First Week

9/15/08 (Day 1)
My day started bright and early at 7:20 am for first and second period biology. There was a quiz today on classroom policies; most of the students were not prepared. Then a review of the hydrologic cycle, river flow paths, hurricanes, and floodplains. The students have been learning about the scientific method, and last week went out to the nature area to make observations. Several of the students in first period were tired, while the students in second period had more energy. Some students are already showing patterns of excessive absenses and/or tardies.

9/17/08 (Day 2)
The students are learning the scientific method, and today they started "testing a hypothesis" or doing experiments. This was a simple lab; measure the mass of a rubber stopper, paper clip, air inside a balloon, 40 ml of liquid A, and 40 ml of liquid B using a triple beam balance and graduated cylinder. Some of the students progressed through the lab quickly while others struggled with the balance. A few of the students, in both classes, were bored with the lab and wanted to do cool experiments (e.g., dissections). None of the groups finished all of the measurements.

9/19/08 (Day 3)
The students went to the nature area to collect soil samples to measure the moisture content of the soil. Some of the students didn't want to participate; they let their lab partner(s) do all the work. Some of the students in second period weren't paying attention to the instructions; their was lots of side conversations. One of the students was upset because his lab partners didn't help him take measurements outside or collect the soil sample.

General Impressions
Most of the students are in ninth grade, so they're making the transition from middle school to high school. This biology class is a project/lab based course; however, some of the students haven't taken an interst in the labs yet. They say they are bored, and they complain about having to make measurements (mass and volume) or get their hands dirty. They don't see the point of these beginning labs, and they don't want to take the time to learn basic lab skills. They'll soon learn that these beginning labs are leading to their class projects, which will hopefully spark their interest in the labs that they're doing.