Get to Know You Part II: The Personal Project

We’ve made it through a ½ year of chemistry or advanced chemistry. Congratulations. In the short time we have left, I’d still like to know you better. You might groan at the idea of one more project, but I’ll have you know I skipped a few this year just so I could leave room for this one. I promise it will be one of the nicest project grades you earn this year. It should be fun too.

Project details: The most frustrating part might be figuring out what you want to do. Sorry, there’s not much I can do about that. The project design is purposefully very, very open-ended.
The due date will tentatively be Friday, March 2, 2012, but I’ll probably ask you to send me your initial thoughts sooner so I get an idea about timeframe. We may have to schedule the presentations over the week that follows.

You will need to bring in some new creation/ example of your hobby. If reading is your passion, then you’ll need to prep a bit of an oral report for us. Ooohh, that sounds painfully boring. *Flashback to 7th grade* Not that kind of report! I mean be able to answer some questions for us. What got you into reading? What are your likes/ dislikes? How many books do you read in a year? Who’s your favorite author? What do you look for in a good story?

Please be honest with us. If knitting was your hobby when you were 5 but isn’t so much now, please don’t show us your moth-eaten first creation. On the other hand, if knitting is your diehard passion now, please do show us examples of your early pieces. You also need a new creation to show us. That means something created between the assignment start date (2/4/12) and the due date.

Questions to answer on a notecard so you can talk intelligently about your creation:
Who introduced you to your hobby?
How long have you done your hobby?
What do you like about your hobby?
Are there any negative aspects of your hobby?
Do people know about your hobby?

General starting points/ hobby titles: reading, writing poems, writing stories, singing (warning: we are still a Christian school, so you need to abide by all school rules if you share something with us), baking (whoa, dangerous zone here…you need to clear any project with me before baking something), playing (enter sports-like activity here), playing an instrument, knitting, crocheting, basket weaving, dress making, dancing, friendship bracelet weaving, other sewing endeavors…
- If you have an idea/ hobby not mentioned, just clear it with me.
- Sitting on a couch watching TV is gonna be mighty hard to justify.

Grading notes: I’m more interested in getting to know you than anything else here, but the general guidelines still apply. The various and sundry ways to lose points still includes things like having your (full) name on the project or project notecard, folder number and class period, etc as well. Although this is meant to be an easy grade, not handing in a project at all will have a decidedly disastrous effect on your grade. Handing it in late will likely carry the usual 10%/day deduction. Enough of the negative; here’s how to earn 100%. Be honest. Put some effort into it. Be creative.

Poems that started this project.
Tell Me Your Story (8/8/2006)
Behind every young man or woman
Lies a story waiting to be told.
Tell me your story.
Where did you come from?
What have you experienced?
Where are you going?
These are some of life’s
Big questions.
Funny how it’s easy to not see
How amazing life can truly be.
So tell me your story.
What makes you smile?
What makes you laugh or cry?
What do you fear most of all?
Who are you trying to please?
What are your life goals?
Whatever your story may be
There is much more to tell.
So tell me your story thus far.
Maybe we’ll write something new.

Your Story (2012 Version) 2/4/12

Have you ever closed your eyes
Feeling music deep inside?
Have you ever given thought
To what may lay
Behind a neighbor’s guarded eyes?

When I see a far off look claim
All the features of your face,
I wonder what worry,
Triumph, tragedy, or random thing
Has stolen your attention.

For a moment, I am saddened.
It reminds me just how much
I don’t know about you.
I wonder why I never simply asked.
What gifts has God bestowed upon you?
You may blink in bewilderment,
But I know you know the answer.

Some sport, passion, pastime
Must claim your free time.
Be bold, be brave.
Tell us
Your story.

Blog assignment 3: Periodic Table Videos

http://www.periodicvideos.com/

The assignment will be due Friday, January 13, 2012.
It will take about a ½ hour for you to watch all these videos. Please let me know if you have trouble loading the videos. Do NOT wait until the last minute to complete this assignment. If you have problems, make an appointment to come see them during lunch.

Watch the videos for Lithium, Sodium, Potassium, Rubidium, and Cesium. These are to show you the difference in reactivity for some of the Group 1 metals. Once you’ve watched all 5 videos, please write a 1-2 paragraph reaction. This may be emailed to me, written out on lined paper, or typed out and handed in. (Questions to consider: What interesting fact or facts did you learn about each metal? What did you find cool? What did you already know? What do these videos show you about periodic trends?) Note: the professor actually explains the periodic trend in the Francium video.

