Science Summer Work
Biology
Mrs. Santasieri and Mrs. O’Rourke
You will be taking biological science, the study of the natural world, next school year. In an effort to prepare you for this course we have created summer assignments for you to complete.
For your summer assignment, due on the first day of school, you will be asked to complete two activities. The first activity requires you to research and write about stem cells. For the second activity you will select one of the four activities created for your learning experience. You are responsible for completing BOTH parts, which are equal to TWO PROJECT GRADES. When completing these assignments, please be as creative as possible (entertain us) WITHOUT losing sight of the assignment. You are out to impress. You know what they say about first impressions…
Please with any questions. Assignments can be shared or emailed to . In addition, PowerPoint’s can be emailed prior to the first day of school. Please note that 5 per day will be deducted for late work. Also note that even if you have second semester biology, the work is due on the first day of school.
Welook forward to having you in our Biology Classes.
Sincerely,
Mrs.Santasieri and Mrs.O’Rourke
Part 1:Biology
Writing Activity
A local politician has learned that your biology class has been studying cell differentiation and discussing the possible applications in health and biotechnology. She is particularly interested in gaining support from young people, so she has requested that you share your thoughts on adult stem cell research. Because stem cell research is a topic embroiled in much controversy, you have decided to hold a class meeting, inviting the politician, to share your diverse thoughts about the topic. You are to select ONE position (pro-adult stem cells, con-adult stem cells, pro-embryonic stem cells, con-embryonic stem cells etc.) and conduct research. You should seek out and use specific data and scientific evidence to support their claims about how stem cell research has or has not led to improved therapies or disease prevention efforts. You should also consider the moral, ethical, and political questions related to stem cell research. Create a well thought out, grammatically and mechanically correct, speech demonstrating your research and selected position. It would help your speech to discuss cell differentiation and how stem cells work. Keep in mind there are no right or wrong positions and that the research is yours and yours alone. Your grade will be based on provided rubric. For a good grade you must include all information requested in appropriate rubric.
(Correlations: 5.1.12.B.3, 5.1.12.C.3, 5.1.12.D.1 and 5.3.12.A.5)
Part 2: Biology (Choose ONE the following four activities)
Choice A-Species Survival Plan
You are a conservation biologist for the US Fish and Wildlife Service and you have been assigned to launch a plan to protect a single species in a threatened habitat in the United States (wetland, forest, prairie, kelp forest, ocean, etc.) with high biodiversity. Conduct research to determine which individual species provides the most essential ecosystem services to the ecosystem; with their removal, the ecosystem might collapse. Construct for your species survival plan based on research, and create a digital presentation to share your point of view. Your grade will be based on provided rubric.For a good grade you must include all information requested in appropriate rubric.
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Choice B-Aye-Aye
You are a primatologist who studies lemurs, and you focus on the nocturnal aye-aye. The aye-aye has a number of traits that set it apart from other primates and allow it to exploit different niches than other lemurs. In the mid-1800’s, Richard Owen used the aye-aye as an example of an animal that natural selection did not act upon. Compare the aye-aye to other lemurs, documenting which traits they share and do not share with other lemurs. Describe their unique niche and justify the claim that natural selection did act on the aye-aye, and use scientific evidence to describe how it fits its niche in Madagascar. Prepare a digital presentation for a primatology conference. Your grade will be based on provided rubric. For a good grade you must include all information requested in appropriate rubric.(Correlations: 5.1.12.A.3, 5.3.12.C.3 and 5.3.12.E.1)
Choice C-Climate Change
In your biology class yesterday, there was a discussion about climate change. You learned that human activities are changing the composition of Earth's atmosphere, and that levels of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) have been increasing since pre-industrial times. Your teacher stated that the atmospheric buildup of CO2 and other greenhouse gases is largely the result of human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels. One student in your class disagreed. He said that the increase in human populations worldwide is causing the higher level of CO2. His argument is that as people exhale, they release CO2 from cellular respiration; more people, more CO2. Your class erupted in discussion, and your teacher has asked that you choose a side and research the argument. Create short documentary (3-5 minutes) or digital presentation about how respiration and fossil fuel burning are similar processes. Use data and evidence from peer-reviewed sources to make a claim regarding whether or not one (or both) of these processes can be the root cause of climate change. Your grade will be based on provided rubric. For a good grade you must include all information requested in appropriate rubric.
(Correlations: 5.1.12.C.1, 5.1.12.D.2 and 5.3.12.B.6)
Choice D
You have been commissioned to work with the Joint United Nation Programme on HIV/AIDS. You know that while HIV does not mutate into other forms of the virus, it mutates to escape detection by the immune system, making it difficult to develop vaccines. Study the replication cycle for HIV and compare the average rates of mutation throughout this time. Graph your findings and determine which cycle stage would be the best to target for drug design. You decide to initiate a global digital public health campaign explaining why an HIV vaccine is so difficult to create, explaining specifically how the virus mutates at such a rapid rate. Create a universally accessible brochure (using pictures and symbols) that explains why HIV is able to mutate so quickly, and why re-infection and super-infection can be so dangerous to someone already living with HIV. Your grade will be based on provided rubric. For a good grade you must include all information requested in appropriate rubric. (you are creating both a brochure and an presentation)
(5.1.12.B.3, 5.1.12.D.2 and 5.3.12.D.2)
If you do not have PowerPoint, using a gmail account, you can create a PowerPoint presentation.
When logged into gmail…Go to Documents, create new drop down, and select presentation. When saving this document be sure to save as a PowerPoint and not a PDF file
Stem Cell Writing Rubric Example on 100 point Scale
Scoring Elements / Not Yet / Approaches Expectations / Meets Expectations / AdvancedThesis/main point
10 points
___/10 / Attempts to establish a theme or purpose, but lacks a clear or sustained purpose.
0-3 / Establishes a theme but purpose is weak, with some lapses in coherence.
