Blog Posts - Button's Place

Day 122

3/5/2020

This week is almost over. March tends to drag on but maybe this is a sign it will go much faster.
The Chemistry students continued to watch the breakdown of society caused by a microorganism that is just trying to live its life.
The AP Biology students went to the library today to begin their research on their assigned disease-causing microorganism. You know, stuff like plasmodium and E. coli.

Day 121

3/4/2020

What's happening today? Hmmm.... I guess just the demise of western civilization. No biggee.
The Chemistry students learned about coronavirus or COVID-19 mainly because I have heard sooooo much misinformation out there from every possible source. We also checked an eerily similar outbreak that Hollywood dramatized a few years ago. Scary.
The AP Biology students finished up watching that same thing the Chemistry students started. We also talked about airborne diseases and how they spread.

Day 120

3/3/2020

Day 120?!?!?! That means the school year is 2/3rds of the way done. Only 1/3rd left to go! That is only 60 days!
The Chemistry students took the Nuclear Chemistry Exam today. Next stop, Gases!
The AP Biology students saw a lot of Contagion. It is soooooo close to what is happening now it is super scary. We will finish it up tomorrow.

Day 119

3/2/2020

You know what's missing in my life? Judging pies in a county fair. I think I'd be real good.
The Chemistry students spent the period going over some last minute stuff for the Nuclear Chemistry Exam which happens tomorrow which is a Tuesday.
The AP Biology students began the Microorganisms and Disease Unit today. All of the students were assigned a particular disease that they will have to research. We also checked out a really scary representation of a pandemic which is sorta happening right now for real.

Day 118

2/28/2020

Fridays are the hamachi of weekdays. Look it up.
Chemistry students!!! It's time to do some quality review for the Nuclear Chemistry Exam which happens next Tuesday. So, put your phone away, get out a Periodic Table and check out this presentation first:

nuclear_chemistry_review__002_.pptx
File Size:	896 kb
File Type:	pptx

Now, check out this simulation on Isotopes:

https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/isotopes-and-atomic-mass/latest/isotopes-and-atomic-mass_en.html

Here is a Nuclear Reactor Simulator. It's kinda technical but you should be able to recognize many of the components of a nuclear reactor.

https://www.nuclearinst.com/Nuclear-Reactor-Simulator

Here is another Nuclear Power Plant simulator:

http://www.nuclearpowersimulator.com/#Start

And another one:

http://playgen.com/nuclear-simulator/

And finally, a Half-Life simulation:

http://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/HTML5/halflife.html

Day 117

2/27/2020

Thursdays are the milk chocolate of weekdays. Just OK.
The Chemistry students tried their hand at a practice Nuclear Chemistry Exam today. I didn't feel much like talking today because I got these new invisible teeth aligner things and my mouth was pretty sore. But the students were pretty supportive.
The AP Biology students checked out the end of the Becoming Human video which is really good. Quiz tomorrow!!

Day 116

2/26/2020

Are these freshmen as bad as everyone says they are? Well, they are freshmen so probably yes.
The Chemistry students reviewed the stuff we did yesterday. Alpha decay, beta decay and half-life stuff was the stuff we talked about. Stuff.
The AP Biology students talked about some cladogram type stuff stuff today. And, yes, I did write stuff twice. We have a quiz on cladogram stuff on Friday.

Day 115

2/25/2020

You know how many students do not take advantage of coming in for a make up exam? A lot. Oh well...
The Chemistry students did a bunch of half-life problems today. It was their first look at them and I'm pretty sure most students got the whole thing. The exam for this unit is next week!
The AP Biology students went over the classification of humans which is good. We have a quiz on cladograms this Friday!

Day 114

2/24/2020

I like West Valley but it's not quite as good as Hawaii. Beach-wise, that is.
The Chemistry students did a alpha beta decay kinda review thing with the good ol' Uranium decay series. We graphed the thing as well. You know what I just thought of? That Gladys would be a crappy name to have. I apologize to all the Gladys's out there.
The AP Biology students started the online cladogram thing in the library today. We're gonna have a quiz on this stuff on Friday.

Day 113

2/14/2020

Happy Hallmark Rip Off Day! Let me tell you something. If you ever end up with a romantic partner that makes a big deal about Valentine's Day, dump them immediately. Trust me.
The Chemistry students finished up a discussion on nuclear power plants. Then we saw what happens when a huge earthquake and a tsumani hits a nuclear power plant.
The AP Biology students finished their work on DNA sequences and the BLAST computer program. Cladograms are easy and fun. Oh, brother.
Now I'm going to Hawaii.