Respiratory System

Hello Health Bloggers!

We have looked at the cardiovascular system and cardiovascular health recently.  Today we are going to go on to the respiratory system and respiratory health.

First I would like you to research the respiratory system and it's pathway.  Find out the pathway that air takes as it travels through the body, including but not limited to the following terms:
nose
pharynx
epiglottis
larnyx
trachea
lungs
bronchi
alveoli
1. Describe this pathway, including definitions of the previous terms.
2.  The nose does three things to air as it passes through it, please tell me what those three things are.
3.  The respiratory system moves oxygen from the outside environment into the body and removes carbon dioxide and water from inside the body.  Why does the body need oxygen, what purpose does it serve for the body?
4.  Why does air rush into your body when you breathe in?   In other words, how does the diaphram help you breathe?

5.  In the US, how many people die each year from smoking related illnesses?  (Please include in your answer where you get your information)
6.  On the average, how many more years do non- smokers live than smokers?

7.  List as many smoking related or respiratory diseases that you can think of or find.

Happy Blogging, please email me your answers..........
Margot

Cardiovascular Health

What behaviors can help mantain cardiovascular health?  What is cardiovascular health? 
There are a few conditions that occur from unhealthy habits.  Those are artherosclerosis and  hypertension, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.  Look up these terms so that you are familiar with these conditions, as well as what health behaviors can lead to them.

Today you have a lab called "Blocking the Flow".  I would like you to use this activity to find out how fatty deposits affect the flow of blood through an artery.

Procedure:
1.  Put a funnel in the mouth of a jar.  The funnel will represent an artery.
2. To model blood flowing through the artery, slowly pour 100 ml of water into the funnel.  Have your partner time how many seconds it takes for all the water to flow through the funnel.  Discard the water
3.  Use a plastic knife to spread a small amount of peanut butter along the bottom of the funnel's neck.  Then, with a toothpick, carve out a hole in the peanut butter or modeling clay so that the funnel is partly clogged, but not completely.
4.  Repeat steps 1 and 2

If the funnels were arteries, which one would do a better job of supplying blood to tissues?  Explain.


Modeling increase in Blood Pressure
1.  Blow gently through a regular drinking straw.  Hold one hand a few centimeters below the end of the straw to feel the pressure of the air.
2.  Repeat this with the thinner straw, blowing with the same amount  of pressure. 

Compare the pressre felt through the two straws.  What did you discover?  How does this relate to high blood pressure?

For next class:
Consider this:  What does this have to do with your life?  Do you know anyone with heart disease?  Does anyone in your family have heart disease or have died from heart disease?  Does heart disease only affect older people?
Do a little research at home, asking family members about heart disease in your family.  Check out the statistics on heart disease and ages affected.  Let me know what you discover. 


Find out about the following people and what they discovered or did for the advanecment of cardiovascular health knowledge in the 21st century:
Helen Taussig
Karl Landsteiner
Charles Drew
Christiaan Barnard
Robert Jarvik and William DeVries

Happy Investigating!
Margot

Homeostasis

Hello Health Students!
I hope you are all having a great day!  This time of year, many people feel a lot of stress.  How do you handle stress?  Today we are going to talk about how your body keeps itself in balance.

The process by which the body's internal environment is kept stable in spite of changes in the external environment is called homeostasis.  An example of your body maintaining it's internal environment is that, no matter what the outside air temperature is, your body maintains it's internal temperature as close to 37 degrees Celsius, as long as you are healthy. ( If you are sick, your body may not be able to maintain this temperature, until you become well again.)


1.  Can you think of other ways your body maintains homeostasis?  List ways that you can think of, then do a bit of research and see if you can find more.  List any other ways that you find during your research.

Stress can disturb homeostasis and cause changes in the body. Think about a time when you were stressed.  2. What changes do you notice happen to you when you are feeling stressed?

