New School Year 2016-2017

Periodic Updates

Welcome Week In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• Welcome:
• In this section, you will normally find projects students are currently working on and the dates they are due. 
• I also like to link rubrics and other information.

What happened last week?

• Collaborations:
• Students worked in groups make a presentation about their summers.
• The challenge involved only using 20 words in their presentation.
• Schedule Walk-thru: 
• Students walked through both their Monday/Thursday and Tuesday/Friday schedules.

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

It was so great to see students Friday. There has been so much planning and preparation for their return to school. With a new school year brings new challenges and opportunities for students. I am excited to see our Sophomores rise to the challenge. If you have any questions or concerns at anytime, please email me. Have a great week!

terryk@claytonbradleyacademy.org

Week 34 In Review

Periodic Updates

Week 34 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• Ocean Acidification:
• The Ocean Acidification blog is due this Friday.
• The blog should include 4 main areas/topics:
• Explain Ocean Acidification
• Reflections on last Monday's demonstration and how that connects to OA.
• Reflections on last Wednesday's models and how the concepts connect to OA.
• Reflections on last Friday's demonstrations and how the concepts connect to OA.
• The blogs should include sources, pictures, and explanations.
• Please encourage students to see me Tuesday or Wednesday if they need help. 
• Chemistry Final Exam:
• The Chemistry Final Exam is Tuesday, May 31st.
• Students have been given a review guide and will be given more this week.

What happened last week?

• Ocean Acidification:
• Students did a demonstration on Monday where we used an Acid/Base indicator and our own breath to low the pH of a sample of water.
• Then on Wednesday, students constructed models of Ocean Acidification in aquariums in which we increased the carbon dioxide levels with dry ice. This caused a decrease in the water pH as well.
• Finally on Friday, we observed the effects of acids on calcium carbonate. 
• All of these observations are models that help us understand the bigger picture of Ocean Acidification and the science behind what is being proposed.

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

The final week of regular classes is upon us. The students have done so well this year in Chemistry. I am very proud of how they showed perseverance this year and stuck with it. I am hoping the final will help them see just how much they have learned this year in Chemistry. I can't say it enough how much of an honor I feel when I reflect on getting to explore science with your students. Thank you for trusting me with your students. If you have any questions about the final, please email me.

I am still available during lunch for tutoring. Tell your student to bring their lunch and we will eat together while we discuss Chemistry!  Have a great week.

I am available to help during lunch and 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 33 In Review

Periodic Updates

Week 33 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• Ocean Acidification:
• Students will be developing a blog that will document our journey through the next four weeks. As we participate in labs and activities, students will be journalling with the use of pictures and website sources on their blogs about ocean acidification.

What happened last week?

• Ocean Acidification:
• Students were able to extract an acid/base indicator from red cabbage and then use it in lab to identify the strength of acids and bases. 
• Students then used a colorimeter to analyze absorbance of different light waves to make a linear graph of pH to absorbance.
• Students then tested unknown pH and calculated the absorbance to determine pH.
• In the Lab:
• Measuring Molarity and Acid/Base Virtual labs have been scored and returned.

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

This was a strange week for Chemistry. The testing affected the Thursday schedule slightly but students were still able to test the pH of unknown acids and bases using the colorimeter and acid/base indicator. This next week will begin our blogging of ocean acidification. This will be when the students will be asked to put the ideas of the lab into practice analyzing a real-world issue. I am excited to see the learning from our students.

I am still available during lunch for tutoring. Tell your student to bring their lunch and we will eat together while we discuss Chemistry!  Have a great week.

I am available to help during lunch and 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 32 In Review

Periodic Updates

Week 32 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• Ocean Acidification:
• This week we became familiar with acids and bases.
• Students were told about the project that will connect ocean acidification and the concepts of acids and bases.
• Students will be developing a blog that will document our journey through the next four weeks. As we participate in labs and activities, students will be journalling with the use of pictures and website sources on their blogs about ocean acidification.

What happened last week?

