Mr. Blacher

Friday 5/22...Farewell...For Now : )

  Well...you did it.  Congratulations on a fantastic year everyone.  I hope that you had as much fun as I did or even half as much cuz I had tons!!!!!  Go out and have a safe, happy, and very well deserved summer vacation.  Use lots of sunscreen, stay hydrated, and wear a helmet...even when you watch TV, and don't try to catch a frisbee with your mouth (don't ask)...well...just use your judgment about those things.  I will look forward to seeing you in the fall when you are in the great 8 : ) 
  OK friends, I hope you'll stop by here from time to time cuz I'd sure like to see ya.  Have fun, stay safe, take care of your planet, respect the viewpoints of others, be nice...CARE!!!!!  What?  You already do?  Cool! 

Wed. 5/20

Labs are due tomorrow folks.  Please remember that you will only be in your BLUE class.  You'll have to make sure that you come by our classroom at some point during the day to turn your report in...don't forget!

Tues. 5/19

I had the opportunity to peruse many of your lab write-ups during class today and I gotta say...they look great!  I am very impressed with your work ethic and with your dedication to doing your very best work...even if it is the last week of school : )

Reminder...these labs are due on Thursday, but you may hand them in tomorrow if yours is complete.  Be aware that due to the awards ceremony, you will have to stop by and turn in your lab if your going to submit it on Thursday because you will only go to your BLUE class on that day.

Monday 5/18

Hi Everyone!

This is our last official Monday together!  We will be working on the Botany Lab write-ups tomorrow...just like today.  Here is the format in case you want a copy to print:Download Germination LAB WRITE UP

These labs will be due on Thursday, but you may turn them in on Wednesday if you have them done.

Friday 5/15

You guys were AWESOME during squid dissections today...again!  I hope you had as much fun as I did.  I know that's wishful thinking, but...I still hope so.

One week to go!  Hard to believe...it really is.

I just want to repeat what I "said" on the last quiz just in case you were so engrossed in the learning process that you missed it...cuz I really want you to know.  Here's what I wrote...only in color this time : )

Note to you guys…I have really enjoyed getting to know all of you (yes ALL) during the course of the year and I want to say thank you.  Thanks for making every day fun, and exciting, and for teaching me all kinds of new stuff every day, and for making me think!  Thank you for your hard work and dedication!  I am really proud of what you have done, and you should be too!  Two weeks to go…finish strong!

-JB

...well now it's one week, so for the last time (officially), have a great weekend...you deserve it! : )  

Wed. 5/14

 

You did an awesome job in the garden today! 
Interesting critters about today...we saw a rabbit (juvenile Sylvilagus floridanus), some toads (Bufo terrestris), several preying mantises (Mantis religiosa), and a very cool jumping spider (species unknown).  You were all awesome with regard to watching these without causing them stress. 
  It is looking fantastic out there with the addition to new topsoil and mulch.  We will take advantage of the influx of nutrients next week as we plant for the summer crop.  This will probably happen on Tuesday of next week...details will follow.  Crops should be in full bloom when you return in the fall.

 

SQUID DISSECTION TOMORROW...friendly reminder...do not wear things that you care deeply about, and work as carefully and deliberately as possible...unless you want to be answering, "Eeeeww!  Why do you smell like that?  Did you just get back from deep-sea fishing?"

Tues. 5/12

Tomorrow is Olympic Day for you guys...carpe diem...you'll be glad you did : )

For homework...due Thursday...please complete the second portion of today's assignment (you don't want to be missing anything this late in the game...right?)...anyway...here it is...
Choose one of the following two assignments to do using your 20 facts/concepts from today:

1. Create a 15 question quiz composed of three different types of questions (mult. choice, fill-in, short answer, etc.).  Your quiz must have an answer key.
2. Create a 5 question (short answer...sentence or two) quiz with an answer key and draw 7 cartoons/illustrations with captions.

Remember...GARDEN ON THURSDAY!!!!!  Check the weather and dress for it!!!!!

Monday 5/11

You guys did an awesome job today!  I hope that you found the dissection process to be interesting, and I encourage you to do a little reading about frogs and toads...and amphibians in general.  The website that we used to brief for "surgery" was: www.frogguts.com.  You can go there any time you like.  The rest of the week will be pretty packed.

Tues.: We will undertake an exploration of cephalopod biology to prepare for the upcoming squid dissections.
Wed.: We have our olympic day...have fun!
Thurs.: Goin' to the garden.  Don't wear "nice" clothes...unless you wanna turn them into "not nice" clothes!
Fri.: Squid Dissections!  Again...nice clothes?  I don't recommend it.  We will be doing those outside.

To all who donated gloves for this week's dissections...THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!

Thursday 5/7

Here are the practice questions for tomorrow's botany quiz; they're the ones that we worked on during class.  Be sure that you study these tonight and email me if there's anything that you are unsure of.
Practice Questions:Download Quiz WU

Wed. 5/6

See yesterday's post for tonight's homework. 

Vocabulary Maps are due for Purple and Red classes tomorrow.  Due date for Orange and Blue is Friday.
 
Reminder: Botany Quiz on Friday, and we will continue with our Environmental Funds Allocation simulation over the course of the next few days.