3.  Look up these terms and tell me how they are involved in dealing with stress.
          adrenaline
          fight or flight
4.  Interpreting Data

A scientist fed a strong sugar solution to an animal.  The scientist then checked the concentration of sugar in the animal's blood during the next three hours.  The table below shows the results of the experiment.
Explain how the data show homeostasis at work.  ( Hint: Think about what happened to the blood-sugar level during the first hour and then during the next two hours)



Time after eating sugar                 Sugar concentration ( milligrams/100 millileters)
( minutes)
____________________________________________________________________

                 0                                               75
                30                                             125
                60                                             110
                90                                               90
              120                                               75
              150                                               75
              180                                               75

         

5.  What are three helpful ways of dealing with stress?  How do you usually deal with stress?

6.  The three components of wellness are physical health, mental health and social health.  Please describe what each of these are.


brainpop-homeostasis    go to this link of you have time to watch the brainpop on Homeostasis.

 Please email me your answers to the questions.  I will send your last assignment along with feedback tomorrow to school with Jeremy.

Happy Stressfree  Day...:)

Margot

Thursday, November 18, 2010-Body Organization and Systems

Hello Health Students!
I hope you are all well and healthy.....make sure you wash your hands a lot during this season of flu and colds...:)

Today I would like you to start out the class watching another brainpop movie on the human body. Click on  the following link and use the username and password I last gave you.

Brainpop movie on Human Body

After watching the movie I would like you to answer the following questions.  You may have to do a bit of research on your own.

1.  What are the different systems in the body?

2. For the following, identify the first system that is affected by the condition and then choose another body system that might also feel it's affects.
a.  Common Cold
b.  Broken Bone
c. Asthma Attack
d.  Sunburn

3.  Cells, organ systems, tissues, and organs are different levels of organization in the body.  Please list them from smallest to largest levels.
4.  What are the  four basic types of tissue in the human body?  Tell me a bit about the general function of each.

Happy Thursday!
Margot

Tuesday, November 15, 2010

Hello, Happy Tuesday!

Well, Kalden let me know what he was thinking about the physical activity part of the food log, hehehe.  Let me know if anyone else had problems with that part.  I am only able to access my  account, so am really not sure how to troubleshoot that one.  If you have problems adding your activity, just skip that part.

Today, I would like you to add any other food entries that you can.  You really need complete days , with ALL that you have eaten, to most accurately assess your diet. 
Play around with the reports part of the program again and answer the following questions.  Instead of posting, email me your responses.  This will allow you to discuss what you learned about your eating habits without sharing all those insights with the rest of your classmates.....a bit of privacy...:)

1.  What surprised you the most after analysing your diet and why?  What does it lead you to conclude?
2.  What did you find that you might be lacking in your diet?  What can  or will you do to add this to your diet?
3.  What did you find you really did a good job of including in your diet?  Why do you think that is so?
4.  Have you made any changes to your diet since using the food log?  In what ways has it made you more aware of what you eat?  If it has not, please tell me why you think that is.
5.  After studying different aspects of nutrition and using the knowledge that you have gained, please plan an ideal lunch meal that would be full of  healthy choices.  Explain why you choose the foods to include in your meal and why it would be balanced and healthy.

Looking forward to reading your responses........
Yours in Healthy Eating,
Margot

Tuesday, November 8, 2010

Hello Health Class!
I hope all is well with you and you have been able to log in your food log over the past three days, or at least three days in total.  I did not get any emails except for one, so I am assuming all went well.
Today during class I would like you to go in and add your physical activity.  You will need to choose

"The standard option"     to do this under "assess your physical activity.  Try to make this as accurate as possible for a "normal" weekday.
Next, you will enter foods for today so far and save.  After you have done this, you should be directed to an "Analyze Your Food Intake" Screen.  Here there are many option for looking at your entries and I would like you to take some time checking out the different options, particularly the last one called "Healthy Eating History".   Make sure you spend some time checking out the different options as on Thursday I will be asking you to use this information to answer some questions and responses about your diet and what you have learned during our nutrition unit.  Email me if you have any questions.
Happy Investigating!
Margot

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Hello Healthy Student Nutritionists!