• Ocean Acidification:
• We did a virtual lab with acids and bases to get the basics covered.
• For many students this was a review from concepts they had before.
• We also spent time discussing and making whiteboards about acid and base properties, examples, and what they are used for in industrial settings.
• In the Lab:
• Some students finished the molarity lab data collection and calculated percent error.
• On Wednesday, students did a tie dye lab to finish the concept of solutions and mixtures.

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

Overall, the STEM Fair was a huge success this year. As we have begun to get feedback about the event, we are excited to see the idea of student independent research continue at CBA. You will be asked to complete a google form in the next couple of days to get your reactions and feedback about the process. We want genuine research to take place both in and out of the classroom. Student research is an area that can bridge the work they are doing in the classroom with concepts they enjoy outside of the classroom. I want to thank you in advance for filling out the feedback questions so we can make this event better next year.

As we head for the homestretch (it was Derby weekend), this can be a very challenging time for students. They are starting to see summer approaching, enjoying warmer weather with outdoor activities, and this sometimes means procrastinating and then being overwhelmed. Encourage students to keep up on their class work and finish this year strong.

I am still available during lunch for tutoring. Tell your student to bring their lunch and we will eat together while we discuss Chemistry!  Have a great week.

I am available to help during lunch and 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 31 In Review

Periodic Updates

Week 31 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• STEM Fair
• This is the week we have all been waiting for!
• May 5th posters will need to be set up in the Family Center between 8am and 8:30am.
• Judging will take place from noon to 3pm.
• Open to the public at 6pm.
• Oral competition begins at 6pm.
• Award Ceremony at 7:30pm.
• I cannot wait to see you all Thursday!
• Ocean Acidification:
• We continued our progress towards this PBL with an increased understanding of concentrations both of Molarity and molality.
• Student will continue this progress this week and be getting more information about this PBL shortly.

What happened last week?

• Ocean Acidification:
• We continued the lab from last week seeing the molarity of salt water solutions through mass of salt left after evaporation.
• Students practiced percent error for this lab.
• We continued to explore ocean acidification with a storyboarding homework activity.

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

I am sure the students will be glad to see the STEM fair come this week. I know I am, although not for the reasons you may be thinking. I can't wait for the public to see what amazing projects our students have completed this year. When given the chance to do original research, our students have selected some really amazing projects connect to learning that has taken place in the classroom. Please make plans to attend Thursday night and celebrate the learning with us. We believe in research and teaching our students how to search for answers, solutions, challenges. and so much more. Thank you so much for your support throughout this process.

I am still available during lunch for tutoring. Tell your student to bring their lunch and we will eat together while we discuss Chemistry!  Have a great week.

I am available to help during lunch and 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 30 In Review

Periodic Updates

Week 30 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• Ocean Acidification:
• We continued our progress towards this PBL with an increased understanding of concentrations both of Molarity and molality.
• Student will continue this progress this week and be getting more information about this PBL shortly.
• STEM Fair
• This week is presentation building. 
• Students should have data collection done by Tuesday.
• We will be spending time in both Chemistry and Math on building great posters or preparing great oral presentations.
• Students have been working so hard and I know this week may seem overwhelming at times. Please help us remind the students of all the hard work they have done and that this will all be over next week!

What happened last week?

• Ocean Acidification:
• This week brought an understanding to Molarity and molality. 
• We did a couple homework activities to work through practice problems and determine values from various starting points. 
• Practice is what brings about Mastery. 
• We started a lab Friday that will finish this week on determining Molarity, mixing different concentrations, and verifying different Molarities. This will be an official lab report when data collection has completed.

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

Crunch time for STEM Fair is upon us. We will be using Tuesday to build great presentations. Our goal is to highlight all the hard work and great projects that the students choose. I personally cannot wait for them to be unveiled May 5 from 6pm to 8pm. I know the students will be relieved when it is all complete. Please help us get through this last stretch of STEM Fair. Help us focus on the great things that have been learned and not get lost in what has to just be finished. The learning that has taken place outside of the classroom as students have researched family histories, computer technologies, engineering design, mathematical models, science processes, and so much more. The independent learning that has taken place is quite amazing. Have a great week! 

