Post Test Post

Once the yearlong standardized testing hoopla finally died down, I rushed to squeeze in some favorite activities.

In our 8th grade space exploration unit, we built soda bottle rockets and launched them in the school yard ... much to the delight of the kindergarten classes who came outside to cheer us on.

It was also an excuse to watch "October Sky".
(Yes, they had to do a follow up essay on the challenges Homer and his buddies faced)



The salt crystals we had started before the FCAT test were finally taken down from their cabinet.
Their classic cube crystal shape and size amazed the 8th graders.



The terminator tower project was squeezed in.
The junior engineers in the 8th grade had to build a tower of 4x6 index cards that could support a 5 pound brick ... a brick named "The Terminator" for good reason.

They only had to build a tower 11 inches high that could hold the brick, but a little extra credit per successful level was all the stimulus they needed to go higher. This is not the tallest brick holding tower, by the way.

It was about 4-5 feet high and still held the TERMINATOR.

Oh, and no taping, stapling, cutting, or tearing.
Only folding.

For my high school Marine Science students, we squeezed in the shark dissection on the final two days of class.

We only needed two sharks since the class was a total of 6 students.

This picture of a redfish fingerling was on Pure Florida earlier this year.
He is in a V-shaped photo-aquarium and those are centimeters.

If you are still living in the dark ages,  an inch = 2.54 centimeters.

Now look at the redfish fingerling below. That photo was taken last week.

Final length measurement is 15 centimeters.

Not bad for a bunch of amateur redfish farmers.

Tomorrow, I will bring 2400 baby prawns home to my own recirculating system to spend the summer  with me.

This is necessary for two reasons:
1) They have to be fed all summer.
2) The school system requires all aquariums, etc to be cleaned out for the summer.

I don't mind actually, I like being around prawns.

So my first year at my new school is over.
It seemed to fly by, but I think that's because I was always so busy and there were so many new things.

I do love it though.

Tomorrow is a studentless final day for the teachers, and then it is officially summer.

BRING IT!