Enzymes!

I am in the middle of Open House right now; nice group of parents!  Some of them even laughed at my jokes :) 

Today in class we really got to know enzymes.  Our guiding question was: "How do we maximize the rate of enzyme activity?"  We discussed enzyme structure as a product of its amino acids.  We also looked at how enzymes catalyze reactions by decreasing the activation energy.  Next we discussed how enzyme activity is regulated and the role of inhibitors, cofactors and poisons.  We ended by talking about factors that affect rate of enzyme activity.

At the end of class students got into their lab groups to come up with a strategy for our competitive lab that will occur on Friday.  The goal is to get the enzyme CATALASE to break down hydrogen peroxide at the highest rate.  Students should be prepared to start right at the beginning of class.  There will be prizes awarded to the winning lab group!

Loving Those Biomolecules!

Today in class students had a chance to ask questions about the 4 types of Biomolecules and then were given a 10 question pop(ish) quiz.  This grade will be going in the assessments category and will seem to be weighted heavily until some more grades are entered in that category.  Following the quiz I went over the four levels of protein structure.  Good diagrams supporting this material can be found on pages 82-83 of your textbook.  I also recommend checking out Activity: Protein Structure under Concept 5.4 of the textbook website. 

HOMEWORK DUE ON BLOCK DAY

Read pages 150-157 for background information on Enzymes.   That is sections 8.4 and 8.5 if you are using the electronic version of the textbook!  You should know the following information when you are done:

• definition of catalyst, substrate, active site, induced fit
• what is meant by activation energy
• how enzymes lower the activation energy barrier
• the induced fit model of enzyme activity
• limits to rate of enzyme activity
• the roles of cofactors, inhibitors, pH and temperature on enzyme activity
• how enzyme activity is naturally regulated through allosteric processes and feedback inhibition

Then on the textbook website complete the investigation in 8.4 "How is the Rate of Enzyme Catalysis Measured?"  Read through the three pages of information and then open the questions on the bottom half of the screen.  Once you have answered the questions fully choose "Submit Answers for Grading."

See you on block day!

Test Corrections Due Tomorrow at 3:05!

Today we went to the computer lab so that we could register for our textbook's website.  There were several setbacks along the way, but I believe that everyone eventually got registered!  If you were absent today please plan to come in for about 5 minutes of tutorial to go through the process with me.

Following textbook registration students were given time to go through the Protein and Nucleic Acid sections of the Powerpoint we started Friday.  Students are responsible for the information provided in the Powerpoint and should have the rest of their Biomolecule Study Guide filled in.  I will spend some time in class talking about the levels of protein structure.  The Powerpoint was emailed to my distribution list.   If you did not receive the Powerpoint and would like to have it please email me directly.

There was no specific assigned homework, but the expectation is that you will use the time to review the biomolecules.

Don't forget that test corrections are due tomorrow at 3:05!  This is an opportunity to earn back 1/2 point for each one you missed.  You will be upset with yourself at the end of the semester if you don't take advantage of this opportunity!

carbohydrates and lipids

Today was a lecture day.  We went over carbohydrates and lipids in some detail.  Email me if you need me to email the powerpoint to you.  Unfortunately I cannot post it to Blogspot.

No homework!  Remember that test corrections are due on Tuesday at 3:05.

Block Day Repeat

We basically repeated what was done in class yesterday, so please check yesterday's blog to find out more about homework or what you missed in class.  One important clarification: the Biochemistry Study Guide is a tool for you to use, and as such it will not be collected. 

See you tomorrow!

Mrs. Sutton

Day One of Personalized Medicine

Today was our first day of the new unit on Personalized Medicine (also referred to as Individualized Medicine or Pharmacogenomics).  We discussed in class the potential of being able to tailor treatments based on known genetic markers, as well as using technology to better design vaccines and understand the causes of disease.  In class we identified areas we would need to study to be able to understand how personalized medicine works.  These are the areas that were named:

1.  Biochemistry
2.  Cell Structure and Function
3.  The Cell Cycle and its controls
4.  Cell communication
5.  Genetics (DNA structure and function, as well as mutations)
6.  Heredity
7.  Biotechnology
8.  The Immune System

The first topic we will cover in this unit is Biochemistry.  We need to know that cells are made up of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids.  These molecules differ in their structure and function.  As we discuss the four types of biomolecules the information can get overwhelming, so for homework I asked students to fill in a Biomolecules Study Guide that will help organize the information. 

