Week 17 in Review

Periodic Updates

Week 17 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• Lab Write-Ups:
• Every lab that we do in chemistry has a lab notebook component.
• I have been giving students time to get all the questions and summaries finished.
• I will be reviewing them over Thanksgiving break.
• Chemical Naming and Balancing Equations:
• We have started our last unit before Winter Break.
• Part of this will involve practice to get the process down.
• Please help remind students to do their practice problems.
• Midterm Exam:
• We will be having a midterm exam at the end of this quarter.
• This exam will cover anything and everything from the beginning of the school year.
• Please encourage your student to come to tutoring for help and review.

What happened last week?

• Chemical Naming:
• Students practiced correct ways to name chemicals.
• We played a "Name Game" that many of the students enjoyed and realized they did have the ability to name and correctly write the formula for many molecules.
• Chemical Equations:
• Students began to think about chemical equations this week.
• We will be continuing our understanding of these this week.
• Standards:
• This is all part of our study of the Next Generation Science Standards PS1-3, 1-4, and 1-7. 

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

Practice! Students will be practicing correct naming and balancing chemical equations this week. This is a skill that truly practice will make perfect. The language of chemistry can seem scary to many students until they get comfortable with how it is done. Once the students get over that fear, they will show the confidence they need to name molecules and balance equations. I heard a very respected individual say, "Dreams have to go from inspiration to participation." I really feel like this is where many of our 10th graders find themselves right now. Their futures are becoming more of a reality everyday. This is the point that those dreams have to really become something they participate in right now. I want their understanding of Chemistry to be such that they are able to use it to get where they want to be as an adult. Have a great week!

I am available to help any morning between 7:45-8:15 and during Flex on the "A" day schedule 4th block. Students can make arrangements to miss their 4th block class to meet with me.

terryk@claytonbradleyacademy.org

Week 15 in Review

Periodic Updates

Week 15 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• Lab Write-Ups:
• Every lab that we do in chemistry has a lab notebook component.
• I have been giving students time to get all the questions and summaries finished.
• I will be reviewing them over Thanksgiving break.
• Chemical Naming and Balancing Equations:
• We have started our last unit before Winter Break.
• Part of this will involve practice to get the process down.
• Please help remind students to do their practice problems.
• Midterm Exam:
• We will be having a midterm exam at the end of this quarter.
• This exam will cover anything and everything from the beginning of the school year.
• Please encourage your student to come to tutoring for help and review.

What happened last week?

• Celebration of Learning:
• The students did an excellent job with the celebration of learning.
• It was great listening to them explain the chemical processes and see them interacting with the lower school volunteers.
• Make sure you let them know how great they did with this presentation.
• Assessment:
• All assessments have been scored. 
• We will have some time on Tuesday to discuss the assessment.
• There is always the ability to go back and learn more about a standard. If your student would like to put the time in reviewing and practicing, I would love to see them show mastery in the standards.
• The scores should be reflected on the progress report card.
• Standards:
• This is all part of our study of the Next Generation Science Standards PS1-3, 1-4, and 1-7. 

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

This week brought a lot of excitement as students were able to showcase their learning Wednesday morning. See the students talk about chemical equations, photography, and the vertebrate survey was very exciting for me as their teacher. The students have been working so hard this year, and I believe they deserved the chance to show others what they have accomplished. With excitement, came some anxiety over the assessment. I know many students were very nervous about how they think they did on the assessment. Overall, I think the assessment helped students realize what they have learned and what they need to spend more time trying to understand. In reality, Chemistry is not getting easier. The content will continue to increase in challenge as we build on the learning that has taken place. If your student didn't do so well on the assessment, please encourage them to come to tutoring or flex during 4th block of "A" days so we can get back on pace. Have a great week!

