today's homework

I know some of the homework for today is to read 35.4 in the textbook, but what notes do we take with it?

Muddiest Point

After reading 6.3 tonight, I am still trying to understand Genetic diversity. As the book states, if a populations loses genetic diversity, it is less likely to be able to survive changes in its environment. Can somebody please explain to me why this is? Thanks

Elephants!

Hey Guys! Something that I think is interesting is Elephants! I don't know why but I love Elephants! They look so cute and lovable! Elephant ancestors started about two feet tall and had no trunk and was called Moeritherim. Then the animals grew nose-upper lips during Earth's cooling period and the Mammoth was developed. The point of a trunk if so that animals with short necks can reach their food that if higher up. The Asian and African Elephant are the only two surviving species. The Asian Elephant has two "fingers" at the tip of its trunk which is for picking up small items. There is over 100,000 muscles in the trunk of this Elephant. The animal is also a herbivore, plant eating. Elephants have to eat a lot a day because almost half of their food passes through undigested. Herds are led mostly by a matriarch and followed by their daughters, offspring, and sisters. Males usually are solitary. Some fun facts about Elephants are that they can cry, they have incredible memories, even thought they have large ears they have poor hearing, walk around 4mph, they have bad eyesight, and they are the largest land mammal!

What I am most exited about this year: I am really exited for my first pep rally, and I am exited to do fun hands on labs during Bio!

What I am least exited about this year: Like everyone, I am least exited about finals and homework!

Red Eyed Tree Frogs

 

I think the red eyed tree frog is interesting and it is also my favorite animal. The red eyed tree frog is a well known amphibian and lives in the rainforests located in Central and South America. Most of the time the red eyed tree frogs sleep during the day and close their eyes. When the Red eyed tree frogs keeps their eyes closed they become camouflaged and when they get disturbed they open their eyes. Adult Male tree frogs tend to be around 5 centimeters (2 inches) in length. However, adult female tree frogs tend to be 7.5 centimeters (3 inches) in length. The red eyed tree frogs are carnivores and they eat crickets, moths, flies, grasshoppers, and sometimes smaller frogs. This is why I love red eyed tree frogs!

What I am most excited about this year:

Doing tons of fun and exciting labs!

What I am least excited about this year:

All the tests and quizzes!

Golden Retrievers

Golden Retrievers are dogs with many great characteristics. Originating in Scotland, they were used predominantly for hunting. They are medium sized dogs, and have a beautiful gold coat. The Golden Retriever is one of the most popular dog breeds today. This dog breed is lovable, loyal, well-mannered and intelligent. They can be easily trained and are even-tempered. Goldens are very good watch dogs-mine always barks, even when she hears the slightest noise.

When I was born, there were two golden retrievers in the house. They were so gentle and calm with me when I was little. They are incredible dogs (one of my favorites) because of their personality. Their life expectancy is 10 - 12 years, however, my goldens lived to be 14 and 15 years old.

Their tail is always wagging - they are happy and good-natured animals. They are called "retrievers", which means they like to carry things in their mouth. For example, my dog looks around in every room of the house until she finds a sock and then walks around and around with it in her mouth.

Golden Retrievers are an excellent dog breed, and everyone should have the experience of owning one!

KaitlynO

What am I most excited about this year?
Choir/other music related activities.

What am I least excited for this year?

Finals/homework.

First Unit Reflection

I think that our first unit went pretty well to start off the year. The first unit started off sorta easy and a review to some. Although the quiz was not my best, i understand the material better now. I am exicted to see what come later in the year and what kind of experiments we get to conduct. Its been a good class so far! i cant wait to see what comes later in the year!

First unit reflection

I think that this unit started and ended pretty well. The first unit was easy because it was the begining of everything and was like a review of science and bio. The quiz we had was not my strongest but i definately understanded what we went over in our first unit. This unit covered the basic and what was science and about the natural world. I think i did pretty good on it and i understood it very well. I didn't think it was so hard and i'm excited to what we are going to learn in the upcoming days.

