NFHS ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY

BLOOD-- The River of Life!!

2010-04-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

What is in blood? What do our blood cells do? How much blood do we have? These are all questions we will attempt to answer in this Unit!! We've made some creative and colorful blood books that depict the formed elements in blood and we've even pricked our fingers to see what type of blood we have. I'm amazed we had no one faint in class that day!! Next up will be the heart and all of it's structures. We'll look at how it acts as a pump and where all this blood goes once it leaves the heart. We have sheep hearts to dissect and arteries and veins to look at in the microscope to help us learn a little bit more about our cardiovascular system.

Reproductive System

2010-03-23T11:12:00.000-07:00

My favorite unit to teach!!! It's amazing how attentive these students have finally become! We are finishing up the male reproductive structures and our pig testicle dissection. After we study the female structures we will look at the development of the fertilized egg into an embryo and fetus. Finally we will end with studying the stages of birth and watch a live birth and Cesarean section. My hope is that the students will come away from this unit with an appreciation of the complexity of their own bodies and the miraculous process of human develpment.

2010-03-02T10:07:00.000-08:00

"My what big eyes you have" said the big bad anatomy teacher!!! We have had fun this past month learning the structures of the eye and how they work. The students enjoyed dissecting a sheep eye and now they are particpating in a series of 10 lab stations that cover how the eyes help us see and how sometimes they can play tricks on us. The favorite lab station has been the inverted glasses. Many of the students have had problems just getting a drink of water or catching a ball!! After the eye we are on to the structures of the ear and hearing-- what's that you say????

Cranial Nerves and Brain Diseases!

2010-02-04T13:15:00.000-08:00

Oh Oh Oh To Touch And Feel Very Good Velvet AH!! The class did a great job memorizing all 12 cranial nerves, their functions, and whether they were sensory, motor, or both. The Hollywood Squares competition between the boys and girls + Tyrel turned into a cats game but I think everyone found it to be a good review! We are now on to our Brain Disease Powerpoints. We will be presenting these in front of the class starting next Wed. Feb. 10th. I am looking forward to seeing what the students can create! Remember I am grading you on a dazzling introduction as well as how you keep your fellow student's attention during your presentation.

2010-01-12T13:58:00.000-08:00

The end of the semester is coming up soon!! We are just finishing up Chapter 7 that deals with the nervous system. We've learned about the organization of the nervous system, neuron anatomy, and how messages are sent throughout the body. We've also looked at the structures in the brain and what their functions are. The sheep brain dissection was a success once we learned how to cut through that "tough mother"! The final exam will be next Wednesday January 20th. There will be approximately 90 questions on the scan tron and 11 or 12 questions on the essay section. It is a cumulative exam, meaning it will cover everything since the start of the class in August! Anatomy terms, directions, tissues, skin, membranes, bones, muscles, and the nervous system. Whew! We have learned alot!! The test counts as 10% of your final grade so spend some quality time reviewing for this test. Don't wait until the night before! I handed out a purple review sheet. Use that to help you study.

Nervous System!

2009-12-17T11:52:00.000-08:00

So far in this class we've looked at our skin (integumentary system), bones, and muscles. Now we need to look at what controls these systems and allows our body to communicate with it's different parts. We will first start off with the central nervous system and look at the different parts of the brain. We'll dissect some sheep brains and compare structures. Then we'll also test our reflexes and learn the different parts of a reflex arc. That should get us through to mid January and semester finals. The final exam in this class is a cummulative exam--- meaning everything we've learned since August is fair game for the test!!!

Muscles!

2009-11-30T14:47:00.000-08:00

We are now moving on to muscles: what are the different types of muscles; what are the functions of muscles; what are the names of different muscles; how do muscles contract? These are just some of the questions we will tackle in this unit. As usual, we will be having quizzes along the way to help you memorize the different skeletal muscles and their movements. By the end of this unit we should have a greater appreciation for all those sore muscles from weight training or basketball/wrestiling practice and even be able to name them!

Skeletal System Test Coming Up Soon!!

2009-11-11T10:07:00.000-08:00

Thursday November 19th will be the Skeletal System test!! You will need to review the following:
 Axial & Appendicular Skeleton
 Names of the bones & landmarks (label & coloring papers—anything labeled is fair game!)
 Function of bones
 Four groups of bones & examples (long, short, etc.)
 Long bone anatomy
 Microscopic anatomy
 Types of bone cells
 Types of fractures
 Types of Joints
Fibrous—know examples
Cartilaginous – know examples
Synovial – know examples

Use the website www.anatomyandphysiology.com to help you review. This is Chapter 5!!
Another good website is http://www.gwc.maricopa.edu/class/bio201/skeleton.htm

Remember there will be a review session Wednesday November 18th in the anatomy room from 6:00-7:30. You will be able to use all the models/skeletons to review and I will be there to answer any questions. Highly recommended and I will bribe you with some rice krispie cookies!!