I am still available during lunch for tutoring. Tell your student to bring their lunch and we will eat together while we discuss Chemistry!  Have a great week.

I am available to help during lunch and 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 29 In Review

Periodic Updates

Week 29 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• Ocean Acidification:
• We continued to understand concepts this week for our last major PBL in chemistry.
• This will be focused more on Acids and Bases than other concepts. 
• Currently we are finishing solutions, which will lead into acids and bases.
• More coming on this project in the future.
• STEM Fair
• It is time to start putting the presentations together. 
• All students should begin getting all their information for either the poster presentation or the oral presentation. Students had the option to choose which presentation to give.
• Please encourage them to meet with their advisor this week to begin this process.
• Don't procrastinate!

What happened last week?

• Ocean Acidification:
• We didn't spend much time with this idea last week. 
• We instead focused on solutions and understanding the difference between an ionic salt in water and a covalent molecule in water.
• Solutions:
• The students designed labs to figure out the saturation point of salt in 100 grams of water.
• Then explored the effects of temperature on saturation.
• Finally, students storyboarded a covalent molecule in water and we even looked at conductivity to support our theory.

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

This last week was quite busy for many of the students. Not only were some on field studies but we also got to watch the Navy Seal Leapfrogs descend to our campus. There were several great experiences for our students to be a part of this week. In class, we continued to use the idea of "Storyboards" to show what is going on at the molecular level and allow students to discuss their ideas. I am pushing the students to talk out what they think is happening more so we can explore different ideas and determine which has the most sound science. One phrase that I introduced to the students this week was, "the brain that does the talking, does the learning." In other words, I want them to be an active contributor to the class. When they take risks on explanations and drawings, they learn, especially if they have to go back and rethink their ideas to come up with better solutions. Have a great week!

I am still available during lunch for tutoring. Tell your student to bring their lunch and we will eat together while we discuss Chemistry!  Have a great week.

I am available to help during lunch and 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 28 In Review

Periodic Updates

Week 28 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• Ocean Acidification:
• We started the introduction of concepts this week for our last major PBL in chemistry.
• This will be focused more on Acids and Bases than other concepts. 
• More coming on this project in the future.
• STEM Fair
• All students should meet with their advisor this week to set a calendar of events for the STEM fair.
• Don't procrastinate!
• Beekeeping:
• We would like to welcome to campus our first two honey bee colonies. 
• They are Italian honey bees.
• We will be using them to teach many different subjects at the high school level.
• If you have any questions, please let me know.

What happened last week?

• Ocean Acidification:
• We begin to explore this idea by reading an article on "Iron Dumping."
• Students developed research questions and helped others in their class find answers.
• We had great discussions concerning this idea.
• Solutions:
• We did a modeling activity on solutions.
• The students helped give visual and written understandings to how salt dissolves in water.
• We began an inquiry lab that challenges students to determine the saturation of salt in 100 grams of water. They have to have data to back up their answers.

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

A new 9 weeks brings a new set of challenges to the chemistry classroom. The students have enough knowledge to start understanding really how the chemical world works. We are going to have a lot of exciting inquiry this semester concerning the ocean acidification project. Many of the students are also very interested in the beekeeping now on campus. We will be giving them opportunities to interact with the bees on a volunteer basis. We want the students to have a great end to their sophomore year!

I am still available during lunch for tutoring. Tell your student to bring their lunch and we will eat together while we discuss Chemistry!  Have a great week.

I am available to help during lunch and 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 26 In Review

Periodic Updates

Week 26 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• Rocket Candy:
• This was a very exciting week for this project. We successfully mixed rocket fuel.
• Students tested their mixtures on Friday.
• We will be launching rockets on Wednesday at 12:00 at the lower school "Bobcat" area. 
• Students will be presenting to Mr. McCarter and I on Thursday as the final part of this project.
• STEM Fair:
• We are going to try to have extended time this week to work on STEM Fair projects. Please encourage your student to talk with their advisor about their plan.
• Please help by reminding them to work now and not procrastinate.

