Thursday, March 15, 2018
02:00 - 04:00; 120 min. -
AP Environmental Science:
Oil Pollution-
Chase watched a retro-report on the Exxon Valdez oil spill, comparing it to the Deep Horizon oil spill. She was then tasked with answering a series of questions about each event, the quality of the water in both places today, any regulation put in place to address oil accidents, and the clean water act. These questions required Chase to conduct research using several different references on the Internet.

Monday, March 12, 2018
02:30 - 04:15; 105 min. -
AP Environmental Science:
Ozone-
Chase watched a short video showing the structure of the atmosphere, and the ozone layer. We then read two scientific news articles; one from January and one from February of this year. The first declared that the hole in the ozone layer, over Antarctica, has stopped growing and may, in fact be shrinking. The second article presented data suggesting that the ozone layer, over the zone just south of the Arctic, including parts of Canada and Asia, is getting thinner. We discussed how of the 1989 Montreal accord worked to protect the ozone layer and changed worldwide use of chlorofluorocarbons. Homework: Chapter 15; Modules 46 - 50

30 minutes - journal - we went outside to gather information on weather, activities of students and events: wrote 12 original sentences in present tense.
60 minutes - we began a new story - Juan Gomez detective - case of the stained scarf.
Chase read part 1 of the story in Spanish. She then translated into English and identified grammar. Chase added new vocabulary words to a word bank she had begun for this story. She then completed all multiple choice and open ended questions, for part 1, in Spanish.
5 minutes - break
25 minutes - using a worksheet I had made for her, Chase filled in the adjectives she already new, then used the sheet to fill in the prepositions she could not remember. It was a great review for her.

Journal (30 minutes): We made our visit to the back playground and caught up with: weather; dates; and activities around us. Today we added some sentences based on thoughts Chase was having regarding her life as a high school Senior. Chase’s Spanish vocabulary is increasing.
60 minutes - We completed reading the detective story - part 1 - Juan Gomez. Chase read in Spanish then translated in English. She does this well. I pointed out some grammar, and Chase added to her word bank with new vocabulary as we moved forward. She then answered the multiple choice and open-ended questions. She does well with this also.
30 minutes - We reviewed the present, past, and imperfect tenses. Chase and I worked on an activity identifying the usage and formation of each tense.

Thursday, March 8, 2018
02:00 - 04:00; 120 min. -
AP Environmental Science:
Plastic Ocean-
After reviewing the information about pollution in the book, we discussed how people pollute, in Chase’s experiences. We watched the film: ‘Plastic Ocean’, in which she was shown the accumulation of plastics from all over the globe. We followed the process by which plastics enter the ocean, react to saltwater and sunlight, and break-up into microscopic particles. We witnessed the work done by field research biologists, who examine the stomachs of sea birds, whales, seals, turtles, and fish. The film also shows how toxins chemically attach to these particles and enter the food chain. We observed the images from an un-manned submersible, showing the piles of plastic bottles, which sunk before being exposed to sunlight. We also examined the amount of plastic used in our daily lives, and how important it is to reduce, reuse and recycle. We compared what we watched in the movie, with the information in the chapter on pollution.

Journal(30 minutes): Chase constructed 10 original sentences in her Spanish journal. They concerned: the weather, the activities of the teachers and students in the back playground while we were there. She did an excellent job.
For one hour, Chase read part 2 of a detective story in Spanish, translating it, identifying grammar and vocabulary. We reviewed direct and indirect objects in Spanish as well as possessive adjectives. Chase then answered the multiple choice and open ended questions herself. She did very well.
For the last half hour Chase, under my direction, investigated the culture, history, religion and music of Peru.

Chase had practice problems to do and I completed her review packet.

We began a new activity - a journal. This was done to assist in the learning of sentence construction and writing a coherent paragraph and story. The items in the journal include: the date, time, a weather report (for which we go outside); a report of who is outside with us and their activities - preK students playing, other students eating lunch, a karate class, etc.
Our next activity was the reading of a mystery - Part I - Juan Gomez Detective. Chase’s reading is impoving. Her comprehension is above average. A portion of the packet has multiple choice and open ended questions. Chase also does above average in answering the questions.
Our last activity was cultural - investigating the castles in Spain - known as Paradors. I had Chase look up the name of 3 castles then locate them on a map of Spain. She was surprised to learn that the majority of castles in Spain have been bought out by the government (they were once owned by royal families) and have been converted into hotels for tourism.

We are still going through concepts in probability with different applications, and today started Conditional Probability.

Monday, March 5, 2018
02:30 - 04:15; 105 min. -
AP Environmental Science:
Global Warming -
Chase and I found out the date the APES test. With this information, we had new energy to review what we have already covered in this class. I tested Chase on the areas we had discussed after the last test, representing the subjects she found challenging. We then compared the text with the information we were presented with in the movie we watched earlier in the week. I quizzed Chase on the vocabulary related with the climate change. We then did an introduction to the pollution chapter. Chase was tasked with providing me with definitions of some of the new vocabulary. We discussed the chemical composition of plastics and how much plastic people use everyday. We had a detailed conversation about making the younger generations be aware of the importance of recycling. Using the current affairs, we discussed how individuals can make a difference in their own environment, and how that small change can contribute to real change. Homework: Complete modules 41 thorough 44