3-2-1 . . .

My physics' students had a day to design, build and name a rocket. They could use two 2-liter bottles, cardboard, tape, string, plastic and styrofoam for construction.

There a lot of young rocket engineers checking the internet for cone specifications, ideas for parachutes and stabilizer designs.

After putting on the last alterations, each team launched their rockets. To level the playing field for all, each rocket had 500 mL of water and 75 pounds of air pressure.

Here are the rusults.

First Place: 8.00 seconds

Mountain Dew

Brennan Hill and Makayla Wiley
(pictured above)

Second Place: 7:47 seconds

La Quadalupe

Miguel Garcia, Ilse Padilla, and Osvaldo Ballesteros

After very aerodynamically smooth rocket went almost straight up and straight down, I add a new category - highest altitude.

 Slow motion

Highest Altitude 82.1 meters

Time: 6:34 seconds

USA Liberty

James Swinney, Nicholas Pope, and Kaelin Wright

One rocket's parachute deployed - the first in my bottle rocket launching career.

Here is a pre-launch interview:

Here is the launch:

Stepping Out Into New Territory: Science Fair comes to Kosciusko High School.

There was a total science frenzy in my chemistry classes on Wednesday last week. As Winnie the Pooh said, it was a blustery day, a Winds - day.

We spent the whole class period in Chemistry on Roll Call. Each day my students complete a Ready, Set, Go (RSG) to get their brains warmed up. On this day they were to write five why or how science questions. Then they said their Roll Call. On that day it was to ask one of their questions. As each student said their roll call question,  I responded in depth to how that might work into a science project.

I told them the next day I was a tired man at the end of that day. I had listened to and responded to 84 possible science projects and wondered whether I really wanted to go through with this. Then I woke up in the morning and said a resounding YES. It will not be perfect and we will make some mistakes but we are going to do our best. If we do not get it started this year, it probably will not happen. So here we go.

It is good to remember Science is the quest for knowledge, not the knowledge itself.

Some day in January each student will have a table set up in the gym to display the findings of their project. We will invite parents and community members to see all the science queries of KHS scientists. Judges will assess the projects for the regional science fair. Those who get a first, second or third will move on to the state fair. And those who do well there will move on to the International Science Fair.

Most of my students will do individual projects.

• Some will be approved to do a group project through Exploravision.  (There are first, second the third place winners announced nationally.)

• Some will be approved to work on the Solar Car Challenge. (Students will build and then drive a solar car from Fort Worth, Texas to St. Paul, Minnesota in July 2016.)

• Some will be approved to work on the Rocket Contest.  (Students will construct and launch a rocket that reaches 850 feet altitude and lands two raw eggs in its payload safely. If these results are achieved, students will compete nationally in May.

• Fifteen students will be selected for the Science Olympiad Team. (Students compete in 23 categories in the regional. First and second place teams go to state.)

  

  Science Olympiad 23 competition categories

All project proposals are due Friday, October 9. The proposals should include the science question that will guide the research, a procedure for answering the question, and one source. 

Upon completion of their project, each student will have:

• recorded findings in their lab book, 

• recorded pictures and videos of the process,

• completed a 3-5 page scientific research paper,

• and be nudged into a brighter future as the result of completing this. 

P.S. Physics students will be doing a project as well. 

Watch for the lunar eclipse and super moon tonight!

From Exploratorium.org. Notice the times are Pacific Daylight Time

A lunar eclipse happens twice a year, but it is only visible with clarity from certain locations on earth. Tonight is a good one for our latitude.

There is an added treat - it is a super moon. (This occurs when the moon is closest to earth in its orbit and appears slightly larger).

Chemistry Quiz Test Tuesday NO QUIZ MONDAY

For the test Tuesday,

1. know and understand all the scientists (Thomson, Rutherford, Bohr, De Broglie, Schrondinger, and Heisenberg), their dates and their contribution to our understanding of the electron 
2. know and understand how to write orbital filling models, electron configurations and noble gas configurations
3. know and understand Aufbau's principle, the Pauli Exclusion Principle, and Hund's rule
4. know and understand the "slant chart" for filling orbitals
5. know and understand the exceptions to number four (Chromium and Copper)
6. know and be able to use the formula c=f times lambda
7. know and understand scientific notation, standard form and significant figures
8. know and understand energy levels, sublevels and orbital shapes
9. know and understand the parts of a wave
10. know and understand the quantum mechanical model as it relates to electrons
11. know and understand atomic spectra 
12. know and understand the Heisenburg uncertainty principle
13. know and understand Einstein's idea of photons
14. know and understand the ground state and excited state of electrons

NO QUIZ Monday but study the following slides, know the parts of a wave and how to work problems asking for wavelength or frequency.

Homecoming Week 2015

Izzie and Gracie make me feel like a SuperHero!

    I got to be in the homecoming parade! Kosciusko is smarter for it!

                                                    Got to love Selfies with Students!


Disney Day

What I want to be when I grow up day

Super Hero Day

Spirit Day. Learning was taking place. See the orbital filling models and electron configurations