Diffusion, Osmosis and Scratch ...

Above, congrats Daniel for drawing the best flower using Scratch (and mathmatical formulas with the golden angle ... 137.5 degrees).

AP Biology - Today we wrapped up our regeneration lab.  We reviewed biochem, cells and cell membrane ... since we won't be back together for a week.  I did a demo using dialysis tubing and we went over our diffusion and osmosis lab for next week.  Students will prepare discussion questions for Chapter 6 (Enzymes and Biochemical pathways) and Chapter 7 (Cellular Respiration).

Selected Topics in Science - Tomorrow we will continue our study of genetics.  Our planarian and Great Plant Growing Contest will end on Friday.  We have some great bean plants growing!

Computer Programming II - We will wrap up our "The Show" problem that uses sound (music and percussion) and motion tomorrow.  We have already had some great programming performances.  Students will be working on user input programming the next few days.  Two hard working programmers below ...


Computer Programming I - We have moved on to problems that use decision statements and they are considerably harder.  We will check programs again early next week.  Most students are working on the Skyscraper Lay the Carpet problem.  All these programs are in Karel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karel_(programming_language)

https://www.cs.mtsu.edu/~untch/karel/



Still seeing Monarchs heading south ... that is good!

Monarchs, Labs and a Northern Pearly-eye

Last full week before Labor Day weekend and our classes are up to full speed with several labs underway.  All classes are doing well.

In AP Biology today, we worked on sample questions over cells and cell membranes.  We also worked in Chapter 5 ... passive and active transport with examples.  We handed out our first required investigation ... Investigation 4 - Diffusion and Osmosis.  This lab has four sections and uses dialysis tubing to explore osmosis and diffusion.  I will demo some lab techniques on Wednesday and start Chapter 6, Energy and Metabolism.  Our regeneration lab will wrap up on Wednesday.

My Selected Topics Class will meet Tuesday, Thursday and Friday this week.  The Great Plant Growing Contest continues this week and will end on Friday.  The Planarian lab will finish on Friday also.  Tomorrow, we will be studying mitosis and meiosis and will begin our review of genetics and Punnett Squares.

Computer Programming II will show the rest of the class their Sound and Motion projects tomorrow.  We will be working our user input data structures the rest of the week.  A science or math conversion problem Thursday and Friday.

Computer Programming I classes are competing in a programming tournament ... Grand Prix of Karel.  The M-W class finished today ... congrats to Alex!  My Tu-Th class will finish up their tourament tomorrow.  We have started on decision statements with problems ... Cliffhanger and Run the Hurdles.

With the rain over the last two weeks, pollinators are back at work.  I have been seeing 3-4 Monarchs each day as their migration begins.  Below is a Clymene Moth (Haploa clymene, the host plant for larva is oak trees) and a Northern Pearly-eye (Enodia anthedon, a woodland butterfly)

Cell Science, Karel and Scratch programming ...

AP Biology - On Monday we wrapped up our study of biochemistry and tomorrow we are working on cell science.  Our plan is to grind through some content before Labor Day.  Our planarian regeneration lab continues ... tomorrow, we are looking at university labs that conduct planarian regeneration research.

Selected Topics in Science - Today, we played some biochem poker for review of the making of polymers from monomers ... carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids.  The Great Plant Growing Contest continues.

Computer Programming II - This week we are working on adding sound to motion.  This include sounds, music and percussion.  Congrats to  Daniel for having the best flower graphic generated by a math formula and the golden angle ... the winner of the red chair.

Computer Programming I - This week we are finishing the Grand Prix problem and our tournament will be later this week.  Also, we are starting our advanced programs using decision statements  ... if/then, if/then/else and while/do.

On our farm, the ironweed, wingstem and goldenrod are blooming.  The last nectar flow of the summer for bees and butterflies.  Lots of deer on the move!

Scratch and the Golden Angle ... 137.5 degrees

AP Biology - Monday and Wednesday, we got a start on biochemistry.  On Wednesday we started our regeneration lab using locally obtained planaria from Holland, KY.  We also played a game of biochem poker for a review on how to make polymer from monomers.  On Monday, we will hand our our new textbooks before heading to cell science.  The regeneration lab will continue for two weeks.

Selected Topics in science met Tuesday and today.  On Tuesday we started a planaria lab (emphasis on ecology).  This lab will continue for two weeks.  Today we worked on biochemistry and the food we eat.  We will finish this discussion tomorrow and start our Great Plant Growing Contest ... good luck to all.