I am available to help any morning between 7:45-8:15 and during Flex on the "A" day schedule 4th block. Students can make arrangements to miss their 4th block class to meet with me.

terryk@claytonbradleyacademy.org

Week 14 in Review

Periodic Updates

Week 14 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• Celebration of Learning:
• This week we will be highlighting 10th grade science program in the Celebration of Learning. We hope to see you Wednesday morning.
• Chemistry Assessment:
• There will be an assessment over material covered since fall break on Monday November 16th.

What happened last week?

• Chemical Bonding:
• Students gave great presentations concerning the different types of chemical bonding.
• Mr. McCarter gave a short presentation on metallic bonding.
• Photography Lab:
• Students had a great time doing this lab.
• To see results, come to the Celebration of Learning Wednesday!
• Standards:
• This is all part of our study of the Next Generation Science Standards PS1-1, 1-2, and 1-7. 

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

We began this week with excitement of trying a new lab on photography. This lab bridged the gap between the reactivity of the periodic table and chemical bonding. Students were able to see real world processes in the lab and the results for some of the students is quite impressive. We will start this next week with an assessment to see our learning. Then we will celebrate all the exciting things from this year in science. Please join us on Wednesday to help the students celebrate their learning. Have a great day!

I am available to help any morning between 7:45-8:15 and during Flex on the "A" day schedule 4th block. Students can make arrangements to miss their 4th block class to meet with me.

terryk@claytonbradleyacademy.org

Week 13 in Review

Periodic Updates

Week 13 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• Photography:
• Students are gave presentations on different types of photography as part of this study. The rubric for this presentation can be found by clicking here.
• We will also be developing a photograph in class on Tuesday! Please help your student pick a good idea for this activity.
• Chemical Bonding:
• Students are working on understanding chemical bonding.
• Students gave presentations about different types of bonding with some great skits to help us remember.
• Chemistry Assessment:
• There will be an assessment over material covered since fall break on Monday November 16th.

What happened last week?

• Students gave their presentations on photography and chemical bonding.
• Silver Halide Lab:
• We reviewed the information they should have gained from this lab.
• Chemical Bonding:
• We continued to work on this concept.
• Standards:
• This is all part of our study of the Next Generation Science Standards PS1-1, 1-2, and 1-7. 

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

I am so excited to see what pictures our students develop in the photography lab on Tuesday. This is an experimental lab for both the students and teachers. To be honest, that means neither I nor Kendal McCarter have ever done this lab. The concepts we are discussing in class support this activity and we think the students will have a really great learning experience seeing exactly how this is done. I cannot say with certainty that any picture will be developed well. I guess that is science sometimes! We are learning the value of experimentation. We are teaching students that in the real world you don't always know what the outcome will be. We know the chemistry should work. This type of learning really excites me! It is great seeing students learn when the project could go in various directions. I love not always knowing whether or not an activity is going to be successful because it brings out a real-world adventure in the class. This also supports the idea that sometimes in life we fail. This gives us a chance to learn from our mistakes and make it better next time. I can't wait this week to celebrate with the students on their successes and troubleshoot their failures. Have a great week!

I am available to help any morning between 7:45-8:15 and during Flex on the "A" day schedule 4th block. Students can make arrangements to miss their 4th block class to meet with me.

terryk@claytonbradleyacademy.org

Week 12 In Review

Periodic Updates

Week 12 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• Photography:
• In our study of the trends of the periodic table, we have started to look at ways to develop photographs to help us understand how different elements react to produce different results.
• Students are preparing presentations on different types of photography as part of this study. The rubric for this presentation can be found by clicking here.
• We will also be developing a photograph in class soon. More to come on this part!
• Silver Halide Lab:
• The students completed a lab on Thursday involving the reactivity of the halogens.
• This was the first lab in our bigger project on Photography. They learned an important concept concerning silver although they might not fully understand it yet.
• The written part of this lab is due this week.
• To view the rubric used to score lab reports click here.

What happened last week?

