Last post 2013 ... School Thursday!

Heading back to school on Thursday.  Happy New Year to all!  AP Biology Exam will be May 12, 2014 ... Monday morning 8:00 AM ... keep working!

AP Biology - We have several labs to do when we return, starting with the Drosophila Behavior Lab and followed by our Osmosis/Diffusion Lab.  We have six labs scheduled for January.  We will also finish up our study of population genetics, speciation and evolution inbetween labs.

Selected Topics -  Both classes are still in our physics unit and we will work on electricity and computer science when we return.

Computer Science sections will be finishing their graphics programs and starting on arrays / sorting.

Below, one of the Chattanooga Shale outcrops on our farm ... looks like pages in a book ... clay and silt particles cemented together during the Devonian Period ... +/- 375,000,000 years ago.

Frogs Croaking in December!

Yesterday on a walk down to Long Creek, several frogs were croaking in the wetlands there.  It was in the sixties and I suppose they thought it was a harbinger of Spring.  Today, it was much cooler and near freezing when I took my walk just before sunset.  A couple of frogs were still trying to make some noise ... it was pitiful!

Getting ready for Christmas today ... lots of cleaning and Sue Neal is cooking up a storm.

Flexmas, Semester ends and Full Moon pict ...

Today was the last day of school for the semester.  We had our midterm exam in Selected Topics and made our last entry in our comp books before handing them in to be scored.  Computer Programming is still finishing their farm scene with animation ... I was able to check off a couple of students that finished early ... one student had a great UFO added to their programmed farm scene that picked up an apple with a tractor beam ... nice!

My homeroom (juniors) met during flex period and we celebrated Flexmas ... exchanged gifts and had some refreshments.  Below, are a few pictures taken by Dashia at our end the semester party.  After that is a full moon picture from last night ... have to work on my picture taking ability at night!

Hope you all have a safe and fun Christmas break ... back to work on January 2nd!

Midterm Exams and full moon!

Today was the first day of midterm exams.  AP Biology took their test this morning, mostly questions from former AP Bio exams and from the Campbell / Reece test bank.  Students worked the entire block in each class and appeared to have done well.  We had study sessions before school and after school on Monday.  AP Biology will be doing the Diffusion and Osmosis lab after Christmas break.

Tomorrow, we will have an exam in Selected Topics in Science.  Mostly physics questions on this exam.

Computer programming fifth period finished the semester programming a custom screen saver.  We peer scored the programs and most of the students were much more critical than I.  My other programming class is further behind and are still showing me their animated farm scenes.  Several will not get finished and we will have to wrap up this program after Christmas break.

Tomorrow is the last day of the first semester.  My homeroom will be having a small party during flex period.  We are exchanging gifts and will have refreshments before we head out for the break.

We will return to school on January 2nd.

Happy Holidays to all and I hope you have a save and happy Christmas break!

Last full moon of fall and of 2013!  It was beautiful this evening!

rr

Winners ...

Friday was the Selected Topics mousetrap catapult shootout.  Ten marshmallows launched from 12 feet from one table to another over a 5 minute period.  In the bucket setting on the second table was 5 points, hitting the bucket 3, top of the table 2 and any other part of the table 1 point.  50 point maximum.  The all time classroom record is 41 points ... Lucas and JC below was the best score this year in both classes with 33 points ... congrats!  All other teams below had 22 points each.   We finish the analysis and graphing on Monday ... last class before Christmas will be on Wednesday.

Fly Lab Ends ...

After a snow day on Tuesday, my AP Biology classes met today.  We worked through several Hardy Weinberg problems, worked on our test review and finished our Drosophila Lab with the last count of our flies.  We will do the Chi Square analysis on the data and will hand this in after Christmas break.  We will have our second exam of the semester on Tuesday ... mostly genetics, Crick's Central Dogma and Evolution.  We have several labs scheduled after we return from Chrismas break.

Tomorrow, we will wrap up or physics / catapult lab in Selected Topics in Science.  A few student groups competed on Wednesday and the rest of our groups will go tomorrow.  Some of the entries below ...

Monday ...

Today was our eight-period Monday and club schedule.  About half of my AP Bio students were out of class ...  In their absence, we worked on population genetics and sample Hardy-Weinberg problems.

