Thursday, December 16, 2010

IB Chemistry, DNA and Forensics Assignment

After reading the articles in the packet, as well as any other additional research you choose to do, write a report about the use of DNA analysis for forensic purposes. The report must be at least two pages long [double-spaced].

Be sure to address the following issues:
  1. How is DNA evidence collected and used in forensic investigations? Explain the process.
  2. Why can DNA evidence be used to establish (prove) the identity of people in criminal and/or civil cases?
  3. How reliable is DNA evidence? What is the possibility that DNA evidence can lead to erroneous information or conclusions (i.e. O.J. Simpson case)?
  4. Suppose that a person convicted of a crime has been exonerated with DNA evidence--should they be released immediately? Should DNA evidence be a requirement for conviction in a capital murder case?
I believe we have some freedom to adjust the focus of our report. The purpose of the assignment is to approach chemistry from a Theory of Knowledge perspective.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

IB History of the Americas, Essay Prompts

  1. Define the U.S. policy of Moral Diplomacy and discuss its impact on Mexico.
  2. "Lázaro Cárdenas' rule renewed the ideals of the Mexican Revolution." To what extent do you agree with this statement?
  3. Analyze the influence of the Mexican Revolution on the arts.
One of these prompts will be set as the essay question on Monday. No notes are allowed during the test.

Weekly Update!

Last week of school before the winter holidays!

This week's agenda -

Monday -
  • IB Math (HL)/IB Further Math (Mr. Bobbitt) - Testing continues, with Paper II.
  • Theory of Knowledge (Mr. Butcher) - The first rough draft of the TOK Essay is due.
  • IB History of the Americas (Mr. Jones) - There will be a randomly selected essay from the three prompts assigned last week.
  • IB Biology IV (Mrs. Bidwell) - The Oil-Eating Bacteria lab is due, if you have not already turned it in.
  • IB English IV (Mrs. Peteranecz) - Have finished reading Hamlet. Complete the worksheet for Act IV.
Tuesday -
  • IB Chemistry (Mrs. Atkins) - TEST POSTPONED TO WEDNESDAY.
  • IB Math (HL)/IB Further Math (Mr. Bobbitt) - Testing continues, with Paper II.
  • IB English IV (Mrs. Peteranecz) - The Hamlet soliloquy organizer is due--select one of Hamlet's soliloquies to analyze. The organizer will later be used for a full passage analysis.
Wednesday -
  • IB English IV (Mrs. Peteranecz) - Finish the first two paragraphs of your passage analysis.
  • IB Chemistry (Mrs. Atkins) - There is a test on proteins, carbohydrates lipids; Assessment Statements B.1, B.2, B.3, and B.4 are due, along with all worksheets pertaining to the A.S. [I think there are five worksheets in total...] The most important worksheet is the take-home portion of the test, which has questions about lipids.
Thursday -
  • IB Chemistry (Mrs. Atkins) - The Milk Lab is due.
  • IB English IV (Mrs. Peteranecz) - Have a completed rough draft, ready to be peer-edited.
Friday -
  • IB Chemistry (Mrs. Atkins) - The DNA Fingerprinting assignment is due. It must be at least two pages long, double-spaced. Answer the questions in the packet. The assignment is not meant so much as a summary of the process of DNA Fingerprinting, but as a way to incorporate TOK into Chemistry
  • IB English IV (Mrs. Peteranecz) - The final draft of the Hamlet soliloquy assignment is due. Remember to include the word count at the end of your essay.
  • IB Spanish IV (Señor Alemañy) - The sources for the individual oral presentation are due: have about 2-3 sources. The presentation is more about language/speaking--extensive research is unnecessary.
  • IB Biology IV (Mrs. Bidwell) - There is a test on topics 3, 7, and 8 test: find those A.S. from last year...Also, remember that we completed all the Section B questions, so study those.
  • IB Biology III (Mrs. Bidwell) - There is a test on topics 3, 7, and 8.

IB Chemistry, Option B, Human Biochemistry

IB Chem, Biochemistry, Carbohydrates (1)

IB Chem, Biochemistry, Digestion (2)

IB Chem, Biochemistry, Amino Acids and Proteins (3)

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Weekly Update!

This week's agenda -

Monday -
  • IB English IV (Mrs. Peteranecz) - Review questions for Act II, scenes i and ii are due, along with the Character Target/Soliloquy 2 organizer. If you did not turn in the "Don't be Show-Off" exercise, that is also due.
  • IB Chemistry (Mrs. Atkins) - The Proteins pre-lab questions are due.
Tuesday -
  • IB English IV (Mrs. Peteranecz) - The first 7 guided questions are due.
Wednesday -
  • IB English IV (Mrs. Peteranecz) - The writing assignment about the "Get Thee to a Nunnery" scene, as portrayed by four different producers, is due. For extra credit, take a Four Humours Personality Quiz and print the results.
Thursday -
  • IB English IV (Mrs. Peteranecz) - 4th period: complete up to Question 10 on the Act 3 Guided Questions. Complete two of the three quotes for the Hamlet Character Target.
  • IB Spanish III (Señor Alemañy) - Group Oral presentations begin.
Friday -
  • IB History of the Americas (Mr. Jones) - There is a test covering Mexico, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
  • IB Theory of Knowledge (Mr. Butcher) - The TOK Journal is due.
  • IB Biology IV (Mrs. Bidwell) - The Oil-Eating Bacteria lab is due.