(Love their accents. Imagine if I had hair like Prof P.)

1112 AC, Honors, and Chemistry Blog Assignment #2

[This has nothing to do with your blog assignment...

https://pave.vanderbilt.edu/ayindex.php

If you're in 11th grade and interested in a science career let me know before November 11th (Friday) and I will consider nominating you. I need permission to give them your email.]

EMAILS MUST BE IN THE BODY OF THE EMAIL. I CAN’T OPEN DOCX FILES.
Due Thursday 11/10/11 Either email me or bring me a hard copy.
For each verse look at
Content – what it says
Context – what else is going on in the surrounding verses
Conclusion – What does it mean?

Find 3 Bible verses that mention an element.
Type out the verse or verses then write a few sentences about what they mean.
What context is the element used in? Is it valuable? What makes it valuable? Is there a deeper meaning?

Try to find at least one verse where there is some deeper or double meaning.
Hint: Search for silver, gold, copper, iron, tin, lead, sulfur
(Bronze – combination of copper and tin)

For example: Psalm 66:10
For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.

Silver is valuable but only after it has been processed. Raw silver has potential, but it does not achieve its true worth until refinement by fire. Sometimes, painful “fire” can break through and destroy impurities in our character.

Reaction paragraph: In a paragraph, please address the following questions.
Do any of the references you found surprise you?
Was it easy to find elements listed in the Bible?
What did you learn from reading these verses?

Blog assignment wk 10/3-10/7/11

Note: I’ve revamped the GP system. See the page on Gold Point System if interested in how this will work.

Note: if you email me, please PASTE the response into the body of the email. docx and my computer don’t mix.

Scenarios:
You’ve got a ton of homework, quizzes, projects, tests due on the same day and you’d like your chemistry project moved. How do you accomplish this? Politely approach, present your case, and await your teacher’s answer.
You missed a test/quiz because you were terribly ill and had no time to study. What should you do? Go see your teacher and set up a specific time when you can make it up.
How can you improve your chances of getting your way.

Blog assignment wk 10/3-10/7 (due during your class pd on 10/7): Read the following list of 10 ways to help you improve your chances of getting a favorable response. Write me a 1 paragraph response to this list. You may deliver it in person or email. Questions to consider: Did any of these points surprise you? Which of these points were you already aware of? Did you find this list helpful? Do you have any suggestions for making the list better/ more thorough?

1. Approach Early: In other words, show initiative. Go out of your way to seek your teacher before class and present your request. Initiative is a sign of responsibility. Teachers generally look favorably on responsible students.
2. Timing: They say timing is everything. The first few chaotic minutes of class would definitely NOT be a good time to ask for a favor. Before school, before or during lunch, and during a free period are much better times to bring up a request, but as a last resort, try to present your case before class begins. This concept ties into building a solid relationship.
3. Tone: Keep your tone polite. Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” The proverb holds true for starting conversations too. Tone can dictate the direction a conversation goes in. A tone of challenge usually does not set the stage for getting your way.
4. Ask: Be sure to phrase your inquiry as a request. You want something, so ask for it. Do not demand. If you demand, you’ve in essence thrown down a gauntlet and declared yourself the center of power in the room. Some people don’t take kindly to challenges of this nature.
5. Receive the answer graciously. Don’t keep pressing your point. Once you get an answer, accept it with a measure of good grace. You won’t always get your way. That’s just the way life goes. How you respond in a situation can set the groundwork for getting your way in the future.
6. Avoid statements: Remember that you want something. Try not to tell your teacher what you’re going to do. Sometimes I fear young people have lost the art of asking a question. There is a giant world of difference between the declaration “Library!” and the inquiry, “May I go to the library?” One is a statement full of entitlement and the other is a simple request.
7. Build a solid relationship. Teachers aren’t supposed to have “favorites,” but everybody knows there are some people who are simply easier to talk to than others. The more your teacher knows you, the better he or she can understand your reasons for making your request.
8. Build a solid reputation for responsibility: If you build a reputation as someone who purposefully skips school any day you have a test or quiz, don’t be surprised when your teacher frowns upon further delays.
9. Choose your battles: It’s a simple fact that if you constantly fight something you will grow weary. Know when a battle is worth fighting and when a tactful retreat is in order.
10. Think before you speak: Thinking before voicing your request will help you with your tone and make you clearer.

