Tuesday, September 6 - Friday, September 9

Welcome back after our Labor Day Holiday to our third A week, although this week we will have two A days and two B days.

All students - fees are due this week.  If you are not able to pay all at once, pay one class fee each month. Students should be checking all teacher blogs on a regular (weekly) basis.  Keeping up a blog takes a minimum of one hour each week for teachers.  If they can spend that much time creating it for the benefit of students (and parents), then students should be able to spend a few minutes reading it.

A few observations ...

• Too many students are still not completing homework.  I do not assign "frivolous" homework. It is used to complement class objectives.
• Too many students are not writing down or reading on-line instructions.  This is especially true in Tech Essentials.  I have to repeat instructions too many times - or point to the numbered "to do" list posted on the board that I have already spent time reviewing!
• Check teacher blogs at the beginning of the week.
• POE students ... are you checking this blog? Have you completed your essay???

Honors (Pre-AP) Biology:We are still studying basic chemistry this week.  A TEST is scheduled for Monday (A days) and Tuesday (B days).

Objectives: 1) Describe unique properties of water 2) Identify whether a substance is an acid or a base using the pH scale 3) Distinguish between adhesion and cohesion; solvent and solute.

• Wed, 9/7: HW check, objectives p. 35. CW: vocab p. 39. Activity: Properties of Water. HW: obectives, p. 39. Study for test on Monday, 9/12.
• Thurs, 9/8: HW check and discuss test objectives.  Activity: pH Lab.  Students will determine the pH of various substances and record.  HW: Complete free response question, study for test on Monday.

Tech Essentials:  Students are continuing to learn about different aspects and terminology related to internet safety and security. They have completed a presentation using google docs, researched online factsheets and videos, defined specific terms related to the topic, and  produced an online poster about a specific topic.  This week they will create and edit a video on internet security/internet safety and upload it to an internet site.

• Wed, 9/7: Discuss what is meant by a "storyboard" and how to complete one. Complete online poster using glogster.com. HW: Create a script for a video on internet safety. 
• Thurs, 9/8: HW check.  Students will work in groups and pick one script to complete.  Use the script to create new storyboard for the movie, decide on locations, practice using moviemaker. 
• Resources:
• Storyboard tutorial #1 
• Go to youtube. Search for "storyboard tutorial"
• Moviemaker tutorial
• iMovie tutorial

Principles of Engineering:  Students are continuing to learn basic engineering principles: pre-design; prototyping; and working in groups as well as organizational habits.  Too many students not completing homework, forgetting notebooks, forgetting projects, etc.  The work in class is okay ... outside ... not so much.


Students are completing a project to build a robot arm that will pick up and move a styrofoam cup from a distance of 46 cm. The primary build was last Thursday.

• Wed, 9/7: Complete arm and present. Upload essay to Moodle. HW: Create an account on glogster.com.  Review tutorial. Sketch out storyboard to create your own digital poster on robotics (the info on your essay).
• Thurs, 9/8: Finish presentations. CW: Complete a digital poster on robotics using glogster. HW: In your notebook, discuss what the term, "work", means to you.  List at least 5 examples of work being done. Begin homework assignment on a scientist (handout in class).

B Days (Tuesday and Friday)

Multimedia:  Students are REALLY doing well with their projects. Keep up the good work.  As I have mentioned in class, the hardest part of this class is staying focused and making good use of your time.  I hope that some of you have surprised yourself with the creativity that you have shown.  I am sharing the cartoons that you created with Mr. Thorson and the rest of our staff.

• Tues., 9/6: Test on Fireworks tools (black and white arrows, scale, vector and bitmap tools) as well as notes on vector and bitmap graphs. CW:  Practice using bitmap smudge, blur tools to edit photos (ex: removing wrinkles).  New skill: matching colors in different photos. Take photos of students (or students can use their own) for the next assignment.
• Fri., 9/9: Students will used skills learned to create an original "magazine cover" of themselves. 