Juliah- Red panda

This panda in the picture is obviously not a black and white panda. This is a "Red Panda." They sort of look like a raccoon. There 42 inches long and they have a very bushy/flurry tail.A red panda's tail is very important to the red panda because it helps the panda's be stable on trees and they hide in there tail when winter comes. Just like a black and white panda, the red panda lives in a moderate tempurature bamboo forest. Red panda's consume different range of foods. They eat bird eggs, berries, blossoms, and leaves. When the red panda reproduces, they wait 134 days and about one to four new baby infant red panda's are born. Like many species, the red panda is endangered. They're only 2500 Red panda's remaining in the world. The red panda's are slowly dieing off.

What i'm excited for this year? 
To learn about new facts and fun facts about bio and the world around us and the experiments.

What i'm least excited for this year?
The test and quizzes

First Unit Reflection

This first unit was a good starting unit because it gave us a good idea of what science really is, and a good foundation to build off of. From here on we're going to build onto everything we know. I also think Unit 1 was successful in the idea that it gave us a feel of how the labs are going to operate this year. For example how we have to do a lab right up at the end of each lab unit/lab, and also how we have to work together as a group, etc. Unit 1 may have been review material to some, and it could have been very unfamiliar to others. Either way I think everyone gained a good understanding of the labs and everything we went over in Unit 1. Hopefully we will have a very successful year.

Otaku

"Otaku (おたく / オタク?) is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga, or video games."

-Wikipedia

The word "otaku" is not a commonly known word. Many have said that only otakus themselves actually know what the word means. However, they are not all that uncommon. Many people have already confessed to their otakuism, while some are still in denial. You might even be an otaku and not even know it yet, simply because you have not yet heard of the word.

Otakus are commonly called "nerds" or "geeks". This is usually because this is closest to what the word "otaku" actually means.

"The term otaku is close in connotation to the English nerd, but the closest English-language analogue to otaku is probably the British English term anorak. Both of these English-language terms have more emphatically negative connotations of poor social skills and obsessive interest in a topic that seems strange, niche or boring to others. It is not applied to a socially awkward intelligent person who appears fairly "normal," and merely has an interest in certain typically 'geekish' pursuits (video games, comic books, computers, etc.)."

-Wikipedia

You probably know one or more otakus yourself. You definitely know at least one if you know me!!!!!!

What I am most excited about: When school is over

What I am least excited about: homework, tests, quizzes, schoolwork, essays, etc.

Claude Monet

Something that interests me is Claude Monet and his artwork. I love art and Claude Monet's paintings are just so beautiful that they inspire me. In fact, I did a french project on him last year. I don't really have a favorite piece of artwork by Claude Monet because he would paint a scene at one time of the day and then would go back at several different times of the day and paint the scene over again so he would end up with a series of paintings of the same scene but were all still different. The reason for that is because at each time of the day, the light would hit the scene differently so the colors would also differ. Claude Monet liked capturing the different effects of light in his paintings like "water lilies", where the light reflected off the water in the pond.


Claude Monet's life might surprise you, it wasn't always easy for him. He was originally born in Paris but a few years later moved to Le Havre in Normandy and then went to the Le Havre secondary school of arts. As a kid, he was famous for drawing caricatures of his teachers made a small business of it during school. After that, he had many art tutors until he joined the army in 1861 and sent him to Algiers. His mom died when he was 16 so he went to live with his aunt. In 1868 Claude Monet attempted suicide by throwing himself into the Siene. Two years later he got married to Camille Doncieux and two years after that he painted "Impression", a sunrise. In 1878 Claude Monet's second child was born and a year later his wife died. After that, Monet moved in with his friend and his friend's wife Alice who helped raise Monet's children. Then Monet's friend died so Alice and Monet got married in 1892. But in 1911 Alice died and in 1914 Monet's first son died. Then in 1923 Claude Monet had two surgeries for cataracts and in 1926 he died of lung cancer.


Even though Claude Monet had a rough life, he left behind genius paintings like "Mornings on the Siene" and "Weeping Willows".








The thing that I am most excited about for this year is:


I am most excited about the dances, I can't wait to see if they are as fun as they seem in movies.





The thing that I am least excited about for this year is:


I am least excited about the homework load that the teachers give us.

