Fall Break Ends ... Python and Monarchs

Fall Break is officially over today since I do not count weekends.  Today I took a Future Problem Exam to coach this year.  It took a couple of hours since I have never scored a FPS student booklet.  I faxed it to KAAS this afternoon.  I have been working on some sample Python programs over break and doing alot of work on our farm.  Yesterday while walking on seed, I saw over 10 Monarchs ... migration still on but toward the end.  It is a long way to Mexico!

Selected Topics in Science finished up their catapult problem with a competition last Friday.  We still have three student groups to go but all were able to complete the project on velocity, trajectory and energy.  We will continue in our physics unit next week.

Computer Programming I has been working in qB64 programming.  We will start checking those programs on Monday as we start a graphics / animation problem.

Computer Programming II continues to work on Python problems.  We are currently working on problems that involve lists.  We will start our project rotation after next week which will include arduino controllers, raspberry pi computers and gamemaker.

The semester is half over next week ... time flies in block schedules.

PSAT will be on Thursday.  It has been over 10 years since we had a National Merit Semi-Finalist ...
We use to have one and sometimes two each year.   Good luck to all!



https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10

Last week before Fall Break ... Programming and Physics!

We are finishing our unit on computer science using SCRATCH programming in Selected Topics in Science.  We completed 5 programs, including a simple PONG game.  Students had to enhance their game with some more ... extra sprites or some kind of modification.  Tomorrow we will do a walk around and try out the games.  We have started our physics unit with the physics of motion.  Students are using pHet software to simulation projectile motion.  Our mousetrap catapult for accuracy is on the horizon this week.

https://scratch.mit.edu/



In Introduction to Computer Progamming we have taken a break from SCRATCH to work in qBASIC for a couple of weeks.  Not as visual but a step away from scripted programming.

Computer Programming II students are hard at work in python programming.  We have finished up a graphics and animation program.  Next up are classes and sorting.

A few picts from our earth science unit in Selected Topics ... map reading of Kentucky ... Black Mountain and KY trivia.

Busy and back ...

Back to blogging after a busy start to the school year.

In Selected Topics, we have wrapped up Earth Science and Astronomy Units.  Our Space Truck competition and modeling of the solar system both turned out great!  We are now in a computer programming unit using SCRATCH from the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at MIT.  Students have done a graphics program and a program created to ask a multiple choice question.

In Computer Programming I, we have been doing SCRATCH programming.  We have completed five programs but will switch to qBASIC this week.

Computer Programming II has been programming in Python.  We are finishing a graphics program ... The Ol McDonald Farm problem with animation.

The Academic team played in the 22nd Annual Ezell-Harding HS Quick Recall tournament last weekend.  One of our team made the finals and we finished 3-8.  There were 48 teams in the tournament including several top 10 teams in the state of Kentucky.

Ezell-Harding Academic Tournament

A picture from after the academic tournament at Ezell-Harding last weekend.  Bus left at 6:00 Saturday morning ... many slept on the trip home.

A couple of pictures from our porch below ... frogs visit regularly and a Monarch caterpilar decided to hang out on a rocking chair the last two weeks.  Sue Neal kept an eye on it to get a picture when it emerged by missed it while on a trip to the grocery.  Off to Mexico ... good luck!

Genetics, SNAP and Karel

Today we started the second full week of school.  In Selected Topics in Science, we worked on Genetics ... Punnett Squares and the CitiBank Genetic Problem.  We have two long-term labs going on ... Regeneration Lab using Planaria and The Great Plant Growing Contest.  We start nearly every Monday with "5 of Everything".  Today was 5 trees you should know ... Tulip Poplars, White Oaks, Shagbark Hickory, Sugar Maples and Sassafras.
Tomorrow our study of genetics continues (sex-linked traits like red-green colorblindness) and ABO blood types. We have a separation science lab to do tomorrow ... The Waldo Lab (A forensics simulation using chromatography).

Pictures below are of our modeling lab last week.

In Computer Programming II we started programming our Snappy Bird project.  In Computer Programming I we are still working on Karel the Robot ... using if/then, if/then/else and while/do statements ... We are finishing our Grand Prix of Karel tournament tomorrow.  Good luck to all!

A small buck from a walk this week for my hunting students!  Best butterfly picture of the weekend (Easter Tiger Swallowtails ... female and male) and a pict from the walk in the woods.

First days of school 2015-2016 and butterflies ...

Has the Monarch migration started?  While bush-hogging today, I saw eight.  This one was in a zinna flower bed at our house.

After two days of PD last week, students arrived on Wednesday.  Lots of housekeeping work with tons of forms the first day but, we got a start in all classes.  By Friday, we were able to get some projects rolling.

Computer Programming I started with a graphical logic trainer ... Karel the Robot.  We have worked  through some problems (five) without decision statements.
    Around the Block
    Pick Up the Package
    Take Out the Trash
    Pick the Corn
    Grand Prix with Karel
All these problems can use the define-new-instruction and iterate commands.  We are hoping to have Grand  Prix finished toward the end of next week and we will do a solution check at that point.  Students working on their Karel problems below in the Media lab (new Dells this year!)

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

In Computer Programming II we finally got started after some login problems to the Cloud via the Snap website.  We are starting the year with Snap (UC Berkeley).  It is similar to Scratch (MIT) but, is one of the perferred languages for the AP Computer Science Principles class (scheduled to be offered for the first time in 2016-2017).  We have started our first problem set.

http://snap.berkeley.edu/

Selected Topics in Science started the Regeneration Lab using Planaria on Thursday.  Planaria are freshwater flatworms found locally.  After a light/dark test, student cut their planaria into two parts.  In about 10-14 days, the posterior ends will grow and head.  Next week we will start the Great Plant Growing Contest and study biochemistry.

On the farm this weekend ...

Most of the Tiger Swallowtails have started to show some wear and tear.  Below, a Question Mark (an Anglewing eating deer scat) ... with a fly in the background. Below the Question Mark is a Black Swallowtail. 

A few of the Tiger Swallowtails look like they recently emerged ... on coneflowers and cupflower.

First Week of School 2015-2016

Last week, I attended a bus drivers PD on Wednesday.  I drove with Chris Prock, a shorter in town route.  We caught up on old softball trips. We had parent-teacher conferences on Thursday evening.  I had over 70 students/guardians stop by for classroom information.  Also, several former student came by to visit.  It is always good to hear their stories.

We have teacher PD on Monday and Tuesday.  First day for students will be on Wednesday.  Lots to do before then.

Below is a picture of our honeybees cleaning up the honey from wax cappings after we extracted honey last week.  Below that for my hunter boys I have and have had in class, a group of bucks behind our house eating clover.  Took this picture tonight about dark ... poor quality.