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Step one in participation within The Synapse: read & explore. Step two: share. Be a resource. Help to create a synapse that communicates in both directions!
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AP Biology
75 members
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High school Anatomy and…
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General Biology
86 members
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Fervent Evolution Discus…
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IB Biology
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Molecular Visions
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Environmental Science
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Zoology
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Chemistry Land
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Marine Biology
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Admin by committee
Debra Garcia
Colin Matheson
Stacy Baker
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If you have questions or concerns about something on the site, feel free to contact any of us directly via the link provided.
Forum
Honors Biology vs Regular Biology 1 Reply
My school is looking to revamp its curriculum and the idea of offering honors courses has been brought up. Presently we offer just a general biology course to all incoming freshmen. All sophomores ta…
Tagged: curriculum
Started by Debra Garcia in Information Requests. Last reply by Chris Ludwig 6 hours ago.
Science Fair 6 Replies
The science fair is one of the best teaching strategies I have encountered after almost 20 years of schooling and 7 years of teaching. It teachers the scientific method and project management It allo…
Tagged: projects, PBL, fair, science
Started by Colin Matheson in Lesson Plans. Last reply by Jen Feb 7.
Student-Centered plan for Ecology 1 Reply
Okay - here's another one :) Days 1/2 - Intro to ecology with Chapter 52 (via SmartBoard but mostly I did this one as a lot of this chapter is memorization :P and data analysis :)Day 3: Virtual Popul…
Tagged: Populations, AP Biology, Ecology, lesson plans
Started by Jen in Lesson Plans. Last reply by Jen Feb 5.
Making Cladograms/Cytochrome C
Here is a folder with three activities to create cladograms.Two use physical traits and one uses cytochrome c sequences.Full disclaimer: I have picked up two of these lessons from other sources. I wi…
Tagged: classification, cladograms, sequences, evolution
Started by Colin Matheson in Lesson Plans Feb 2.
The Carbon/Water/Nitrogen) Cycle 2 Replies
This is a fun way to have kids learn about the matter cycles. I usually introduce it with the water cycle (which most students are comfortable with), but my main objective is to teach the Carbon cycl…
Tagged: simulation, writing, differentiation, activity, eutrophication
Started by Colin Matheson in Lesson Plans. Last reply by Jen Jan 15.
Student-centered plan for teaching 1 Reply
By request :) (and thanks - I wouldn't have thought to do this....), sharing a plan for my AP evolution unit this is limited on lecture, and uses a lot of different activities/labs/whiteboards to get…
Tagged: Whiteboards, Evolution, instruction, Student-centered, Biology
Started by Jen in Lesson Plans. Last reply by Sean Nash Jan 15.
Photosynthesis Labs 2 Replies
As in any Biology/Living Environment class, photosynthesis and respiration are critical topics that students tend to have difficulties with. Because of that, I was wondering if anyone had any good la…
Started by Jason Braun in Lesson Plans. Last reply by Jen Jan 6.
Interested in a book club? 8 Replies
Is anyone interested in a book club? If so, I'll start a group. But we should pick a book first (if anyone is even interested). My dad just sent me Evolution: The First Four Billion Years. It would b…
Started by David Knuffke in Collaborative Mini-Projects. Last reply by Cheska Lorena Dec. 27, 2009.
Immune System Introduction
Here are two activities and a vocab list I use to start the unit on the immune system. The first activity I learned in my microbiology course in college and haven't seen it in any high school biology…
Tagged: epidemic, symbiosis, infection, activity, bacteria
Started by Colin Matheson in Lesson Plans Dec. 14, 2009.
Diffusion Notes 2 Replies
I know that lecturing gets a bad rap. However, direct instruction can be really effective if you get the kids engaged and have them stop and think every once and awhile. In my opinion, just fill in t…
Tagged: cell, membrane, notes, instruction, direct
Started by Colin Matheson in Lesson Plans. Last reply by Sean Nash Dec. 9, 2009.
