AP Physics 12 - Students will write a practice AP Exam on April 6. Later in the week we will do a lab activity related to electromagnetic induction. We'll also get started with chapter 22 Electromagnetism.
Physics 11 - Students will do an activity involving waves in a slinky. We'll have a quiz on chapter 14.1 on April 8.
Science 10 - Students will do an activity that models radioactive decay and learn about half-life of radioisotopes. They should also be completing workbook chapter 7 in preparation for the chapter 7 test on April 16.
Math 9 - We have started chapter 4 Polynomials and students must complete the practice problems in each section of the chapter. Mr. Ho will teach students how to add/subtract polynomials.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Orlando Florida Fieldtrip Updates (March 31-April 7, 2010)
Students who are participating in this Edventure, please remind your teachers that you will be away from school from March 31 to April 7. Ask them to provide assignments in advance if this is possible so that you can complete tasks before our trip or on the airplane. Also, be sure to check out the Alaska Airlines website for information about check-in and carry on luggage. Information is available at http://www.alaskaair.com/dayofflight/
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Bus departs for SeaTac Airport at 3:45 AM. Please arrive 30-45 minutes prior to departure time so that we can depart on schedule. Have your passports and some cash with you. Boarding for the bus will take place just outside the MJF Theatre in the main parking lot.
9 PM EST - We have arrived safe and sound. The students were excellent travellers and all went very smooth. We've already had a late dinner at CiCi's Pizza House and have checked into the hotel, kids are very happy with the hotel rooms and pool. Tonight I will set up the banking system and give the kids a hotel orientation. Bye for now.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Today we visited Disney's Animal Kingdom which is an amazing zoo and conservatory. We were taken behind the scenes, and in the nutrition center we saw meals being prepared for the over 2000 species of animals that are housed in the park. On our Jungle Safari ride we saw white Rhino's, giraffes, hypos, and many more exotic creatures of the African Sahara. Some of those animals had been hunted to near extinction but thanks to the conservation efforts of zoos like the Disney Animal Kingdom, scientists have been able to bring the population numbers up. The kids also really enjoyed the Festival of the Lion King performance, a musical spectacular with acrobats, dancers and singers. In the evening we went to DisneyQuest and the students participated in a variety of "virtual adventures" and 3D movies. We returned to the hotel around 9:30 EST and the kids are quite tired from their first full day in the sun. It was a hot day (mid 80's) and it's expected to be a hot week so we'll continue to reminded the kids to wear lots of sunscreen and drink plenty of water. Overall, the kids were great today, very reliable, and thus far have demonstrated that they are a very fun and responsible group. Enjoy the long weekend at home everyone. Until tomorrow.
Friday, April 2, 2010
We spend most of the day at Universal Studio's Island's of Adventure Theme Park. The education program today focused on the technical and engineering challenges involved in designing some of the world's most exciting theme rides. The Spiderman ride was particularly challenging to construct since it is a fast moving and 3d experience, requiring specialized goggles and plenty of computer processing power. In fact, the computers used to control the Spiderman Ride have more processing power than that of the computers on board the space shuttle, and the cost to build the Spiderman ride was $100 million making it the most expensive ride on the planet! Kids also enjoyed The Incredible Hulk roller coaster which accelerated them from o to 60 mph in just 2 seconds, producing 4.5 g-forces on the passengers (analogous to them experience four and one-half times their usual weight). They also loved the Duelling Dragons and of course the water rides where they all got soaked.
In the evening we saw the Blue Man Show, which involved 3 blue guys, plenty of percussion, paint, comedy, and audience participation. It is hard to describe exactly what we saw but it was a terrific show and we even got to take pictures with the 3 Blue Men after the show. Tomorrow we are off to EPCOT. Good night everyone, thanks for sending such great kids on this trip!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Today was a full day at EPCOT Center. The acronym EPCOT stands for "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow" and is was Walt Disney's vision of what the future might look like. EPCOT is also home to over 3500 aquatic animals and so the theme for today's Ed-venture was Marine Sciences. Our tour director is actually a university researcher and he told us all about "husbandry" which is the training required for the health and well-being of the animals. The EPCOT Marine Centre is not an animal amusement park but rather a rescue and rehabilitation site for marine species. The only animal training that takes place at EPCOT is that related to "husbandry", which means training that is specifically for the health and well being of the animals. They are trained how and when to feed, and how to behave when the trainers are obtaining blood samples.