Tomorrow is AP Bio day and we will be working on concepts in evolution, more Hardy Weinberg problems, a review for a test Thursday and our last fly count.  We have scheduled review sessions for Wednesday before school.

Selected Topics worked on their catapults today and we are wrapping up programming animation in qBASIC.

Got home in time to take a walk to Long Creek and back ... wet and quiet, not much stirring.

Tree Silhouettes

The cloudy and rainy weather we have been having is good for reading and taking pictures of tree silhouettes.  Below are a couple of pictures from this weekend ... Hickories ... shellbark, shagbark, and one of each under ice,

No School Friday and Pileated Woodpeckers ...

We did not have school on Friday because of and ice storm that never really materialized.  The counties west of Allen County did have ice and snow but most of the storm stayed west of I-65.  Friday was a Selected Topics in Science day so we will move our study and work on mousetrap catapults to Monday.

We will have club schedule on Monday which is our 8 period day.

AP Biology students will continue to work on concepts in evolution,  population genetics problems and will make their final fly count.  Computer programming students will finish up their farm animations this week.

Yesterday, it rained nearly all day instead of the predicted ice storm.  But, this morning early I took a walk on our farm. It was cloudy but not raining.  Pileated woodpeckers and red tail hawks would get the award for biggest noise-makers.  I saw three red tail hawks hunting the bottom and several pileated woodpeckers were flying around and making a lot of noise (as usual).  Check them out at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website below ...

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/pileated_woodpecker/id

MouseTrap Catapult ... Made in the USA

Today, after wrapping up some graphing of data from our PhET simulation lab, we started our mousetrap catapult lab.  These catapults must be designed with a triggering device and shoot a marshmallow a distance of 12 feet into a bucket.  Students will get ten shots ... classroom record is eight marshmallows in the bucket.

Students had a choice of three types of mousetraps.  Mouse Guard and Tomcat traps both made in China and Victor traps made in the USA.  I bought all the traps and gave out the Made in China traps for free but students had to pay 50 cents for a Victor trap.  After a pep rally talk from their teacher, most chose to shell out the 50 cents for the Made in USA trap ... which by all opinions was better built.

Students experimented today with different designs.

Tomorrow is AP Biology day ... evolution, natural selection and the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium.

 

First Fly Count and Evolution ...

Today in AP Biology, we checked some homework then sorted and counted our F2 flies.  First block students are working with a X-linked mutant, white eyes and the second block students are working with the autosomal mutant, apterous wings.  We had time to review gene regulation ... lac and trp operons and eukaryotic gene regulation (transcription factors, TATA box and enhancers/activators).  We ended the class starting our study of evolution ... starting with Darwin and Wallace and proofs of evolution (fossil record, embryologic evidence, molecular evidence and more).  We will continue this on Thursday, adding some Hardy-Weinberg problems.

In fifth period computer programming, we will be finishing our farm scene with animation and music!

I got home late ... checked on Granny before coming home to grade papers.

Fly counting picts below ...

Gene regulation and flies ...

Today was our last 8-period day of first semester.  We have one next week for it club schedule but most students will be out of class that day.  We have 11 days left before Christmas Break.

In AP tomorrow we will continue our study on gene regulation and homeotic / HOX genes.  We checked our fly cultures and they will be ready to county soon.  Tomorrow we will begin our study of evolution and natural selection ... we may get to some Hardy-Weinberg problems toward the end of class.

Computer programming will be wrapping up their farm scene with animation this week.

We had our faculty dinner tonight at the Lyric ...

Back to work ... winter solstice nearing!

Tomorrow, we will start the push to Christmas vacation ... and more importantly winter solstice!  We will be on our 8-period Monday so, all classes will meet.  Club schedule will be next Monday.

In AP Biology, we will be working on gene regulation ... lac operon,  trp operon and eukaryotic gene regulation.  Students has Biozone worksheets for tomorrow ... we are working in Campbell - Chapter 18 - 19.  Other topics for tomorrow are post-transcriptional regulation of genes, homeotic genes and viruses.
We have a lab scheduled for Thursday ... Diffusion and Osmosis lab.  Students have the lab handout and we will prep up the lab tomorrow and Tuesday.  Also, our Drosophila Lab continues this week.

