[Homeostasis] Links for Extra Reading ** =)

My Dear Students,


As we now look into another new topic (Homeostasis), here are some links you may want to look at, to help stir your interest and guide your curiousity. =)


Links Part 1: A little history of Homeostasis and "Skin Science"
Here are some links you may want to look into about how we obtained our current scientific knowledge with regards to Homeostasis and our Skin in particular.

SUMMUM INGENIUM / INTEGERRIMAM VITAM / FORTEM STRENUAMQUE MENTEM / AUDACEM SALUTARIS ARTIS AMOREM

1) Marcello Malpighi: an important kidney as well as skin (and many parts of our body) scientist
2) More on Marcello Malpighi from the Catholic Encyclopedia
3) Still more on Marcello Malpighi from the Encyclopaedia Britannica


*The rest is still under construction... Sorry for any inconvenience caused*

[Excretion] Video Links! To help when you learn

The Urinary System: The Nephron




The Kidney and Nephron by the Khan Academy





The Function of the Nephron



Once upon a time: Life (The Kidneys) - A very funny cartoon series Part 1



Once upon a time: Life (The Kidneys) - A very funny cartoon series Part 2





Once upon a time: Life (The Kidneys) - A very funny cartoon series Part 3

[Excretion] Links for Extra Reading ** =)

My Dear Students,


As we begin anew to look into another new topic, here are some links you may want to look at, to help stir your interest and guide your curiousity. =)


Links Part 1: History of Kidney Science
Here are some links you may want to look into about how we obtained our current scientific knowledge with regards to Excretion and Kidneys in particular. 


1) Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle: a very important Kidney scientist
2) The Loop of Henle: A turning point in the history of kidney physiology
3) The Kidney Through the Ages 
4) Dialysis in the Kidneys 


For points 2 and 3, I will upload the pdf files for you to read onto AsknLearn.


Links Part 2: Knowledge of Kidney Science


*Listed not in order of anything...
1) How do your kidneys work? (How Stuff Works Website)
2) WebMD's Kidney Page
3) US Department of Health and Human Services (Kidney Page) - This link answers questions related to these topics:

What do the kidneys do?

What is renal function?

Why do kidneys fail?

How do kidneys fail?

What are the signs of chronic kidney disease (CKD)?

What medical tests detect kidney disease?

What are the stages of CKD?

What can be done about CKD?

What happens if the kidneys fail completely?

4) Kidneys on (KidsHealth.org)
5) Kidney Patient Guide (Kidney Patient Guide.org.uk)
6) National Kidney Foundation Singapore (NKF Website)
7) Dialysis Information (virtualmedicalcentre.com)
8) Kidney Dialysis (Ivy Rose Hollistic) - They have a good diagram for you to use


***Disclaimer:
Some of the information found on this site might not be in accordance to our Syllabus ... nevertheless, one should always read deeper into the things we study ... =)

[Respiration] Extra* Reading on Smoking

*Disclaimer:
Some of the information found on this site might not be in accordance to our Syllabus ... nevertheless, one should always read deeper into the things we study ... =)


Smoking and its effect on health


(Link to BBC's page on Smoking & Health) 

Revision! for End-Of-Year Examinations

My dear students,


The time for revision has begun! 


I have put up several quizzes for topics that will be tested in the End-of-Year examinations on AsknLearn, to help you in your revision. Try them, and please clarify any doubts with me before your examination.


How do you access these quizzes? =)


A: Login to AsknLearn > Click on Workspace > Click on Quiz > Click on the particular Quiz Chapter you want to revise (you can only access the topics that are tested for EOY)


Our Biology Paper will be held on 13th October 2011, Thursday, from 11am to 1pm. 


