Tuesday, December 16, 2008

DEADLINES!

Mr. Hatfield will be in his classroom until 4:30 both Wednesday and Thursday. Additional time to complete the final, or to complete and hand in work, or to ask questions about grades etc. is available between 2:00 and 4:30 both days.

However, no work that is not handed in before 4:30 on Thursday will be accepted, and this includes 'Turnitin.com' assignments.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

POWER POINT: CELLULAR RESPIRATION

CELLULAR
This Power Point contains information about cellular respiration, including glycolysis (which takes place in the cytoplasm) and the Krebs Cycle (which takes place in the matrix of the mitochondria). The electrons produced in the Krebs Cycle move through the inner membrane, or cristae, of the mitochondria. The motion of these negatively-charged particles attracts protons (H+), and eventually a high concentration of protons within the membrane is available to drive 'proton pumps' that power an enzyme, ATP synthase, leading to the production of more ATP:



You can download the actual Power Point here.

You can get a PDF file of the Lecture Guide based on this Power Point here.

Time's running out to complete class work. Previously-assigned work must be handed in this week. Work assigned after the 10th will be accepted until Thursday the 18th.

GOOD LUCK!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

POWER POINT: PHOTOSYNTHESIS, PART 2

PHOTOSYNTHESIS
This Power Point provides much more detail about the light reactions, photosystems, the proton pumps that use the enzyme ATP synthase, the electron transport chains that help power those pumps. There is less detail about the 'dark reactions' of the Calvin cycle and other material which is not explicitly part of the state standards. This is covered in Section 8.3 of the Dragonfly Book.



You can download the Power Point here.

The Lecture Guide based upon the Power Point is available as a PDF file here.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

POWER POINT: PHOTOSYNTHESIS, PART 1

This Power Point contains an outline of photosynthesis, relating it to the 'Great Circle' of chemical reactions that all living things participate it (autotrophs and heterotrophs!), reactions which recycle the raw materials that life requires. Much of this material is covered in the first two sections of Chapter 8 in the Dragonfly Book.


The Power Point for Photosynthesis, Part I, is available here.
A PDF file of the Lecture Guide based on that Power Point can be downloaded here.
This assignment is due when students return to school after Thanksgiving Break, on Monday, Dec. 1st.


Friday, November 14, 2008

POWER POINT: THE FLUID MOSAIC MODEL


You can get the Power Point for 'The Fluid Mosaic Model of the Cell Membrane" here. There are drawings in Chapter 7 of your text, particularly the one on pg. 182, that would be good for students to have completed in their notes. Mr. Hatfield, as always, recommends that students use colored pencils to complete their drawings in their Cornell Notes.


Also, the STUDY GUIDE for next Wednesday's test is available here as a PDF file for students who would like to start their test preparation early!

Friday, October 24, 2008

WE'RE IN THE NEW ROOM!

It's the end of an eventful and exhausting week in Mr. Hatfield's Biology classes!



On Monday, Mr. Hatfield was off-campus for district-mandated CLAD training. On Tuesday, Mr. Hatfield had a sub in the room (Ms. Melkonian) so that he could supervise the moving of materials from Trailer T-5 to the new classroom (N-63), but toward the end of each period collected his students and led them on a 'pilgrimage' to see the classroom. And, throughout the week, students have been pulled out of class to participate in 'Breaking Down The Walls', a schoolwide activity which promotes greater appreciation for the diversity of the Bullard campus. So things have been hectic, and as a result of this (and two previous postponements of the move to N-63), our classes are running behind. In order to keep up with Fresno Unified's desired pace of instruction in Biology, we will be changing our syllabus. Here are the major changes, next week:

MONDAY, OCT. 27th
(Study Guide and Vocabulary Boxes for Unit Test 2)

WEDNESDAY, OCT 29th
(Open House in Mr. Hatfield's new classroom N-63, between 6:00 and 7:30 on the Bullard campus)

THURSDAY, OCT. 30th
(After-School Study Session in Room N-63, between 4:15 and 6:00)

FRIDAY, OCT. 31st Unit 2 Exam (Students should plan to take advantage of extra time during Lunch or after school)

Our modified syllabus is available on-line here.

Lab 6 ("Acids and Bases") is available on-line here.

Friday, October 17, 2008

POWER POINT: "THE CHEMISTRY OF LIFE"


Students can upload the Power Point of our latest lecture here.
The PDF of the Lecture Guide based on the Power Point can be found here.
The Chemistry of Life

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

OPEN HOUSE POSTPONED . . . AGAIN

Parents and Students: I still intend to hold an 'Open House' in our newly-remodeled classroom on the Bullard campus (N-63). Unfortunately, as of yesterday afternoon we teachers were abruptly informed that our scheduled move TODAY has been pushed back a week. No keys are yet available to we instructors for any of the classrooms affected. I can tell you that I was in the classroom yesterday and it looks like it is ready. But they tell me that the fire alarms and the security wiring are not yet completed, and that in any case the district needs to come by and rekey all of the doors.

