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Information on doing another [D] design homework to
improve your IA marks.
Based on the email I sent you (Biology IA), you might
need another Design to complete your PSOW form and your IA requirements so
that your dossier is ready.
Before you start, have a look at the IB Programme
Guide to see the criteria used to assess [D] design. Then read any of
the notes or sections in the book about the biology behind the idea of
fermentation. Once you have finished, be sure to check these:
- Have I written a short concise introduction?
- Have I stated my aim / objective / research question?
Be precise.
- Have I written my hypothesis? Have I explained and
justified it?
- Have I listed my variables (independent, dependent and
controlled)?
- Have I listed all the materials needed? (Think of
this like the ingredients for a recipe in your kitchen - recipes include
precise quantities with appropriate units).
- Have I described how to set everything up and how to
carry out the experiment step by step?
The investigation will examine how the rate of
fermentation is affected by one abiotic factor. Look in your notes
about what is needed for fermentation and what products come out. Then
decide what factor you will change. The fermentor we will use is baker's
yeast (the stuff that makes bread rise). By mixing it with sugar and
warm water, baker's yeast begins to ferment. This could be done in a
test tube. Or you could consider making bread dough and try to figure out a
way to quantify how fast the yeast cells are fermenting.
- To be sure you are on the right track, it is
recommended that you email me your idea for a research question and the
basic idea for how you will measure things first. Once I say it's OK, you
can write the rest.
- Remember for [D], you are not actually going to do the
experiment, only write about how you would do it. But keep in mind the
fact that the materials should be ones which are easy to find in the lab.
If you are not sure about the names of certain apparatus, email me.
- You are allowed to use outside resources such as web
pages or your biology book to help inspire you, but obviously you cannot
simply copy and paste, and you must cite your source using footnotes.
Here are some interesting You Tube videos about
fermentation which might help inspire you:
-
Fermentation - from onfoodscience - the first 2 minutes are a
very good intro, the second half might give you some ideas for an
experiment, but what she does would not be enough because no reaction is
measured.
-
Easy
Bread - from Jim Mortenson - good recipe, bad theme music. The
times in the video when the dough is rising is the fermenting part.
That's when we can think about measuring the reaction. You can
ignore the second half of the video about the cooking process.
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Revision for the Bac Blanc
practice exams in March 2009:
- All of Topic 2:
- 2.1 Cell theory
- 2.2 Prokaryotic cells
- 2.3 Eukaryotic cells
- 2.4 Membranes
- 2.5 Cell division
- All of Topic 3:
- 3.1 Chemical elements and water
- 3.2 Carbohydrates, lipids and proteins
- 3.3 DNA structure
- 3.4 DNA replication
- 3.5 Transcription and translation
- 3.6 Enzymes
- 3.7 Cell respiration
- 3.8 Photosynthesis
- All of Topic 4:
- 4.1 Chromosomes, genes, alleles and mutations
- 4.2 Meiosis
- 4.3 Theoretical genetics
- 4.4 Genetic engineering
- Most of Topic 5:
- 5.1 Communities and ecosystems
- 5.2 The greenhouse effect
- 5.3 Populations
- 5.4 Evolution
- you do not need to know the last section
5.5 Classification
- Only one section of Topic 6:
- All of Option D:
- D.1 Origin of life on Earth
- D.2 Species and speciation
- D.3 Human evolution
- All of Option A:
- A.1 Components of the human diet
- A.2 Energy in human diets
- A.3 Special issues in human nutrition
- As for Topic 1, although I have not assigned it
specifically for reading, you should know by now what a mean is, what
standard deviation is, and how to read error bars on a graph. .
- Remember, when you study, always follow this order:
- start with the IB Programme Guide for Biology
to see what the assessment statements are (i.e. "Compare prokaryotic and
eukaryotic cells.")
- use the guide to help you grasp the difference
between each command term (define, identify, describe, outline,
explain, evaluate...)
- refer to any class notes you have
- see what the chapters in the book have to say
- double check that you have memorized all the
scientific vocabulary terms (this is what the flash cards are for) -
you should have around 600 by now and you should know them in both
directions: word to definition and definition to word.
Have a look at my compositions
groupées revision guide. It contains suggestions
for successful revision and test-taking skills.