What happened last week?

• Review:
• We will continue to review key concepts as we progress.
• We don't leave those ideas, we just build the next level.
• Rocket Candy:
• This last week was very exciting for the students in the lab.
• Students successfully balanced a very challenging equation, used stoichiometry to determine mass of reactants, and used lab techniques to carefully make rocket candy.
• I was so proud of the students and what they were able to show this week.
• There are two pictures on this update because we did so much it was hard to put it in one snap shot.

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

Ready for launch, well almost! The students did such a great job this week. It was great seeing how students were applying their learning in the lab. Students worked with poise and precision as we determined what we needed and performing the tasks required. The students understood the seriousness and potential danger of acting inappropriately. They used their lifeskills of common sense and responsibility to complete the lab portion of this project.  It was great Friday watching the students reactions as we test fired the rocket fuel that they made. One fuel cartridge worked so well we lost it due to distance from the launch pad. This week is going to be a great celebration to the learning that has taken place. We are so excited to see this fuel perform in the actual rockets. 

Model rockets were chosen by groups. One of the rockets is requiring more assembly than the other. Students with the "Heat Seeker" rocket should see me on Monday to make sure that their rocket will be ready for launch on Wednesday. We just need to make sure the glue will have time to set up. Have a great week!

I am still available during lunch for tutoring. Tell your student to bring their lunch and we will eat together while we discuss Chemistry!  Have a great week.

I am available to help during lunch and 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 25 In Review

Periodic Updates

Week 25 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• STEM Fair:
• Students are working on their projects at various speeds. Some have requested that they get to work on them over break. That is okay, although not the original plan.
• If you have any questions, please let me know.
• Please help by reminding them to work now and not procrastinate.
• Rocket Candy:
• Students will be assigned chapter 7 of "Rocket Boys" to be read by Monday.
• We will be giving the students the chemical formula this week and the reactants.
• By Friday, students will be testing their fuel!
• Next Wednesday is the proposed launch date, weather permitting!
• If anyone has any contacts with a model rocket club in this area, I would love to partner with them for this project.
• Gas Laws Lab:
• The lab was due last Tuesday.
• Several students have not yet turned in their lab.
• Please encourage them to do so immediately!

What happened last week?

• Review:
• We will continue to review key concepts as we progress.
• We don't leave those ideas, we just build the next level.
• Liquids and Solids:
• This week was about adding knowledge to a previous concept. 
• We all know what solids and liquids are when we encounter them.
• This week we added Kinetic Molecular Theory to our knowledge and understood more about the properties of each.
• This will help our understanding of the rocket candy. We will be taking solids, making them liquids, letting them turn back to solids, and then turning part of them into gases!

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

3...2...1...Blast Off! I am getting so excited with anticipation of the rocket candy project this week. Our students will be showing what they have learned as they balance equations, convert using stoichiometry, describe using gas laws, and give an understanding of kinetic molecular theory. That is what the rocket candy project is all about. This is an exciting quarter exam! Will their rockets fly or just blowup? Will they be able to make a project that burns at all? Will their rockets go the highest? Answers will be coming soon!

I have been tutoring many students during lunch. This is a great time for us to quickly work out some misunderstandings. Tell them to bring their lunch and we will eat together while we discuss Chemistry!  Have a great week.

I am available to help during lunch and 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 24 In Review

Periodic Updates

Week 24 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• STEM Fair:
• So many projects, our students are amazing!
• Please discuss with your student what they are doing and make sure they are staying on task. 
• If you have any questions, please let me know.
• Please help by reminding them to work now and not procrastinate.
• Rocket Candy:
• Students will be assigned chapter 7 of "Rocket Boys" to be read this week.
• We tried to demo the rockets this week but the wind shut us down Friday.
• We will demo more this week.
• We will also start to get the actual work of this project going this week.
• If anyone has any contacts with a model rocket club in this area, I would love to partner with them for this project.
• Gas Laws:
• We completed a lab that is due Tuesday.
• Students took an assessment Friday. If they didn't finish, they should finish Monday during lunch.