In the afternoon we visited the other half of EPCOT which is an International Plaza of Nations. There are beautiful pavilions and performers from countries around the world, including Canada. At the UK Pavilian we found "The Beatles" playing some of their famous tunes from the 60's. The evening finale was the Fireworks and Laser Spectacular. Kids had a great time and were singing on the bus all the way back to the hotel. The students are all enjoying each other's company and are getting to know each other's unique personalities. Tomorrow is another full day and we'll be at two parks so it's time to get to bed. Good night.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Happy Easter everyone! We have had another terrific day in Florida. We started our day at SeaWorld and our education program brought us behind the scenes to the food preparation area and the animal hospital. The students saw a baby sea-turtle getting a check up in the operating room and he was waiving his flippers to us on the way out after a clean bill of health. We also had an up-close encounter with some dolphins who were very happy to see us. The dolphins are very social and they squealed and slapped the water to get our attention. Of course, the kids had to try the new thriller ride called Mantra, in which they ride the roller coaster face down as if they were swimming through the water like sting-rays. In the afternoon we headed for Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park. Students took the Backlot Studio Tour which took them through Catastrophe Canyon. They took in some stunt shows, 3D Muppet's Show, Beauty and the Beast Musical, and of course more thrill rides (Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Rock 'n Roll Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith, and more). The evening ended with a spectacular laser-fireworks show called Fantasmic. Tomorrow morning we are getting up early to watch the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery (6:21 EST). We won't be on site for the launch but should have a good view from our Hotel. We'll arrive at the Kennedy Space Center around 9:30 AM EST for our educational program and I'm sure you can guess the theme of our ed-program. Here is a link to the KSC website with more launch information. http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/space-shuttle-launch-viewing-tickets.aspx
Monday, April 5, 2010
At 6:04 AM the International Space Station was visible for 3 minutes and we watched it travel across the sky at it's orbital altitude of about 350 km above the earth. Then, at exactly 6:21 the sky lit up and we watched the Space Shuttle Discovery launching up into orbit! Even though it was 60 miles away we had perfect visibility and it was an awesome sight. It was a huge, bright white fireball trailing the shuttle and leaving behind a beautiful plume trail as it ascended. The sun is just starting to rise in the east and the kids are crawling back into bed for awhile before we head out to the Kenndey Space Center where we will be riding a Space Shuttle Launch Simulator and watching a 3D movie of the ISS.
I really enjoyed the nostalgia at the Kennedy Space Centre. We learned about the space race, with the Soviets gaining the upper hand when they put the first man into space. However, United States President John F. Kennedy made a powerful speech to the nation and proclaimed that America had set it sights even higher and would attempt to be the first nation to put a man on the moon. Thus began the Apollo space missions. We visited the actual Mission Control Room and watched an a countdown sequence from Apollo 1, and then we watched a movie about Apollo 11 which was the mission that put Neil Armstrong on the moon in 1969. NASA eventually retired the Saturn 5 rockets and introduced the re-usable space shuttles that our kids have grown up with. We rode in a Space Shuttle Launch Simulator and experienced what it felt like to be an astronaut awaiting final countdown, complete with engine ignition and acceleration into orbit. It actually felt like we were escaping from planet earth as we felt the g-forces pulling us down into our seats. Later this evening we went to the Orlando Outlet Shopping Centre and we did our best to support the local economy!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Today we spent the day at Disney World Magic Kingdom. Our education program theme was "Energy and Waves" which is a very nice tie to our Science 10 course. We had a backstage tour of the Haunted Mansion and learned how mirrors, scrims, and fluorescent lighting are used to create many of the ghostly special effects. Kids really enjoyed this program and the 3 hours really flew by. The students were wishing that every day at school could be so interesting and so much fun (I'll try to talk my colleagues into dressing up like Disney characters). We had the rest of the day in the park to explore some of the classic theme rides like Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and many more. We watched the Electromagic Parade at 9 PM followed by the fireworks show over the Disney Castle. It was an amazing pyrotechnics display and everyone left with a huge smile. We returned home very late this evening and have started to pack. Tomorrow we spend most of the day at Typhoon Lagoon which is a terrific water park, then we'll catch our afternoon flight back home. This will be my last opportunity to post to this Blog and so I wish to thank all of the parents for allowing your children to participate in this experience. They have all been terrific and have developed strong friendships that I'm sure they will sustain throughout high school. It has been my pleasure to travel and to share in this experience with them, and they have taken hundreds of photos they cannot wait to share them with you!
