HONORS BIOLOGY SUMMER INFORMATION
2015-2016
ELK RIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL
Dear Parents and Students:
Congratulations and welcome to Honors Biology for the 2013-2014 school year. I wanted to clarify some
points and help you get started on the year.
Students must maintain a B- average in the class in order to remain enrolled. I will check at midterms
first quarter and anyone not at that grade level will be transferred to Earth Systems. I will also check
again at the end of 1st quarter, midterms of 2nd quarter, etc.
The State of Utah requires that you take three years of science for graduation. One year needs to be in
the biology/life sciences and another in physical science. There are complications with graduation
credits if you do not complete a full year of Biology. It may mean you take summer school or take an
extra year of biology or equivalent class to get caught up. You need to take our class seriously and do
your best to maintain the proper grade.
REQUIREMENTS


You will need a one inch 3-ring binder for our class. We will keep and organize a quarter’s
worth of material and it will be graded each time we take a test.
Sign up for Remind101. It is a texting and email notification system that is free for you. I will be
able to text &/or email you reminders and updates during the summer and coming school year.
You are not able to reply to these messages, so send questions to my school email. Instructions
are on the back.
Summer Project : This assignment is due on the first day of school in the fall. Each one is 50 points:
Leaf Collection: Collect and identify needles & cones from 5 coniferous trees you have found in Utah. A
dichotomous key is included. This can be a real or virtual collection.
For a real collection, needles should be collected as a bundle (removed at the branch). Press the
needles in between paper towels and under something heavy for at least 2 weeks to help it dry. Cones
should be collected from the ground and not the tree. Branches and cones can be mounted onto a
poster or display board. Make sure to identify each sample with the common and scientific name.
Virtual collections can be made using Google Drive. Log into your school account or home account and
open a document or presentation. Attach photos you have taken of the tree branch with close ups of
the needles and cones to the document or presentation. Include the common and scientific names.
Share the document with me. You can also use Word or PowerPoint and email it to me. You may not
copy and paste pictures from the internet.
Research: Research dominant and recessive traits and how to create pedigree charts. Then create a
pedigree chart for your family (if you are not blood related to your family, do not include yourself)
You may choose to trace either eye color, tongue rolling, or attached earlobes through your
family. Begin with your grandparent’s generation and continue through three full generations
including yourself, your siblings, and your cousins. You must have a minimum of 4 people in
each generation. Therefore, there will be a MINIMUM of 12 people for the whole
pedigree. Feel free to make your pedigree larger, however, keep in mind that you need to be
as accurate as possible. In today’s society, many families are blended with step and half
siblings. These individuals can also be included in your family pedigree. Be sure to research on
how to do this or simply, do not include them.
Grading Criteria:
Points Requirements
5
Use poster board!
6
Title your pedigree, and clearly mark generations I, II, III
5
All lines must be drawn with a ruler/yardstick
12
Symbols for a minimum of 12 individuals indicating male, female,
presence of trait, absence of trait.
10
Include a KEY for your symbols
12
Minimum of 12 individuals’ genotypes.
Note: if you are unable to determine the exact genotype of an individual,
you should indicate the possibilities or give an explanation why you can’t.
Extra
Insert actual pictures of family members wherever possible.
Credit
50
Total Points
Genetic Information
Tongue rolling is a dominant trait. Attached earlobes are a recessive trait.
Eye color is more complicated because there is more than 1 gene that determines eye color and
darkness. However, for this assignment, you can make the following assumptions:
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Brown eyes (B) are dominant over Blue eyes (b) and Green eyes (g).
Blue eyes are co-dominant to Green eyes.
Hazel eyes (Bg*) can be produced by crossing an individual who is heterozygous Bb with
and individual with Green eyes.
Please sign and return to Ms. Campos in room 210 by May 29, 2015.
We have read and understand the requirements and assignments for the 2013-2014 school
year and for this summer in Honors Biology.
Student signature
Student name
Parent signature
Parent name
Email
KEY TO NATIVE CONIFERS
1.
2.
a. Leaves are needle-like: cones are woody or papery and brown in color
2
b. Leaves have overlapping scales, cones are berry-like and blue in color
9
a. Needles arise in bundles or packets of 2,3, or 5: cones scales are woody
3
b. Needles do NOT arise in bundles or packets but are singular: cone scales are thin and paper
3.
5
a. Needles arise in bundles of 5: branches are exceptionally flexible, cones have even diamond shaped
scales
Limber Pine
b. Needles arise in bundles of 3 and are unusually long: cones occur in groups of three with a center
stamen
Ponderosa Pine
c. Needles arise in bundles of 2: cones are small
4.
4
a. Needles are twisted in appearance: cones are on underside of branch: trunk grows straight and tall
Lodgepole Pine
b. Needles usually less than 2 inches long: cones are short with large edible seeds: trunk is short and
tree is bushy in appearance
Pinyon Pine
5.
6.
a. Needles are flat and blunt: not sharp to touch
6
b. Needles are NOT flat, but are square in cross section: sharp to touch
8
a. Needles point outward from twig: cones with leafy bract extending from the cone scales, trees are tall
and straight
Douglas Fir
b. Needles arise from twig on all sides but bend upward: cones without leafy bracts extending from cone
scales
7
7.
8.
a. Needles usually less than 1 inch in length: cones cluster on bottom of branch
Subalpine Fir
b. Needles have whitish tinge; cone scales look like stacks or layers
White Fir
a. Bark is gray in color: cones have rounded cone scales: mature trees are rounded in shape
Englemann Spruce
b. Young twigs and branches are stiff, growing outward in flat layers: cones have flattened cone scales:
trees are bushy and have a blue shade
Blue Spruce
9.
10.
a. Leaves have a white color on tips: mature tree grows as a low lying bush
Common Juniper
b. Leaves are have small scale
10
a. Berry-like cones are small, rarely to ¼ inch in diameter: trunk usually forked and bark is papery and
sheds off in sheets
Utah Juniper
b. Scaly leaves are smooth: trunk usually with a central stem
Rocky Mountain Juniper