Ford mustang

The ford mustang is an all american muscle car. The mustangs first major production year was 1964, although 1965 was a major achievement for ford. Mustangs are divided into five generations.

1st. 1964-1973

2nd. 1974-1978

3rd. 1979-1993

4th. 1994-2004

5th. 2005-present.

By far Mustangs best sales generation would be the 5th. in 2005 alone ford sold 168,000 mustangs!

Over the years Mustang has had a very powerful competitor. The sweet and slick Chevrolet camaro. The camaro, originally produced in 1966 the camaro is also divided into five generations.

1st. 1966-1969

2nd. 1970-1981

3rd. 1982-1992

4th. 1993-2002

5th. 2010-Present.

Both are american made 100% muscle cars and both are classics. Concerning the Mustang my favorite years are the first and third generations. For the camaro my favorites are the 1st and 5th generations.

Recently CarsWeekly compared a 2010 mustang with a 2010 camaro. They reviewed over the cars engine and interior and the exterior and appearance of the car. CarWeekly gave the edge to the Ford Mustang rather than the Chevrolet Camaro. They gave Mustang the edge because of the higher powered engine and the better mileage. Personally, I give the edge to the camaro. The camaro has a smoother ride, better interior and most importantly, the appearance factor. The camaro has a look like no other (Besides theMustang). The camaro looks ravishing in red and intimidating in black. My dream first car is a lamborghini aventador. My dream first car that is within reach is a gently used 2010 jet black Chevrolet Camaro.

What am i excited this year?: Learning about new organisms.

Least excited about this year?: HOMEWORK.

Kendo

Kendo is "The Way of the Sword". I practiced kendo for 2 years. Kendo is a physical and mental activity. Kendo doesn't just mean you carry a bamboo sword, called a shinai, and start swinging it around. There is a lot of meditating as well.
There are 8 dans, or levels, of kendo. You must have at least 1 or 2 years of training to go to the next dan. I was on the 3rd dan after 2 years of training. To go up a dan, then you must take an exam where all the masters watch you do a series of demonstrations and then have a match against someone who is on a higher dan than you. Passing a dan is somewhat difficult because there are not a lot of dans.
When you have a match against someone then you must first do something that's like a prematch. You first share "blows", take turns hitting each other's shinai, before you start fighting. Then, you start after you are done. When ever you are in a match you must call out where you are going to hit or else the referee will take a point off. You can gain points if you manage to get a hit. People often yell to scare or make the opponent flinch. There are many ways you can win in a match.
The clothes you wear when you have a match are VERY heavy. It's hard to move around in first. There are certain ways you are to put your armor on and certain ways to take your armor off. Even your regular outfit is actually a little heavier than it looks. But all of this is preparing you for real matches and real tournaments.
Kendo is a very fun, although hard, activity. I loved kendo and I still like watching some kendo matches, even though I quit. I would recomend it to almost anyone!
What I am most excited about this year? New books and more books! The library.


What I am least excited about this year? HOMEWORK!

Glee!

My favorite television show is "Glee"! Glee is a musical and also has comedy and drama. Glee is about a bunch of high school students' daily life and their life in school. They're in the glee club (called "New Directions") with their club teacher (Will Schuster). This show is mainly about being yourself and not letting others bring you down.

I really like this show because anyone can relate to it and it's very inspiring. If you see the Glee movie (Glee: The 3D Concert Movie), a lot of people that are inspired by Glee are on it. They tell their story and how Glee has inspired them to change. I think that's really great. I also think it's important to be yourself and not force yourself to change because of others. There can be tough times in high school and it's important to stick up for who you are and what's right. Glee teaches kids about being yourself and one of the things that I think are great is that everyone has a chance to relate to it.

In the show, there is this one episode where the students wear t-shirts with things that they are most embarrassed or ashamed of written on it. I think that was pretty cool because it's really hard to do that and just show everyone that you're ashamed of something. I know it would be hard for me too. They also sing a song (Loser like me) about how if the others knock them down, then they will just get back up and be better than them. I really liked they lyrics and I think it was really meaningful.