What happened last week?

• Review:
• We have continued reviewing stoichiometry and gas laws this week.
• Gas Laws:
• Students worked on collecting Hydrogen gas Tuesday in lab.
• Upon initial observations, students did excellent and should have great results.
• Labs are due on Tuesday.
• Assessments were taken Friday. The questions that were finished have been scored and students have performed well overall.

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

Confidence! Help me build our students confidence in Chemistry. The assessment on Friday was very difficult as it mixed math with science. Our students hit this in stride and started showing their understanding. I am so impressed with our students performance so far. Many need to finish this assessment during lunch on Monday, but so far they are doing so well. Help me by reassuring them. Their hard work is paying off. Have a great week! 

I have been tutoring many students during lunch. This is a great time for us to quickly work out some misunderstandings. Tell them to bring their lunch and we will eat together while we discuss Chemistry!  Have a great week.

I am available to help during lunch and 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 23 In Review

Periodic Updates

Week 23 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• STEM Fair:
• Now is time to work.
• Students should be doing research, planning, and designing their project.
• There may be time to work on these throughout the week, but students will also need to work at home.
• Please help by reminding them to work now and not procrastinate.
• Rocket Candy:
• Students will be assigned chapter 6 of "Rocket Boys" to be read by Friday.
• Weather permitting, I would like to demo fire some rockets this Friday.
• I am hoping this builds excitement for the project that will start to get interesting next week!
• If anyone has any contacts with a model rocket club in this area, I would love to partner with them for this project.
• Gas Laws:
• Students should have been practicing Ideal Gas Law, Combined Gas Law, and Dalton's Gas Law over the weekend.
• The pre-lab questions should be completed in their lab notebooks for the lab Tuesday.
• We will be doing a gas lab on Tuesday.
• Check for Understanding:
• There will be a "Check for Understanding" on Friday to assess student progress before we begin making rocket candy next week!

What happened last week?

• Review:
• We have continued reviewing stoichiometry and gas laws this week.
• Gas Laws:
• Students used PV= nRT in a demo lab on Monday.
• We are all practicing precision in the lab as we learn the importance of every calculation.
• Students were assigned additional practice and the gas law lab for Tuesday.

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

Every measurement matters! That is a lesson that became all too real on Monday. Students attempted a demonstration activity/lab on Monday that involved Alka-Seltzer tablets. The measurements to get the right mass of carbon dioxide became very important. We had some groups come so very close to exactly right, while others missed by over half.  It is a lesson of showing the lifeskill of patients and the lifelong guideline of personal best. I loved it. Our students did work very hard and even showed sense of humor when they realized how far off they really were from the right answer. This lab was a lesson that will help them succeed on Tuesday. We will be working with a very strong acid, 6 Molar HCl. The students are ready to go and I can't wait to see how much better they do. 

I have been tutoring many students during lunch. This is a great time for us to quickly work out some misunderstandings. Tell them to bring their lunch and we will eat together while we discuss Chemistry!  Have a great week.

I am available to help during lunch and 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 22 In Review

Periodic Updates

Week 22 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• STEM Fair:
• All students should have submitted their proposals Friday.
• We will begin to make calendars this week.
• Help your student with their calendar and planning.
• Rocket Candy:
• Students were assigned chapter 5 of "Rocket Boys" for the weekend.
• Discussion questions are on google classroom and students are expected to post comments and questions on each chapter.
• Mr. McCarter and I launched a practice rocket Friday. All systems worked as expected. We will be firing for the students soon!
• Students will be working on this project in the Chemistry lab under the my supervision of the supervision of Kendal McCarter. No student should be making this fuel at home! This fuel can be very safe but it is used as fuel for a reason. It is combustible and burns hot.
• If anyone has any contacts with a model rocket club in this area, I would love to partner with them for this project.
• Gas Laws:
• Student presentations lead to a better understanding of the ideal gas law. PV=nRT
• Practice problems were given to the students to be completed over the weekend.

What happened last week?