In Selected Topics in Science, we are still working on PhET simulations and we will start our Catapult Physics Lab on Tuesday.

In Computer Science, students are working on programming animation in qBASIC.  Our graphics unit will continue to near Christmas vacation.

We had a good Thanksgiving vacation in Holland.  Sue Neal's extended family was over on Thursday and our oldest daughter and husband were home until today.  Ms. Foster's family was over on Friday for breakfast.  We took several walks and Rachel found some white planaria to take back to Champaign.  This morning, I took a walk shortly after sunrise and heard two barred owls fighting (sounded like cats) with the loser flying off from the battle.  Barred owls look like a loaf of wheat bread with wings.

First Snow

Today was a even number class day so my Selected Topics in Science classes met this morning.  Students worked on their University of Colorado PhET simulations.  We should be able to finish these the next time we meet.  One activity today had students design their own roller coaster with three loop, two jumps and two changes in direction ... call the Vernonator after our Assistant Principal Chris Vernon when we taught with me a few years ago.

We started checking qBASIC problems in 8th period computer programming while students work on their graphics and animation problems.

Tomorrow in AP Biology, we will be working on a genetics and Central Dogma review, release our F1 parent flies from our genetic crosses and we have have a guest speaker, Dr. Takach ... former AC-S student that works in biotechnology.  She is home visiting her parents.

We have about an inch of snow on the ground this evening but I think it will melt overnight for our last day of school before Thanksgiving vacation.

Frost Flowers and walking ferns

Tomorrow, we will have our even class day so we will have our regular Selected Topics day.  We will be working on our pHET simulation physics software.  Link below if you want to take a look.  The sims we will be working on tomorrow will include the concepts of trajectory, force, range, speed and gravity.

http://phet.colorado.edu/

On Tuesday, we will be in AP Biology before heading out to Thanksgiving vacation.  We will wrap up our review of genetics and Crick's Central Dogma.

I was able to take a walk after church today.  Last night the low was 19 and today it barely got above freezing.  Took Chloe (John and Claire's dog) on a walk and was able to get some pictures of frost flowers.  Ribbons of ice form from thin cracks in the stem and as water moves up from the roots, freezes when in contact the air. I have seen several on my way to school about a week ago during a cold snap and today's (from stems of wingstem) were all in a small valley back of our house.  Also, walking fern (Asplenium rhizophyllum) in moss.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frost_flower

Fly Lab begins ...

Today in AP Biology, we put our F1 flies into culturing tubes students had prepared.  These F2 offspring will be counted in two weeks.  We are looking at the apterous wing mutation and white eye sex-linked mutant.  We also demonstrate on our whiteboards how different kinds of mutations can change mRNA and the coded proteins.  We handed out and discussed our Diffusion/Osmosis Lab that we will do after Thanksgiving break and ...  practiced our DNA Baby song for next week.

Computer programming is working on their farm scene graphics problem which includes animation.

Tomorrow in Selected Topics, we will be working on our pHET physics simulation labs.

Took a walk after school and broadcast in the bottom some bottle brush grass seed I had stored.

Crush Day, Hang Time and Some Greenery

Today was crush your structure day in second block.  The winner below was Will ... absent was his two teammates.  His 34g structure held 72 pounds ... not nearly the most ever but, the most today!  Congrats!

In first block, students did a Hang Time lab.  Students went out in the hall and we measured their vertical jump and them we used a mathematical formula (including the gravity constant) to calculate their hang time ... JJ was the winner with a hang time of .38 seconds.  We started a pHET physics lab using springs and masses.

All the freshmen missed computer programming today for an freshman award day.  8th period computer programming is now 4 days behind my other computer programming class.

Got home in time to take a short walk down to the caves and limestone outcrop in the valley behind our house.  Lots of traffic in and out of the small caves there ... I need to get a camera down there for some pictures.   Lots of greenery on the exposed rocks.

Genetics Review, M&Ms and Graphics continues ...

