 8B and 8C have not done this yet.

15. Define the term Hominid.

16. Put the four eras of Earth’s history in order and match them with the types of organisms that existed in each era.
Note: you do NOT need to memorise the time periods for each. The names will be given and you will need to put them in order.

Images are really useful for conveying information, but they can be misleading. The image above is probably the most famous image for evolution. Unfortunately it gives the impression that evolution is a simple change that has a clear direction and that applies to people and not to all life. It also does not really give a good impression of the amount of time involved . In reality, evolution requires diversity and leads to a very wide range of outcomes over enormous periods of time.

Your job is to make a graphic that better show how life has developed on earth over time.

Start with the following questions:
How old is the earth (and how do we know)
When did the first life begin?
The history of life on earth can be divided into eras: Pre-cambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic. For these eras, what was happening to life on earth and how long did they last?
What was the Cambrian explosion and when did it happen?
When are humans thought to have first appeared?
If you drew a line 10 cm long to represent the life of the earth from it’s formation to now, for how much of the line would humans have existed?
if you drew a line 10 cm long to represent the time from life first being formed on earth to now, for how much of the line would humans have existed?
If you drew a line 10 cm long to represent the time from the first mammals forming intil to now, for how much of the line would humans have existed?
How many different species exist in the world at the moment? How has this changed over time?
What is extinction? How long does a typical species last before becoming extinct?
What are the oldest species around at the moment?

Read this article and answer these questions:

1. Rewrite the sentence below in your own words

“This key gene is basically the single determinant of whether you do produce underarm odor or not…”

2. The article includes the line:

“No one knows exactly why gene prevalence varies so much between populations, but its absence in East Asia suggests that being stinky was evolutionarily selected against there over the last several thousand years…”

From this sentence explain what you think the author means by ‘evolutionarily selected against’.

3. Explain why the process described above would take several thousand years.

4. The article includes some data supported conclusions and some hypotheses. Identify at least one example of each.

What are genes and how do genes copy?
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/dna/
Follow through with the activity ‘What is DNA’ and ‘What is a gene’
Note any new vocabulary you meet.

Now you can build some DNA
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/dna/builddna/

Once you have got the hang of that, have a look to see how transcription takes place

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/dna/transcribe/

Read through this news article and answer the questions that follow:

** We all have hundreds of DNA flaws **
Everyone has on average 400 flaws in their DNA, a study of 1000 individuals’ genomes suggests – though most will not affect an individual’s health.
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20617312 >

• Explain what you think the article means by ‘a flaw in DNA’ – be as specific as possible.
• The article refers to mutations. Explain what you think the article means by this term.
• Are mutations a good thing or a bad thing – explain your answer
• The article identifies 400 variations. Is this a large number? Find out what percentage of the genome this represents.
• Explain why the research described in this article may benefit us in the future

The test will be on  Thursday 20th for 8C and Wednesday 19th for 8B. It should only take a single class.

Grade 8 Forces Study Guide

You should be able to:
1. state what forces are and that they are measured in Newtons.
2. recall the definitions of weight, reaction and friction.
3. explain the difference between mass and weight
4. solve problems using the formula weight = mass * gravity for objects on Earth and in other places.
Note: the value for gravity (for each place) will always be provided.
5. suggest what someone might observe as a result of weight changes in different parts of the universe (eg Earth, moon, other planets).
6. explain what reaction force is and give examples.
7. explain what reaction force is and state that each surface has a maximum reaction force, after which it can no longer support what is resting on it.
8. explain what is meant by pressure, and why a large force is required to pop a balloon resting on a bed of nails.
9. apply your understanding of forces and experience using force meters to solve problems.
10. analyse and interpret data presented in tables and graphs to identify patterns or rules and to solve problems.

Command terms

Analyse   Break down in order to bring out the essential elements or structure. To identify parts and relationships, and to interpret information to reach conclusions

Apply   Use knowledge and understanding in response to a given situation or real circumstances

Identify Provide an answer from a number of possibilities. Recognize and state briefly a distinguishing fact or feature

Interpret   Use knowledge and understanding to recognize trends and draw conclusions from given information

Outline   Give a brief account

Recall   Remember or recognize from prior learning experiences

Solve   Obtain the answer(s) using appropriate methods

State   Give a specific name, value or other brief answer without explanation or calculation

Suggest   Propose a solution, hypothesis or other possible answer

Use Apply knowledge or rules to put theory into practice

8B Friday 24th August (Periods 3-4)

Please continue working on the “Investigating Stretching” investigations.

Notes:

1. Please draw a “Scattergraph” (“X-Y Scatter” or similar). You may use Openoffice, Microsoft Excel or Pages.  Please do  not use the computer to draw a line, but print your graph and then draw the line of best fit by hand, as discussed in class.

2. This is a practice assignment for the real investigation (“Book Busters”) which we will do in a couple of weeks. Therefore, we wrote the prediction for you. In your conclusion, please write it as if you had made the prediction yourself.

3. The “Can you find a rule for this pattern?” is optional, and is only recommended for students who are in the Advanced Math class (as it uses Mathematics only covered there) but of course I will be happy to explain it to anyone when I get back. Whichever Math class you are in, if you don’t understand it, please ignore it until I get back.

5. For improvements, think about how you could have made your results more accurate. You might think about extra equipment you might be able to use, or ways to use the equipment we used better if you had more time.

6. Please do the self-assessment. Please use the rubric on the last page to assess yourself. It is very important to familiarise yourself with this rubric because it will be used for the upcomming (summative) assessment task.

When you have finished all this, please do the crosswords on my desk.

8C Monday 27th August

Please do everything listed for 8C above. When you have finished you will probably watch a DVD on Forces.

Please go to Room 404 for this class.

8C Tuesday 28th August

Read pages 122-133 in Spotlight Science 9 (on the laboratory bench).

Answer questions 1-3 at the bottom of page 133.

Write the correct words in the spaces on the review sheet. Air resistance is a type of friction caused when something moves through the atmosphere.

Watch the Friction DVD if there is enough time.

Watch the DVD on forces.

Read pages 122-133 in Spotlight Science 9 (on the back laboratory bench).

Answer questions 1-3 at the bottom of page 133.

Write the correct words in the spaces on the review sheet. Air resistance is a type of friction caused when something moves through the atmosphere.

Watch the Friction DVD if there is enough time.