Disclaimer: Following this list is not a guarantee that you’ll always get a favorable response, but it should help.

Get to Know You Quiz/ Mini-project

Get to Know You Quiz/ Mini-project
For Adv, Hns, and Reg Chem
Introduction: It’s been a long year. I’m feeling it; I’m sure you’re feeling it. Let’s end the year on a positive note. I tend to get wrapped up in class and not venture too many inquiries into who you really are, so this is my last-ditch effort to claim some knowledge of you as an individual.

Please note change to EC page…. Sherlock Holmes now only 2 of the 4 stories required.

Scoring: This counts as a Quiz score. (I won’t promise an automatic 100-grammar, neatness, etc count-, but then again, if you make it impressive, I won’t limit it to 100 either.)I was going to make it extra credit, but now I decided that I really want the answers to this question. So it still benefits you, immensely I might add, but it is no longer optional. If you put forth actual effort here and have it in on time, you should receive a very high grade.

Please feel free to post questions as comments, I will try to answer them as quickly as possible. You may also email me questions or ask them in class.
Assignment: Tell me about yourself. You already wrote/created an essay, email, poster, or scrapbook page about yourself. Now I would like you to make a creative quiz.

Please note the quiz must be the KEY… I need the answers to your questions. That’s really what I’m grading you on, so if you don’t give me answers, it kind of defeats the purpose.

Guidelines:
Length: 1 page – that means one side of a page- (single-space if you have to); hand-write only if you are extremely neat or type it if you have doubts. (Remove evil spiral stuff with scissors or perforations if you must hand-write. Certain of you are absolutely banned from hand-writing this, you know who you are, if you have doubts, that means you and if you want clarification, please ask. I won’t name names, but if you are in my 7th pd class, sit in the front row and have a habit of writing in the equivalent of .5 font, it most definitely means you are banned from hand-writing.)
# ques/ entries: minimum of 10 “easy” ques and minimum 2 short answer questions; (or 5 “easy” and 4 short answer)
Difficulty level should vary. Each question should reveal something about yourself that is generally not well known. These should be more creative than what is your favorite color, where were you born, what is your favorite ice cream.
Possible short answer questions to ask and answer:
How did you become a Christian?/ What are your thoughts on Christianity (if you aren’t a believer yet)
What are your favorite movies/ books/ video games? What do you find compelling about them?
What are your summer plans?
What are your hobbies and interests and how do you / could you use them to honor God?

Alternative project: (Please clear ideas with me…)
Show off artistic talent/ desires. You may break the 1 page maximum rule if it is well done. Please do not do something that you did for the other Get to Know You project.

If you like painting, then paint something, but be prepared with a minimum of a notecard’s worth of explanation as to what it means, why you painted it, etc. Your answers to those questions needs to be more than “I don’t know”.

If you like drawing, then draw something amazing. Please prepare a description of what the object/ picture/ person is and why it/ they mean a lot to you.

If you have some other unique talent you’d like to share then please make the appropriate arrangements to show them. In addition, you will need to write a ~1 pg essay on what the skill/ talent is, how you use it, and how it could be used for God’s glory.

Write a short story on one of these prompts: “special to God”
“born to be _____” “My family means ___ to me”
Describe something that has great meaning for you.
Due Date: Monday 6/13/11

Example “easy” questions:
1. Miss Gilbert’s book collection is mainly… d.
a. Star Wars b. Nancy Drew/ Hardy Boys c. Christian Historical Fiction d. All of the (errr) left

2. True/ False Miss Gilbert was born in the good old US of A.
Answer: False, Miss Gilbert was born in Seoul, South Korea
(You can only use a question like where you were born if you can make it interesting. If I fall asleep reading your quiz, I shall look very dimly on your extra credit opportunities.)

3. True/ False Miss Gilbert startles very easily.
Answer: *sigh* Unfortunately, very, very true statement. It keeps Miss Heaton amused.

Getting to Know You: a Homework Assignment

It is a lousy, yet functional, title that you’ll just have to grin (or grimace) and bear. I shall now launch into a somewhat longwinded explanation of the rhymes and reasons behind this assignment. Questions and comments I think you might have or be thinking are bolded. Don’t be offended by my imaginings of your mood.

 

*possible whine* But why?????