In AP Biology today after a three day weekend for students, we started with a genetics review.  Using many M&Ms, we generated a hypothesis that there were equal amounts of each color of M&Ms in each package for a 1:1:1:1:1:1 ration.  After generating data, we did the Chi Square analysis and rejected the null hypothesis.  Second block then generated a second hypothesis which 2:2:2:1:1:1 ration which was close. The actual percentage are on the M&M website ....

 Most current information shows that in each bag of M&M's, the percentage's of each color are: 
24% blue, 14% brown, 16% green, 20% orange, 13% red, and 14% yellow ... so, our second hypothesis was close.  More Chi Square practice problems later ...

On Thursday, we will review Replication, Translation, and Transcription, mutations of DNA and start our F1 crosses for our Drosophila lab.  We will be using sepia and apterous mutants in this lab.

In Computer programming, we are working on graphics problems and have started with examples of animation.

Tomorrow in Selected Topics of Science we will be finishing our structure problem in second block and working on frequency and period calculation in first block.

Next Monday, we will be on a Wednesday/Friday day instead of our 8 period day.

Next week, we will be in school on Monday and Tuesday before taking off for Thanksgiving vacation. After that, three weeks until Christmas vacation and the end of first semester.

AdvanceKY, Bellarmine and Storms

At school Friday, first block Selected Topics in Science class crushed their 34g/8"tall structures.  Congrats to Andy and Austin for winning this physics competition with 107 pounds.  Second block Selected Topics in Science finished their structures since they are a day behind our other class.  We also studied the Kentucky Forestry Departments order form for seedling tree planting.

Many of our AP teachers attended Advance Kentucky AP training in Louisville this weekend.  Lots of information about the new Biology test format and analysis of last years exam.  A bonus is getting to talk with many AP teachers from across the state.

http://www.advancekentucky.com/

Sue Neal picked me up from this training and we met up with my sister and brother-in-law to watch my youngest nephew play basketball against Bellarmine University.  He played well and played most of the game but Marian University lost in overtime.

Storms tonight but not bad here in Holland, KY.

Structure building and programming animated objects...

Today in Selected Topics in Science, we studied five trees commonly found in Allen County ... tulip poplar, white oak, shagbark hickory, beech and sassafras ... a powerpoint with several pictures.  We also reviewed a study of several different species of trees ... wood density and load potential in psi.

The rest of the block, students worked on their structures ... must be 7.5" tall and weigh less than 34 grams.

In computer programming, we worked on our address problem and wrote a sample program on how to animate a shape.

Still cold and calling for below 20 degrees tonight ... but, 70 degrees this weekend.

Crick's Central Dogma and Cold!

After our 8 period day on Monday and a Veteran's Day program, I headed to school this morning with snow falling.  The ground was so warm, it did not stick and it was over by the time school started.  I enjoyed the march music at the Veteran's Day program ... reminded me of playing for various summer events with the County band (Highland County, Ohio) when I was in middle school and high school.

Today was AP day and we worked on Replication, Transcription and Translation ... just general concepts and will continue on this topic on Thursday.  We have started checking problems in Computer Programming before going on to graphics and animation.

I reminder that there is no school for students on next Monday but, it will be a teacher's workday.

I attended our county bee meeting last night ... our state beekeeper gave a talk on small hive beetle (an invasive from northern Africa)  and treatments (mostly green).  The Allen County Bee School will again be at AC-S HS on Saturday, February 1st.

Eight period day Monday and Veterans Program

Tomorrow, we will miss most of third and fourth periods for our Veteran's Day program.

In AP Biology, we will be finishing out our Enzyme Lab and starting on Crick's Central Dogma.

Selected Topics will continue their lab on structure building.

Computer programming classes are finishing READ/DATA problems and we will do a graphics demo.

This will be our last full week of school before Thanksgiving vacation.  Next Monday students will not have school and the week after that, Thanksgiving vacation starts on Wednesday.

This weekend I fed our bees sugar water in zip-lock bags put in top of the hives.  I took off extra supers and put the bottom boards in the hives since it is suppose to snow on Tuesday.  Also, I harvested seed from coneflowers, slender mountain mint and hoary mountain mint.  It was sunny but cool this weekend.

Friday, Structure Building and Address Program ...

