Help fund my Donors Choose Project ! Only $98 to go!

UPDATE #2: MY PROJECT IS FULLY FUNDED! MANY THANKS TO MY DONORS AND ALMOST HOME/AMERICAN EXPRESS. I CAN'T WAIT TO USE THE LIFE SIZED MODEL IN CLASS:)

UPDATE #1: ONLY $78 TO GO (THANKS TO MY FIRST OFFICIAL DONOR)!

Please help fund my project, Unsolved Mysteries of the Human Body Systems, on DonorsChoose.org. I am requesting funding for a life sized model of the human torso. This is a hands on tool that will make learning about the human body much more interesting and exciting.

My project is eligible for funding by Almost Home and American Express. This means that $370.91 will be funded by partners of Donors Choose. The remaining $98 must be contributed by citizen philanthropists (that's you, your family, your neighbors, etc). Students - please tell your parents. Parents - please tell your friends and family. Every dollar counts!

If my project does not reach funding ($98) by the time the Almost Home grant runs out or expires, the cost of the project will revert back to its original price ($468.91). This offer is only available for a limited time, so act now if you are interested in making a donation.

Remember, only $98 to go!

Fingers crossed. Wish me luck:)

Thank you on behalf of my students and myself.

Osmosis in Red Onion Cells

Osmosis in Red Onion Cells from Leslie S on Vimeo.

Watch the 20s video clip of osmosis occurring in red onion cells. Look familiar? What solutions were added to the wet mount? In what order?

CellCraft: Exploring the Cell Through Gaming

CellCraft is a realistic cellular simulation that challenges players to learn about and manipulate a cell and its various components in order to survive. Have fun!

Special thanks to Andrew Glasser:)

Winter Break Assignment

Click here to view and print the winter break assignment.


Click on the links below to complete pages 1A and 2A:
Blood that Amazing Tissue

Cardiovascular Diseases

Plasma

Platelets

Red Blood Cells

White Blood Cells

Circulatory System

Circulatory System and Gas Exchange from Leslie S on Vimeo.

Click here to view a helpful website about circulation.

Click here to read about the blood that fills our arteries, veins, and capillaries. Click on the topics on the right to learn more about each type of blood cell.

Finally, click here to learn about disorders of the circulatory system.

Respiratory System Q & A

1)Why do we breathe?
Your body produces energy through a chemical reaction that requires oxygen. This energy allows us to move around, and also keeps our hearts beating, our digestive systems moving, and our organs functioning! Humans can’t store oxygen in our bodies, so we need to get it from the environment. The easiest way to do this is to breathe in oxygen from the atmosphere!

First, air travels through the nose or mouth when you breathe in. It then moves down the trachea to your lungs, where it fills tiny sacs called alveoli. These are surrounded by tiny blood vessels called capillaries. Oxygen from the air seeps through the alveoli and into the capillaries. Red blood cells inside the capillaries transport the oxygen throughout your body, delivering it to all the cells that need it. A separate set of capillaries surrounding the alveoli pass carbon dioxide (a poisonous waste gas created by your cells) from your blood to the alveoli. The carbon dioxide is then expelled from your body when you breathe out.

2) How can oxygen pass from the alveoli to the capillaries?
Oxygen moves through the body by diffusion. That’s a form of passive transport, which means that oxygen flows through the membranes of cells without any energy being expended. Diffusion occurs is when molecules move from areas of high concentration, where there are lots of them, to areas of low concentration, where there are fewer. Because there is more oxygen outside the alveoli and capillaries than inside them, oxygen passes into them by diffusion. Once oxygen enters the capillaries, it is transported through the body by blood vessels.

3)How does pollution affect our lungs?
Pollution is the contamination of the environment as a result of human activities. Air pollution is largely caused by the burning of wastes and fuels. Air pollution can contribute to health conditions like asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, lung disease, heart disease, and respiratory allergies. Another thing that can trigger breathing problems is smoke from cigarettes. Smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke can cause or contribute to the development of lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, bronchitis, and asthma.

4)Why does your breathing rate increase during and after exercise?
When you exercise, your arms and legs and the rest of your body needs more oxygen to function. Your heart beats more quickly to send oxygen to the rest of your body. Your heart, in turn, requires more oxygen from your lungs, and so you begin to breathe more quickly. When you stop exercising, your breathing rate returns to normal, but it can remain high for a time after you stop.

Respiratory System Video

Respiratory System Video from Leslie S on Vimeo.

Click here to view a second video about gas exchange from Discovery Health.

How does gas exchange occur?
Why does our body need oxygen?
Why does our body produce carbon dioxide?

One more digestive system video

Click here to watch a short video about the digestive system. This video is super cute!

Also, watch the video, "Banana and Candy." The voice of the banana is Rena's mom.

All of the videos on the website have helpful information about healthy nutrition. Enjoy!

Peristalsis and the digestive system

Click here to watch a short video about peristalsis.

Where do these muscular contractions occur? Why are they necessary?

Click here to watch a general video about the digestive system. (Warning - the video plays interesting sounds!)

NASA-Funded Research Discovers Life Built With Toxic Chemical

NASA has discovered a new life form that can grow by substituting arsenic for phosphorus. This microbe, called GFAJ-1, was found on the bottom of Mono Lake in California. Why is phosphorous an important component of all living organisms?

Click here to read the information posted on NASA's website and here to read the article posted in the NY Times.

What do you think about this exciting discovery?