Work Party on Wednesday and quiz on Friday. Hand in Carbon dioxide lab

QUIZ ON FRIDAY: There will be a detail-oriented quiz on Friday on the  Nutrient Cycles notes.

WORK PARTY:  On Wednesday, be prepared for outdoor work in any weather.  We will be using garden tools to move plants, dig out turf and also move 6 yards of soil up a hill.

CARBON DIOXIDE WRITE UP, DUE FRIDAY
You did a Carbon Dioxide lab on the day before spring break.  You were to write up a summary of what you learned in one page. Summarize at least five properties of Carbon dioxide that you observed that day.  10 marks.  Hand that in on Friday.

IF YOU WERE ABSENT FOR CARBON DIOXIDE LAB:  Those of you who have an excused absence for that day, your alternate assignment is this, also 10 marks:

Prepare a map and answer the questions below.  Your assignment is two pages.  page one is a labeled map and page two answers the questions in short answer, sentence form.
Page one:
On a map, find places in Vancouver that act as all the different types of carbon sources and carbon sinks:
Page two:
Carbon sources come from many activities in Vancouver.

1. Identify at least 5 of them
2. write about how citizens of Vancouver can find an alternative

Find one example each of Carbon sinks that can be found in the form of

1. forests
2.  bogs, 
3. bodies of water
4. areas where there are shelled marine invertebrates. 

Homework update and BC Green Games

Hello Treks.  please have a look at the Nutrient Cycles notes.  Read this.  It summarizes section 2.2 of your notes.

Some good news during this difficult time:  BC Green Games:  take some time to be inspired:  Log in and cast your vote for some inspiring action for sustainability created by your peers, supported by their teachers. I'm amazed at the number of projects out there. Truly this site demonstrates the power of collective and collaborative action as we have thousands of youth and their teachers working towards positive change.

I know many of you are from different schools, and each school is unique in its contribution.  Show your support to those students who put their energies into sustainability! The following projects are PW projects which involved students from the Trek Program, Mini and Main School (plan-it earth had ex treks as leaders!) and also from our bi 11 program (bog buddy) and mini (sustainabiity prezi).  Finally the Garden club blog highlights our PW community Garden.

log in, get inspired and vote!

PW sustainability Prezi

bog buddy program

PW Community Garden Blog

Plan-It Earth Student Conference

ecological pyramids - QUIZ NEXT PERIOD!!!

Today we went over the Check your Understanding questions in the text, section 2.1.  There will be another quiz last period.  the class average on the last quiz was pretty good so lets keep up the great work!

The ecological pyramid notes are here.  Next period we will do an assignment examining ecology in the school yard.  be prepared to complete an assignment illustrating a pyramid and an ecological web for a section of PW.  It will be due the same period so you would need to work fast!

Read over section 2.2 as it is on nutrient cycles.  Look at carbon cycle particularly.  Our lab on Friday will be on carbon cycle.

Kerrisdale Ravine

Yesterday, we took a walk.  In the middle of the field, we reviewed the concepts of two ecological pyramids: The pyramid of biomass and the pyramid of numbers.  This involved an example about students mowing lawns and shooting rabbits, and putting snakes in bags to be weighed.

Next, we walked through the kerrisdale ravine.  We explored the impact of the urban environment on a natural ecosystem.  There were some remnants of the original ecosystem still recognizable in the ravine, including a modern version of the creek that was once there.

Write a one page summary of what we learned that day.  Include your
 observations on

• native species you observed
• native species you saw evidence of but did not directly observe
• competition
• parisitism
• abiotic factors
• generally anything that interested you about the ravine

This is due next period.  one page only please.

Chapter 1 quiz next period

We finished up chapter one.  First block, we looked at a typical day of an organism.  second block we tested Cole and Joelle's eyes to see if they could be good predators!  They both had great binocular vision!

Homework is to do the BC provincial exam study guide for biology unit for chapter 1only.  don't worry about chapter 2.  Note that an answer key is provided at the end of the study guide.    There will be a quiz on this next day on everything we have done so far. Email me if you have any queries.


Some of you asked for the biodiversity diagram.  it may be retrieved by clicking on the image below:

Review of biomes. p. 33

Today we went over the questions on p. 33 and reviewed the major factors affecting biomes.

HOMEWORK FOR NEXT PERIOD:
 For homework, I gave out an 11 by 17 inch diagram summarizing section 1.2 in your text.  You will write two statements under each word I wrote based on what you read in the text.  this is due next period.  I read more of your reflections on the wilderness and the city.  I noticed that many of you wanted to see the city "intertwined with wilderness" and offered a view of a city that reflected this.

If you have an electronic device that you bring to class, download this useful study guide.  I will be assigning homework from this guide, which has an answer key at the end of it.  when you do this homework, do it on another sheet of paper.  
I do not expect you to print this document: 
BC provincial exam study guide for biology unit

Welcome Spring term off-Trek Students

You wrote eloquently of your trek experiences.  This writing exercise was meant to be a transition for learning about our biosphere and biodiversity.  As I read them I notice a common theme:  Your outdoor experiences engaged your senses.  In the wilderness, you experienced great beauty and drama in your surroundings.  Your mood was happy, peaceful, joyful.   But you were physically very tired due to all the exercise.  In the city, as it is now, you experience noise, car exhaust.  The mood is mentally tiring and stressful. And you do not experience as much physical activity.  Interesting contrast.   You also observe that Vancouver does have pockets of nature in the city which you would like to expand. And you point out that the city has its advantages as density adds liveliness, culture, art, community.   It has been fascinating to read your accounts of the contrast between the wilderness and the city.  I will share your ideas with a planner next week.

Class notes for the biology section are here:
Biome notes, for chapter 1, section 1.1 and 1.2
 Next period, Jan 31, you will receive a worksheet to make notes on section 1.1.

keywords are:
biomes, biosphere, ecological heirarchy, abiotic, biotic, factors influencing biomes, climatographs. 

familiarize yourself with these concepts for thursday class.