As we finish up business on Friday, our football team heads out to Madisonville North Hopkins to start the playoffs.  The APES program finished up today with some of our best juniors out of class for three days for a total payoff of 2100 dollars ... shared among 7 students ... 25 or so other students got a certificate.  You don't have to guess how I feel about it!

Our Selected Topics in Science classes wrote an entry in their Comp books on the tallest buildings and structures of the world, USA and Kentucky.  Students continued to work on their structures to be tested next week ... most students have made good progress.

Computer programming students are working on either their capitals/countries problem or their address sorting problem.  We will start graphics and animation next week.

Looks like a clear and cool weekend for the start of the deer massacre.

On to physics ... tower building

Today in Selected Topics, we finished up our unit on earth science.  We will start our unit on Physics with "The Tower" lab.  Students are building towers using popsicle sticks and wood glue.  Structures must be 7.5 - 8.5 inches tall and weigh 34 grams or less.  Students will analyze and test their towers by adding weight to the structure until it breaks.  The all time record is 255 pounds.  Our study is centered on the physics of load bearing members of the structure as well as adding stabilizing members.  Students starting on their towers below ...

 


Computer Science will work this week to design and code a program that could be used to sort and print mailing labels.  After this program, we will check programs and move on to graphics and animation.  Our graphics unit will take us to Christmas break.

Raining this evening, staying in to grade some papers.

Enzyme Lab finshed

We worked through most of our Enzyme (Catalase) Lab today.  This lab included a titration with several steps to prepare samples ... students struggled.  Most left class today with a better understanding of enzymes and calculating the rate of reaction.  Some pics from today

 
 

Late getting home after cleaning up our lab ... took a walk about dark.  Lots of animals on the move in the woods.

Tomorrow, Selected Topics will finish up their unit on Earth Science.

Enzyme Lab tomorrow...

Today in AP Bio, we worked on Chi Square Analysis to test our data in genetics.  It was club schedule so many of my students were gone.

Tomorrow in AP Biology, we will be working on our Enzyme Lab ... using catalase to breakdown hydrogen peroxide in different time intervals starting with 10 seconds and ending with a 240 second interval. We will calculate the rate of reaction between time intervals and discuss how we could expand this lab (inquiry).  This lab includes a titration. For a pre-lab rundown on the lab see the Bozeman. Science video below ...

Bozeman Science - Enzyme Lab / youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs75JmgGW5Y

We will discuss again the importance of enzymes in living systems and how they lower EA ... activation energy.


AP Bio Enzyme Catalysis Lab http://rjwsciencestm.com/AP-Bio/Unit1.html

The rest of the week, our top juniors and some seniors will miss class for the APES program ... an opportunity for students (over 30 of them)  to win a total of 2100 dollars ... on average that figures out to about 20 dollars a day for each student which is about $3.50 an hour ... really ... hardly worth it IMO. I and other teachers will carry on in their absence with the students we have remaining in class.  Each time you miss a block class you miss about 2% of the total content of the class.

WWII veterans ... Cordell Meador and Burl Broughton

WWII veterans ...

Cordell Meador and Burl Broughton were best friends in Holland, Kentucky in the 1930s and early 1940s.  They explored, hunted and fished up and down Long Creek and Barren River.   They graduated from high school in the spring of 1944. Upon graduation and during World War II,  Burl soon decided to join the Navy.

His friend Cordell was the only child of tenant farmers Idell and Aubry (called Aub) Meador.  Idell was nearly blind and Cordell being an only child and her only source of support was not required to enlist.  However, being patriotic and with his best friend, he and Burl went to Louisville to enlist in the Navy. They were separated during the enlistment process and when they emerged from the enlistment process, Burl was in the Navy and Cordell (because of his colorblindness) was in the Army.

Cordell was later shipped to Europe while Burl made his way to the war in the Pacific (participated in the landing at Iwo Jima).  Cordell joined the final months of fighting in Europe and was killed in Luxenbourg.  He was killed on February 10, 1945 just two days before Luxenbourg was liberated.
His tombstone says he was killed in Germany but Burl told me on more that one occasion that he had talked with one of Cordell's army buddies and that it was actually Luxenbourg.

Burl returned after the war and worked at Big Four Feed, Stone Quarry and was the county agent for Farm Bureau until retirement.  He loved his family and was the source of many great stories until his death at age 85.