Homework: Use your review book or textbook to fill in as much information as you can about each of the biomolecules. 

	Composed of these elements	Properties	Building Blocks (monomers)	Examples	How to identify it
Carbohydrates	C,H,O	Polar, dissolves in water	Monosaccharides (ex. glucose)	Sugar, starch, cellulose
Lipids
Proteins
Nucleic Acids

Tonight's Homework Links and How to do Test Corrections!

Wow!  What a crazy busy day!  It is almost 4:00 and I am without students for the first time since 11:40. 
Homework is listed at the bottom of the blog if you  just want to get right to it.

Today we turned in the self-graded Free Response Questions.  We then went over the Ecology Test and started Test Corrections.  The requirements for getting credit for the corrections is:

You may earn up to ½ point for each missed question. 

Test Corrections are due at 3:05 ONE WEEK from the first day test corrections are available. Test corrections are done on your own time: during tutorial, A lunch or before school. 

Tests and Scantron forms are not allowed to leave the classroom.  Parts A and B (below) must be written down in the AP Bio classroom, but Part C may be completed at home.

A.      Record the number of the missed question and the exact wording of the question.

B.      Write the wording of the CORRECT answer (do NOT write the incorrect answer).

C.      Find a source for the information.  This can be in your textbook, review book, or a reliable on-line source.  Your friends will not be accepted as a source, nor will I.

a.       Provide a quote or excerpt from the source that has the necessary information

b.      Reference the source.  I must be able to find it myself.

All parts listed above must be included to receive any points back for your test corrections!

The homework tonight is to go to the links below and read the 4 articles, then answer the questions that follow.  Our next unit is on Personalized Medicine.

A Roller Coaster Chase for a Cure
1.  How do cells become cancerous?
2.  Why was the first trial of a drug that attacked B-RAF destined to fail?
3.  Why was PLX4032 better than the earlier version of a B-RAF drug?

After Long Fight, Drug Gives Sudden Reprieve
4.  Would you be willing to take part in a clinical trial of an new drug if you had advanced melanoma?  Why or why not?

A Drug Trial Cycle: Recovery, Relapse, Reinvention
5.  What was the main obstacle to PLX4032's success as a cure for melanoma?
6.  Explain the role of pharmaceutical companies in driving the direction of research on new drugs.
7.  Why are melanoma researchers pushing so hard for a "combination trial?"

New Drugs Stir Debate on Rules of Clinical Trials
8. Why did some of the doctors remain committed to the clinical trial protocol of keeping a control group and not giving the “wonder drug” to them?
9.  Why did some of the doctors balk at the clinical trial protocol and want to break this tradition?
10.  If you were the doctor what would you have done and why — work within the clinical trials as designed or give everyone the experimental drug?

Wrapping Up the Productivity Lab

In class today:
1.  Students asked clarification questions about the productivity lab prior to taking the Post-Lab Quiz
2.  Students then took the Post-Lab Quiz
3.  I collected Lab books.
4.  We used the rubric (on back of Lab Analysis question sheet) to grade sample student responses to the Free Response Question from last week.

HW: Score your own Free Response Question using the rubric.  Indicate where you have earned points and put the total out of 10 at the top of the first page.

Tomorrow we will be going over the Ecology Test.

Dissolved Oxygen Lab!

Today in class our main focus was on collecting the lab data.  We used self-filling ampoules to test the amount of dissolved oxygen in our samples after 24 or 48 hours.  One thing we discussed in class is that, although producers photosynthesize they also respire, thus removing some of the oxygen they produce.  This makes the oxygen reading we got today inaccurate.  In order to account for the oxygen removed during respiration I set up a bottle that was in the dark for 24 hours (dark = no photosynthesis, just respiration).  The amount that was removed through respiration could then be added on to the change that we saw in the light.  The formulas for these calculations are:

Net productivity = Light Bottle - Initial
Amount of Respiration = Initial - Dark Bottle
Gross Productivity = Light Bottle - Dark Bottle

Remember that Gross Production is the rate at which an ecosystem's producers capture and store a given amount of chemical energy as biomass in a given length of time.  Some part of this energy is used by producers during cellular respiration.  The amount that is remaining is called the Net Productivity.

You do not need to perform these calculations on your own data, but you must be able to apply them to data given to you on Monday's post-lab quiz.

Your Homework is to finish the lab write up according to the instructions I gave you today and to prepare for Monday's post-lab quiz.