Biology Newsletter
2015/2016 ***************** 1st Edition
What's Happening in Class?
Our classes have gotten off to a great start this year! We have already covered our first unit and been tested over it. We reviewed the scientific method, talked about theories and went over lab safety. A lot of this material was review and has been covered in previous science classes but we always like to go over it at the beginning of each year.
We are beginning our second unit and learning about macromolecules. These include carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. We have some fun things planned for this unit so stay tuned!
Termite Trails
We worked in the lab with live termites! We used the termites to learn about the scientific method. What do termites have to do with the scientific method? I'm glad you asked! :) It turns out termites have a pheromone very similar to one of the chemicals in certain ink pens. We observed, questioned and chose a hypothesis before experimenting with different types and colors of pens, pencils and markers. Ask your student which type of pen was most popular with the termites.
Online Resources
We have been introduced to a lot of online resources over the past two weeks. There is a teacher website, Moodle platform, Google Classroom and an electronic textbook. You can reach my teacher website from the FHS site under "Faculty". Students can login to Moodle with their own login and password. Parents/guardians can login with the guest password which is osborne2015. We are also using an e-book this year. It can be accessed at www.pearsonrealize.com. The username is fisd and the student id # (Ex: fisd123456) and the password is b and the student's 8 digit birthdate (ex: b01012001). Please let me know if you have trouble with any of these resources.
Character Trait for September
The true measure of an individual is how he treats a person who can do him absolutely no good.
--Ann Landers
Looking Ahead
Contact Info
I hope you enjoyed reading about what's happening in class. If you have any comments, concerns or questions please do not hesitate to contact me. I hope to meet you all at Open House on September 28!
Email: kosborne@fisdk12.net
Website: https://sites.google.com/a/fisdk12.net/osborne/
Location: 702 Greenbriar Drive, Friendswood, TX, United States
Phone: 281-482-3413
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Friendswood-ISD/155148117898009
Twitter: @friendswoodisd