• Students presented their Periodic Table projects to the class last week. Their scores are reflected in the progress reports on renweb. Any student that would like to explore this project more to increase their understanding are invited meet with me any morning from 7:45 to 8:15.
• Silver Halide Lab:
• See information and pictures above.
• Chemical Bonding:
• We are starting to look at the chemical bonding of elements.
• Standards:
• This is all part of our study of the Next Generation Science Standards PS1-1, 1-2, and 1-7. 

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

Have you ever wondered how pictures were developed before smart phones and computers? Some of you may remember a time when a picture took longer than hitting print or connecting to a kiosk at Target. However, for most of your students, they don't. In Chemistry that is what we are going to try to learn this week. We started this by looking at the reactivity of silver with a few of the Halogens. We will continue this questioning as we discuss bonding that was going on in the "Silver Halide Lab" this week. By the end of this week, we should have pictures that the students have designed, process, and developed using silver nitrate and salt solutions. Encourage your student to use their lifeskills of curiosity, creativity, and initiative in coming up with a fun picture for this lab. They can print the negative of the image on transparency in the lab to use if they would like. We really want these black and white prints to be good. As always, we want to see the students use their lifeskill of perseverance and lifelong guideline of personal best as we work hard to learn more about our physical world and the reactions that take place. Have a great week!

I am available to help any morning between 7:45-8:15 and during Flex on the "A" day schedule 4th block. Students can make arrangements to miss their 4th block class to meet with me.

terryk@claytonbradleyacademy.org

Week 11 in Review

Periodic Updates

Week 11 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• Periodic Table Project:
• Students have been working on creating their own periodic table this past week.
• Click here to see the rubric.
• Photography:
• In our study of the trends of the periodic table, we have started to look at ways to develop photographs to help us understand how different elements react to produce different results.
• Students are preparing presentations on different types of photography as part of this study. The rubric for this presentation can be found by clicking here.
• We will also be developing a photograph in class soon. More to come on this part!

What happened last week?

• Periodic Table Trends:
• We have been discussing the periodic table trends this week.
• Students gave presentations on a period and family of the periodic table. The scores and video of the presentations will become available soon.
• Chemical Bonding:
• We are starting to look at the chemical bonding of elements.
• Standards:
• This is all part of our study of the Next Generation Science Standards PS1-1, 1-2, and 1-7. 

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

This week has been an exciting week for the upper school at CBA. The  engineering day visit to UT was very exciting to see many different fields in engineering. We are continuing to progress through Chemistry by learning the trends of the periodic table. Our focus this last week was on understanding periodicity and how it is seen in the periodic table. The students did great on their presentations and those will be made available to view soon. As you can see from the rubrics above, lifeskills and lifelong guidelines will now be a part of their projects and presentations just like standard scores. I am hoping this will help the students identify which lifeskills and lifelong guidelines they need to work on as they grow and mature into adults. The upcoming photography lab will be fun for the students as well as educational. If you know of anyone that still develops film the "old fashion" way, please send me a contact so maybe we can incorporate a field study into this project. If you have any questions, please contact me. Have a great week!

I am available to help any morning between 7:45-8:15 and during Flex on the "A" day schedule 4th block. Students can make arrangements to miss their 4th block class to meet with me.

terryk@claytonbradleyacademy.org

Week 8 in Review

Periodic Updates

Week 8 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• Electron Orbitals:
• We are studying electron orbitals.
• Review sheet of electron orbitals assigned on Thursday.
• Many students completed in class, however, if they are having trouble please have them come to tutoring.
• Atomic Theory Assessment:
• We will have an assessment on Wednesday and Friday.
• This will cover Scientists, atomic structure, and electron orbitals.
• Labs:
• We will be doing a lab on Monday.
• Please remind students to dress appropriately.
• We will be using the bunsen burners, so no loose clothing and all long hair needs to be pulled back for lab.

What happened last week?

• Electron Orbitals:
• We continued to discuss Warner Heisenberg a his contribution to atomic theory.
• We did some practice activities to understand the properties of atoms better.
• This will be assessed this week.

