Thursday 11/29/12

 EQ: "What is a cell membrane composed of and why is it important to our cell?"

VOCAB: (20) concentration gradient

 HOMEWORK:
- Define Vocab Terms (1-20 )
- 7.4 section of packet due on Monday (12/3)

 CLASS RECAP: Today students started class by going over the CRAZY schedule for next week.  If you need another copy of the schedule, please follow this link to access the student schedule on the HUB.

LINK TO STUDENT SCHEDULE FOR NEXT WEEK 

Students then discussed a situation involving a ficus tree and discussed how pruning a tree would disrupt homeostasis.  Students talked in groups and discussed how pruning affects the tree and the branches that have been removed. 

Ficus tree before pruning

Ficus tree after pruning

Students learned about how diffusion of molecules occurs between cells.  Water, nutrients and ions can diffuse between cells through the cell membrane.  Students smelled an example of molecular diffusion when I sprayed raspberry creme spray in the classroom and it diffused throughout the classroom.  Students also watched the model of a cell as the molecules diffused across a concentration gradient from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.

Students then learned what the membrane looks like.  We labeled a picture of the cell membrane and learned how the phospholipids are aligned.