IVF 1 Reply
Here is a link to a lesson I have run recently on teaching kids about the process of IVF and the ethical considerations surrounding it. We started with watching a brief news clip about "octomom" and…
Tagged: reproduction, IVF
Started by Nadine Dickinson in Lesson Plans. Last reply by Debra Garcia Dec. 2, 2009.
Google Wave Group for AP Biology 4 Replies
Hi folks, Anyone lucky enough to get an invite to google wave can find the AP Biology Teacher Wave and join. To make things easy, it's a public wave. Search for "with:public AP Biology" (no quotes)…
Tagged: Biology, AP, wave, google
Started by David Knuffke in Things to Share. Last reply by Debra Garcia Nov. 30, 2009.
In Defense of Facts/Is Biology Different Than Other Subjects? 2 Replies
I often participate in the weekly Tuesday night #edchat hash tag discussion on twitter. This week the discussion was about differentiation. Good stuff. I tend to be fairly progressive about education…
Tagged: constructivism, pedagogy, concepts, facts
Started by Colin Matheson in Current Issues in Biology. Last reply by Colin Matheson Nov. 13, 2009.
THE SYNAPSE on "DELICIOUS" 9 Replies
We DO need a repository of solid, reviewed (at least tagged) web links. Let's give this a try: I have created an account at del.icio.us for The Synapse. The main account page is found here. If you a…
Tagged: reference, online, Internet, resources, bookmarking
Started by Sean Nash in Current Issues in Biology. Last reply by Gwen Noda Nov. 10, 2009.
Teaching Science Methods 3 Replies
Hi. I come to science teaching from a research background, not an education background, so one thing I struggle with is how to teach the practice of science that to me is second nature. Does anyone h…
Tagged: skills, methods, pedagogy
Started by Tamar Cunha in Information Requests. Last reply by Gwen Noda Nov. 4, 2009.
Teach Marinie Bio Instead of Bio!
Here in Los Angeles, a bunch of high school teachers came to me and basically said, 'we want to teach marine biology instead of biology, so that the kids don't have to wait until 12th grade to take i…
Tagged: science, standards, california, lessons, biology
Started by Gwen Noda in Collaborative Mini-Projects Oct. 29, 2009.
Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food" 3 Replies
(lifted from) .......discuss: ;-)
Tagged: diet, pollan, nutrition, food, wholefoods
Started by Sean Nash in Current Issues in Biology. Last reply by Gwen Noda Oct. 27, 2009.
What does The Synapse do for you? 2 Replies
I am going to be sharing The Synapse with a bunch of science teachers this week. Any one have any feedback about what they have gained from the synapse. Or for new members what you hope to gain from…
Tagged: pln
Started by Colin Matheson in Information Requests. Last reply by Jason Braun Oct. 26, 2009.
Prezi- Something a little different for presentations. 8 Replies
Hey Techie folks, I just started using prezi, a presentation alternative to Powerpoint that is available for free on-line. It takes a little getting used to, but it's pretty cool. You can see the pr…
Tagged: freeware, slideware, prezi
Started by David Knuffke in Things to Share. Last reply by Nadine Dickinson Oct. 15, 2009.
Biology activities that boys like 4 Replies
So, I have a group of 9th graders this year that is made up of about 2/3 boys. And they are very, very rowdy. I try to use a wide variety of approches during the school year, but I'm used to having a…
Started by Stacy Baker in Things to Share. Last reply by Susan Berrend Oct. 4, 2009.
Blog Posts
The Extended Value of Classroom Networks
An interesting thing happened on the way home from Educon 2.2 last Sunday night. Walking through the terminal and against my exhaustion, I reflexively checked my mail. Lazy eyes lifted open, I flicked my thumb scrolling… trolling for a demand of action. I’m hyper-connected. I pay for it. And yet, I’m a better teacher and leader because of it. Cutting to the chase, here is the simple, yet interesting email I rece
Posted by Sean Nash on February 5, 2010 at 4:30pm
Is This a Sluggish Strategy?
Posted by Sean Nash on January 20, 2010 at 11:07pm
Uses of Wordle in a Science Classroom.