So, we are in a holding pattern but I will keep you informed as I learn more. In the meantime, I've made a video (hosted by YouTube) that contrasts our present and future situations with, I hope, more good humor than I actually feel:





Scott Hatfield

Friday, October 10, 2008

DOWNLOADS FOR MONDAY'S SESSION

Dear ACADEC Students:

Please download the following PDF files prior to Monday's session:

"Show Me A Walking Fish" (article)

"Diversity and Classification" (Lecture Guide)

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

ACADEC: 'DEEP TIME' POWER POINT


SPACE
The 'Deep Time' Power Point is available for download here.
Explore the University of California Museum of Paleontology web site "Understanding Evolution." Extinction, as discussed in class, is an example of a macroevolutionary process. You can explore macroevolution here.
SPACE

Monday, October 6, 2008

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

POWER POINT: PROPERTIES OF WATER

space

You can download it direct from Mediafire here.

If you need the Lecture Guide based the Power Point, you can get that here.


space

Friday, September 26, 2008

ACADEC NOTES FOR MONDAY THE 29th

Bullard ACADEC students will be finishing the film "Darwin's Dangerous Idea" as well as a self-test for mastery of the content covered in the previous session, with a special emphasis on the Power Point, which you can upload for further review here.

Please also note that all ACADEC posts can be brought up simultaneously by clicking on the label 'ACADEC.'

OPEN HOUSE FOR BIOLOGY!


Students and Parents:

Please be advised that Mr. Hatfield will hold an 'Open House' just for his Biology classes on Wednesday, October 8th, in Room T-5 (one of a group of trailers in the South Parking Lot), between 5:30 and 7:30 in the evening.


Mr. Hatfield has decided to try doing this at least once this semester because there is just too much going on at Bullard's Open House. Typically, there is only 15 minutes or so with each teacher before the announcement comes over the PA to move along to the next period, and this just isn't very helpful.

Also, since we just had our first Unit Test of the year today, a week from today (when the Test and most of the work from August and September will be in Power School) seems like a good time to touch base and make sure expectations are understood.

THE REQUIRED ASSIGNMENT: UPDATE!

Students and parents should've previously signed a Course Contract which stipulates that students agree to have a valid e-mail address and use the online integrity software "Turnitin.com."

Mr. Hatfield intends for all students to use this valuable resource on a regular basis, beginning with the Required Assignments (RA). Mr. Hatfield requires students to submit RA's directly to "Turnitin.com" and has extended the deadline for the submission of all Unit 1 RA's until September 30th. Students who do not complete the scheduled assignment as directed are failing to satisfy a fundamental requirement of the Course Contract and could be considered defiant. Mr. Hatfield will resolve this by contacting the home and, if necessary, assigning students to Study Hall.

Students who need the paperwork on how to establish the necessary account can download it here as a PDF file.

*****UPDATE*****

Please note: the original date for the Open House (Oct. 1st) has been changed to the 8th following the request of parents who have not yet had a chance to review their student's first test.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

OUR FIRST TEST IN BIOLOGY!



As previously mentioned, we are having our first Unit Test in Biology on Wednesday (today). Students are welcome to come to my room during lunch and/or after school if they need extra time for the non-SCANTRON portions of the test.

Students who are unable to come at lunch or after school who wish to have additional time to work on the test should bring a note from their parent or guardian as justification.



We start our next Unit (Biological Molecules!) tomorrow, in class! Our first topic is the properties of water, as discussed in pg. 40-43 of the textbook:


Water is often described as a 'polar' molecule. Can you see why from this picture? If you can't, you need to re-read section 2.1 of the textbook, where it discusses polar covalent bonds. You'll need this knowledge to understand some of the properties of water, such as cohesion.

By the way, in case you haven't noticed, there is a link on the side of this blog that takes you to a web site to go with our textbook, 'The Dragonfly Book', by Ken Miller and Joseph Levine.



Monday, September 22, 2008

THIS WEEK IN BIOLOGY (9/22-9/26, 2008)

Hello! This is Scott Hatfield, your student's Biology instructor at Bullard. Welcome to the first post of my new class blog, 'Biology Knights.' I've begun contacting parents and students via email lists about some fairly important stuff this week, and I'm provising this blog as another way to give 'heads-up' about the class, share important links and provide a means for students to download copies of missing work.

Today (MONDAY the 22nd), students were completing Vocabulary Boxes and their Cornell Notes to prepare for their first UNIT TEST, which is on Wednesday the 24th.

On TUESDAY the 23rd, students will hand in their Vocabulary Boxes and review for the UNIT TEST.

On Wednesday the 24th, students will hand in their Cornell Notes and take their UNIT TEST.

UNIT TESTS are challenging. They have multiple parts with different kinds of assessments to help 'level the playing field.' They typically take an entire class period to give, and I always give students who need it additional time either during lunch or after school to complete the test. Please prepare for the test, to take advantage of the time given, and to attempt EVERYTHING!

The Study Guide for the first Unit Test is available here as a PDF file.