I hope all is well with you!  I am in the process of sending your graded quizzes back to you via email with feedback on your answers.  It sounds like you had a very interesting last class with Kaleha and Imali's mom, wish I could have listened in!
Well, we have investigated different nutrients over the past few weeks and are nearing the end of our nutrition unit.  I would like you, for your final project, to keep track of your own diet over the next 3 days, and on next Thursday, write an analysis of what you learn. Don't worry, I will give you clear directions a bit later on how to do this.
First, you will be using the following site to set up a free account in which to input your daily food intakes for today, Friday and Saturday.  You will be clicking here to get to mypyramid.gov  Once you get to the site, you will look for:

My Pyramid Tracker, which is under "Spotlights" on the bottome row. 
Scroll down to the bottom and click "New User Registration"  (next time you will go to existing user login)
fill in the blanks and create an account and save
You will then need to fill in your personal information.  If you are unsure of anything, just make your best guess.  Save your info and go to "proceed to food intake"
Here you will be adding in all the foods you have eaten so far today.  You will just type in the name of the food and a list to choose from will come up.  Take some time today and play around with the site.  You add foods, will be asked about serving size and how many servings etc.  There are various ways to analyze your food and even places to add your physical activity, which will give you a more accurate picture of your food intake and caloric needs.
Email me if you have any problems or questions.  Setting up your account and adding your foods, along with checking out the ways to look at the data will probably take most of today's class.  You will need to be responsible and post your food intake for tomorrow and Saturday on your own time, a sort of homework.
Happy Investigating!
Margot

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Hello Quizzers!
I hope all is well with you and you did not find today's quiz too difficult!

On to the next project..........
You will be getting a candidate to represent for the brand-new "NHASA Vitamin of the Year" Competition! You will need to do a bit of research so you are best able to help your vitamin write his/her speech. At the end of the project, during the final voting, you will get up in front of your classmates and do your best to convince them that your vitamin deserves to win "NHASA's Vitamin of the Year 2010" Award.
You will need to include the following information in your speech:
Is your vitamin water or fat soluble? What does that mean?
What does your vitamin doe for us humans?
What are the consequences of a deficiency and an overdose of your vitamin?
Does your vitamin work with any other vitamins? If so, how?
What are the best conditions for your vitamin to work at it's best?
Where do we find this vitamin? ( In what foods?)

Email me if you have any questions! I look forward to your presentations!

Happy Researching!
Margot

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Hello Munchkins!

Today is a "catch-up" day for those of you that still owe a post or two....or three.....:) Scott has the list of what is owed for each of you so please check in with him.
There were a few posts with no names, so you may want to check those if you think you posted something that I am missing. Please be sure to sign your name or I can not give you credit for your work! Remember, I can't check your handwriting on a post :) It may also be helpful for you to make a checklist of assignments/posts so you can keep track of what you still owe or have not finished.
If you do catch up today, review all the concepts and make a study sheet for a simple quiz over the three nutrients that we have looked at so far, along with the general nutrition concepts. I will be sending you each individual feedback and grades thus far next week. If you could send me a quick email today with your email address, that will help me greatly in sending you your feedback up to this point.
Happy Thursday!
Margot

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Hello Nutritionists!
I hope your weekend was full of healthy foods......:)

Today we are going to take a look at one more brainpop movie and food type, fats. Again, watch it once all the way through, then again taking notes. Share and compare your notes with a classmate to make sure you did not miss anything important. We will be having a brief quiz next Tuesday over the three brainpop movies we have recently watched: nutrition, carbohydrates and fats. We will then start a project in small groups.

Today, to watch the video on fats, click here.

After watching the video, answer the following questions in a post.

1. Explain the following terms in your own words:
glycerol
glucose
fatty acids
saturated fats
unsaturated fats
cholesterol
trans fats

2. What are three things your body needs fats for?

3. Where does your body produce cholesterol and what is it used for?

4. How is a heart attack and a stroke different?

5. Reflective: Do you think about fat in your own diet? How often do you look at labels for food you eat? Do you ever choose not to eat something because of the fat content?

