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