Blog Archives - Button's Place

Day 101

1/31/2014

Hurray! It's payday!! I bet a lot of teachers were happy today.
The chemistry students finished the Radioactivity Lab today by making sure all 3 tables were complete and by graphing the results of the distance experiment. It really showed how the radiation count drops dramatically as the distance between the source and the detector increases.
The AP Biology students discussed the next lab, Natural Selection. We are going to see whether or not different degrees of salinity has an effect on the hatching of brine shrimp. We will then design our own experiments to see if different environments have an effect on hatching rate. We will start the lab next Tuesday.

Day 100

1/30/2014

Wow!! Today was the 100th day of school. Time goes by so fast. Especially when you are playing Flappy Bird.
The chemistry students continued with the Radioactivity Lab today despite having another day when we were missing a lot of students (11). We measured the effects of having multiple layers of shielding between a radioactive source and a detector. It was no surprise to find out the multiple layers of lead did a good job blocking beta particles, but it was a surprise to see the gamma rays were virtually unaffected by multiple layers of lead. We'll finish this lab tomorrow.
The AP students finished watching a video on extinction and its effect on our own population. Are we going to be the cause of the next mass extinction? Perhaps. We certainly are impacting the Earth like no other species has before.

Day 99

1/29/2014

Know what's weird? It hasn't rained in like a million years and it started today and I'm already sick of it.
The chemistry students finished watching the story of the Fukushima Nuclear Reactor disaster. A bunch of kids (10) were missing for varied reasons so we put continuing the Radioactivity Lab on hold until tomorrow.
The AP Biology students had a quiz on Population Genetics and the Hardy-Weinberg Principle. I also announced the first AP Biology BBQ of the year, scheduled for Sunday, March 2nd. It will be loaded with fun and information about the AP Exam. Hooray!!

Day 98

1/28/2014

I think I have finally gotten over the 49er game. Wait a minute....Nope, not yet.
The chemistry students watched and participated in a demonstration with radioactive materials and the effects of certain types of shielding between the radioactive source and the detector. For example, we placed a beta emitter (Strontium-90) approximately 1.0 centimeters from the detector. We then recorded the CPM (counts per minute). We then placed different shielding materials between the source and the detector and measured the resulting CPM. We also measured the effect on distance between the source and the detector. Fun day.
The AP students reviewed the Hardy-Weinberg equation and associated problems. We have a quiz tomorrow! We also discussed extinction of a species and how it can impact many other species and, perhaps, lead to a mass extinction. Will humans cause the next mass extinction? Maybe. Or it could be the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. I know I feel like being extinct when I think about that.

Day 97

1/27/2014

Day 97. Doesn't that sound like a lot? It does to me. 83 more days to go. Now that sounds like a lot!
The chemistry students did a couple of things today. First, we talked about grades and the next make-up day, which is Wednesday. We will be reviewing stuff during the Achievement period tomorrow. We also discussed the particulars of alpha, beta and gamma radiation and what happens to nuclei that undergo either one of these types of radioactive decay. We then furthered our discussion of the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plants in 2011.
The AP Biology students worked on the Population Genetics lab today. It is due at the beginning of class tomorrow. There will be a quiz on Wednesday regarding the lab and the Hardy-Weinberg Principle. The reading guides for Chapter 24 & 25 are due by midnight on Tuesday, February 4th.
Oh yeah, Kason Strickland and Nathan White-Burns both correctly identified the picture below. It's Mars! Cool, huh?

A Drought Post

1/26/2014

You think the drought in California is bad? It hasn't rained in this place for awhile. Where is it?

Use the comment button to send me your guess. First right answer wins a prize.

Day 96

1/24/2014

Friday!! Hooray!!
The chemistry students completed a review activity on isotope notation. We're gonna use it a lot next week when we begin to look at specific examples of nuclear decay. We also discussed the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that took place in Japan during the spring of 2011. Earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster? What, no hurricane?
The AP Biology students worked on the Population Genetics lab by doing a lot of simulated mating! Sounds weird and it kinda was. Actually, it was really fun and interactive. We discovered ways how to manipulate the Hardy-Weinberg Principle and change gene frequencies from one generation to the next. Both 1st and 3rd period classes joined together during the Achievement Period and had a huge simulated mating fest. Totally educational, of course.

Day 95

1/23/2014

Today was fun. I'm not sure why, it just was.
The chemistry students learned about nonionizing and ionizing radiation and the difference between the two. Ionizing radiation can be very harmful if, say, you accidentally eat some Polonium-210 or you decide to take a swim next to the Fukushima nuclear reactor. we also calculated how much ionizing radiation we have been exposed to during the last year.
The AP Biology students began the next laboratory exercise, Population Genetics and the Hardy-Weinberg Principle. Today, we analyzed our classroom population in regards to a single gene, the ability to taste PTC, phenylthiocarbamide. We also simulated mating in order to create new generations of offspring so that they may be analyzed using the Hardy-Weinberg equation. It wasn't as creepy as it sounds.

Day 94

1/22/2014

Today was the first collaboration day of the second semester and you know what that means? Yup, we talked about college today in all of the classes.
We talked about the University of California, San Diego. Fun Fact: In 2009, all 47,000 applicants were sent emails saying that they were granted admission to the university. Oops! An hour later, an email was sent out correcting that error. I bet that there were some mighty disappointed kids out there.
We also talked about the FAFSA, the free application for federal student aide and how important it is to fill out if you're a senior.

