KABT BioBlog

Here’s something that folks that teach Natural History classes may be interested in:  iNaturalist This is an intriguing application that merges Flickr,  Google Maps and a database to record observations of organisms from around the world.  Bora at A Blog Around the Clock has a good description of the project.  The project is just starting with only 1000 observations.  It would seem to me that students in DeSoto (and other schools) or students in virtual schools could be putting a ton of Kansas data in a hurry with the right kind of incentive.

BW

Several years ago Chip Taylor asked me to go along with him as he was exploring Baker Wetlands brainstorming potential ideas/questions that his introduction to research class could investigate. It was there that I first became aware that many of our local plants had extrafloral nectaries. Before, I thought EFN’s were primarily a tropical phenomenon. EFN’s are a great starting point for original student research. There’s a cost to the plant to produce nectar so what is the benefit? It’s probably not to attract pollinators since the nectar is not produced in the flower. Of course this is where evolutionary theory helps to structure your questions. Chip considered developing a fall research project focused on the partridge pea’s extrafloral nectaries and the ants they attract. However, he decided to pursue other questions but I’ve never been able to drop the idea that partridge pea could be a great plant to generate student research questions that can be answered by motivated high school students.

Now, this is not a project to be taken lightly, but it is one that could be pursued over a couple of years or one that you, as a biology teacher could set up on campus in a garden. Here’s the link to a recent paper on the plant/ant mutualism relationship that may give you some ideas of methods you could use if you too find this plant fascinating: Rutter and Rausher (2004) So take a new biology challenge and see if you can’t find some way to incorporate the findings and methods described in this paper into your class.

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From Science Daily–a new wiki–3-D encyclopedia of molecular structures based on J-Mol:  http://www.proteopedia.org/ You’ll find a very rich resource, here.  Consider contributing yourself–that’s what wiki’s are all about.  The wiki features educational applications from teaching resources to student projects.  David Goodsel is now using the site to complement and extend his “Molecule of the Month” series–that’s a good enough reference for me….

This month’s molecule:

Screen shot of this month

Let me know what you think

BW

Showy Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata)

Scott Sharp was correct–good powers of observation. Now the 2nd question remains–What is the structure that commands the ant’s attention? Hint: Try googling EFN and Partridge Pea

Here’s the promised close up:

BW

David Warlick at My 2cents suggested a nifty little application that creates a word cloud of your blog–Wordle.  Here’s the result for the KABT BioBlog:

Word Cloud from KABT BioBlog

Recently, I came across a great resource for biology teachers and naturalists that teach some aspect of entomology: BugGuide. This site represents some of the best of the collaborative nature of the Web. The site is a rich resource. If you can’t find your information–just post an image or leave a question–someone will probably get back to you. For instance I found that the galls on sumac that I had found were caused by aphids. The site had images and a number of resources about the sumac galls.

Today, Nuthatch, who blogs at Bootstrap Analysis about such things described her efforts to survey her yard for various insects. She posted the following image at BugGuide:

She found out that her wasp is an undescribed species. You can read her account here.

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There are a lot of cool things happening outside, right now as we transition from late summer into fall. This challenge is an attempt to get a discussion started. Notice the ant in the lower part of this close-up photo I took this morning at the Prairie Center in west Olathe.

Here’s the challenge:
1. Can you name the plant? (I know it’s tough without the flowers but not impossible.)
and
2. Can you name the structure that seems to be the center of the ant’s attention?

With the help of Brad Williamson, I am happy to announce that we now have a “Curriculum Corner” on the KABT website. My goal with the Curriculum Corner is to be a place for you as a biology teacher to have access to free and customizable curricula. My hope is that the Curriculum Corner will meet your needs whether you’d just like an idea for a single lesson on a given topic, or you’re in need of an entire curriculum. The great thing about having these curricula on the KABT BioBlog site is that each document allows for teacher feedback. Since these curricula are entirely electronic, the documents can evolve as better ideas come from you using the documents and providing thoughtful feedback. With the help, input, and better ideas of the KABT community, my hope is that the Curriculum Corner will evolve into a resource that will be of great utility to teachers in Kansas and beyond. I would also like to see the Curriculum Corner expand with the addition of Anatomy & Physiology, Zoology, Environmental Science, Genetics, Botany, etc. The usefulness of this resource will grow with contributions and feedback from teachers like you.

I have uploaded documents for the three classes I currently teach at De Soto High School: General Biology, Kansas Natural History, and AP Biology. To help see if any of these curricula can be of use to you, I’ll describe a bit about each class below. [Read more →]

Congratulations to Kim Houtz, Kansas 2008 recipient of the National Association of Biology Teachers’ Outstanding Biology Teacher Award (OBTA).

Kim has been teaching at Marysville High School since 1999. Since that time she has taught a variety of biology classes, including Human Anatomy and Human Physiology and has introduced a new class entitled “Forensic Science”. Her education background includes a B.S. in biology, a B.S. in secondary science education and an M.Ed from Kansas State University in education administration. Kim continues to strengthen her knowledge of biology and science teaching through involvement in state and national conventions, summer institutes (for example, “Strengthening Science Instruction Using Forensic Science”), workshops (as “RNA and Origins of Life”) and involvement in programs as Kansas State Curriculum Leaders. [Read more →]