Welcome back! Omicron Safety Assignment

 

Dear Students,

As I welcome you back to school in the midst of our 5th wave of Covid-19, I would like to review our safety rules in class:  Community prevelance of Covid is extremely high right now, so you  must assume you will be exposed to Omicron when you return to school. There is no vaccine mandate at school so there is no way of knowing who is at higher or lower risk. Further there is no more contact tracing so we have no idea who is infected and who is not.  

 

The following safety precautions will be made to mitigate the risk from this exposure:

1.  Windows open at all times in my class while I supervise the class. Dress warmly! 

2.  Outdoor activities are  being planned for the remainder of the semester.

3.  Students are NOT to attend school sick. There will be NO ACADEMIC CONSEQUENCES for absence in my class. If you email me to say you are not feeling well and will be home, I will mark you absent, and will excuse your absence. Further if you feel more comfortable learning from home, please contact me and I will be flexible for you.

4.  I STRONGLY RECOMMEND NO EATING INDOORS as this is where the exposure is most likely to occur. If you eat  OUTDOORS, it is much safer and will help reduce the chance of getting sick and missing school. 

5. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND upgrading your mask to N95 if possible. The black VSB masks given out were washable K95s.  These masks need to be tightly fitted on your face 

6. While students of any vaccine status is very welcome in my class,  I STRONGLY RECOMMEND making sure you are fully vaccinated and you access the booster shot as soon as possible. This step will enhance safety at our school. 

I am commited to airborne precautions in my class.   This means walks to Trout Lake, to the forest in Central Park, to the Renfrew Ravine to do ecological activities.  It means doing in class labs in cold wintry conditions .  We can try our best to  beat Omicron and have fun doing it!  

ASSIGNMENT 

I would  like you to design a safety poster (can be digital or on paper) which summarizes the main points of this important paper written by academics and doctors.  TRY TO ILLUSTRATE THIS with as FEW WORDS as possible.  It can be in a variety of creative formats such as A COMIC, a POSTER, a RAP or POEM, illustrated, a PODCAST or recording of a public safety announcement.

The best of these assignments will be shared with professionals  who might use this as part of a public awareness campaign. with credit to you.  If they use it as part of a pandemic safety campaign, you may put that on your resume or portfolio!  20 marks

20 - This stands out in its effort and creativity. 
18-19. This is done in ink and colour and includes all the details above and the details are all correct.  This is excellent

15-17. This is very good work with effort and correct details.  Some details are not there but most are there and there is excellent quality of drawing and presentation.

10-14. This is a very good start and your work shows creativity.  It is not in colour or ink and looks like a very nice draft

5-9.  This is incomplete but a decent start.

cdc write up

 CENTRE FOR DISEASE CONTROL             NAME__________________

Symptoms of the disease: ( 5 marks )

Age, sex and other details of the certain victims who are mentioned in the articles above  ( 5 marks )

Possible disease vectors:  (2 marks)             

        

Food

         Water

         Aerosol

         Soil

         Animal

         Human contact

                  Blood, mucous, saliva,

                  Feces, sexual contact 

Give  Evidence of this disease vectors                                                                     
(10 marks)

List the events of the outbreak and the response of CDC in the order that it took place:  List this accurately and completely.  Number the events and highlight the actions that eventually made the outbreak worse.  List measures taken by the following countries to contain the outbreak: 20

Nitrogen fixing root nodules. Observing nodules

 We know that plants are important to the ecosystem because they photosynthesize. Did you know that some plants are legumes and these are special because they have ROOT NODULES which are nitrogen fixers.  These root nodules are little rooms where Rhizobium bacteria convert nitrogen gas into ammonium and then Nitrobacter bacterium in the soil  converts ammonium into nitrates. Plants can absorb nitrates to make plant protein.  When those plants are eaten by animals, then animals use the nitrogen to make animal protein.  You can say that all the protein on your body (muscles, enzymes, hair, fingernail etc) was built from nitrogen which was fixed by Rhizobium at some point in time.  

ASSIGNMENT:  10 points

Only certain plants contain these root nodules...amongst them are  bean plants and clover plants.   Look at the morphology of clover plants below.  Look on our school grounds  and find AS MANY DIFFERENT GENETIC VARIETIES as you can.  Upload your clover pic with Frog on a doc or ppt and hand in. 