• Review:
• We continued to review stoichiometry and limiting reagents.
• Stoichiometry Lab:
• Students were given the lab rubric used to score the written lab.
• Corrections can be made and the lab can be resubmitted for review.
• Gas Laws:
• Students did really good descriptions of various gas laws.
• We then put them all together to get the ideal gas law.
• Students seemed to really understand it in class.

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

Mr. McCarter and I had a lot of fun Friday testing launching our first rocket. The rocket did as expected and set the stage for the next phase of our "Rocket Candy" project. We will be demonstrating launches with the students this week, weather permitting! 

I am available to help during lunch and 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 21 in Review

Periodic Updates

Week 21 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• STEM Fair:
• All students should have submitted their proposals Friday.
• We will begin to make calendars this week.
• Help your student with their calendar and planning.
• Rocket Candy:
• Students were assigned chapters 3 and 4 of "Rocket Boys" for the weekend.
• Discussion questions are on google classroom and students are expected to post comments and questions on each chapter.
• Students will be working on this project in the Chemistry lab under the my supervision of the supervision of Kendal McCarter. No student should be making this fuel at home! This fuel can be very safe but it is used as fuel for a reason. It is combustible and burns hot.
• If anyone has any contacts with a model rocket club in this area, I would love to partner with them for this project.
• Stomach Stoichiometry:
• Students worked on finishing the lab report this week.
• Most of the students turned in their reports on Friday.
• Those grades are reflected on the progress report you should have received from the school.
• Any questions, please let me know.

What happened last week?

• Review:
• We did a short review of content that will help with stoichiometry.
• We will continue to do this as we proceed.
• Stoichiometry:
• Students worked on lab analysis.
• Students worked on conversions that are used in stoichiometry and presented how to answer different scenarios.
• Gas Laws:
• Students were introduced to different gas laws in class on Friday.
• We will continue this topic more this week.

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

I introduced a new rubric to the students concerning the stomach stoichiometry lab. This rubric is more detailed than the one I used last semester and I feel will better prepare them for future science lab reports. Several of the students didn't do as well on this lab report. Students may review the rubric and resubmit the lab when they feel it is more detailed. 

As we continue looking towards building rocket candy, our study will shift to gas laws. Students will be using stoichiometry and gas laws in the making of their fuel. We haven't started making this in class yet because I want the students to have more information before we start working with the material. 

I am available to help during lunch and 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 20 In Review

Periodic Updates

Week 20 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• STEM Fair:
• All students should submit proposals this week.
• Help your student with their calendar and planning.
• Rocket Candy:
• Hopefully you read that correctly, I did say "Rocket Candy!"
• Our big chemistry project for this 9 weeks will involve the students making rocket fuel.
• We will also be reading "Rocket Boys" as a class. This is the book that gave the idea for the movie, "October Sky."
• Students were assigned chapter 2 of "Rocket Boys" for the weekend.
• Discussion questions are on google classroom and students are expected to post comments and questions on each chapter.
• Students will be working on this project in the Chemistry lab under the my supervision of the supervision of Kendal McCarter. No student should be making this fuel at home! This fuel can be very safe but it is used as fuel for a reason. It is combustible and burns hot.
• If anyone has any contacts with a model rocket club in this area, I would love to partner with them for this project.
• Stomach Stoichiometry:
• The lab should be finished and turned in this week for review.
• We have started a new rubric to review labs that can be seen by clicking here.

What happened last week?

• Review:
• We did a short review of content that will help with stoichiometry.
• We will continue to do this as we proceed.
• Stomach Stoichiometry:
• We worked on the post-lab together this week.
• All students should be completing the rest of the lab individually and be turning it in for review.

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

Snow days! Everyone likes a snow day, but the work can get difficult when we have multiple snow days in a row. Help your students to continue reading and doing practice problems on snow days to stay fresh with the content. We will continue to work on stoichiometry problems this week and start to move on to gas laws by the end of the week. This continues to help us build content and knowledge toward our rocket candy.