4-7 / Establishes a theme with a well-developed purpose carried through the narrative.
7-9 / Establishes a compelling theme with a well-developed purpose carried through the narrative through skillful use of narrative techniques.
10
Reading/ Research
10 points
---/10 / Directly restates information from reading materials OR information from source materials is irrelevant for the purpose at hand.
0-3 / Uses reading materials with minor lapses in cohesion, accuracy or relevance.
4-6 / Accurately integrates reading material, to authenticate the narrative.
7-9 / Accurately and seamlessly integrates reading material to authenticate the narrative
10
Content
60 points
___/60 / Descriptions of quote, experiences, individuals, and/or events are overly simplified or lack details.
Attempts to include disciplinary content, but understanding of content is weak; content is irrelevant, inappropriate, or inaccurate.
0-34 / Develops explanation with some detail but sense of time, place, and meaning.
Uses appropriate stylistic devices unevenly
Briefly notes disciplinary content relevant to the prompt; shows basic or uneven understanding of content; minor errors in explanations
35-44 / Develops explanation with sufficient detail to add depth and complexity to the sense of time, place, and meaning.
Uses appropriate stylistic devices to support the purpose of the narrative.
Accurately presents disciplinary content relevant to the prompt with sufficient explanations that demonstrate understanding.
45-55 / Elaborates on quote with comprehensive detail to add depth and complexity to the sense of time, place, and meaning.
Skillfully integrates appropriate stylistic devices to support the purpose of the narrative.
Integrates relevant and accurate disciplinary content with thorough explanations that demonstrate in-depth understanding.
55-60
Organization/
Grammar/Mechanics
20 points
___/20 / Attempts to use a narrative structure; composition is disconnected or rambling.
Lacks control of grammar, usage, and mechanics; little or ineffective use of transitions
0-4 / Applies a narrative structure (chronological or descriptive), with some lapses in coherence or awkward use of the organizational structure.
Demonstrates an uneven command of standard English; inconsistently uses transitions between sentences and paragraphs to connect ideas.
5-9 / Applies a narrative structure (chronological or descriptive) appropriate to the purpose, task, and audience; narrative clearly conveys the theme or purpose
Demonstrates a command of standard English conventions with few errors; consistently uses transitions between sentences and paragraphs to connect ideas.
10-14 / Applies a complex narrative structure appropriate to the purpose, task and audience. that enhances communication of theme or purpose and keeps the reader engaged
Demonstrates a well-developed command of standard English conventions; effectively uses transitions between sentences and paragraphs to connect ideas.
15-20
Species Survival Plan
Category / Points Available / Points Earned / CommentsHabitat Background
- Well thought out description of ecosystem that where species lives.
Species Background
- Tell me about your organisms-Be thorough!!!!!!!! Why is this species so important to its ecosystem? Scientific name, classification, appearance, diet, reproduction, predators, social system, senses, etc
- Is this species a omnivore, herbivore, carnivore, scavenger, detritivore?
What caused its numbers to decline? / 20
What can be done to save/protect species?
- What stepscanbeing taken to help this organism’s numbers to increase?
- What can everyday day people do to help?
Effort/PowerPoint presentation
- Did you do a quality work? Was your topic covered with good content? Is your plan realistic?
- Slides not wordy
- Pictures appropriate
Total / 100
Nocturnal Aye-Aye
Category / Points Available / Points Earned / CommentsLemurs and Nocturnal Aye-Aye (Discuss organism, specifically aye-aye)
- Scientific name
- Classification
- Appearance
- Diet
- History
- Reproduction
- Use of tools
- Predators
- Social system
- Senses
NOT LIMITED TO THIS INFO
Madagascar
- Where is it? What type of biome? What other organisms live there?
Natural Selection
- How did observations in nature lead to the formulation of the theory of evolution?
- What are the main points of Darwin's theory of evolution?
- How does the process of natural selection work?
- What evidence do we have for local adaptation?
- How can natural selection affect the frequency of traits over successive generations?
Lemur trait comparison
- Compare the aye-aye to other lemurs-what traits to they share
Effort/Digital Presentation
- Did you do a quality work? Was your topic covered with good content?
- Not overwhelming
- Pictures appropriate
Total / 100
HIV Virus
Category / Points Available / Points Earned / CommentsDigital Media Presentation / History and Information on the virus itself
- Where did originate? How many people have been affected? How is it contracted? etc.
Describe how HIV replicates and average rate of mutations / 15
Graph
- Graph the average rate of mutations
Brochure / Public Health Campaign-Create an accompanying brochure
- Describe the HIV Virus (Signs and symptoms, treatments, etc.)
- Explain how the virus mutates at such rapid
- How re-infection and super-infection so dangerous
Effort/Digital Presentation/Brochure
- Did you do a quality work? Was your topic covered with good content?
- Not overwhelming
- Pictures appropriate
Total / 100
Global WarmingDigital Presentation/Documentary
Category / Points Available / Points Earned / CommentsClimate Change Background
- Discuss human impact on composition of Earth’s atmosphere.
- Discuss change to carbon dioxide levels
- Describe and give examples of greenhouse gases
- Describe greenhouse effect.
- What are fossil fuels? How do they affect carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere?
- How does cellular respiration affect carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere?
Cellular Respiration and Burning fossil fuels comparison
- How are they alike? Different?
Using data and evidence from reliable sources (not Wikipedia)
- Describe which of the two, or how both are cause of climate change. (give source credit)
Effort/Digital Presentation
- Did you do quality work? Was your topic covered with good content?
- Not overwhelming
- Pictures appropriate
Total / 100