By this time in the school year, we can probably all agree that this subject can be rather difficult at times (all the time). If we’re going to charge through something this rough we might as well trust each other along the way. Someone wise once told me that trust begins with knowledge. So, I would like to know you better.

 

*grumble, sigh, or petulant huff* What do I have to do?

Tell me about yourself. (Could you be any more vague?) Although there is no right or wrong way to tell me about yourself, I would like a written or typed essay. You may present it very cut and dry using bullet points or you may get very creative. You could write a song, poem, or short story. You could make a collage of things important to you and put in paragraphs to explain the significance of each picture/ symbol. You could even record your assignment, just make sure I have the proper equipment to listen to it. You could even just reply to this post as a comment or email me your essay. I can be flexible. I’m a sucker for extra credit, so if you impress me I am willing to give you up to 110 on this assignment.

 

When is this due?

I try to be judicious with extra credit opportunities because too much would make it meaningless. However, we don’t often have weeks where there is very little homework. So this homework assignment will be due on your test day for the ch. 6-7.1 test. Yes, I realize that’s Thursday—as in tomorrow by the time you read this—for the Honors class. So, the Honors class will also receive +1 to their test for completing the assignment on time.

 

Do grammar and spelling count?

In the words of a beloved former Bible teacher, “Grammar and spelling doth always count.”

(But you said I should be me… I don’t do grammar and I stink at spelling.) Use spell checker and try to adhere to the usual grammar rules. I’m not an English teacher, but I do write books so I naturally check for grammar mistakes. I’m not out to get you. (Really?? ‘cause I was thinking this assignment is such a nuisance.) One or two or three mistakes might happen and I’ll take that with a “hey, these things happen” sort of attitude. If you have too many mistakes, I start to cringe. If you make me cringe, your grade will suffer at least a point or two. It’s nothing personal, but you really should learn to present yourself in a semi-professional manner. Aside: this is really important for job and college applications.

 

What do I write about?

You could answer the questions in the poem below or just tell me about your history, likes, dislikes, hobbies, passions, and/or dreams.

 

How long does this have to be?

Minimum 2 paragraphs. (That’s a fragment -2 for you!) Maximum 4-ish pages. This is a homework assignment not a research paper. You’re talking about yourself. This should be very easy and even a little fun. (But I hate writing!) Good, tell me about how much you hate writing then. Why do you hate writing? What about it annoys you? etc, etc, etc.

 

Tell Me Your Story (8/8/2006)

 

Behind every young man or woman

Lies a story waiting to be told.

Tell me your story.

Where did you come from?

What have you experienced?

Where are you going?

These are some of life’s

Big questions.

Funny how it’s easy to not see

How amazing life can truly be.

So tell me your story.

What makes you smile?

What makes you laugh or cry?

What do you fear most of all?

Who are you trying to please?

What are your life goals?

Whatever your story may be

There is much more to tell.

So tell me your story thus far.

Maybe we’ll write something new.

 

Instructions for writing ionic formulas

1. Choose a positive and a negative ion down. Write these down with the charges clearly shown.

2. Find the total charge that would make them even. Least common denominator. So if your ions are calcium and phosphate, the  charges are +2 and -3, 6 is the least common denominator. So your total + charge would be +6 and the total – charge would be -6.

3. Determine how many of your positive ions you need to reach your total positive charge. In this case we need 3 of the plus 2 ion (calcium).

4. Determine how many of your negative ions you need to reach your total negative charge. In this case we need 2 of the -3 ion (phosphate).

5. Write down the ion symbol without the charge and put the number you determined in step 3 and 4 as the subscripts for the positive and negative ions respectively. Ca3PO42

6. Put in your parentheses as necessary. In this case we need to put parentheses around the PO4 because we need to say we have 2 of the entire phosphate ion. Ca3(PO4)2. All the numbers are subscripts.

Check out this site for some examples

http://www.austincc.edu/lgregory/creatoranswers.htm

Practice for naming binary molecular compounds

https://chemistry.twu.edu/tutorial/NamMolCpd.html

Good website to practice with

How to use PT to predict e configuration

How do you use the periodic table to determine electron configurations?

Things to know: There are 18 groups (also sometimes called families, these are columns) on the PT. Start with hydrogen and read across
There are 7 periods (sometimes called series, these are horizontal rows) on the PT. Start with hydrogen and number going down.
Next, you will want to learn to associate the blocks of the periodic table with their electron configurations.
Group 1 and 2 (first two columns of the periodic table) have e configurations that end with an “s” so they are in the “s” block of the periodic table. Also, Helium, is considered a part of the s block even though it is part of the noble gases and grouped with the other noble gases in Group 18.