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To Do for Thursday 18 December
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Revision for the Bac Blanc
practice exams in November 2008:
- All of Topic 2:
- 2.1 Cell theory
- 2.2 Prokaryotic cells
- 2.3 Eukaryotic cells
- 2.4 Membranes
- 2.5 Cell division
- All of Topic 3:
- 3.1 Chemical elements and water
- 3.2 Carbohydrates, lipids and proteins
- 3.3 DNA structure
- 3.4 DNA replication
- 3.5 Transcription and translation
- 3.6 Enzymes
- 3.7 Cell respiration (new
since September 2008)
- 3.8 Photosynthesis (new since
September 2008)
- All of Topic 4:
- 4.1 Chromosomes, genes, alleles and mutations
- 4.2 Meiosis
- 4.3 Theoretical genetics (new
since September 2008)
- 4.4 Genetic engineering (new
since September 2008)
- All of Option D
- D.1 Origin of life on Earth
- D.2 Species and speciation
- D.3 Human evolution
- some of the first section of Option A
- anything covered until the
test (new
since September 2008)
- As for Topic 1, you would only need to know the idea
of the mean (average) for a set of numbers and other basic
statistics but nothing too advanced.
- Remember, when you study, always follow this order:
- start with the IB Programme Guide for Biology
to see what the assessment statements are (i.e. "Compare prokaryotic and
eukaryotic cells.")
- use the guide to help you grasp the difference
between each command term (define, identify, describe, outline,
explain, evaluate...)
- refer to any class notes you have
- see what the chapters in the book have to say
- double check that you have memorized all the
scientific vocabulary terms (this is what the flash cards are for) -
you should have around 500 by now and you should know them in both
directions: word to definition and definition to word.
Have a look at my compositions
groupées revision guide. It contains suggestions
for successful revision and test-taking skills.
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To Do for Week 7
- We will do Round 1 of the Group 4 Project experiments
on Thursday 16 October. So bring the following:
- lab coat
- anything you promised to bring from home or buy
- the method that you have designed
- blank data sheets
- See the advice below about Personal Skills for IA.
- Complete the following evaluation form and email it
back as soon as possible:
Self and Peer Evaluation for the G4P planning phase.
(opens a Word doc)
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To Do for Week 5
- Don't forget the reading in the book about cell
respiration and photosythesis (see below.)
- Also, have a look at the Biology Program Guide to see
what it says about the Group 4 Project, notably that it should
represent 10 of the 40 hours of practical work for your Internal
Assessment.. The most pertinent pages are 33 to 35 of the guide.
I would like to draw your attention to some of the more important ideas
behind the G4P:
- "to illustrate the international nature of
the scientific endeavour and the increasing
cooperation required to tackle global issues involving science and
technology."
- Aim 7 - “develop and apply the students’
information and communication technology skills in the study of science”.
- Aim 8 - “raise awareness of the moral,
ethical, social, economic and environmental implications of using
science and technology”.
- You should know who is in your working group for the
Group 4 Project and you should have started to think about what research
question your team will be working on.
- Don't forget that you will be assessed on Personal
Skills (PS) and that the Group 4 project is the only time that you
will be assessed on PS. Please read the page in the guide about
Personal Skills (page 39)
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To Do for Week 4
- Reading in the book - your next reading homework
should be done by Thursday October 2nd (which is actually week 5):
- the section on Cell Respiration which
corresponds to section 3.7 in the IB Programme Guide.
- the section on Photosynthesis which corresponds
to section 3.8 in the IB Programme Guide.
To Do for Week 3
- For Friday 19 September 2008: complete the
genetics exercises sent by email. These can be done using a Word
processor and sent by email or, if you prefer, you can hand in the answers
on paper. If you did not get a copy by email, contact me.
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To Do for the second week in September 2008
- In whichever book you have, finish reading the chapter
about genetics.
- It is a good idea to look over the program guide,
notes, book, etc. for the genetics chapter and make sure you feel
comfortable with all the concepts and vocabulary.
To Do for the first week in September 2008
- Be sure to gather together all of your old notes and
Biology work so that we can pick up where we left off. We will
finish up Genetics and then move on to our second Option.