6. Extension: We have looked at carbohydrates and fats. Do a little investigation on proteins. Think about what you have learned about fats and carbohydrates.
A. Find out what your body uses proteins for. What foods provide protein? What are the benefits of protein in your diet? Are there any dangers from eating too much protein?
B. How do proteins compare with fats and carbohydrates. In other words, what do they have in common or how are they different?

Happy Learning!
Margot

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Hello Student Nutritionists!

I hope you enjoyed Tuesday's class. There are some terms that I want to be sure you noted down from the video. You should have the following terms and definitions to review for a quiz next week.
Nutrition Vocabulary
nutrient
fats
carbohydrates
proteins
heterotrophic
vitamins
minerals

Today we will investigate one of the nutrients from the list further, carbohydrates. Click here to watch another brainpop movie. Please watch it once straight through without taking notes. Then watch it again and take notes on important concepts and vocabulary.
As a class, go over and share what you thought was important to note down.

After watching the video and sharing your notes, please write me a post answering the following questions:

1. Please define, in your OWN words, the following terms.
simple carbohydrates
complex carbohydrates
fiber
blood sugar
processed food
2. What does your body use carbohydrates for?

3. The video mentions a disease linked to blood sugar called diabetes. Do a bit of research on your own and tell me in your own words what this disease is,where it comes from, what it can do to a person, and how it can be managed.

I did not receive posts from everyone with Tuesday's questions. If you have not posted that, please send that by Friday. See Scott if you are not sure if you have posted. Email me with any questions.....happy investigating!
Margot

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Hello Students!
I hope you had an wonderful weekend.

We have investigated a bit about what types of learners we have in the class and gotten to know ourselves a bit better. Knowing one's strengths and weaknesses is a key factor in emotional health. We will revist emotional health a bit later in the year.

Today we will begin to look at physical health.

There are different aspects to physical health, many of which you have mentioned in your earlier posts. Nutrition, exercise, injury( sickness, accidents, poisons), and stress are some of these aspects.

Many of you mentioned nutrition in your definitions of health, so we will start with this.

Watch the brainpop movie by clicking here
Scott will have the username and password.

Watch the movie once, then watch it again taking notes of vocabulary and concepts.
Compare your notes with your classmates at the end of the movie.

Answer the following questions in a post:
1. classify the following foods as grains, vegetables, fruits, oils, dairy or meats/beans/nuts.

bread
olive oil
turkey
yogurt
oatmeal
almonds
eggplant
butter
carrot
chickpeas
peanut butter
strawberries
popcorn

2. Do a bit of online research. What is a vegan? What types of food are in their diet and what types of foods do they avoid?

3. Make a list of all the foods you ate yesterday. Try to make it as accurate as possible. Then, sort that list into different food groups. What do you discover? Do you have most foods fit into a certain group, or are your foods spread out among the different groups? Do you see that you were missing any food groups?

I look forward to reading your posts today! Happy investigating......
Margot

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Hello Kinesthetic, Musical, Linguistic students!

How cool, I loved reading your responses and hearing about your results with the multiple intelligence survey. The survey you took was just one method of estimating what type of learner you may be.
I thought it was interesting that 4 out of 6 of you scored high as kinesthetic learners, and 3 out of 6 of you scored high as linguistic learners, 2 out of 6 scored high for musical learning, and 1 out of 6 of you scored high for either mathematical, intrapersonal or naturalistic.

1. How might this makeup of learners influence the learning environment in this health class? Looking at your own high scores, what types of activities might best help you learn concepts in this health class?
2. Thinking about the areas where you might have scored lower, what are some strategies that you can come up with when you might have to do work in those types of areas?
An example of this is the following:
A student scores pretty low in interpersonal types of activities but higher in intrapersonal activities. In other words, she prefers to work alone. At times this student may have to work in a group. It is an important part of emotional health to recognize what type of learner you are and where your weaknesses may be. This student may set goals for herself for participation to overcome her tendencies to refrain from sharing her opinion in a group.

3. Many people have discussed the possibility of a new type of learner, an "electronic" or "tech" learner, due to the many advances in technology over the past ten years. What is your reaction to this possible type of learner? What characteristics might this type of learner have? Do you think this is one of your strengths?