Let’s look at two simple ones:
lithium’s configuration: 1s^2  2s^1
sodium’s configuration: 1s^2  2s^2  2p^6  3s^1

The end of their configurations are 2s^1 and 3s^1. You can read this on the periodic table as their configuration will end in the second period, first group for lithium and third period first group for sodium.

So, without writing the whole configuration for potassium, you can tell it’s configuration will end with 4s^1 because it is the 4th period down from H and in Group 1.

[incidentally, magnesium would be 1s^2  2s^2  2p^6  3s^2 - note how if you add the superscripts you will get 12, which is magnesium's number on the periodic table... that number should match because it is the number of protons. Protons and electrons should be same because we are assuming all atoms are electrically neutral therefore # protons = # electrons]

A useful thing to memorize for basic chemistry e configurations is Sr’s configuration, that should cover most of the ones you will need to know.

Strontium has a configuration of 1s^2  2s^2  2p^6  3s^2  3p^6  4s^2  3d^10  4p^6  5s^2
(first number is referring to main energy level – principle quantum number, letter refers to sublevel, and second number should be a superscript)

Hydrogen Bonds to get a new Definition

Interesting little article on redefining H-Bonding.

I knew the scientific world wasn’t safe after poor Pluto got demoted.

 

Mole Week Festivities

Mole Day Contest

1011 Mole Day Contest Rules
Objective: Imagine the m&m’s in the candy container are Mn and calculate how many moles would be represented.
Strategy: Ask a Chemistry student how to do atoms-moles-mass conversions.
Rules: 1. Please enter only once
2. You may pick up the candy container to examine it, but do NOT remove the cap or otherwise tamper with it.
3. You may guess at the mass but you cannot use a balance to measure it.

Duration: Contest begins Monday, October 18, 2010 and ends Friday, October 22, 2010.

Eligibility: This contest is open to all students, faculty, and staff of TCS.  Chemistry students and previous Mole Day Contest winners are welcomed to enter but are NOT eligible for the gift cards. This contest has no bearing on the Mole Search Class Competition.

Prizes: $15.00 Gift Card to Dunkin’ Donuts + 3 fun size candy bars = 1^st place winner
$10.00 Gift Card to Dunkin’ Donuts+ 2 fun size candy bars = 2^nd place winner
$5.00 Gift Card to Dunkin’ Donuts + 1 fun size candy bar = 3^rd place winner

Mole Day Project

Description:

1) 3D Mini-Me (errr… Mini-You) Mole Mania: Your assignment is to create a model mole that captures the essence of a profession you would consider entering in the future. Please remember to keep your professions professional (… abiding by all school rules.) Details: Professions can include but are not limited to: teacher (sorry, no EC for doing this one), doctor, lawyer, construction worker, soldier, police, fire-fighter, rescue worker, social worker, professor, preacher, accountant, librarian, engineer, scientist, musician, etc.

Moles – should come with a notecard with information about the profession and a brief statement as to why you would like to enter this profession. Yes, this is going to require a little research. Write any sources at the bottom of the notecard.

- should have a name, Avogadro’s #, state significance of moles to chemistry, and a favorite quote

- can be (greatly) modified stuffed animals, part of a diorama, made of playdoh, Styrofoam, etc. (note: absolutely no naked mole rats!); if you have questions, ASK!

By the way, the official 2010 Mole Day Theme is Moles of the Caribbean. If you want to do a 2^nd project in this vein, you may. (102 is max score on any project.)

Mole Week Search – Class Competition

Mole Search Class Competition: Molly, Megan, Marty, and Marvin Mole have been mole-napped by some diabolical, candy-craving teachers. You must find them by asking various teachers questions about their location. I will tell you who you can ask. Each class will have 23 question coupons. Each time you ask a suspect a question, you must surrender a question coupon.

Rules: 1 – no searching rooms

2 – ask only yes or no questions

3 – do NOT ask Mole Search questions during class

4 – do NOT bother teachers who have not volunteered to be suspects

Prizes: candy if you find a mole, homework pass for class that finds the most

 

 

Mole Day to be Revamped

If I get the time today, I will rework the project assignments  for Mole Day 2010. It’s on my to do list behind lesson plan for tomorrow, so we’ll see how that goes.