Overall, Glee is a great show! I recommend high school students to watch it since you can relate to it more. There are 2 seasons so far and season 3 is coming out soon! (There is also a movie and a show called "The Glee Project") Thanks for reading! :)

What am I most excited about?
New clubs, friends, teachers, and more

What am I least excited about?
There's so much homework and I hate every single quiz and test. Also, there's finals which will be so hard!

Pretty Little Liars~ Ereni K's First Post!

It's a secret... can you keep it? ABC Family's hit show, Pretty Little Liars, premiered in the summer of 2010 with an overwhelming 2.5 million viewers. This show, based on the fabulous book series written by Sara Shepard, catches these 2.5 million viewers with it's mystery/thriller theme that leaves you hanging on at the end of each and every episode anticipating and predicting just what will happen next. So, what is this show all about?? Well, you are about to find out...

It all started out with the friendship of 5 middle school girls living in Rosewood, Virginia. Everything was nearly happy- happy joy- joy for Alison, Spencer, Emily, Hannah, and Aria until Alison goes missing. Da. Da. Daaaaa... With the "queen bee" and the one and only person that knew each of the girls' secrets GONE, the four girls quickly grow apart until they come back together again when Alison's body is found and the funeral service is held. On this day, something unusual happens, something called a text message.

"I'm still here, b****es, and I know everything

-A"

Who could this mysterious "A" person be? Is Alison really alive? All they know is, A is trying to ruin their lives... no matter what it takes. Now, the show has taken and is continuing to make its many unexpected twists and turns. I assure you, if you follow these four perfectly imperfect girls: Aria (the one who has fallen in love with her English teacher), Hannah (the one who has suffered with weight issues since she was a little girl), Emily (a lesbian with a disapproving mother), and Spencer (who has hit on all of her sister's boyfriends) you will be obsessed (in a good way)....

Tune into this hour long captivating thriller every night at 7 PM on ABC Family!

What am I most excited about?

~Making new friends.

What am I least excited about?

~All of the homework!

Sonya A - House Of Virgin Mary

This summer I went on vacation to Turkey. One of the places that I visited in Turkey was Ephesus. I had a distinct privilege to visit the house of Virgin Mary. It was a very spiritual experience for me as well as the group that I was with. Some of the things I was able to see was the wall of wishes, where people write down their wishes on cloth, napkins, paper, and anything that they can write on and post it on the wall for the wishes to come true. There were also four different fountains that you can drink from or wash your face. It symbolizes the fountain of health, wealth, knowledge or a combination of all.

Beside that, each visitor lights candles as a symbol of respect, reverence and invocation. I took two of the candles and lit them for good luck. The experience as a whole was amazing! I will never forget that I was able to see such a unique place.

For more information, please visit

http://www.aboutkusadasi.com/ephesus/virgin-mary-house.html

What I am most excited about: Learning new things, meeting new people and enjoying high school to its fullest, and being involved.

What I am least excited about: Having no class!

Cirque du Soleil

This summer, my family and I went to go see Cirque du Soleil, performing “Ovo.” It was an amazing show filled with beautiful music, costumes, and more! I couldn’t believe how such a talented circus could come from the streets.

Cirque du Soleil was created by a group of street performers in Quebec. They created the “High Heels Club,” in 1982, which included many stilt-walkers, fire-eaters, jugglers, and mime artists. The High Heels Club was made to exchange their talent and ideas, while creating a circus tradition for Quebec. Soon they became a traveling circus, performing all around the world. They offer a theatrical show that mixes street theater and circus arts, and includes original music, special effects, and outstanding costumes. They do not, however, include any animal acts.

Now, the Cirque du Soleil produces their programs in Montreal studio and includes musicians, actors, and many acrobats from around the world. The purpose of the circus is to create something new and face the reality limits, making the circus world brand new. I really recommend going to see the Cirque du Soleil, because it will definitely be worth your time. Below I have posted the link to the video of the Cirque du Soleil “Ovo” trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkeUegWsNkA

What am I most excited about?
I am most excited about making new friends.

What am I least excited about?
All the homework, tests, and finals.

That '70s Show

“Hello Wisconsin!” One common phrase heard by all That ‘70s Show lovers. I have been watching this show with my older sister ever since I can remember. It is so amusing and hilarious because of the entire cast and crew. This show has been around since 1998 even though it seems to be from the seventies. That ‘70s Show does an amazing job of making every person who watches the show relive the seventies.