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To Do for Monday 31 March 2008
- In the "tiger" book, read pages 291 to 299 in Chapter
29 about Option D (Evolution). Ignore any text marked HL for
higher level students only.
- If you have my red book, you can also read the first
half of the Option D chapter (chapter 10) pages 302 to 321.
- Remember, as stated in the yellow box above, you
should be keeping up with learning vocabulary words every week.
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Exam Revision
- Good news for Paper 1 (multiple choice) - it looks
like we will probably be able to get a room during the Bac Blanc week.
This will allow us to use the class time this week for any revision
questions you have.
- For the exam, we have all of Topic 2 (sections 2.1 to
2.5) and almost all of Topic 3 (Sections 3.1 to 3.6).
- Remember, when you study, first look at the program
guide. Use that as a checklist. Then look at the book
and your class notes. Be sure to memorize all your
flashcards (you should have between 200 and 250 by now)
- Don't forget to memorize the list of Command Terms
which are found in your Biology Guide. You should know the
difference between Define, Describe, Discuss and all the others...
Have a look at my guide to
preparing for and taking the compositions groupées which is for
all my students younger and older but which certainly applies to the bac
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To Do for Monday 21 January 2008
- Read all of Chapter 6 except the sections for
HL. Be sure to keep up with flash cards and memorizing at least a
dozen science terms each week.
- If you have not made a study schedule for yourself yet,
click on the link to getting organized above.
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To Do for Monday 14 January 2008
- If you have not done so already, be sure to print out
the part of the Biology Guide which shows the assessment statements for
Topic 3. It is recommended that you paste or clip the pages into
your notes.
- Read (almost) all of chapter 5 in the course companion
book. You do not need to read the sections marked HL 'for higher
level students only). Remember that "to read" means reading, understanding,
taking notes and making flash cards. Be sure to read the side boxes
and consider the photos and diagrams in your review.
- If you are having trouble finding definitions for some
of the words you come across, remember that typing "define: ___" and
putting the word in the blank will give you a list of definitions.
Also, the school library has subscribed to an online science reference
site which you can use - the librarian can help you access it.
To Do for Monday 7 January 2008
- During the holidays: students who got 5 or more
can relax and enjoy their well-deserved break. Students who got 4 or
lower need to go back and learn what they did not learn in the first term.
Everything we have done will be used throughout the 2 years so you will
need it.
- You have a lab report to do about Diffusion and
Dialysis:
- Have a good holiday and a happy new year.
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To Do for Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 December
- Bring your lab coat for an experiment on both
days.
- If you have not returned your exams, bring them back
in.
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To Do for Tuesday 11 December
- Bring your lab coat for an experiment.
- Read the following pages in the Biology Course
Companion: 41 to 47.
- Be sure to learn the molecules we have been working
on.
- Either on Monday or Tuesday, bring back your exams.
- Students who were disappointed in their results for
the November exams are encouraged to contact me
about ways in which they can improve. You can start improving by
following the instructions in the yellow box and in the "getting organized"
link above.
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On Monday 26 November
- We will have Paper 1 in class. Paper 1 is
the multiple choice exam. The revision is the same as for Paper 2 (see
box below). There are 30 questions and you will have 45 minutes to
do the exam. There is no reading time and no calculators for Paper
1.
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To Do for Monday 12 November
- Read the following pages in the Biology Course
Companion book
- 25 to 35 about membranes - much of this is
material we have already covered in class
- 36 to 40 about cell division - although this
is mostly "new", we have mentioned it briefly in class and most of you
have probably already done this in a previous biology class.
- if you still do not have a copy of the book, email
me. I have scanned chapters 2 and 3 and can send them to you while
we are waiting for the real book.
- work on your revision for the November exams (see
white box below)
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Revision for BB 1 in November 2007:
- All of Topic 2:
- 2.1 Cell theory
- 2.2 Prokaryotic cells
- 2.3 Eukaryotic cells
- 2.4 Membranes
- 2.5 Cell division
- All of Chapters 1, 2 and 3 in the Biology
Course Companion book. These are the chapters which cover the
material from Topic 2
Have you seen my compositions
groupées revision guide? Have a look at some of my suggestions
for successful revision and test-taking skills.
