Monday, May 18, 2009

Weekly Schedule May 18 – May 22

1st Year Science

Monday:
Assignment Due: There’s No place Like Earth
Topic: Spin Around the Solar System: Moon Dance
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz
Tuesday:
Assignment Due: Moon Dance
Topic: Spin Around the Solar System: Moon Dance
Assignment: Worksheet
Wednesday:
Assignment Due: Moon Dance
Topic: Spin around the Solar System: The Gas Giants
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz
Thursday:
Assignment Due: The Gas Giants
Topic: Spin around the Solar System: The Gas Giants
Assignment: Worksheet


2nd Year Science

Monday:
Assignment Due: Investigating Earth’s Waters
Topic: Earth Science: Land & Water
Assignment: Worksheet
Tuesday:
Assignment Due: Land & Water
Topic: Earth Science: Land & Water
Assignment: Worksheet
Wednesday:
Assignment Due: Land & Water
Topic: Global Warming?
Assignment: Gather information about Global Warming.
Thursday:
Assignment Due: Information
Topic: Global Warming?
Assignment: Debate


Health

Friday:
Assignment Due: None
Topic: Internet Safety/Cyberbullying
Assignment: Discuss

Monday, May 11, 2009

Weekly Schedule May 11 – May 14

1st Year Science

Monday:

Assignment Due: The Sun

Topic: Our Rocky Neighbors: The Inner Planets

Assignment: Worksheet 1 & Quiz

Tuesday:

Assignment Due: Our Rocky Neighbors: The Inner Planets 1

Topic: Our Rocky Neighbors: The Inner Planets

Assignment: Worksheets 2 & 3

Wednesday:

Assignment Due: Our Rocky Neighbors: The Inner Planets 2 & 3

Topic: There’s No Place like Earth

Assignment: Worksheet 1 & Quiz

Thursday:

Assignment Due: There’s No Place like Earth 1

Topic: There’s No Place like Earth

Assignment: Worksheet 2 & 3

 

2nd Year Science

Monday:

Assignment Due: Generating Electricity Worksheet

Topic: Our Restless Atmosphere

Assignment: Worksheet 1 & 2 and Quiz

Tuesday:

Assignment Due: Our Restless Atmosphere 1 & 2

Topic: Our Restless Atmosphere

Assignment: Worksheet 3 and Discussion Questions

Wednesday:

Assignment Due: Our Restless Atmosphere 3 & DQ

Topic: Earth Science: Investigating Earth’s Water

Assignment: Brochure & Quiz

Thursday:

Assignment Due: Earth Science: Investigating Earth’s Water Brochure

Topic: Lake Havasu Brochure

Assignment: Brochure

Monday, May 4, 2009

Weekly Schedule May 4 – May 7

1st Year Science

Monday:
Assignment Due: Exploring Gravity Worksheet, Egg Drop
Topic: Perform Egg Drop Experiment
Assignment: None
Tuesday:
Assignment Due: None
Topic: Reasons for the Seasons
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz
Wednesday:
Assignment Due: Reasons for the Seasons Worksheet
Topic: How the Solar System Works
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz
Thursday:
Assignment Due: How the Solar System Works Worksheet
Topic: The Sun: Our Star Attraction
Assignment: Worksheet

2nd Year Science

Monday:
Assignment Due: Organ Systems Worksheet
Topic: Basics of Physics: Exploring Energy
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz
Tuesday:
Assignment Due: Exploring Energy Worksheet
Topic: Basics of Physics: Exploring Heat
Assignment: Worksheet
Wednesday:
Assignment Due: Exploring Heat Worksheet
Topic: Electricity and Magnetism: Generating Electricity
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz
Thursday:
Assignment Due: Generating Electricity Worksheet
Topic: Alternative Energy Sources
Assignment: Present Information on Alternative Energy Sources

Health –
Friday:
Topic: The Flu

Saturday, May 2, 2009

How Influenza Viruses Change: Drift and Shift

Influenza viruses are dynamic and are continuously evolving. Influenza viruses can change in two different ways: antigenic drift and antigenic shift. Influenza viruses are changing by antigenic drift all the time, but antigenic shift happens only occasionally. Influenza type A viruses undergo both kinds of changes; influenza type B viruses change only by the more gradual process of antigenic drift.

Antigenic drift refers to small, gradual changes that occur through point mutations in the two genes that contain the genetic material to produce the main surface proteins, hemagglutinin, and neuraminidase. These point mutations occur unpredictably and result in minor changes to these surface proteins. Antigenic drift produces new virus strains that may not be recognized by antibodies to earlier influenza strains. This process works as follows: a person infected with a particular influenza virus strain develops antibody against that strain. As newer virus strains appear, the antibodies against the older strains might not recognize the "newer" virus, and infection with a new strain can occur. This is one of the main reasons why people can become infected with influenza viruses more than one time and why global surveillance is critical in order to monitor the evolution of human influenza virus stains for selection of which strains should be included in the annual production of influenza vaccine. In most years, one or two of the three virus strains in the influenza vaccine are updated to keep up with the changes in the circulating influenza viruses. For this reason, people who want to be immunized against influenza need to be vaccinated every year.


Antigenic shift refers to an abrupt, major change to produce a novel influenza A virus subtype in humans that was not currently circulating among people. Antigenic shift can occur either through direct animal (poultry)-to-human transmission or through mixing of human influenza A and animal influenza A virus genes to create a new human influenza A subtype virus through a process called genetic reassortment. Antigenic shift results in a new human influenza A subtype. A global influenza pandemic (worldwide spread) may occur if three conditions are met:

  • A new subtype of influenza A virus is introduced into the human population.
  • The virus causes serious illness in humans.
  • The virus can spread easily from person to person in a sustained manner.


http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/gen-info/flu-viruses.htm#viruschange