So, now that we know ourselves a bit better and have thought about what types of learners we are and where we may struggle, we are going to know talk about habits. In Sean Covey's book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens", the author outlines the following 7 habits;
1. Be Proactive- Take responsibility for your life
2. Begin With the End in Mind- Define your mission and goals in life
3. Put First Things First- Prioritize, and do the most important things first
4. Think Win-Win- Have an "everyone- can win" attitude
5. Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood- Listen to people sincerely
6. Synergize-work together to achieve more
7. Sharpen the Saw-Renew yourself regularly

Have a class discussion about these habits. Do you think they are all equally important? Are there any you do not agree with? If you had to rank them, what would be the most important and least important?

I would like you then to post a reaction to your class discussion. This means post your thoughts on the discussion, what went well, what could have been improved, how the discussion made you change your thinking or if it made your thinking stronger.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Hello Class!
I am sorry there was some confusion and problems with posting last week. All should be set now, and you should be able to post as anonymous if you do not have a Google email address. Please be sure to sign your name so that I know who has written the post.
Another way to be sure you do not loose all that you write is to write your post in a word document, save it, and then cut and paste it into a post. That way, if there are any problems, you can email me the document and I will know that you did the work.

This week, if you were not able to post, I would like you to post your answers to questions one and two. Please post your answers on to that post, not this one.
If you were able to post ( Kalden and Hannah and Max) , or once you have posted, please continue reading for today's activities.

Today Assignments:

Please click here for a reading on various definitions of what health is.

After reading this article, the various definitions, the descriptions of physical and emotional aspects and factors that can effect health, please write about two things that were most interesting to you, that possible made you want to learn more or investigate more. Maybe these two things just made you think or surprised you.

Remember, I am looking for clear posts, with explanations and evidence for what you claim. This means that I am looking for more that one sentence posts......take your time posting, think hard and reread your work to see that is makes sense. Check your spelling and grammar for your best work.


Next, go to http://www.ldrc.ca/projects/miinventory/miinventory.php and take the multiple intelligence test. When you finish, it please write me a post telling me where your "peaks" or high scores were. Part of being in good health is understanding yourself and what type of learner and person you are. After finding out where your peaks were, answer the following questions: ( if you are unsure about any of the intelligences, please use the website to read further descriptions of the ones you are unsure about)

1. Where are your "peaks" OR strengths?
2. How might this effect you in school? How might it help you or make things harder for you?
3. Were you surprised by any of your peaks, or did your profile fit in with what you know about yourself?


After, please make a class chart or tally showing what types of learners we have in this class. You can use whatever format the class chooses. Please have one volunteer take notes and email me or post the results.

I took the same multiple intelligence survey. I came out with peaks highest in "naturalistic" and "visual /spatial" and "interpersonal". 5>How do you think my intelligences that might effect how I am as a teacher?

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Welcome to Nhasa's health class! I am so excited to be working with you all this year in this online manner! Please be sure to check out the class syllabus and timeline for what we will be covering and how grading will be done. You can reach me at either of my emails during the day: my contact information is to the right of the blog.
So, without further ado, here is today's assignment.

The English word "health" comes from the Old English word hale, meaning "wholeness, a being whole, sound or well,". What do you think health is? Can you break it up into different parts?

1. Write a blog entry with your definition of "health". Please explain your thinking. In your entry, explain what it means to be "in good health". Please do this without using any online dictionaries or resources. I want to know where you are starting in your thinking for this course.

2. If there was a "healthy scale", 10 being super healthy and 1 being extremely unhealthy, where would you place yourself? Please give explanations and reasons for your score. Tell me where your health "strengths" lie and where you may have some weaknesses or areas to work on.

Remember, this is your first assignment. I would like you to take your time writing your response. Share your thought process, explain and back up your statements, give examples, and really use your brain to think about the questions.


The second part of today's assignment is to go to this link,Kids Health , and browse the site for 10 minutes or so. Write me a second blog with a list of 5 to 10 topics that you are interested in investigating this year in health and nutrition.