I am available to help during lunch and 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 19 in Review

Periodic Updates

Week 19 In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• STEM Fair:
• All students were introduced to the idea of our first upper school STEM Fair this week.
• The date of the STEM Fair is May 5th.
• Students will be working throughout the 3rd 9 weeks to complete their project with the assistance of a Faculty Sponsor. 
• All experiments should be completed before spring break!
• We gave the students a guide to picking good STEM fair projects last week and you can see that guide by clicking here.
• More to come on this as the 9 weeks progresses.
• Rocket Candy:
• Hopefully you read that correctly, I did say "Rocket Candy!"
• Our big chemistry project for this 9 weeks will involve the students making rocket fuel.
• We will also be reading "Rocket Boys" as a class. This is the book that gave the idea for the movie, "October Sky."
• Students were assigned chapter 1 of "Rocket Boys" for the weekend.
• Students will be working on this project in the Chemistry lab under the my supervision of the supervision of Kendal McCarter. No student should be making this fuel at home! This fuel can be very safe but it is used as fuel for a reason. It is combustible and burns hot.
• If anyone has any contacts with a model rocket club in this area, I would love to partner with them for this project.
• Stomach Stoichiometry:
• The lab should be finished and turned in this week for review.
• We have started a new rubric to review labs that can be seen by clicking here.

What happened last week?

• Review:
• We took time to review some important skills from last semester.
• We have to be good at balancing chemical equations, conversions, and chemical formulas.
• We will be using these skills all through this semester.
• If you student needs more help with these, please have them let me know using our bulletin board procedure that was introduced last week as well.
• Stomach Stoichiometry:
• We did a lab investigation on the reaction yeast uses to break down sugar and produce carbon dioxide and the reaction of burning a candle to produce carbon dioxide.
• They learned some really cool facts about gas production in humans along the way.
• We are now using methods of stoichiometry to figure out how much carbon dioxide was produced in the lab.
• The conclusions should be finished this week and notebooks turned in for review.

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

This week our chemistry lab had the distinct smell of yeast converting sugar into energy. Some of you might associate this with bread making, others might have a different memory with this smell. I love see the students perform in the lab. They are so good at following safety protocols and staying on task. I want this to continue this semester as we get closer to making rocket candy! Some fun questions to ask your student about what they learned this week from the lab:

1. How many times does a healthy person gas each day?
2. What is the main chemical in flatulence?
3. What is the main cause of flatulence?

You may or may not want to go there with your 16 year old. Anyway, have a great week!

I am available to help during lunch and 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

Beginning 2nd Semester

Periodic Updates

In Review

Important Dates & Assignments:

• STEM Fair:
• All students were introduced to the idea of our first upper school STEM Fair this week.
• The date of the STEM Fair is May 5th.
• Students will be working throughout the 3rd 9 weeks to complete their project with the assistance of a Faculty Sponsor. 
• All projects should be completed before spring break!
• More to come on this as the 9 weeks progresses.
• Rocket Candy:
• Hopefully you read that correctly, I did say "Rocket Candy!"
• Our big chemistry project for this 9 weeks will involve the students making rocket fuel.
• We will also be reading "Rocket Boys" as a class. This is the book that gave the idea for the movie, "October Sky."
• Students will be working on this project in the Chemistry lab under the my supervision of the supervision of Kendal McCarter. No student should be making this fuel at home! This fuel can be very safe but it is used as fuel for a reason. It is combustible and burns hot.
• If anyone has any contacts with a model rocket club in this area, I would love to partner with them for this project.

From the desk of Mr. Terry:

I am so excited about the two projects discussed above. The STEM Fair will help our students begin to take on a new side of research and project building. This can be done in groups up to 3 or individually. Our faculty will be helping advise this process and helping bring a level of personal best to their projects. If you would like more information, please email me. The other project we are starting fits perfectly with our standards. We are getting ready to start stoichiometry and this project will be a real world situation in which stoichiometry is so important to get right. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me.

As you see your student's report card later this week, remember that students can go back and work on any standard they would like to improve. Have a great week!

I am available to help 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