Grade 11 Biology Unit 5 – Anatomy of Mammals

 

As we approach the end of this new online frontier, the grade 11 biology class has completed its second to last unit, The Anatomy of Mammals. We broke the unit into three parts, the first being the anatomy of various body systems. The unit began with an in-depth look at the circulatory system, exploring its various components (the heart, blood vessels, and blood cells), their structures and functions. Next, we looked at the respiratory system and finished off part one by taking a voyage through the digestive system. Once the three body systems were explored, we moved into part two of the unit and discussed how different body systems interact with one another. We finished off the unit by examining the impacts our choices have on our body systems.

A Smorgasbord of Fun

 

Week three of Board Game Club saw staff and students playing two new games and revisiting a game from last week. The first game we played was Patently Stupid where players are given odd challenges and must come up with creative inventions to solve the problem. Come up with the best idea, and you could be given enough money to produce your product. The second game was Trivia Murder Party, a deadly quiz show where you match wits with a trivia obsessed host. Players answer questions correctly in each round or else face off against one another in devious mini games to make it back into the next round. Lastly, we spent the majority of our time playing trivia challenges on Kahoot, which was such a blast last week, we couldn’t resist playing some more.

Grade 11 Biology Unit 4 – Microbiology

 

With the genetics unit in the rearview mirror, the grade 11 biology class moved ahead to its second online learning unit, microbiology. The unit began with a look at the anatomy and morphology of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. The structure and functions of eukaryotic cells was a review for the class as we had gone over that material in the past, but the form and function of bacterial and viral cells was new for everyone. Next we learned about how each of the aforementioned cells reproduce themselves and then proceeded to learn about their life cycles.

Students learn about microbiology during this session.We ended the unit by focussing on various types of symbiotic relationships and the dynamics of each. The unit itself being a fitting topic for the world we currently find ourselves living in, we spent the last class of the unit discussing bacterial and viral infections, their similarities and differences, and how to treat and prevent both types. To demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the unit, students worked on a mini research project identifying and discussing the various impacts microorganisms have on their environments and the ethical issues related to their use in biotechnology.

Grade 9 Science Unit 4 – Electricity and Its Applications

 

Our second online learning unit was physics, where we focused on electricity and its applications that are used by professionals like AB Electrical & Communications. After briefly discussing the different sources of energy to start the unit, we spent an entire class learning about the ins and outs of static electricity where students once and for all understood the mechanics of how those pesky static shocks work when we grab a doorknob, especially in the winter months. We finished off our discussion on static electricity by discussing the different ways to create and dissipate it.

The rest of the unit was all about current electricity and the different ways we produce it. We first learned about the two types of current electricity, alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC), focusing on the latter. We then moved on to the major components of electric circuits, electrical quantities (current, voltage, resistance) and looked at how each of them behave in series and parallel circuits. Students observed these quantities via online circuit simulators and recorded what they saw and discussed their observations. We ended the unit by looking at the different sources of electricity (solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, fossil fuel) and discussed the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Kahoot Trivia Challenges

 

The second meeting of the Boardgame Club has staff and students going head to head in trivia games of various topics using the online platform website Kahoot! Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform, used as educational technology in schools and other educational institutions. From news of the week, Marvel, and general knowledge to pop culture, we tried answering questions correctly to see who would reign as trivia grandmaster. At the end of the hour everyone learned something new as no one can know everything. It was another week of laughs and fun and we are eager to see what we will play next.