Topics tested for the EOY Exam:

• Cells (Cellular Organization & Structure)
• Movement of Substances (Diffusion, Osmosis & Active Transport
• Biological Molecules (Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats & Properties of water)
• Enzymes
• Digestion in Humans
• Transport in Humans
• Nutrition in Plants
• Transport in Plants
• Respiration

After the EOYs, we will continue on with the following topics, until the end of the year:

• Excretion
• Homeostasis
• The Nervous System
• The Human Eye
• Hormones

Also, we will have several practicals planned out for you. The detailed schedule will be printed out for you and given to you at the end of your EOYs. =)

See how exciting Biology is? :D Have a good revision, rest well, have enough sleep and most importantly, NEVER GIVE UP! Persevere and you will reap the fruits of your hard-work.

Yours,

Mrs Lehming

[The Cardiac Cycle]: New Video Links!

How does your heart work?






How does blood flow in your heart?








The Cardiac Cycle: What is it? - Explained







Myocardial Infarction (MI) or Heart Attack: How does it happen?

The link between the lymphatic system and the circulatory system

To make it simple for you, here is a picture that shows you the link between the lymphatic system and the circulatory system:

The Heart & The Cardiac Cycle

The heart is a pump

The Circulatory System comprises of 3 main parts:
1) Medium: Blood
2) Pump: Heart
3) Tubes: Blood Vessels


We have already learnt about blood (medium) and its various components (there are 4 if you remember) and we have learnt about blood vessels (tubes) and why each of the 3 different blood vessels: arteries, veins and capillaries have different structures so that they can serve different functions. (*Remember this link between Structure & Function)


Now, let us focus on the ***HEART***.


We have learnt about the structure of the heart: the 4 chambers, which blood vessel goes into the heart at which specific location of the heart, the direction of blood flow in the heart, the septum: and why do we need the septum, the valves located in the heart and vessels leaving the heart (you have learnt about 4 valves in total: can you name them and place them at their exact positions in the heart?), what is the function of these valves, how to distinguish between the right side of the heart and the left side and the reason as to why it is so, you have seen the coronary arteries that bring oxygen and food to the heart  ...


Remember that Biology is a very logical science. There is a reason for everything under the sun, that one of the main principles underlying Biology is the link between STRUCTURE and FUNCTION. And after all our lessons so far, I hope that I have been able to show you that, that for *everything, there is a reason why it is structured as such. (*in Biology, there are always exceptions... thus, for almost everything!) So, always try to see this link when you learn. 


In our next lesson, we will study, in greater detail, the Cardiac Cycle. I will introduce you to the various diagrams that people draw to interpret the Cardiac Cycle and I will explain to you in greater detail how exactly our heart contracts and relaxes to pump blood around our body, very efficiently, from when we were in our mother's womb as a foetus, till the last day of our lives. Our heart, never stops pumping. 


That is why learning about the heart and how it works is no doubt interesting AND important. 

The Circulatory System Song

What is the circulatory system?




How does your heart pump? 

[Oxygen Transport]: New Video Link

How is Oxygen transported in your body?




You need to know about Oxygen Transport at these specific areas:
(1) Lungs
(2) Tissues


For these, you need to have learnt about:
(1) Haemoglobin & it's different forms: Oxyhaemoglobin, (normal) haemoglobin and (extra) Carboxyhaemoglobin
(2) Oxygen Dissociation Curve


Questions to ask yourself:
(1) What is partial pressure?
(2) Why is haemoglobin particularly suited to transport oxygen? Why not just use plasma to transport oxygen?
(3) Importance of the Oxygen Dissociation Curve

Love Biology! :D It's FUN!

Thank You for the Cards, Gifts & Well-Wishes!

 My dear classes,


I post this to thank all of you for the cards/letters of thanks and appreciation, your Teachers' Day gifts and well-wishes. All of you have touched my hearts and I am really grateful to be teaching you. I have learnt a lot from ALL of you and I hope that you have been learning, from me too.


Thank you for the encouragement and for the support. Please continue to work hard and persevere - as these are the keys to what you will build for yourself in future, as knowledge and passion are things that no one will ever take away from you. Love your subjects, so that you are always curious, always willing to dig deeper, to understand the fundamental concepts before delving into the more difficult aspects of the subject. 


