Fast Plant blooming and Hang time ...

In Genetics today after our morning quiz on the immune system, we handed out our Friday Caption (this week on our transformation lab).  We made bee sticks to pollinate our blooming fast plants.  Students pretended to be bees and randomly pollinated our plants.  We will see if we end up with gene frequencies staying the same in the next generation.  We also started our brine shrimp lab and will continue this lab tomorrow testing eggs hatching at different concentrations of salt in water.

Fast plant's blooms below ...  http://www.fastplants.org/how_to_grow/pollinating.php

Below the best transformation lab plates ... LB/Amp and LB/Amp/Xgal from the + tubes ... from our genetis lab yesterday ... Hayden and Cameron's plates.

In Selected Topics we did a mini-lab on gravity and hangtime.  Congrats to Josh (stayed in the air for .39 seconds, best ever in Selected Topics)  We tested six students and calculated the time they were in the air by how the jumped in a standing jump.  T = square root of  (2d/g) ... where gravity is 10m per second squared.  We also continued on our Superstructure lab.  Crunch day will be on Friday.

Computer programming is working on the Josh lottery problem.  Should finish this difficult sort problem tomorrow.

Got home in time to cut two buckets of sunflowers to take to school and take a walk to Long Creek.

First freeze is predicted tonight.  

Transformation Lab results ...

Today was another cold and windy day as the storm Sandy heads north through New York.  In Selected Topics, we looked over the NOAA weather map today to seed how low the pressure was in the center of Sandy ... 960 mb and the isobars were close showing strong winds.  This was considerably lower than we observed during our weather unit earlier in the year.  In this class, we also continued our study of pollinators and student groups work on their superstructures that will be tested on Friday.

In genetics, we went over our study questions on the immune system and finished our transformation lab.  Best student group had about 500 bacterial transformation per plate ... very good!  Tomorrow, we start our brine shrimp lab for a study of animal behavior.

Tomorrow in computer programming we will start our first of two lottery analysis problems.  We are hoping to wrap up qBASIC first of next week.

I had afternoon detention to monitor after school so got home late.  I did run up to Granny's to fill her bird feeder so she watch the birds.

Super Structure start and Bacterial Transformations

Today in Genetics, it was transformation lab day (pBLU Lab from Carolina Biological)!  Students used a protocol to induce bacteria to take up a plasmid.  Results tomorrow and the immune system discussion questions.

In Selected Topics we started our super structure lab ... these structures must have less than 34 grams of wood and must be 7.5-8.5 inches tall ... last year,  we had a student structure hold over 250 pounds.  In addition to working on this structure we are preparing to start our unit on animal and plant science.

Computer programming is still working on sorting problems and making good progress ... I think we can end up qBASIC early next week.

Bumblebees and Sunflowers ... wow!

Frost predicted tonight.  Today was cool with some sunshine.  Several bumblebees were slowly moving through a sunflower plot in Holland, KY.  Ten of my best pictures of today below ...  I cannot wait until the Spring ...

Friday ... pBLU Lab on Monday!

Weather change today ... looks like fall is finally here ... high tomorrow will be about 55 so, a big cool off!

Today the seniors and sophomores missed some class time to fill out a survey.  I had a few sophomores out of computer programming fourth block.

Computer programming worked on the first sorting program and a couple moved on to the second problem of four.  The second problem is called Tobacco Cutters of America and is a payroll problem in which workers wages are calculated over a week.

Selected Topics worked on some physics problems before starting on our animal/plant science unit.  We are going to do a project on pollinators in our environment.  Also, next week, is our last physics problem-solving lab ... the super structure problem, for all our budding construction contractors, carpenters and engineers.

Students in genetics did not have their immune system questions completed but, we did prep up our lab for Monday ... pBLU Transformation Lab ...

http://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/AEPC/SEP/pBLUteac.pdf

Listening to the Patriot football game on the radio versus Monroe County.  Our football team is scoring a lot but behind ... time for a comeback!

Immune system and more ...

In Selected Topics, we wrapped up our electromagnet lab with student designed experiments.  Below is Sean and Erica ... winners of the best electromagnet (transported over 60 paperclips).  Tomorrow will be doing some physics problems (speed, velocity and acceleration).  Structure building next week.

















In genetics today, we had our last student presentation, finished up a lab and prepped up our natural selection lab for next week by doing a little research in the Mac Computer Lab.

Students in Computer project are hard at work on their sorting problems ... a good start.  These problems should take us into next week.

Nice weather today ... took a long walk after I got home.  Still a lot of bumblebees hanging on to the few wildflowers that are remaining!

Electromagnet Lab and Parent/Teacher Conferences

We had Parent-Teacher Conferences after school today.  It is always good to put meet the parents.  We spend a lot of time with their children ... working with them and talking with them each day.  We have some great students at Allen County!  However,  the few problem students we have get most of the attention and much of our time.

Genetics today included an overview of the immune system, student presentations and some review.  Tomorrow will be  discussion questions on the immune system and and some lab work.

Selected Topics today build electromagnets and tested them in a competition ... will post pictures tomorrow.  We have an inquiry lab tomorrow using electromagnets and several types of batteries.

Computer programming are working on their sorting programs and will continue through the rest of the week.