This picture is from research done by Tashiro et al on the genetics of clover plants.  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/250119450_Leaf_Trait_Coloration_in_White_Clover_and_Molecular_Mapping_of_the_Red_Midrib_and_Leaflet_Number_Traits

ASSIGNMENT: 5 marks 

UPLOAD A PIC OF ROOT NODULES UNDER THE MICROSCOPE 

CASE STUDIES ON DISEASE VECTORS

 SLIDESHOW ON DISEASE

Before you do your CDC simulation next day, you will analyze the following scenarios :  




CENTRE FOR DISEASE CONTROL  CASE STUDIES                             

  

CREATE DISEASE SUMMARY SHEETS WHICH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION in pen. Each worth 15 marks total of 45 marks.  You may work in a group. 

1. case study: covid 19 on a cruise ship in Japan
article on cruise ship in Japan

https://www.forbes.com/sites/victoriaforster/2020/02/07/coronavirus-outbreak-on-quarantined-japan-cruise-ship-spreads-61-passengers-now-affected/#21bb8de328c4

2. case study: Ebola outbreak in North America
watch the video first

 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XCrOde-JYs0

here is the case study: https://www.google.com/amp/s/abcnews.go.com/amp/Health/ebola-america-timeline/story%3fid=26159719

3.  Case study: Measles in BC, a resurgence of an old disease

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/measles-in-b-c-how-we-got-here-and-what-you-need-to-know

and a summary of BC CDC response:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/library/publications/year/2019/measles-update-may2019.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwi1yvrT9r7uAhVLHzQIHbIQCLoQFjACegQICRAC&usg=AOvVaw3B1SCyd7RHx_OoGIMdFUln

CENTRE FOR DISEASE CONTROL             

NAMES of group_________________

Name of disease:

Symptoms of the disease: ( 2 marks )

Age, sex and other details of the certain victims who are mentioned in the articles above 

 ( 3 marks )

Possible disease vectors, consider multiple vectors:  (2 marks)             

         Food

         Water

         Aerosol

         Soil

         Animal

         Human contact

                  Blood, mucous, saliva,

                  Feces, sexual contact 

Give  Evidence of this disease vectors                                                                     
(3 marks)

List the major events of the outbreak and the response of CDC in the order that it took place:  

Using drawings in ink and colour:  Number the events and highlight the events.  List measures taken  to contain the outbreak successfully. 

(5 marks)

Nov 18 lesson: Microbiology. An introduction part 2: BACTERIA

With your teacher,  review the microbe notes on *bacteria* in the introductory notes below. Focus on bacteria, including bacterial taxonomy, shapes, gram+ and gram-.

Hypothesize which area of the school might harbour more bacteria. We will sample the school soon!

Also use this work period to work on current projects and also study for a quiz tomorrow.  I will likely return to school Friday.

Ms. Ng

.........

 This is an Introduction to Microbiology Notes, which cover Virus, and Monerans, with a mention of unicellular fungi.  Read this document as an overview. 

Read this Introduction to Viruses and also find out how Viruses can infect their hosts

Viruses can infect cells using the LYTIC CYCLE.  

Review the 

STEPS TO THE LYTIC CYLE: memorize AESAR

• Attachment
• Entry & degradation of host's DNA
• Synthesis of new viruses 
• duplication of virus' genetic material
• creation of new virus parts
• Assembly of parts into new viruses
• Release of new viruses

 video shows lytic cycle




 steps to the lysogenic cycle:  memorize AEIM

• Attachment
• Entry (no degradation of host DNA)
• Integration using integrase enzyme
• Mitosis
• Host+virus DNA duplicated
• cytokinesis
• A virus that uses the lysogenic life cycle is termed either a provirus or prophage. What causes various proviruses to shift to the lytic cycle is not completely understood, but in some cases stress is the stimulus.

COVID-19 is a virus that undergoes a lytic cycle, but it does not explode cells, instead, it simply gets released from a cell

MICROBIOLOGY ASSIGNMENT 1 What is a virus?  out of /10 

make a creative summary of the  Introduction to Viruses .  This summary must include the lytic cycle  and the lysogenic cycle as it is described in the videos above and also in this text   Viruses can infect their hosts.  

