Monday, August 27 - Friday, August 31

Monday, September 3 is Labor Day - no school!

Our first week in our new building with new laptops and new digital textbooks is history!  I want to congratulate our parents for getting their students ready for this new year.  I had no more than 2 or 3 in each class without their laptops the first day of school.  By the end of the week, everyone had a laptop.  This is a testimony to all who made sure their students had the equipment they needed to be successful.  For many, it was a real sacrifice in both time and money.

Thanks also to my students who were very patient as we worked through login procedures and other minor problems relating to both laptops and digital textbooks.  

Week two is here and we will be picking up the pace and focusing less on procedures and more on content.  

Pre-AP Biology:  Objectives for this week's lessons:

1. Describe the steps in scientific methodology
2. Explain the difference in a scientific theory and society's use of the word "theory"
3. Contrast dependent and independent variables and give another term for each
4. Identify variables and controls in selected experiments
5. Write-up an experiment using scientific methodology

• Mon., 8/27: Set up notebook.  Add key questions (my objectives) for 1.1.  Notes: scientific methodology; Begin experiment. HW: study vocabulary; complete What is Science: Lesson Overview/Notes/Art in Motion..
• Tues., 8/28: Vocabulary check (QUIZ); Notes: variables vs control in an experiment; Grp work: determine variables and control in an experiment.  Art Review and Interactive Art online assignments.  HW: Think of an experiment you could perform at home.  Write the question you would like to investigate. Study notes.  Review online text 1.1.
• Wed., 8/29: HW check - what is your experiment? Return quiz and discuss.  Work in pairs to discuss how to best perform your experiment.  ID variables (dep/indep) and control HW: worksheet; write up experiment procedure. TEST Friday 
• Thurs., 8/30: Check HW. Discuss what is meant by a theory in science vs society's use.  CW: Self Test (online textbook); Biology and Society. p. 16 - complete;  HW: study notes; assignments.  Complete/re-do experiment procedures as discussed in class
• Fri., 8/31: CW: Review experiment hypothesis/problem; graph and analyze data.  Turn in notebook.

Multimedia. 

• Mon., 8/27: Intro Mac platform (trackpad - 1, 2, 3, 4, pinch, 2 fingers down (rt click) finger navigtion; dashboard; applications, other basics to get started); Intro garageband.  Complete teacher-directed project. Skills/Objectives to be covered:
• Add tracks
• Insert loops
• Fade in/Fade out
• Copy/paste
• Reset
• Record voice
• Mute tracks
• Tues., 8/28: Project 1:  Audio for new James Bond trailer.
• Wed., 8/29: Finish skills; Begin project 1
• Thurs., 8/30: .Continue project 1  
• Fri., 8/31: Practice with keyboard; continue project 1

Tech Essentials

• Mon., 8/27: Google spreadsheets- intro, compare to Excel, adding info.  Students will:
• Title spreadsheet
• Change cell size (width/height)
• Add info and change: formatting; text color; font
• BDs:  add months, # bds, graph.  (Highlight column headers!)
• Graph should be a column.  Include:
• Add Title
• Change background color
• Change column color
• Customize other as you like
• Save - move to a new sheet
• Share with me (jljones@ncths.net)
• Tues., 8/28: Review and complete missing assignments and share with me (jljones@ncths.net).  Assignments: google document; presentation; drawing; spreadsheet.  New CW:  Using Excel formulas:  average; add; subtract; multiply; divide. 
• add a column of numbers (at least 3 numbers)
• subtract one number from another
• multiply two numbers
• divide 338 by 14
• average 5 three digit numbers
• fill down: by 3s; days of the week; months of the year
• email as an attachment: jljones@ncths.net 
• Wed., 8/29: Google sites - students will make a google site that they can use as a reference site for textbook urls.
• Thurs., 8/30: Continue google sites:
• Add themes
• Add new page for: Textbooks.  Add links to all of your textbooks. Add link to Pearson successnet helpdesk.
• Fri., 8/31: Finish google site.  This is a website that will contain resource information for your use.  You should add to it as you learn new information.  On your HOME page - add your Other info to include could be:
• your google calendar
• School Links:  Edmodo; HCS; New Century home page; other?
• Select other pages that will help you remember items/info (locker info; schedule; fees due; a "to do" list