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.