MICROBIOLOGY ASSIGNMENT 2 How does Covid-19 infect a human?     out of /10 

Watch the video above and explain how covid-19 infects a human body. Create a creative summary to describe it

MICROBIOLOGY ASSIGNMENT 3 Evolution and Covid 19.  out of /10 

Review the notes on natural selection, and watch the video on finches below

Read these two articles and create a creative summary explaining how covid-19 mutated through Natural Selection.  Your summary must clearly explain the main points of the articles as well as include the following vocab terms:

natural selection, random mutation, spike protein, ace2 receptor, transmission, replication

Here is the New York Times article on the new variant 

and also the Globe and Mail article on its evolution

CREATIVE SUMMARY CRITERIA. You may make a cartoon, a poem, an interview or podcast

EVALUATION
10 points:  cartoon is brilliant, it stands out, it summarizes the main points in a creative format, it is inked and in colour

8-9:  your cartoon is excellent and includes all the main points. inked and in colour

5-7 your cartoon is complete it may not be inked or in colour
1-4 your cartoon is incomplete


POEM.
10 points: your poem is brilliant and it rhymes and it includes all key points. it stands out
8-9:  your poem is really excellent and it rhymes and includes all key points.
6-7 - your poem doesn't rhyme but it includes all key points.
1-4 your work is incomplete.

PODCAST

10 points - your podcast is humorous, engaging and includes all the key points, it stands out

8-9:  your podcast is really excellent engaging and includes all key points.
6-7 - your podcast  includes all key points.
1-4 your work is incomplete.

CREATIVE SUMMARY CRITERIA. You may make a cartoon, a poem, an interview or podcast

EVALUATION
10 points:  cartoon is brilliant, it stands out, it summarizes the main points in a creative format, it is inked and in colour

8-9:  your cartoon is excellent and includes all the main points. inked and in colour

5-7 your cartoon is complete it may not be inked or in colour
1-4 your cartoon is incomplete


POEM.
10 points: your poem is brilliant and it rhymes and it includes all key points. it stands out
8-9:  your poem is really excellent and it rhymes and includes all key points.
6-7 - your poem doesn't rhyme but it includes all key points.
1-4 your work is incomplete.

PODCAST

10 points - your podcast is humorous, engaging and includes all the key points, it stands out

8-9:  your podcast is really excellent engaging and includes all key points.
6-7 - your podcast  includes all key points.
1-4 your work is incomplete.

Nov 5 Central Park to continue to look at species . Identify native species vs invasive species

Meet at Patterson Station at the start of period 1.2 for attendance.  MEET AT 10:35.  We will take attendance and walk through the park together and you will be dismissed at the end of the block to return to school. 

You will be quizzed on this when we return to class:

10 marks - you made a safety plan and established who is in your safety group (can be the same group as last field study) Group leader hands this in.
5 marks - your group is on time and present and ready to go
10 marks - you take pictures of the major species of the pacific west coast rain forest while we are there

Safety - Central Park is a large urban park in the lower mainland.  You are expected to stay within your small group at all times as there are occasionally suspicious people in a large urban park

Route - for the class will be as follows once we get to Patterson Station


Trip plan (10 marks)  includes the following:

Names of all group members and their cell phone numbers
A trip itinerary
A list of species you expect to see
Safety considerations in this park
All the consent forms of all members

Central Park field study Tuesday, November 2, 2021

 Meet at Patterson Station at the start of period 1.2 for attendance.  MEET AT 10:31.  We will take attendance and walk through the park together and you will be dismissed at the end of the block to return to school. 

You will be quizzed on this when we return to class:

10 marks - you made a safety plan and established who is in your safety group (can be the same group as last field study) Group leader hands this in.
5 marks - your group is on time and present and ready to go
10 marks - you take pictures of the major species of the pacific west coast rain forest while we are there

Safety - Central Park is a large urban park in the lower mainland.  You are expected to stay within your small group at all times as there are occasionally suspicious people in a large urban park

Route - for the class will be as follows once we get to Patterson Station


Trip plan (10 marks)  includes the following:

Names of all group members and their cell phone numbers
A trip itinerary
A list of species you expect to see
Safety considerations in this park
All the consent forms of all members