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

This week will bring an end to the 1st 9 weeks! Wow it seems like that went by quickly. As you may know, this week can be stressful for students. They will be finishing projects, giving presentations, and taking assessments in several classes. This week is huge for students to show the lifeskill of perseverance and the lifelong guideline of personal best. Encourage students to push extra hard this week to show their mastery in their classes. I know they have been working hard in Chemistry and this week is so important in showing all that hard work. Help them to keep the end result in mind, and no I don't mean fall break. Help them see where they want to go in life, what do they want to be, and how they are going to get there through hard work and determination. This week is going to be over soon, but our future is what we are preparing for at CBA!

I am available to help any morning between 7:45-8:15 and during Flex on the "A" day schedule 4th block. Students can make arrangements to miss their 4th block class to meet with me.

terryk@claytonbradleyacademy.org

Week 7 In Review

Periodic Updates

Week 7 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• Electron Orbitals:
• We are studying electron orbitals.
• This can be challenging for students so there is a web activity for students to do as an introduction that includes a google form.
• There will be more practice problems this week to get students familiar with electron orbitals.
• Labs:
• Many students have been trying to go back and finish labs or redo parts of past labs that they did incorrectly. This is great and encouraged. I will do a lab review this week!

What happened last week?

• Mole Lab:
• Students participated in a mole lab activity on Tuesday and part of Thursday about using mole conversions in the lab. 
• Students learned the importance of accurate math and accurate measurements.
• Kahoot!
• We did a review using Kahoot!
• Each student will get feedback on their results this week.
• This is a great check to make sure they are understanding what is going on in Chemistry.
• Electron Orbitals:
• Students were introduced to the idea of electron orbitals.
• We will continue this discuss this week.

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

We continued our understanding of the mole this week with a lab. The lab was challenging in that it involved two finished products.  The first was using the math involved in mole conversions to figure out how much of an element or compound they needed. Then they had to use accuracy in measurements to give me the exact amount. The students did an excellent job using the lifeskill of perseverance and the lifelong guideline of personal best. The topics we are discussing right now in Chemistry are laying the foundation for the rest of the semester. Encourage your student to make sure they are practicing to master the ideas we are discussing in class. Many of the terms we are using are words they will only use in science related fields. This can be challenging for students to make connections and understandings. As always, bring them to tutoring any morning from 7:45-8:15 if they need help.

I am available to help any morning between 7:45-8:15 and during Flex on the "A" day schedule 4th block. Students can make arrangements to miss their 4th block class to meet with me.

terryk@claytonbradleyacademy.org

Week 6 In Review

Periodic Updates

Week 6 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• Avogadro's Number Practice:
• Student's worked on the concept of a mole on Friday.
• How many is 602 hexillion? Ask them about doughnuts.
• They were given a practice page to work on how to use these ideas in Chemistry.
• We will do more work on that this week.
• Labs:
• Many students have been trying to go back and finish labs or redo parts of past labs that they did incorrectly. This is great and encouraged. I will do a lab review this week!
• We will do a lab on Tuesday, remind all students to wear appropriate lab clothing!
• This weeks lab will be centered around the mole.

What happened last week?

• Atomic Researchers:
• The students gave great presentations using twitter about the researchers that founded atomic theory.
• Ask your student to show you their twitter for each researcher.
• Kahoot!
• We did a review using Kahoot!
• Each student will get feedback on their results this week.
• This is a great check to make sure they are understanding what is going on in Chemistry.
• What is the mole?
• We started a new idea in our unit on atomic theory with a look at the mole.
• This will continue this week.
• Digital Citizenship:
• Wednesday, we discussed lesson 4 of our digital citizenship curriculum.
• CBA has chosen commonsensemedia.org as a source for teaching our students about digital citizenship.
• This lesson was on the dangers of "Overexposed: Sexting and Relationships"