Study Them Bones!!!

2009-10-28T14:10:00.000-07:00

206!! That's the number of bones in your body. We are going to learn the names of most of them as well as some of the bone landmarks. We will be having a quiz each day as we work on memorizing this information. Once we become "experts" we will dive into a forensic lab. From a set of bones we will identify whether the "victim" was male or female as well as the race, age, and height. Finally we will study the physiology of bones and take a look at the microscopic stucture of bone cells. Get ready for some bone chilling fun in this chapter!!!

Finishing up the Integumentary System!!

2009-10-19T07:31:00.000-07:00

There is a test coming up on Wednesday Oct. 21st! It will cover all the topics we have studied since Chapter 1. That includes: The different types of microscopes, Tissues, Membranes, and Skin. Use your notes, study guides, lab papers, and textbook to help you review. Go to www.anatomyandphysiology.com for review activities and practice quizzes. There is a link to this website below!! We've had some fun activities that dealt with skin including fingerprinting!! Next chapter is the skeleton system!!

Great Job on Chapter 1 Test

2009-09-16T08:08:00.000-07:00

Wow-- I'm impressed. Seventeen out of twenty one students received an A on the Chapter 1 test. GOOD JOB! Remember anyone who receives an A gets to draw a coupon out of my blue box. The coupons are good for candy bars, free homework passes, excused tardies, and extra credit!! We will now be studying microscopes, tissues, membranes, and the integumentary system. There will be lots of fun labs coming up that will help us learn about our skin. I'll even throw in some forensic labs when we talk about fingerprints and the different methods to collect fingerprints!!

Chapter 1 Test Coming Up Soon!!

2009-09-09T08:09:00.002-07:00

There will be a Chapter 1 test this Friday September 11th. Look over your notes, study guides, and lab papers for this chapter. Reread Chapter 1 and use the online textbook for review questions and activities. There is a link on this blog or go to www.anatomyandphysiology.com Choose your textbook and go to Chapter 1.
You need to know the following for the test:
* Definitions of anatomy & physiology
* Levels of organization from atoms to organism
* Names of the 11 organ systems
* What homeostasis is
* Describe the anatomical position
* Body Landmarks -- remember the sticky note game??
* Directional terms such as superior, inferior, etc...
* Three body planes
* Body cavities and subdivisions
* Nine abdominopelvic regions

Bring a #2 pencil for the test. There are 29 scan tron questions, 2 essay questions and one extra credit question. GOOD LUCK!!!

Chapter 1 Test Coming Up Soon!!

2009-09-09T08:09:00.001-07:00

We're Off & Running!!

2009-08-27T18:08:00.000-07:00

We've made it through the first week of school and everyone is doing great with their vocabulary quizzes. Remember give anatomy 10-20 minutes of studying/reviewing every night 6 days a week. This will help immensely when it comes to the chapter tests. There is too much to learn and you can't leave it to the night before the test!! Next week is homecoming week and we will be starting our rat dissection-- yikes new students with scapels in their hands. Heaven help me!

2009-08-10T09:02:00.001-07:00

Remember the Class rules and be NICE!!

Welcome To The First Week of School!!

2009-08-10T08:21:00.000-07:00

School Year 2009-2010

I'm excited to get this first blog started for my Anatomy & Physiology class. We are getting ready for the first week of school and there are currently 17 students enrolled in this class. This is a college prep class that studies the structures of the human body and how they function. Class will consist of lecture (a necessary evil!!), lots of hands on activites & LABS, and study guides with reading assignments. A cumulative final exam will be given at the end of each semester worth 10% of the final grade.
For this class students will need:

textbook with an appropriate cover-- I will provide the book and materials to cover the book the first day of class. Students will be expected to bring this book to class everyday.
Three ring binder-- I recommend a 1.5-2 inch binder
College ruled paper for taking notes
Pen or Pencil to write with
Colored Pencils-- at least 12 different colors (the more the better!)
3x5 index cards -- optional but these are handy for making review flashcards.

I will try to keep this blog updated every week or so with current assignments and pictures. Please keep coming back for new information!!