Computer Programming II met today first block and started on their second problem using Scratch.  This problem was to generate a picture of a flower from our pollinator garden using looping statements and numeric variables.  We will continue programming this problem tomorrow.  On next Tuesday, we will start our third problem generating sounds and music.  Many students used sunflowers for their computer generated drawing ... we talked about fibonacci numbers and the golden angle 137.5 degrees (seed dispersion in sunflowers, coneflowers and others ... see pictures below show the type of spirals we are trying to generate with a mathmatical formula) ...

Computer Programming I classes are working with Karel the Robot programming.  We are finishing our problem called "Pick the Corn" and many students have started on "Grand Prix of Karel".  This is a contest problem we will check problems next Thursday.  Grand Prix is our last easy problem before starting on problems that use decision statements ... if/then, if/then/else and while/do.

First Week of School ... done!

With the little bit of rain we had this weekend a tree frog found its way to our porch ...

We wrapped up the first week of school on Friday ... students three days and teachers all five days.  It was good to get started on another year of learning.

AP Biology- We started on our study of biochemistry on Friday ... carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids.  We will continue on Monday with an emphasis on proteins (enzymes and more) and Biochem Poker is on tap as a review on Wednesday.

Selected Topics in Science - This science class of mostly juniors will start on Tuesday a biology unit.  The Great Plant Growing Contest will be our first lab and it will start Tuesday!  We will see who has a green thumb.

Computer Science II - Last week, we got started with a survey of Scratch programming projects posted on the Scratch website.  Scratch was developed by MIT and is a language used in schools throughout the world.  We have several projects scheduled in Scratch before moving on the Python.  I will post links to several of our programs later ... check out the MIT Scratch website ...

scratch.mit.edu


Computer Programming I - Two classes and both are starting with the Karel language ... a visual logic trainer.  It will get everyone (both classes are huge) up to speed in programming logic and several students have completed their first program ("Pick Up the Package") last week.

Below, ironweed is starting to bloom in Holland.  This picture is a pipevine swallowtail (Battus philenor) on ironweed (Veronia gigantea) ... notice its tongue.  First full week of school next week ... let's get busy and DO some science!

Best Homeroom ...

Today we spent until 9:30 in homeroom working on forms and the student handbook.  All eight class periods met today for only 20 minutes with the exception of lunch period which was planning for me.

It was good to see my homeroom again ... we have been together since their sophomore year.  They are a great group!

Stayed after school to help Coach Byrn with the middle school softball practice.  I pitched some of the batting practice and might not be able to get our of bed tomorrrow morning.

Tomorrow will be are "B" day schedule.  I will be meeting with my computer programming II class and we will start to work on Scratch ... also,  test our computer room for problems.
Selected Topics in Science meets tomorrow second block.  We will spend some time with setting up the course, course syllabus and assign our first lab ... The Great Plant Growing Contest!
Computer Programming I, "B" day, will go over an introduction to Karel programming before going to the computer lab to test their log on situation.  Freshmen might not be able to log on until next week.

Friday will be our "A" day schedule ... AP Biology and the other Computer Programming I class for me.

Rain predicted for Friday ...

First Day of School tomorrow for students!

We had an inservice day at school today.  Tomorrow will be the first day of the 2014-2015 school year.  This afternoon the first day schedule was changed from an "A" (Monday and Wednesday) day to meeting all classes tomorrow.  Students will meet all the "A" day classes will meet in the morning followed by the four "B" day classes.  Lunch will the the normal B third block class ... then 1st, 2nd and 4th.  Good luck freshmen!   We will meet in our homerooms first nearly two hours before attending classes.  All classes will meet for 20 minutes except for the "B" day third block lunch period which will be the normal 90 minutes.

On Thursday, we will have a B day followed by a normal A day on Friday.

I watered some of our plants when I got home from school ... we are really in need of rain!

Good luck to all tomorrow for a successful school year.  My homeroom are now seniors ... Yeah!

First Day of School ... Teachers

Today was the first day of school for teachers at Allen County - Scottsville HS.  We had visitation for parents and students from 4-7 PM.  I had over 50 students with their parents to stop by for information. Many of their parents I had in class years ago.  Tomorrow is another teacher inservice day and first day for students will be on Wednesday.

Drought continues but rain is predicted for later in the week.

Lots of butterflies still out around our house where we have watered our flowers ... below pipevine swallowtail, great spangled fritillary and a female tiger swallowtail.