Tech Essentials:  Same as A days (Tues same as Wed and Friday same as Thurs)

Honors Biology:  Same as A days (Wed and Thurs):

Monday, August 29 - Friday, September 2

As we enter the fourth week of school, a few reflections:

• "Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential."...Winston Churchill. Continue to show effort.
• We have established that we all have problems remembering - this includes myself and all ages of students.  However, we cannot assume that is this is "just the way it is".  I will continue to work with all classes on organization and study skills and encourage students to complete homework the night it is assigned, not the night before it is due.
• Too many students in my sophomore Engineering class and freshman Pre-AP Biology class are not completing homework or are not following written and verbal directions correctly. We will continue to discuss ways to organize assignments so that "remembering" becomes less of a problem. 

A Days (Monday and Thursday)

Honors (Pre-AP) Biology: Students completed their first test last week and the overall results were very good.  However, I am sure that many were disappointed that they did not get as high a grade as they were used to.  Objectives for this week: 1) Demonstrate correct use of lab equipment; 2) Demonstrate basic knowledge of chemistry principles

• Mon, 8/15: Students will complete a Skills Lab on using the microscope and determining density. HW: Complete Analysis and Conclusions questions 4-6, p. 29 (textbook). Read Sec. 1, chapter 2. Answer "Objectives" as questions, p. 31. 
• Thurs., 8/18: Review homework. Activity: Covalent vs Ionic bonds. Notes: Energy. HW: Objective Questions, P. 35

Tech Essentials:  Students will continue to research and learn more about various topics all relating to Internet Safety.  

• Mon., 8/29: 1) Students will share their google docs with two other students. Students will review the urls for factsheets and videos and post a review on Moodle (or google docs for those students without an account). 2) Define the following terms in notebooks: adware, cookie, cyberbulling, firewall, flaming, griefers, identity theft, malware, mouse-trapping, netiquette, peer-to-peer network, pharming,  phishing, social networking, spim, spam, spyware, trojan horse, trolling, worm, virus.  Turn in notebook for notebook check. 
• Thurs., 9/1: You will be making use of an online site called "glogster" to make an online poster.  Use today to familiarize yourself with how to make a "glog". Use the following resources to familiarize yourself with how to use this site as well as an example of an exemplary "report": What is a Glog?,  Exemplary Glog
• HW: On your next day in class you will use the glogster website to make a poster on one of the terms you defined in class Monday.  Select the term, make sure you have enough information on it to make a poster. You can include general or background information on internet safety as well as specific info on your topic. Draw out what you will include.  This will serve as your template for what you will complete in class. DO NOT COMPLETE THE GLOG AT HOME - that will be done in class.

Principles of Engineering: I thought you worked well in groups last week to complete the project, "Building a Better Candy Bag".  The bags produced were, in general, well designed and, as you saw, were quite different from each other.  It is unfortunate that some of you lost points because you did not complete your homework or you did not have your bag for the final presentation. 

• Mon., 8/29: Login to moodle and complete individual review of candy bag project.  Review new project guidelines with new group. Students will begin work on designing a robotic arm. Brainstorm, sketch, decide. HW: Complete scale drawing of arm. Begin research for essay.
• Thurs., 9/1: Build and test prototypes.  Redesign if necessary.  HW: Continue research. Be prepared to upload essay to Moodle 9/7.

B Days (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday)

Multimedia:  

• 8/30: Complete cartoon character, t-shirt design. Intro to bitmap tools, specifically looking at the functions of different lasso types, selection, and changing colors.  Students will practice removing selections and changing colors..  We will also work with making colors more transparent. Create personal avatars.  Follow blog and upload avatar.
• 8/31: Edit selected images. Begin magazine cover assignment
• 9/2:  Complete and upload magazine assignment. 

Tech Essentials:  Same as A days (Thurs [previous week], Mon, Thurs this week)

Honors Biology:  

• 8/30: CW: Review Lab Skills - goggle use, getting equipment, clean-up, taking temperature, making a wet-mount slide, correct way to draw/label microscope drawings. HW: p. 29 - read/review density activity (will complete 8/31).  In notebook - answer objectives - p. 31 Q&A
• 8/31: HW check and discuss correct answers.  Review covalent and ionic bones. Lab: Determining density of oil and water.  HW: Objectives p. 35
• 9/2:  Lab: Microscope Use/Drawing Slides.  HW check. Notes: Energy