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