Blog Archives - Button's Place

Day 155

4/30/2019

Dang! 25 more days left! That isn't much.
The Chemistry students completed the Combustion Lab today. They figured our thermal energy, heat of combustion and even molar heat of combustion. What makes a better fuel, paraffin or propane? Ask any chef that cooks with wax. Oh wait, there isn't any.
The AP Biology students completed the experimental section of the Animal Behavior Lab today. We had rollie-pollies everywhere! They don't seem to like high temperatures that much either. We'll finish it up tomorrow.

Day 154

4/29/2019

Really, there is only about 15 days left. If you count in a weird way.
The Chemistry students learned about the combustion of alkanes. We're gonna burn one, paraffin, tomorrow in class and we're gonna measure how much heat is produced in the reaction. And remember that the specific heat of water is 4.18 joules/gC.
The AP Biology students......oh wait, there was only 7 here because of testing, leadership camp and other (I almost said worthless activities there) stuff. We went to the library to attempt to finish the longest and last online activity of the year.

Day 153

4/26/2019

Day 153? That means the school year is 17/20ths of the way done. Only 3/20ths of the way to got! That's 27 days!
The Chemistry students took a quiz of some basic alkane stuff. Hopefully, everyone did OK. The stuff will show up again on the next exam.
The AP Biology students went to the library for the last day of work on the big (and last) online assignment of the year.

Day 152

4/25/2019

You know, school is almost over. You can tell because this blog entry is 152. There are only 180 school days. Do the math!
The Chemistry students got the 3rd part of the Modeling Alkanes lab. They had to graph the boiling points of the first 10 alkanes in order to predict the boiling points of the next 3. It totally works. I wonder, however, how many people actually did that assignment.
The AP Biology students did the first part of the lab which was basically getting 10 isopods in the choice chamber and giving them a reason to move. And it worked! Taxis!

Day 151

4/24/2019

Advisory got cancelled today. Ahhhh.......shucks.
The Chemistry students got Part 2 of the Modeling Alkanes activity. They got Part 1 yesterday. Structural isomers were the talk of the day. It seems that the students are getting it.
The AP Biology students got the Animal Behavior Lab today. The students checked out some isopods with the dissecting microscope and they (the students) also answer some pre-lab questions. More isopods tomorrow!

Day 150

4/23/2019

This school year is 5/6ths of the way done!! Only 1/6th to go!
The Chemistry students reviewed that alkane naming stuff from yesterday. We also saw how to write condensed formula for alkanes. We also began the Modeling Alkanes Part 1 activity.
The AP Biology students went to the computer lab to begin the Animal Behavior and the Nervous System online activity. It's a big one! Weird day too; the seniors were gone so something not as important as AP.

Day 149

4/22/2019

And.....we're back. Spring Break was a nice way to leave a bunch of teenagers behind and chill. I did have some AP Bio kids over for a BBQ though.
The Chemistry students began the Organic Chemistry Unit by learning how to name simple alkanes. I'd say most students figured it out pretty quickly. Can you draw 2,2 dimethyloctane? It isn't too hard.
The AP Biology students discussed the basic characteristics of animals today and that's pretty interesting. We also talked about the need for isopods in class! Rollie-pollies!!

Day 148

4/12/2019

You know how many people were gone today?? A ton!! The absenteeism this week has been the most extreme of my career. 10 gone in first, 11 in 4th (out of 16), 14 gone in 5th - you get the idea. Bad.
So....... we didn't do much. Talked about UCLA in a couple of classes and that was about it.
Happy Spring!

Day 147

4/11/2019

One more day and we are out! At least for a week.
The Chemistry students took the Gas Exam today. "took" the exam? Do you really take it? Nah, you interact with it. Kinda.
The AP Biology students, because of the mass absences this week, focused on some AP Biology Exam questions today. When we get back from the break there will only be 3 weeks until the exam. You better get on it!!!

Day 146

4/10/2019

Hey Hey Collaboration Day!! I wasn't here today. I went to Ashland to check out "As You Like It" with the rest of the smart people. I'm a big Shakespeare guy.
The Chemistry students finished up the review of the Gas material that will be on the exam tomorrow.
The AP Biology students received the Chapter 40 Reading Guide and did some work on that.