FIRST BLOG ASSIGNMENT FOR 5th GRADE

Hi kids!

I hope you are all ready and excited about fifth grade! I'm sorry that I'll be missing out on that exciting first day with you, but I know it will be great. Fifth grade is my FAVORITE year to teach, and I'm already planning some great things for when I return.

So far, no baby. Monday was the "due date," of course, like anything that deals with humans or any other living things, there are no guarantees! As of right now, I am planning to take Jack to his first day of preschool and then just... wait!

So, in honor of Baby Girl Taylor, who has decided not to arrive yet, here are your questions for your first blog assignment:

**I AM ADDING A FEW THOUGHTS TO HELP YOU OUT, BASED ON WHAT I HAVE SEEN SO FAR IN ANSWERS:

* Don't forget to write in complete sentences for every answer! This is one of the requirements for blog assignments & it helps me see what you understand and what you don't. This week, your answers could be very confusing if you don't write in complete sentences and correctly number your answers.

* If I ask "why," please give me your thoughts on "why."

* Read the WHOLE blog entry before you start your assignment - this week, I gave some tips and even sample answers at the end, which I think some kids missed. Some folks are even missing the last questions. Be careful!

1. When were you born, in relation to your due date (early, late, by how many days - if your parents know/ remember)?

2. What was the probability that someone would be born then - that many days early or late- according to this graph: Birth Probability Graph

3. If Baby Girl Taylor is NOT born tomorrow, when is the next MOST likely day, according to the information on the graph?

4. I have brown eyes. Mr. Taylor has blue eyes. What color eyes will the baby most likely have? Why do I say "most likely" - why isn't it definite?

Use this site to help you: Genetics Site (it seems to actually be directed at people breeding birds, but I liked the way it explained recessive and dominant traits - you will study this a bit more later this year).

If you want to take it to a more complicated level (you can just go with the basic blue + brown stuff for now), it will help you to know the eye colors of my parents and Mr. Taylor's parents:
My mom has hazel eyes and my dad has brown eyes. Mr. Taylor's parents both have blue eyes. **This is an EXTRA step, that we will study later this year. **

(Jack has brown eyes - is this to be expected?)

5. Try it for yourself - is your eye color the predicted eye color? What about any siblings you may have?

FOR EXAMPLE:

If I were to respond, these would be my answers, about myself:

1. I was born about 30 days before my due date.

2. The probability that someone would be born then is about 0.3% - that's highly unlikely.

3. If Baby Girl Taylor is not born tomorrow, the next most likely day is ______ (not giving away the answer to that one). I know because ___________________ (explain your answer). 

4. It is most likely that Baby Girl Taylor will have ___________ eyes (answers will vary, depending on how "in-depth" you want to go and how you understand the information).

5. My eyes are brown. My mother's eyes are hazel and my father's eyes are brown. This means that my eye color is pretty much what you would expect. Hazel is an unusual eye color, though, so nothing there is entirely expected! 

 Please email your responses to me at my gmail account - sylvan.taylor@gmail.com

Using my school email at home can be tricky, and there are a lot of "spam" filters, so it is much easier for me to use my personal email. I do have a checklist where I will be keeping track of everyone's assignment submissions, and I will respond to everyone to let you know I've gotten your responses and to answer any questions you have.

You have until next Monday (September 3 - Labor Day), to submit your answers. I will post a new Blog Assignment on Monday, September 3.