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

We continued to focus on the lifeskill of creativity this week as students gave great presentations using twitter about atomic theory. We also had to be creative when trying to understand the number 602 hexillion. This number is so large that it is really hard for students to imagine. We did some activities in class to try and help students understand what it means to have 602 hexillion of anything. To help you see how large this number is written out in long form is 602000000000000000000000. That is crazy big! We also continued use our lifeskill of perseverance as we learned words and phrases that are specific to chemistry that students may have never used before. They are doing great persevering when writing isotope notation, dealing with atomic numbers and atomic masses. Finally, we want to continue to encourage our students to give their lifelong guideline of personal best. It is easy to complete an assignment and then want to turn it in and walk away. Here at CBA we want students to revisit their work and make it better. To truly show what you know and give your personal best in everything you do. 

I am available to help any morning between 7:45-8:15 and during Flex on the "A" day schedule 4th block. Students can make arrangements to miss their 4th block class to meet with me.

terryk@claytonbradleyacademy.org

Week 5 In Review

Periodic Updates

Week 5 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• Chemistry Assessment #1:
• Students got feedback results on our first assessment this week.
• You should have received an email with a shared document of their results.
• Any scores students would like to revisit to show understanding, please have them meet with me in the morning from 7:45-8:15 or during flex time 4th block on "A" days.
• If you have any questions concerning the assessment, please email me.
• Edpuzzle.com
• Students are assigned videos to watch on edpuzzle.com.
• These videos will have questions throughout.
• Student responses will be reviewed and feedback given on any questions they get wrong.
• Please ask your student to see their results from last week.
• Atomic Theory Researchers:
• Students have been working on reporting to the class a researcher that helped form our understanding of Atomic Theory.
• These presentations will take place on Monday

What happened last week?

• We worked on our Atomic Theory Researcher presentations.
• We learned about three laws:
• Law of Conservation of Mass
• Law of Definite Proportions
• Law of Multiple Proportions

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

This week started with a fun challenge for the students called, "Think Tube." Ask students if they figured it out before I told them the "trick." This demonstration kicked off our discussion on Atomic Theory. We are exploring the question, "How do we know what we cannot see in the molecular world?" This allowed us to focus on the lifeskill of Creativity as students began their first project of Atomic Theory Researcher report. Students got to select a fun way to present their assigned researcher's contribution to Atomic Theory. Ask students how they are presenting their scientist to the class. We also focused on our lifelong guideline of Personal Best as we got our assessments back. Students are encouraged to revisit the material and come to me with questions. We want students to own their learning in Chemistry and keep working with the concepts until they master each one. If your student didn't get 3's on each question, encourage them to use their Personal Best and keep at it. As always this year, we want students to use the lifeskill of Perseverance in their studies. Sophomore year can be challenging as the work gets harder and through perseverance we will finish with excellence!

I am available to help any morning between 7:45-8:15 and during Flex on the "A" day schedule 4th block. Students can make arrangements to miss their 4th block class to meet with me.

terryk@claytonbradleyacademy.org

Week 4 In Review

Periodic Updates

Week 4 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• We have done several labs in class. All labs will be scored using a rubric that is shared with students through their Google Drive. Anything not a "3" can, and should, be fixed and turned back in for review. Once reviewed, their rubric will reflect the changes.
• We took a summative assessment on Friday. Those are currently being scored and you will be notified of the results as soon as those are finished.
• This week we will be starting a new unit: Atomic Theory

What happened last week?

• We worked on the differences between physical and chemical changes in the lab.
• We explored ways to get density of different types of metals.
• Curriculum night was great. To those that came by, thank you for your visit. If you did not get to attend, click here for the link to the handout.