First - Teacher Planning: I was just assigned a student teacher. To help her comprehend the "big ideas" of our state core, we pasted the sections of the core she will teach into Wordle. When the Wordle was created, the maximum number of words was lowered to 35 from the "Layout menu." This helped her see the main ideas she should spend the most time on during her teaching time in my classro… Continue
Posted by Glen Westbroek on January 14, 2010 at 7:46pm — 2 Comments
BioChem Blog
I am also teaching Honors Anatomy and Physiology which is a challenge. I am approaching it with not only didactic but also case studies to engage students in applying the content knowledge.
I have a great site: http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases/ubcase.htm
This allows me to incorporate the cur… Continue
Posted by Mary J. Berger on December 26, 2009 at 12:34pm
Science Content Day
- Creating Class Web Pages
- Designing Online Surveys
- Digital Lab Reports
- Emergency Lesson Plans
- Google Docs for collaboration
- Inter
Posted by Glen Westbroek on October 5, 2009 at 7:38pm — 7 Comments
Looking for ways to engage students
Posted by Glen Westbroek on October 4, 2009 at 5:29pm
The End of The Line
Posted by Sean Nash on October 2, 2009 at 12:00pm
From Day One: Information Literacy In The Biology Classroom
As I have spewed onto the blog before, I do not like to go shy into the… Continue
Posted by Sean Nash on September 3, 2009 at 3:00pm
Trophic Levels and Energy Transfer
I used four student volunteers. They represented Producer, Herbivore, Carnivore, and Scavenger.
Started with 1 liter of RootBeer in LARGE Graduated Cylinder. Poured out 100ml for first student (producer). Removed 10 ml from this for second student (herbivore). Took 1 ml out for third student (carnivore). FInally removed 0.1 ml using a pipette for fourth student (scavenger).
Poured Root Beer from… Continue
Posted by Glen Westbroek on August 28, 2009 at 10:30pm — 10 Comments
Reading Into Genetics
Posted by Erin Nash on August 7, 2009 at 9:35pm
What will you do differently with students next year?
What will you do differently w/ stud… Continue
Posted by Glen Westbroek on July 10, 2009 at 4:54pm — 10 Comments
Spheres of Influence
Three years ago I moved into a position of instructional coach for my building. The majority of my days are now spent as a content-generalist coach focused on helping teachers improve pedagogical skills. Our opt-in model keeps the conversation f… Continue
Posted by Sean Nash on July 5, 2009 at 10:38pm — 3 Comments
West coastie
Posted by Michelle Whittaker on May 22, 2009 at 4:15pm
Get your students involved in this... name a new jelly!
Perhaps this is a good "final week" mini-lesson? =>
Toss in your two cents to the official naming contest for the Bonaire Box Jellyfish. Come on, you know you love Latin.
I received a message about this a day or so ago on a marine science listserv. Go… Continue
Posted by Sean Nash on May 18, 2009 at 9:00am
Compare & Contrast: With regard to what?
Here's one that will make sense to a biology instructor of any flavor. Since structure & function is such a hug… Continue
Posted by Sean Nash on May 18, 2009 at 8:29am
Ready To Set Sail!
Just in time... guest bloggers!
We are less than a day away from our Marine Biology class field study on Andros Island in the Bahamas. I am still waiting for students to come in to weigh t… Continue
Posted by Sean Nash on April 2, 2009 at 5:30pm
Tree-Dwelling Octopuses Prompt Media Literacy Discussion
Today's lesson in Principles of Biology was essentially: pay attention.… Continue
A Synthesis Blogging Whitman
… Continue
Posted by Sean Nash on March 23, 2009 at 10:40am
The Octopus Gets Due Respect
Regardless of your take on The Septapus, I have felt the need for a review of a real… Continue
Posted by Sean Nash on March 21, 2009 at 7:38pm
Inquiry Introduction to Probability
Posted by Glen Westbroek on March 9, 2009 at 7:56pm — 1 Comment
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