Plan your time carefully too, and don't waste too much time on playing too many computer/iPhone/iPad games. They are fun, sometimes enriching and even though all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, all play and no work makes Jack a silly boy ... So please manage your time carefully, and remember again that although Biology is fun and of course interesting, you need to sit down and remember many things and concepts.


Yours in learning,
Mrs Lehming  :D

[Blood Groups!] Video Links - Transport in Man

From Part 1 Extra (Blood Groups) of your slides: Transport in Humans, here are some video links to help enhance your understanding of the different blood groups in the human ABO blood group system.


Blood Groups Introduction with Blood Grouping Experiment









What is an Eldoncard? - An example of how a Blood Group Test is done











Blood Groups and Blood Compatibility










Questions to ask yourself:

How many types of Blood Groups are present in the ABO blood grouping system?
Who postulated this theory? 

• Click on this link to find out more about the person who 1st classified blood into different blood groups: Nobel Laureate: Karl Landsteiner (He won the Nobel Prize in 1930)  

What is an Antigen?
What is an Antibody?
What antigen/s and antibody/ies is/are present in each of the blood groups?
What can you do if you want to find out what blood type are you? And How would you do it?

[Components of Blood]: New website links

My dear Biology Groups,


I've found some links which you can click on if you want to read more about the various components of blood.


http://www.fi.edu/learn/heart/blood/blood.html


More on Blood Types:


http://www.biology.arizona.edu/human_bio/problem_sets/blood_types/Intro.html


Happy learning!


Mrs Lehming

Announcements: Update 22/8/2011

Use your time wisely! Don't waste it!

Biology Supplementary Lessons [For ALL my students]


Biology Group 1: Thursday 3-4pm or Friday 1-2pm
Biology Group 2: Tuesday 3-4pm or Friday 1-2pm or 2-3pm


SEPTEMBER HOLIDAYS: Biology Supplementary Lesson [For ALL my students]


Biology Group 1/2: Thursday, 8th of September 2011 (8/9/2011), 10am-12pm (I will stay till 1pm)


Consultation during September Holidays 


Tuesday (6/9/2011): 9am - 1pm,
[I cannot come on Wednesday as I am on course that day]
Call me out of the Staff Room or if I do not answer you, find me at the Study Corner.
Thursday (8/9/2011) till 1pm, 
Friday (9/9/2011) 8:30am-10am


Of course, I am also available at my usual channels: moe email, facebook ...

[Components of Blood} What we have just learnt! Chapter 8: Transport in Plants

From Part 1 of your slides: Transport in Humans, here is the video link to:


Components of Blood:




Questions to ask yourself:


What are the components of blood?
Can you list some of their functions?
How much blood is there in your body? (depending on whether you are male or female, young or old)
What are some blood vessels that we have learnt in class today?
How would you define an artery and a vein?


Here's another video to help you remember what I talked about in class today:


This video gives you a clear and concise idea of the various components of blood, especially, it gives you an example of a real live centrifuge, and what the test-tube of blood looks like after being centrifuged. However, for us, it provides us with lots of details (when they talk about the functions of the different components of blood) that are not really required in our syllabus but of course, it is always great if you love Biology and want to learn more. :)

A Compilation: Chapter 9, Transport in Plants Video-Clips

My dear Classes :)

Please check AsknLearn for the word doc: VideolinksChapter9! Some of the videos are up here, for your viewing pleasure.

Properties of Water:

What is (i) adhesion, (ii) cohesion? 
How does (i) adhesion and (ii) cohesion help in Capillary Action?

An Introduction: Transpiration:

Transpiration + Factors that Affect Transpiration:

Transpiration with Experiments:

PS: You only need to learn about stomatal transpiration, not lenticular or cuticular transpiration :)

This link provides you with a comprehensive animation with regards to transpiration. Please click here.

Yours in learning,

Mrs Lehming