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

This was another week with a focus on perseverance. I remember so many times trying to get ready to take an assessment for the first time in a class. I tried to reassure the students in their understanding of the information. It takes perseverance not to get overwhelmed with the amount of information and just take it one thing at a time. Another lifeskill we are learning right now is courage. Courage is being willing to say you don't understand and you need help. As we get into the heart of our first real unit it will take courage for students to seek out help from their peers, me, and/or you as the topics get more complicated and abstract. If you have any questions for me or feel you student needs tutoring please email me so we can set this up. Have a great week!

terryk@claytonbradleyacademy.org

 

Week 3 In Review

Periodic Updates

Week 3 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• Friday Aug. 14 is our first assessment. Matter, Mass, & Density
• We have done several labs in class. All labs will be scored using a rubric that is shared with students through their Google Drive. Anything not a "3" can, and should, be fixed and turned back in for review. Once reviewed, their rubric will reflect the changes.
• Practice Conversion sheets were given to students last week to work on the process of conversions. Please make sure they are keeping up on the practice.

What happened last week?

• We learned about conversion, SI Units, Significant Figures, and Physical and Chemical Changes.
• We all passed our lab safety quiz!
• We accidentally set off the fire alarm! We learned that our buildings are equipped with very sensitive smoke detectors. All is well and no one was ever in danger.

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

We are rolling along very quickly as we have now completed 3 weeks of Chemistry. The students are getting back into the normal swing of things and once again feeling the weight of what we are trying to do at CBA. The students have been trying to "own their learning" by doing what they need to do whether it is for a grade or not. We want to practice the lifeskills of "personal best" and "perseverance" as we get into required projects, assessments, and practice. Encourage your student to learn strategies to be more organized and use a planner system to keep up with important dates and assignments. If you have any questions for me or feel you student needs tutoring please email me so we can set this up. Have a great week!

terryk@claytonbradleyacademy.org

Week of Density

Week 2

This week was very exciting in the Chemistry lab.  This was our "Week of Density" that was used to introduce matter, volume, mass, and density.  The students have been assigned to read the first three readings that will be tested over next Friday.  We will continue our work on density, but we will be adding significant figures, conversions, and percent error. We will also be working on our lab safety quiz this week. The students will be watching a lab safety video this week and then taking a pass/fail quiz to show their safety knowledge. This must be passed by each student before they can do future labs. The lab on Thursday will require students to handle various metals, one of which is lead. We will also be looking at the difference between pre-1982 pennies and post-1982 pennies. Have a wonderful week. As always, if you have any questions or concerns email me at terryk@claytonbradleyacademy.org.

**Don't forget to look for your student in the images below. They worked so hard on this liquid density lab this past week.

Clayton Bradley Academy

Periodic Updates

Week 1

     This week was so exciting. It is always fun to get a new year up and running. When you add to that all the excitement of the new buildings and new students, we have really had a lot of fun. The students spent this week getting to know each other and how to work together.  This site will be devoted to parent updates for Chemistry at Clayton Bradley Academy.

 
     This week we spent time learning about our focus word for our 10th grade class, Perseverance. We discussed how we will need to use perseverance in chemistry to create an understanding for the molecular world. My goal is for each student to create their own understanding of the molecular world and how they interact with that world everyday. We all showed perseverance in an activity we called, "Barbie Bungee."  Students worked in groups for this activity in more of a Problem Based Learning (PBL) approach to the scientific method. All groups had challenges to overcome and successes. One main lesson that we learned as a class was to trust the math to work!  

     This coming week will be our, "Week of Density." We will start our first unit of understanding matter. We will be doing experiments in class that deals with density and how we can use density to understand some common household items we come in contact with daily. We will be seeing the difference between salt and salt that contains less sodium. We will also see how we can use density to determine the sugar content of different drinks. Finally, we will conclude the week by seeing how we can use density with metals. Because of class time being devoted to labs and experiments, there will be reading assignments and educational videos assigned as homework.  Please check in with your students and make sure they are completing these assignments.

     If you need to contact me for any reason, please email me at terryk@claytonbradleyacademy.org or call the school and leave me a message.  Have a great week!