Chicago Waldorf School

9th Grade Geology Block14 April 2008

BLOCK OVERVIEW: This course begins with the birth of geology as a science in the 19th century. There-after, we will consider a series of geological phenomena that led Wegener to his idea of continental drift. Next, we will learn about a succession of discoveries (paleomagnetism etc.) that contributed to the modern view of plate tectonics. Using ideas such as mantle convection, converging and diverging plate boundaries, hot spots etc. we will see how light can be shed on many of the geological riddles that characterize the earth as we know it.

14. Apr. THE MAP THAT CHANGED THE WORLD. William Smith. Pound stones, marbles, shark’s tooth. Fossils. How did they get there—Noah’s flood? Smith the surveyor visits mines, travels the country. He finds a consistent strata sequence. Strata not always horizontal: dip and strike. Indicator fossils (4 handouts). Final words about William Smith and “the map.”
15. Apr. GEOLOGICAL STRATA. Sedimentation. Principle of Original Horizontality. Principle of Strategic Superposition.
Four clastic sediments and the rock types they form.
16. Apr. Lithification. THE TEMPLE OF SERAPIS. What must have happened?
17. Apr. KRAKATOA: Maps of Indonesia, the Strait of Sundra, and Krakatoa.
18. Apr. Krakatoa summary text. THE WALLACE LINE (+ map).

21. Apr. Is the earth as solid as it appears….? ALFRED WEGENER—coast lines, mountain ranges, fossil trails, ice sheet deposits (moraines) and striations. (+ 3 handouts)
22. Apr. Map of Pangea. DISCOVERIES LEADING TO PLATE TECTONICS. Paleomagnetism (2 handouts). Magnetic stripes (one handout—sea floor spreading).
23. Apr. PLATE TECTONICS. Crust (continental, oceanic), mantle, core. Lithoshere, Asthenosphere. Isostasy—like hardened wax layer. Tectonics: divergent, convergent, lateral. Map of the Major Tectonic Plates. (Test on Friday!)
24. Apr. What is the driving force behind plate movement? Mantle convection: Drawing (and elucidation thereof) of sea floor spreading with convection currents, subducting plates, earthquake and volcanic zones.
25. Apr. The Standard Geological Column (Cenozoic—> Pre-cambrian). Exam.

28. Apr. EXPLAINING KRAKATOA. Drawing. Two plates and a subduction zone, trench, the components of this “geological cocktail” and the role of water in making it a volatile mix.
29. Apr. Completion of Krakatoa text (dictation). The Chain of Hawaiian Islands with drawing. [Video on volcanoes]
30. Apr. Intraplate volcanism and Hawaii as a “hot spot” (+ additions to yesterday’s drawing) and explanation of the island sequence. Shield volcanoes compared to strato- (composite-) volcanoes—viscosity, volatility of mix, explosiveness, form of volcano. [Video on glaciers]
1. May. Text on Glaciation in Illinois. Two handouts. [Also: notes on glaciers that don’t have to be included as final form in your book but are important for the test) TOMORROW: TEST AND BLOCK BOOK DUE.

11th Grade Biology -- Feb. 200824 March 2008

This block considers the nature of organisms from several perspectives. Beginning with experimental embryology and Spemann’s Nobel Prize winning experiments, we then explore cell-division (mitosis), cell differentiation, regeneration experiments, stem cells, the behavior of tissue cultures “in vitro” in contrast to their normal state “in vivo,” and the nature of cancer cells. Thereafter we focus on the development of genetics from Mendel up to the discovery of the “double helix” and the unfolding of the Human Genome Project.

4.Feb. The mystery: from egg to organism. Epigenesis & Preformation. Animaliculists & Ovists. Lancelet development: Describe egg cell to blastula (with drawings)
5.Feb. Describe Gastrulation through Neurulation (w. drawings). Sketch of developmental dynamics. Side view of Lancelet (Amphioxus)
6.Feb. Three germ layers. Developmental History of Amphibians. Mosaic and Regulation Egg Theories. Spemann’s Newt Exper. I. (w. drawings)
7.Feb. Continuation of Spemann Experiments (II.- IV.) . Location Correspondent Development. Prospective Determination and Pr. Potential.
8.Feb. Spemann (V.-VI.) Determination, Origin Correspondent Development, the Organizer, Induction.

11.Feb. Mitosis. Micrometers, nanometers.
12.Feb. Electron microscope, potential artifacts. Text on cell organelles and drawing of cell w. organelles.
13.Feb. Handout text on cell compared to factory. Phosphorus and ATP/ADP.
14.Feb. Cell differentiation diagram.
15.Feb. Compare cell differentiation diagram with some aspect of life. Exam.

25.Feb. Salamander leg regeneration (+ drawing). Regeneration examples: Frog – Polyp in relation to nervous syst. development.
26.Feb. Dictation: “Amazing Order.” “In vitro” tissue cultures compared to “in vivo” development.
27.Feb. Hand development and cell death. Cancer (+ drawing).
28.Feb. Main categories of cancer. Therapies. Cancer frequency table.
29.Feb. Stem Cells: embryonic, amniotic and adult. Toti-, pluri- and multipotent stem cells.

3.Mar. Heredity & Genetics. Gregor Mendel. Mendel’s pea experiments (P, F1, & F2 generations w. drawings). Dominant/recessive. Purebred/hybrid. Genotype/phenotype. Mendel’s revolutionary method.
4.Mar. Search for the material basis of heredity. Chromosomes & Meiosis linked to Mendel’s factors. Chromosomes subdivided into genes (“pearls”). TH Morgan. Drosophila as ideal object of study.
5.Mar. Morgan continued. Linkage groups. Crossing over (+drawing). Chromosome maps (+drawing). Not so simple: polygenetic inheritance & pleiotropism. Quotes.
Biochemistry contributes to “the search” as well. Enzymes as catalysts. Proteins as chains of amino acids. One-gene-one-enzyme-hypothesis.
6.Mar. Watson & Crick. DNA structure & replication. DNA, RNA & protein synthesis
7.Mar. Limitations. Parts and Wholes. The Human Genome Project. How big is the human genome? Test.

9th Grade Biology Block15 October 2007

In the 9th grade biology block, we will focus on the human sense organization, with particular emphasis on sight and hearing, as well as the sense of equilibrium and the kinesthetic sense. We will also consider how the development of the human skeleton and the human skull can be viewed as expressions of our upright posture.

Attentiveness in class, clarity of understanding, degree of effort, and the appearance and completeness of a student’s block book will provide a basis for the evaluation process.

12th Grade Zoology Block22 September 2007

Our Zoology block this year will begin with a brief overview of the marine invertebrates in preparation for a week in Maine, where the students will be able to meet the flora and fauna of the North Atlantic coast first-hand. They will learn to navigate seaweed covered rocks as they explore life-filled tide-pools; they will wade through—and in the process became covered with—thick mud in search of soft-shelled clams; they will paint land- and seascapes; they will learn about the geology of the Maine coast, dune ecology and the genesis of beach forms; and not the least of all, they will investigate the tiny details of several ocean dwellers with the help of microscopes.
This wonderfully rich exploration into marine biology will be followed by classroom work on vertebrate animals when we return to Chicago. Practicing a form of comparative morphology, we will discuss and compared fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and several characteristic groups of the mammals. Our block will end with a consideration of the differences between higher development and specialization within the animal kingdom and in reference to the human being.