The Vista Cruiser… One of the main focuses of the show. This car belongs to Eric Forman who is played by Topher Grace. The car is featured in every single episode and happens to be everyone’s way of transportation. At the beginning of the show for seven seasons the kids appeared in the car singing the theme song. To hear the song click this link... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpwOYiL_zRg. However in their last season, once Eric’s gone, they are in the basement for the theme song. I was so angry to see they had changed it because when everyone was in the car it was great. This car was called the third greatest car on TV and I have to agree with that. This is because there are so many great memories from the show while in the car. I could not believe that Wilmer Valderrama who plays Fez had bought the car at the end of season eight, for the very low price of $500.00. However, if I were to have one item from that show it would probably be the Vista Cruiser because that is where the gang had all their great times.

Eric’s basement, this is the place to be if you are part of this group of friends. One weird thing about the basement is even when Eric Forman (Topher Grace) left the show for good, the entire gang still gathered in his basement. Even though it was the place to be you would think that they would leave and find somewhere else to hang out. In my opinion, they should have found somewhere new to go, but it would make the show completely different. It also left you to think will Eric ever come back, which was a pretty good idea. I am so sad they stopped making this show, but it’s always on TV, so if you ever get the chance. Check it out!

SamanthaP

What am I Most excited about?

I am super excited to meet new people and realize that high school isn’t as bad as it seems.

What am I Least excited about?

I am least excited about doing the large amounts of homework.

JanieK First Post: The Wizard Of Oz

"Toto,I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more" Most people when hearing that line automatically think of the classic film "The Wizard of Oz". This magical movie was created in 1939 by MGM studios. The average person would assume that this film is nothing more then a 'chick flick' or just a movie. But only the people who know where to look can see the true magic behind the WIzard of Oz.

"Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk?" Along the way to the Wicked Witch of the Wests home, there was originally a musical number titled "Jitterbug". There Jitterbug number was part of a subplot that got discarded early on in the writing process. The subplot would involve interesting charaters such as large subplot involving Princess Betty and the Grand Duke of Oz.

"Follow the yellow brick road!" When filming the transition scene between the black and white to the techni-color they used a special technique. The film could not switch from black and white to techni-color while filming the actors. They hired a stand in actor for dorothy who was wearing what the iconic blue dress would look like in black and white film. MGM painted the walls of her house to look identical to what they would look like on black and white film also. They filmed in technicolor, so that the first shot of Oz was colorful, but the house was in black and white. All of that preparation for a 6 second shot! Here is a link to the song! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F9qw2CWm5k

Everyone may watch the movie, but I hope you can see the magic. Thanks!

What I am most excited about: I am excited to be in a new school! I can't wait to make new friends, join lots of clubs, and just enjoy myself.What I am least excited about: homework! I think some is okay, but i really do not like it when it takes hours!

Janie K

Water Bears!!!

Hey guys... its Mrs. Stein here... this summer I spent a few days at a teacher workshop in New York where I met some interesting people and learned a lot of new stuff!!!  One of the teachers at the workshop told about these organisms called Water Bears.  Has anyone ever heard of them???  So, apparently they are quite abundant in moss, so we should be able to find them anywhere... they are microscopic and they can survive being frozen for years!  They go into a dormant state to survive extreme temperatures.  This is something that is seen in simpler organisms, but in an actual animal, it is rare... and pretty cool!  And what else is cool about these critters... they don't really fit in with other groupings of invertbrates. 


They are not insects... not worms... they just don't fit.  Cool eh?  I am hoping to find some moss and see if in fact we really do have these little guys running around in Glenview too!  Want more info on Water Bears? 

Check out this interesting article on them.

Or watch this video. 





Aren't they soooo cute???  And weird too!!! 
What's interesting to you??? Please share!  Feel free to comment on my post too!

What am I MOST excited about?
I really love watching the transformations in freshman... I look forward to seeing the learning and growth that will happen in each of you this year... (OK...i know, a little cheesy)

What am I LEAST excited about?
Waking up early, traffic, and grading papers!