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To Do for Monday 15 October:
- Bring in your results of the cell-measuring
investigation. You should have calculated the sizes of several
different cells that you saw. It is recommended that you print out
the explanations of the
micrometer
eyepiece on a microscope.
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To Do for Tuesday 9 October:
- We will be continuing our lab work with microscopes so
bring in your lab coat.
- Check out the
micrometer
eyepiece on a microscope page and try to calculate the size of the
cells you observed last week using the values we got for X and Y.
- The next reading assignment will be pages 25 to 30
(about membranes) for the following Tuesday if you want to get ahead on that.
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To Do for Tuesday 2 October:
- We will be doing our first lab work with microscopes.
Bring your lab coat. Check out this page about
how to use a microscope.
You are expected to know the names of the parts of the microscope and the
proper technique for focussing.
- In addition, we will be using the
micrometer
eyepiece on a microscope so be sure to check out that page, too.
To Do for Monday 24 September:
- Continue reading up through page 24. Reading
means the following:
- reading to understand the content
- searching for scientific vocabulary terms
- making flash cards for the important words (about 14 a
week)
- Bring in at least 28 flash cards that you have made.
That way I can check that you are doing them correctly.
- Print out pages 45 to 50 of the Biology Programme
Guide and include them in your biology notebook. Also, have a
look at the page I showed in class showing the definintions of the command
terms (state, define, explain, discuss...).
- There is a possibility (depending on the availablility
of microscopes) that we will be able to do a first experiment on Tuesday
25 September so bring your lab coat on Tuesday.
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Week 2:
- I forgot to mention that you will be needing a
scientific calculator for biology over the next 2 years.
It should be a TI-83 or TI-83 Plus. As far as I know,
the TI-84 is OK but the TI-89 is not an acceptable IB calculator.
Double check with your math teacher for the model you need in math - it
should be the same.
- There will be some reading to do in the book (soon).
I am still waiting for my copy to come in before I can see which pages to
assign. If you want to jump ahead, just find any pages with
correspond to Topic 2's section on Cell Theory.
- OK -I found the page numbers:
Read pages 7 to 14 in the Oxford Course
Companion for Biology: As you read, if there are any words which
look 'scientific' or 'technical', make sure you know them. As I
glanced through the 8 pages above, I found over 50 terms, most of which
you should know already such as 'cell membrane' or 'excreted' but others
which you may not know such as 'hyphae' or 'cavity slide'. Be
careful: just because you have heard the word before does not mean
you could define it on an exam!
- Start making Flash Cards. I will be
checking them soon so start as early as you can - one scientific word on
one side, its definition on the other. The quickest way that I know
of to obtain a definition is to type the word into Google after typing "define:
". For example, define: hyphae will give you a list of a
half-dozen definitions that Google found on various web sites.
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At the beginning of the year:
- You will need the Oxford IB Biology book (the one with
the tiger's face on the front). If you want to wait to buy all your
books together; you do not need this the very first week but try to get it
by the 15th of September. Note that the book store is not open all
year but only at the beginning of September. Since it's a new book
for the new program, I do not know the price - you will have to ask at the
book shop or ask your classmates who have purchased it.
- You will need a lab coat (soon).
- You will need a science binder or folder. It is
up to you to decide how you want to organize your papers. There will
be notes, lab reports, photocopies, homeworks and quizzes to keep
organized.
- Each student should have a USB thumb drive. Be sure your
name is on the outside somewhere. If ever I collect them, I need to
know whose is whose! Also, if you lose it, we know who to return it
to. If you are buying a new one, I do not recommend the U3 Smart
drives in class. For the moment, they are not compatible with Mac or
Vista. Also, 1 or 2 Gb is enough - do not spend more than 25€ for
this.
- Copy onto your USB drive the IB Programme Guide for
Biology, first exams in 2009. This is a new program so do not take
the old one which finishes in 2008. You should also have the
Academic Honesty guide and the Extended Essay guide on the USB drive.
I recommend that you create a folder for each subject: Within the
Bio folder, have a subfolder for lab reports.
- You will need to buy a pack of
Flash Cards. These will help you to
learn the estimated 700 technical terms you will need to know by May 2009!
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