Mr. Damon's première IB
Standard Level Biology

Graduating Class of 2011

This page is to inform you of your homework, exam revision and any other information you will need.  The assignments will be listed in reverse chronological order so that the most recent work will be on top of the list.   

Revision for the Bac Blanc practice exams in February 2010:

• For Paper 1 and Paper 2:
  • 2.1 Cell theory
  • 2.2 Prokaryotic cells
  • 2.3 Eukaryotic cells
  • 2.4 Membranes
  • 2.5 Cell division
  • 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
• For students in HL, add the following to the above list:
  • 7.1 DNA structure HL
  • 7.2 DNA replication HL
  • 7.3 Transcription HL
• For Paper 3, the following sections of Option D
  • D.1 Origin of life on Earth
  • D.2 Species and speciation
  • the first half of D.3 Human evolution (D.3.1 to D.3.6)
• For students in HL, add the following to the above list:
  • D.4 the Hardy-Weinberg principle
  • in section D.5, you only need to know D.5.5 about cladistics

Remember, when you study, always follow this order:

1. start with the IB Programme Guide for Biology to see what the assessment statements are (i.e. "Compare prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.")
2. use the guide to help you grasp the difference between each command term (define, identify, describe, outline, explain, evaluate... on pages 11 and 12)
3. refer to any class notes you have
4. see what the sections in the book have to say
5. double check that you have memorized all the scientific vocabulary terms (this is what the flash cards are for) - you should know them in both directions:  word to definition and definition to word. 
6. it is worth practising with the questions at the end of the chapter - you can check your answers at the back of the book

Have a look at my compositions groupées revision guide.  It contains suggestions for successful revision and test-taking skills. 
 

To do for the end of the first week in February:

• Complete a lab report about the red cabbage investigation and send it by email.  Click here  to copy and paste at the end of your report the criteria which will be used to grade you.  Only include the DCP and CE sections, not the D section.   The red circles are placed arbitrarily for the moment - just leave them in place. 
• In order to not make the same mistakes as your last lab, it is suggested that you look back at the comments and assessments you got on the previous lab report for DCP and CE and make sure you fix those problems.  
• The user manual for the Vernier Lab Pro Colorimeter could be useful for helping you to determine how it works and what degree of precision it has. 
• The information in the box below should help you to be sure you are following the criteria correctly: 

To do for Wednesday 6 January:

• Be sure you are up to date on the reading an learning.  By now, you should have completed sections 3.4 and 3.5 about DNA replication, transcription and translation. 
• If you have not already done so, check out John Kyrk's site - go to the pages about DNA and the processes explained in the sections 3.3, 3.4 and 3.5 of the book. 

To do for Wednesday 9 December:

• Bring your lab coat for a new investigation.
• Refresh your memory on how to use a microscope (click on the link).
• If you have not used one before, here are some instructions for how to use a micrometer eyepiece on a microscope.  It is recommended that you print this out and bring it with you to class because you will need to know how to do this. 
• Be sure you have read and learned Sections 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 about elements, water and molecules. 
• Here is a review of what we did in class on Friday concerning molecular models of condensation and hydrolysis. 

During the Toussaint Vacation:

• Have a look a look at the revision list for the exams (see below).
• Be sure you obtain a book if you do not have one yet.  We are going to be moving on to Chapter 3 soon...
• Read Section 2.5 about cell division so that we can finish Chapter 2 for the exams. 

Revision for the Bac Blanc practice exams in November 2009:

• All of Topic 2:
  • 2.1 Cell theory
  • 2.2 Prokaryotic cells
  • 2.3 Eukaryotic cells
  • 2.4 Membranes
  • 2.5 Cell division (to be discussed after the vacation)
• Remember, when you study, always follow this order:
  1. start with the IB Programme Guide for Biology to see what the assessment statements are (i.e. "Compare prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.")
  2. use the guide to help you grasp the difference between each command term (define, identify, describe, outline, explain, evaluate... on pages 11 and 12)
  3. refer to any class notes you have
  4. see what the sections in the book have to say
  5. double check that you have memorized all the scientific vocabulary terms (this is what the flash cards are for) - you should have around 100 by now and you should know them in both directions:  word to definition and definition to word. 
  6. it is worth practising with the questions at the end of the chapter - you can check your answers at the back of the book

Have a look at my compositions groupées revision guide.  It contains suggestions for successful revision and test-taking skills. 
 

To Do For Friday 23 October:

• Complete the lab report about the potato sticks and send it by email.  Be sure to heed all the advice I sent you in various messages over the last week. 

