Category Archives: Grade 11

Animal Investigation Labs: Self Assessment

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Curricular Response

Describe how your work with dissections improved your understanding of different animal body systems and evolution in general.

By observing an animal hands on, I’m able to distinguish and recognize variety of organs from each other. In this hands on environment, it help me learn the internal/external structures of the animal and how it relates to their function. A totally different experience then learning from a screen or paper by using my other 4 senses other than sight. We dissected a variety of animals and compared them from each other. We compared them by how they feed, reproduce, cellular, respire, and functionality from observing their internal/external structures. Allowing us to further understand them using knowledge from notes and hands on experience. From this, we analyze the knowledge how they come to be. From factors such as environment, predators, and prey resulting for their evolution in present day.

Core Competency Self Assessment

It is important to celebrate our accomplishments. Which dissection lab are you the proudest of and why?

I was most proud of the squid dissection. Reason being, the dissection went swiftly without grossing or icking out. It was enjoyable learning about the squid’s internal organs hands on. At the end of the lab, we even got to eat calamari made out of the squid we dissect.

What challenges did you face during these investigations? Discuss challenges that were physical, intellectual, and emotional.

One challenge I faced was trying to handle and identify the squid. Taking out the identified part took extra care as it was delicate and could easily break. Taking out the lenses from the eyes was also a hassle. The lenses were miniscule and fragile that would get easily lost in the eye’s black fluid.

What strategies did you use to overcome those challenges? Describe in detail.

To overcome the discussed physical challenges, I took my time and handle fragile organs delicately. That means sometimes resorting to use my hands instead of using the assigned tool, in order to increase precision when handling. To retrieve the lost lenses from the black fluid, I would use napkins to suck up the fluid and clearly identified the organ.

Core Competency Self-Assessment

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Thinking

I used thinking core competency in my virus project by brainstorming ideas to format the pamphlet. To answer questions like “What information to research”, “How deep should i research the topic, etc.. With questions i couldn’t solve myself, i resorted to acquiring information from those around me or by surfing the vast web. To find important information I used a wide range of sources and isolate the required information needed. However, i still came across some issues. To prevent this, i would need to plan ahead and take the necessary precautions.

Natural Selection Critical Thinking Self-Assessment

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I demonstrated that I can collect and analyze evidence when I picked up the prey (red and black licorice) with my talon (hand) and deposit it to my nest (desk) In an activity called “Natural Selection Lab”. I then record the results after the procedure and then repeat and compare evidence with the other environments (paper). Or in another activity called “Feeding Frenzy”, I compare and contrast every utensils ability to survive various environments. I use the data to answer question such as “Which organism would be best suited for a particular environment with their given traits and evidence” and more.

I demonstrated that I can connect evidence I collected to big ideas when I explain of what parts of the activity connect to evolution theories In class . The prey having genetic variation, eg: colour and size. Or Natural selection, eg: Red licorices camouflaged into red environment. For the “Feeding Frenzy” lab, I acknowledge that variation among the group was the determining factor to survival. Spoons were advantageous among all environments while broken forks were disadvantageous in almost all environments. This relates to the idea of natural selection. Organism with advantageous traits will survive and pass on these genes while those disadvantageous will not. The lab also showed me the idea of adaption. Even though those with disadvantageous traits struggled, they found other ways to make up for it. For example, people were using the sides of the utensils to capture prey or even stab other competitors to reduce and hinder the competition.

I demonstrated that I can make predictions based on evidence when advantageous organism such as spoons were able to survive most environments and how the make up of the population would be over successive generations would be in certain environments based off the traits. By using examples proven during the activity when an disadvantageous trait organism is in a unsuitable environment compared to the opposite, which helped me predict its results in the future environment during the lab.

I demonstrated that I can draw reasoned conclusions when I look into the significant of the labs. The labs “Feeding Frenzy” and “Natural Selection” help me understand variation among organism and how it will determine life or death depending on the environment. “Feeding Frenzy” taught me adaption and struggle for survival. How advantageous organism like spoon were victorious among all environments and disadvantageous organism had to adapt or migrate to the upcoming environment. Both labs helped me understand Darwin’s ideas such as adaption, speciation, natural selection, and struggle of survival.