Class Update

This is coming a little late. Had some trouble with my internet connections this past week. Thursday, the 24th, we went over photosynthesis in great detail, modeling it with toothpick to represent chemical bonds, and Starburst candies to represent atoms. We used carbon dioxide and water molecules to assemble glucose and oxygen molecules, maintaining the same number of atoms throughout the reaction. Friday, the 25th, we collected homework and went over the communities and ecosystems part of the reading. We looked at our quizzes and emphasized how decomposers not only eat the dead organisms but also break down their wastes. We read an article about how pigs in Cairo used to consume the organic waste until they were all slaughtered to prevent the spread of swine flu, now the garbage is piling up considerably. The power of the decomposers!
Monday, the 28th was a holiday.
Tuesday, the 29th, we looked at the water cycle as one of the important forms of matter that gets recycled through several systems.
Wednesday, the 30th, we collected the homework on the 10% rule, looked at trophic pyramids (also known as energy pyramids. See page 55 in reading), and went over the Carbon Cycle as well.
New Homework was assigned:
Read the rest of the handout. pp 56-62. and answer questions 2 & 4. Due Monday Oct 5th.
Open Notes Quiz on Friday, Oct 2nd. This will cover energy and matter. We will review this some on Thursday.