P.S. Expect a phone call once we cross the border into Canada, and we're expected back shortly after midnight tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Bus departs for SeaTac Airport at 3:45 AM. Please arrive 30-45 minutes prior to departure time so that we can depart on schedule. Have your passports and some cash with you. Boarding for the bus will take place just outside the MJF Theatre in the main parking lot.
9 PM EST - We have arrived safe and sound. The students were excellent travellers and all went very smooth. We've already had a late dinner at CiCi's Pizza House and have checked into the hotel, kids are very happy with the hotel rooms and pool. Tonight I will set up the banking system and give the kids a hotel orientation. Bye for now.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Today we visited Disney's Animal Kingdom which is an amazing zoo and conservatory. We were taken behind the scenes, and in the nutrition center we saw meals being prepared for the over 2000 species of animals that are housed in the park. On our Jungle Safari ride we saw white Rhino's, giraffes, hypos, and many more exotic creatures of the African Sahara. Some of those animals had been hunted to near extinction but thanks to the conservation efforts of zoos like the Disney Animal Kingdom, scientists have been able to bring the population numbers up. The kids also really enjoyed the Festival of the Lion King performance, a musical spectacular with acrobats, dancers and singers. In the evening we went to DisneyQuest and the students participated in a variety of "virtual adventures" and 3D movies. We returned to the hotel around 9:30 EST and the kids are quite tired from their first full day in the sun. It was a hot day (mid 80's) and it's expected to be a hot week so we'll continue to reminded the kids to wear lots of sunscreen and drink plenty of water. Overall, the kids were great today, very reliable, and thus far have demonstrated that they are a very fun and responsible group. Enjoy the long weekend at home everyone. Until tomorrow.
Friday, April 2, 2010
We spend most of the day at Universal Studio's Island's of Adventure Theme Park. The education program today focused on the technical and engineering challenges involved in designing some of the world's most exciting theme rides. The Spiderman ride was particularly challenging to construct since it is a fast moving and 3d experience, requiring specialized goggles and plenty of computer processing power. In fact, the computers used to control the Spiderman Ride have more processing power than that of the computers on board the space shuttle, and the cost to build the Spiderman ride was $100 million making it the most expensive ride on the planet! Kids also enjoyed The Incredible Hulk roller coaster which accelerated them from o to 60 mph in just 2 seconds, producing 4.5 g-forces on the passengers (analogous to them experience four and one-half times their usual weight). They also loved the Duelling Dragons and of course the water rides where they all got soaked.
In the evening we saw the Blue Man Show, which involved 3 blue guys, plenty of percussion, paint, comedy, and audience participation. It is hard to describe exactly what we saw but it was a terrific show and we even got to take pictures with the 3 Blue Men after the show. Tomorrow we are off to EPCOT. Good night everyone, thanks for sending such great kids on this trip!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Today was a full day at EPCOT Center. The acronym EPCOT stands for "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow" and is was Walt Disney's vision of what the future might look like. EPCOT is also home to over 3500 aquatic animals and so the theme for today's Ed-venture was Marine Sciences. Our tour director is actually a university researcher and he told us all about "husbandry" which is the training required for the health and well-being of the animals. The EPCOT Marine Centre is not an animal amusement park but rather a rescue and rehabilitation site for marine species. The only animal training that takes place at EPCOT is that related to "husbandry", which means training that is specifically for the health and well being of the animals. They are trained how and when to feed, and how to behave when the trainers are obtaining blood samples.