Each year, Burl would plant a big patch of turnip / mustard greens to give to people in the community.  Sue Neal and I continue this tradition in memory of Cordell and Burl.  This year, we have had several residents in our community and elsewhere to stop by and pick some greens.  I have imagined Cordell and Burl walking across this very field on their way to do some squirrel hunting along Long Creek years ago.

Best picture this morning ...

The early morning light is the best for photography ... tree with moss ...

Oaks, Hickories and Beeches ... Cross Country!

Many of the trees have lost their leaves after two wind storms and rain last week.  The Oaks, hickories and beeches still have their leaves but the maples and most of the bright foliage is about finished for the fall.  It was not a autumn to remember for foliage.

Tomorrow is our 8 period day and club schedule so students will be in and out of class.

AP Biology will be working on Chi Square Analysis on some the genetics data we have collected.  A couple of practice of problems.  Their photosynthesis lab is due tomorrow.

Selected Topics will be working on their "7 Days of Weather" activity,  a few students will be finishing their rock lab and a reading.

Computer Science will be working on their READ/DATA problem on Countries and Capitals.

AC-S had two runners that made it through the regional and will run at state next Saturday ... it has been a long dry spell and congrats to these runners that follow a long list a great runners from ACS in the past ...


Current All-Time Patriots Records
Girls                                                                                      Boys
Fastest 5K                                                                            Fastest 5K
Krisston Senter / 19:59 / Barren Co. Course / 2009        Chris Young / 15:17 / District 15 Meet
Brittany Kelley / 19:59 / Barren Co. Course / 1999                                /Barren Co. Course / 1999

Best State 5K                                                                        Best State 5K
Krisston Senter / 20:02 / Horse Park / 2007                     Chris Young / 16:01 / Horse Park / 1999

Best State 4K      
Andi Johnson / 15:34 / Horse Park / 1998


State Qualifying
Teams (State AA
Finish)
Girls
2009 (16th)
2008 (8th)
2007 (9th)
2000 (3rd)
1999 (7th)
1998 (6th)
1997 (3rd)
1996 (7th)
1995 (5th)
Boys
2008 (24th)
2002 (18th)
1994 (14th)
1993 (12th)
1991 (15th)

Patriot CC All-State
Laura Spencer
'90
Marci Logan
'92, '93, ' 94, '95, '96
Adam Cross
'93
Roy Jones
'93, '94
Andi Johnson
'95, '96, '97, '98
Jason Green
'95
Sherri Mattox
'96, '97
Tabitha Morris
'97, '99, '00
Chris Young
'98, '99-SC
Eric Bonneau
'99
Hannah Roberts
'99, '00
Brittany Kelley
'00
Nathan Landrum
'02
Kyle Gillenwater
’06, ‘07
Kate Bomar
’07, ‘08
Krisston Senter
’07, ’08,  ’09, ’10
Ethan Graves
‘08

... and a couple of hundred more that never made all-state ... the toughest sport you will ever love!

Flight Behavior, Wind, Rain and Friday ...

Yesterday, we had rain off and on all day with the wind picking up in the evening (30-40 mph) ... our electricity was off for over an hour.  On my way into school this morning, several trees were down and lots of limbs.  One of your best butterfly plants was damaged.

Today, we wrapped up some activities in Selected Topics.  We recorded the weather from NOAA and used the USGS site to survey earthquakes over the world during the last seven days.  Later in the block, we worked to finish our Rock Lab and most students were able to finish.  We will wrap up earth science next week and move on to a unit on astronomy.

AP Bio next week will include our Enzyme Lab on Tuesday.  Club Schedule is on Monday and the APES program will take most of the class out on Thursday.  As I often say ... We only have class when we have nothing else to do ... It will make a difference next spring when students will take the AP Bio exam.  Each block class a student misses is about 2% of the total class time for the year.  

In computer science next week, we will finish problems using FOR/NEXT and READ/DATA.  I am hoping to get to programming objects and animation before Thanksgiving Break.

I finished Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver this evening.  I good story but, IMO, some of the science was a little sketchy.  The southern mountain farm family dialogue was very good.