Day 93

1/22/2014

Back after a 3 day weekend. What did you do? I took my daughter back to Cal for the spring semester.
The chemistry students took a practice quiz that surveyed what the students know about nuclear chemistry, nuclear power and radiation. Some students know a lot! We also saw footage of the largest nuclear weapon ever detonated by man. It was a 57 megaton beast set off by the Soviet Union in the early '60's. That's equivalent to 57,000,000 tons of TNT! That's equivalent to 114,000,000,000 pounds of TNT!! WOW!!!
The AP Biology students were introduced to the Hardy-Weinberg equation, a mathematical method to analyze population if they are in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. We also discussed how it is possible to use evolutionary processes to combat disease-causing microbes. Super interesting.

Day 92

1/17/2014

Well, today was weird because a lot of students were missing from my classes because of the rally and other associated activities.
The chemistry students learned a little bit more about fissionable material like uranium-235. They also learned about the nuclear chain reaction needed to release tremendous amounts of energy from a relatively small amount of material.
The AP Biology students didn't do too much because so many students were gone. However, we did find time to discuss the evolution of a strain of drug resistant tuberculosis. It's kind of scary because a strain of multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) is present in the United States now.
PS - Jenna Hinkle was super funny during the rally. I almost started crying I was laughing so hard.

Day 91

1/16/2014

Today was super fun because a lot of people dressed up as zombies which is always super fun! Check out the pix:

Do you think it's weird that I like that outfit? I don't think it's weird. Just comfortable.
The chemistry students began their next unit of study, Nuclear Chemistry. We have started the unit by looking at the inner workings of an atomic bomb. How smart are we anyway. Check out the video below and marvel at the ingenuity of humans.

The AP Biology students learned that natural selection is the differential reproduction of a selected part of a population over time. Darwin first put forth this idea in 1859, a real long time ago but an idea that is still fresh and interesting today. The students also learned that a population will always evolve unless they are in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Chew on that for awhile. Or this: Individuals do not evolve, populations do.

Day 90

1/15/2014

Oh my gosh! The first half of the year is finally over! Now begins the march to June!
The chemistry students took the titration assessment/quiz today. I shall begin correcting shortly.
The AP Biology students continued their discussion on evolution. I tell you, it is fascinating. Here is something: If you smell something rotten or really smelly, the molecules causing that smell do not smell bad. The odor resides in the evolved brain. Think about that for a minute.

Day 89

1/14/2014

I wasn't on campus this morning. I was at a super important meeting at the Tech Center discussing formative assessments and the future of the Science Department. It was awesome.
The chemistry students worked on some practice titration stuff in preparation for the quiz tomorrow.
The AP Biology students started work on their homework assignment - the Reading Guides on Chapter 22 and 23.

Day 88

1/13/2014

Still not done with the first half of the year. Technically speaking that is. I'm not even sure what that means.
The chemistry students had time to finish their titration lab write up. Then we spent some time reviewing titration calculations. We'll have the quiz on Wednesday instead. We would have it tomorrow but I'm off campus for some science department work. We also talked about the new texting service that I'm using. The students know how to sign up for the service. And finally, we made our annual Super Bowl predictions. Winner gets a Holiday sandwich!
The AP Biology students watched part of a video on evolution and why sexual reproduction is important. It was seriously fascinating. And by the way, why do zebras have stripes? Check it out.

One theory is a lion would get confused seeing this mass of black and white and not individuals.

Day 87

1/10/2014

Well, the first week of the second semester comes to an end. Before you know it, it will be June and it still hasn't rained.
The chemistry students finished their work on the titrations today. There will be a quiz on Monday on the titration calculations and we will finish the written work of the titration lab.
The AP Biology students began the Evolution Unit today with a discussion of what is meant by the word, evolution. It was both fun and instructive. Check out the video below for one person's idea of the evolution of man. Funny and interesting.

Day 86

1/9/2014

A lot of cool stuff happened today. Here is the first one:

We discovered that Kay has 2 different sized feet! It is both crazy and kinda scary. Mother Nature is a mad scientist!
The AP Biology students finished the Transformation Lab that we began last semester. Along with completing the Fly Lab, we are know finished with all of the Genetic stuff from the first semester. Next stop: Evolution!
The chemistry students continued their work on titrations and the effort to discover the concentrations of 5 different solutions of hydrochloric acid. Here are some pictures from today's action:

Jeremy Williams at the endpoint. Why is Alyssa hiding?

Kendall should be watching the flask.

Taylor is super concentrating!

Why did this happen?

Day 85

1/8/2014

85 is Vernon Davis' number. Go Niners!
The chemistry students began the titration lab today. They have to determine the concentrations of 5 different samples of hydrochloric acid. Sounds tough, doesn't it? Not for these students. They are well on their way to getting these answers.
The AP Biology students completed the Fly Lab today and turned in the lab work. We spent a majority of the class going over the Chi square test and what it means to data like we collected during the Fly Lab. I'll miss those little guys buzzing around in their little world but they have been "eliminated". On the bright side, maybe they were reincarnated into snails and we all now what exciting lifestyles they lead!

Day 84

1/7/2014

Know what's weird? The first semester is over, half of the school year, right? Not right. There are 180 school days. We have only gone through 84 of them. That means we have 96 left to go. Start your grumbling immediately!
The chemistry students got their chance at actually doing a titration today. This technique requires patience and practice and the students got a dose of both today although I think some students need to be a little more patient. Remember that great things will come to those who wait. Is that a saying? I think it is. If it isn't, it should be.
The AP Biology students completed the count on the F2 generation of fruit flies we crossed just before Thanksgiving. We started on Day 70 - kinda. Check out the comments on Day 70 for the details. The students had predicted what the offspring of some F1 flies and were anxiously waiting for the larva to emerge as adult flies and that happened over the Christmas break. See, good things do happen to those who wait!

Day Almost Second Semester

1/3/2014

Thought it was both funny and sad.