In the afternoon we visited the other half of EPCOT which is an International Plaza of Nations. There are beautiful pavilions and performers from countries around the world, including Canada. At the UK Pavilian we found "The Beatles" playing some of their famous tunes from the 60's. The evening finale was the Fireworks and Laser Spectacular. Kids had a great time and were singing on the bus all the way back to the hotel. The students are all enjoying each other's company and are getting to know each other's unique personalities. Tomorrow is another full day and we'll be at two parks so it's time to get to bed. Good night.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Happy Easter everyone! We have had another terrific day in Florida. We started our day at SeaWorld and our education program brought us behind the scenes to the food preparation area and the animal hospital. The students saw a baby sea-turtle getting a check up in the operating room and he was waiving his flippers to us on the way out after a clean bill of health. We also had an up-close encounter with some dolphins who were very happy to see us. The dolphins are very social and they squealed and slapped the water to get our attention. Of course, the kids had to try the new thriller ride called Mantra, in which they ride the roller coaster face down as if they were swimming through the water like sting-rays. In the afternoon we headed for Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park. Students took the Backlot Studio Tour which took them through Catastrophe Canyon. They took in some stunt shows, 3D Muppet's Show, Beauty and the Beast Musical, and of course more thrill rides (Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Rock 'n Roll Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith, and more). The evening ended with a spectacular laser-fireworks show called Fantasmic. Tomorrow morning we are getting up early to watch the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery (6:21 EST). We won't be on site for the launch but should have a good view from our Hotel. We'll arrive at the Kennedy Space Center around 9:30 AM EST for our educational program and I'm sure you can guess the theme of our ed-program. Here is a link to the KSC website with more launch information. http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/space-shuttle-launch-viewing-tickets.aspx
Monday, April 5, 2010
At 6:04 AM the International Space Station was visible for 3 minutes and we watched it travel across the sky at it's orbital altitude of about 350 km above the earth. Then, at exactly 6:21 the sky lit up and we watched the Space Shuttle Discovery launching up into orbit! Even though it was 60 miles away we had perfect visibility and it was an awesome sight. It was a huge, bright white fireball trailing the shuttle and leaving behind a beautiful plume trail as it ascended. The sun is just starting to rise in the east and the kids are crawling back into bed for awhile before we head out to the Kenndey Space Center where we will be riding a Space Shuttle Launch Simulator and watching a 3D movie of the ISS.
I really enjoyed the nostalgia at the Kennedy Space Centre. We learned about the space race, with the Soviets gaining the upper hand when they put the first man into space. However, United States President John F. Kennedy made a powerful speech to the nation and proclaimed that America had set it sights even higher and would attempt to be the first nation to put a man on the moon. Thus began the Apollo space missions. We visited the actual Mission Control Room and watched an a countdown sequence from Apollo 1, and then we watched a movie about Apollo 11 which was the mission that put Neil Armstrong on the moon in 1969. NASA eventually retired the Saturn 5 rockets and introduced the re-usable space shuttles that our kids have grown up with. We rode in a Space Shuttle Launch Simulator and experienced what it felt like to be an astronaut awaiting final countdown, complete with engine ignition and acceleration into orbit. It actually felt like we were escaping from planet earth as we felt the g-forces pulling us down into our seats. Later this evening we went to the Orlando Outlet Shopping Centre and we did our best to support the local economy!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Today we spent the day at Disney World Magic Kingdom. Our education program theme was "Energy and Waves" which is a very nice tie to our Science 10 course. We had a backstage tour of the Haunted Mansion and learned how mirrors, scrims, and fluorescent lighting are used to create many of the ghostly special effects. Kids really enjoyed this program and the 3 hours really flew by. The students were wishing that every day at school could be so interesting and so much fun (I'll try to talk my colleagues into dressing up like Disney characters). We had the rest of the day in the park to explore some of the classic theme rides like Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and many more. We watched the Electromagic Parade at 9 PM followed by the fireworks show over the Disney Castle. It was an amazing pyrotechnics display and everyone left with a huge smile. We returned home very late this evening and have started to pack. Tomorrow we spend most of the day at Typhoon Lagoon which is a terrific water park, then we'll catch our afternoon flight back home. This will be my last opportunity to post to this Blog and so I wish to thank all of the parents for allowing your children to participate in this experience. They have all been terrific and have developed strong friendships that I'm sure they will sustain throughout high school. It has been my pleasure to travel and to share in this experience with them, and they have taken hundreds of photos they cannot wait to share them with you!