To Do For Wednesday 14 October:

• Read Section 2.4 in the book.  As you read, remember to understand, to identify the scientific vocabulary terms, define them and learn them.  This will require using Flash Cards and perhaps Google "define: _____" to help you.
• If you have not already done so, take 20 or 30 minutes to really go over the DCP part of the Diffusion and Dialysis investigation to understand my comments and find out how you can improve.  Look below at the previous assignment to go back over the links I suggested on the IB Biology Home Page of Miss Burchill's web site. 
• Bring your lab coats for a new investigation. 

To Do For Friday 2 October:

• For the lab on Diffusion and Dialysis, you need to write up ONLY the Results.  You do not need to write an aim, method or conclusion this time.  This means that for both the Diffusion part (the blue dye in agar) and for the Dialysis part (the molecules leaking out of the model intestine or "sausage"), you need to present the following:
  • Qualitative observations (things which cannot be expressed in numbers such as colors, shapes, textures, etc.)  This can sometimes be done by including a drawing or photo of the results with labels and comments. 
  • Quantitative observations (this is the raw data, meaning the things we measured and got numbers for) - be sure to include UNITS and the ± DEGREE OF PRECISION
  • Processed data - this means new numbers generated from calculations such as taking an average, determining a volume, a percent change, etc.  Trends in processed data can often be seen by making a graph.    
• Important - please keep the following things in mind: 
  • any work you give in must be your own work.  The only thing which you do as a team is the laboratory investigation.  You may share raw data but each student then needs to make his or her own tables, calculations, etc.  If you use another group's data or if you use a photo taken by your lab partner, for example, you must cite your source.  This is also true for any research you do - cite your source.
  • you need to do things the IB way, so be sure to have a look at the IA criteria in the guide for DCP (Data Collection and Processing) - page 23 (I think) of the IB Biology Programme Guide which you got from Miss Burchill's link.   It is strongly recommended that you have those criteria printed out and in front of you as you work because this is how you will be graded. 
  • There are helpful hints on the IB Biology Home Page of Miss Burchill's web site:  click here to see that section.  Many of the pages can be downloaded onto your USB key in PDF format, which is a great idea (see the top of each page for a link)  I would strongly suggest you visit the following pages:
    • "Scientific Investigations" - notably the section on Results and Processing and Analysis of Results.
    • "ICT in Biology" - notably the section on Data Processing
    • "Drawing Tables" - please note where the units are, where the ± degree of precision is placed and how the decimal points are all ligned up in columns.  That's how we want you to do tables in the IB. 
    • "Error Analyisis in Biology"
    • "All About Graphs" 
• If you do not have Microsoft Excel or Word at home, you can download and install the free and legal version of Open Office: for PC / for Mac.
• A note to Mac users.  We have been having some trouble with the latest version of Mac Word when the graphs are copied and pasted into Word from Excel.  If you make a graph, it is suggested that you ask Excel to export the graph as a separate image rather than simply copying and pasting it into Word.  Once the graph is saved as an image, open Word and choose Insert > Image to put it in your document.  The other way of getting around this problem is to ask Word to save your document in PDF format. 

To Do For Wednesday 23 September:

• Bring your lab coats to the lab on Wednesday for a new experiment.  You will also need them on Friday to see the results of Wednesday's work. 

To Do For Wednesday 16 September:

• Continue reading Chapter 2 to the end of Section 2.3.  As you read, remember to understand, to identify the scientific vocabulary terms, define them and learn them.  This will require using Flash Cards and perhaps Google "define: _____" to help you.
• Bring your lab coats to the lab on Wednesday for a look at our eggs.
• Bring your calculators, too.  We will be calculating the difference in size. 

To Get at the beginning of the year:

• You will be needing a scientific calculator for biology over the next 2 years.    We usually use the TI-83 or TI-83 Plus.  Double check with your math teacher for the model you need in math - it should be the same. 
•  You will need the Pearson IB Biology book.  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 end of September.  Note that the book store is not open all year but only at the beginning of September.    Be sure to get the right level - there are two versions of the book, one for SL and one for HL
• You will need a lab coat starting on Wednesday's class. 
• 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.   Also, 2 or 4 Gb is enough - do not spend more than 25€ for this.

   

• Copy onto your USB drive the IB Programme Guide for Biology.  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. 
• Until you get the book, you can get sample copies of chapter 1 and 2 as PDF files at the Pearson web site:  click here and go to the column which says "Free Samples - sample chapters" 
• 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 2011!  (...over 1000 for HL)

© A.W. Damon 2010