P.S. Expect a phone call once we cross the border into Canada, and we're expected back shortly after midnight tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
March 29, 2010 (week 27)
AP Physics 12 - This week we will work on chapter 21 Magnetism. Students should read the textbook, look over the example problems and complete the end of chapter review problems.
Physics 11 - We are starting chapter 14 Waves. Students should complete all of the textbook practice problems.
Science 10 - Students should complete workbook chapter 6 in preparation for the chapter 6 test on March 29. This week we are starting chapter 7 on Radioactivity. Students should get started on workbook chapter 7.
Math 9 - Reminder of the chapter 8 test on March 30. This week we will begin chapter 4 Polynomials.
Physics 11 - We are starting chapter 14 Waves. Students should complete all of the textbook practice problems.
Science 10 - Students should complete workbook chapter 6 in preparation for the chapter 6 test on March 29. This week we are starting chapter 7 on Radioactivity. Students should get started on workbook chapter 7.
Math 9 - Reminder of the chapter 8 test on March 30. This week we will begin chapter 4 Polynomials.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
March 22, 2010 (week 26)
AP Physics 12 - This week we will do a lab activity involving parallel circuits. Then we will start chapter 21 Magnetism.
Physics 11 - This week we will complete our study of Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity. Students will learn how to use Einstein's equations to solve a variety of problems involving relativistic effects. Reminder of the chapter 12 Thermal Energy test on March 25.
Science 10 - This week we will complete chapter 6.2 on the factors that affect rate of chemical reactions. Students should complete all of workbook chapter 6 in preparation for the chapter 6 test on March 29.
Math 9 - This week we will complete chapter 8 Transformations. Students should complete all of the practice problems in each section of the text in preparation for the Chapter 8 test on March 30.
Physics 11 - This week we will complete our study of Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity. Students will learn how to use Einstein's equations to solve a variety of problems involving relativistic effects. Reminder of the chapter 12 Thermal Energy test on March 25.
Science 10 - This week we will complete chapter 6.2 on the factors that affect rate of chemical reactions. Students should complete all of workbook chapter 6 in preparation for the chapter 6 test on March 29.
Math 9 - This week we will complete chapter 8 Transformations. Students should complete all of the practice problems in each section of the text in preparation for the Chapter 8 test on March 30.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
March 15, 2010 (week 25)
AP Physics 12 - Reminder of the chapter 18/19 test on March 19. Students must complete a minimum of 50 practice problems in preparation for the test. This week we will get started with chapter 20 DC Circuits.
Physics 11 - This week we will complete chapter 12 Thermal Energy and do a lab on efficiency of various heating devices. Students should complete a minimum of 25 practice problems in preparation for the chapter 12 test on March 25.
Science 10 - Students have been assigned a "Take Home Test" to be completed by March 19. This includes the following tasks:
Physics 11 - This week we will complete chapter 12 Thermal Energy and do a lab on efficiency of various heating devices. Students should complete a minimum of 25 practice problems in preparation for the chapter 12 test on March 25.
Science 10 - Students have been assigned a "Take Home Test" to be completed by March 19. This includes the following tasks:
- Read chapter 5.3 Organic Chemistry and make your own set of study notes
- Page 247 Reading Check
- Page 252 Check Your Understanding
- Workbook chapter 5
Math 9 - We are currently working in chapter 8 Transformations. Students should complete the practice problems in each section of chapter 8.
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