Sea Camp Day 4

After yesterday’s bright sunshine and warm temperatures, the morning greeted us with a scene more out of a Wes Craven movie then the Endless Summer. The city and Fiesta island were completely overrun with pea-soup fog that promised to hide all the treasures that yesterday’s boat trip got to see. Luckily the ominous beginning to the day didn’t foreshadow what was to come.

Breakfast was the usual delicious affair with trays full of Danish, sausage, eggs, and pancakes. Dietrich again defended his title as this year’s biggest eater. A lesser man would have been doubled over the gunnels of the Sea Watch at the first swell coming out of the marina. Once the bags were packed, team A shoehorned themselves into the familiar white and silver Sea Camp vans for the ten minute drive to the marina. In that time we discovered that the only song allowed to play on San Diego’s air waves is the Eminem tune with Rhianna singing the chorus, but that’s alright ‘cause I like the way it hurts. I think that at one point three different stations had it playing at the same time. And still the fog shrouded our vision like a vale.

As we emptied onto the dock, gear bags in hand, the storm clouds concealed by the fog let loose causing everyone to utilize the often neglected hood of our brand new Sea Camp hooded sweatshirts and hope that the rain would soon stop or produce a rainbow with a pot of gold in the water surrounding Mexico’s Coronado Islands. A rainy two and a half hours each way on the boat with no cover would test even the most avid sea camper. Once all seat backs and tray tables were in there up right and lock positions and all carry-on luggage was securely stowed in the overhead bins or under the seat in front of us, the Sea Camp crew explained where all of the emergency exits were located (over the side of the boat once donning a life vest) and that should the oxygen masks be deployed that you should place the mask your own face before assisting a small child, or someone acting like a small child. Hum, I guess that would mean I would be the last one on the boat to get an oxygen mask. The safety instructions were so interesting that a huge male sea lion came and popped his head out of the water to listen, pose for photos, wish us well, and remind us to write our parents frequently.

The first thirty minutes of motoring was dry, yet we were unable to see anything around us. I felt like I was in the middle of Pirates of the Caribbean. Max and I actually broke out in song.

Yo ho, all together
Hoist the colours high
Heave ho, thieves and begers
Never shall we die!

Avast matey what is it that I see off the port side bow? Dolphins, yes dolphins it is, 30 at least. And look over yonder, could it be? It is, two blue whales with so much creole that the sea runs an angrey frothing red and the squids are jumping out of the water like the Kracken has just been summoned to send our boat to Davey Jones’s Locker! Oh no here it comes, Abandon ship!

Oops, I got a bit to into the mood. Seriously, the massive amounts of creel had coaxed the normally nocturnal squid to the surface to feed. We watched for a quarter hour as the squid would dart in and out of their prey while shooting jets of water out of the surface that made to ocean look like the DIA’s fountain of old. This event is so rare that Whitney, the program director who has been here for eight years, has never seen this behavior on all the boat trips she has worked!

Once we arrived at the four islands that compose the Coronado Islands we were treated to an unexpected phenomenon. The islands were bathed in sunlight with a foggy clouded halo surrounding it. The extra sunlight made it possible for us to see a ton of sea life. We saw so many things that in my short four years of coming to Sea Camp, today was my favorite day of snorkeling. Are you ready for this? Everyone got to see Orange ochre sea stars, orange, purple ochre sea stars. Bat sea stars, knobby sea stars, sea hares, Purple sea urchins, red sea urchins, octopus, brittle stars, lighting whelks, sea snails, chitons, sea lions, harbor seal, (take a breath) garibaldi, opal eye, senorita, kelp bass, sheep heads, blacksmith (blue), navanax, and Hermit crabs. What a snorkel! To finish our stay at the islands, the students challenged the staff (including me) to a contest of king/queen of the raft. Honorable mention has to be given to Tara DeBolt and Livy Fore for their queen of the raft prowess. However, in the end as always, the campers couldn’t match the staff despite outnumbering us 25 to 3. Perhaps next year’s class can do better.

As soon as everyone got back on the boat and changed, they were treated to chicken noodle soup and hot chocolate. Once the anchor was aboard we set off for home. Unfortunately, as I am writing this in the boat’s protected cabin, we are witnessing another first in Whitney’s career. It is raining on our motor back to the States and the kids are getting very cold. Thankfully for us all, we will only remember the epic day that was had on the team A’s boat trip.

Kirk and Kathy

sea camp day 3 (190 photos), by kirk framke

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Viewing the photo albums

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album 09\27\2010 (66 photos), by kirk framke

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Sea Camp day 2 (71 photos), by kirk framke

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2010 Sea Camp Day 2

Sea Camp Day 2

Pictures URL:

http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2150295028/a=3841102028_3841102028/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

On our second day on Fiesta Island, famous for being the site of the first every triathlon, we awoke to the smells of eggs and breakfast burritos with gray, cloudy, and calm skis. Little did we know just how much local sea food we all would get to sample. All the kids ate their fill including Dietrich whose heaping plate of seconds defied belief (see picture). Once the tables were cleared and cleaned team A readied themselves for the invertebrates lab while team B and I grabbed our slightly odoriferous neoprene suits and piled into the vans.

After a short trip to Mission Point we divided into two groups, while one group snorkeled, the other seined in the shallows. Seining is an ancient method of catching fish. Two people hold a wooden stake that is attached to a net. The net has one side that is held at the top of the water by floats while the other end weighted side of the net scraps the sea floor. While the net is held taught, the rest of the group links arms and methodically marches through the water towards the net. Frightened fish try to escape the chorus line by swimming … right into the net. There was quite an income. We netted dozens of smelt and one juvenile halibut that was so unsightly that students thought that eating him would be gross.

The snorkeling group had the opportunity to see, touch, and even taste the local sea life that calls the rocky Mission Point home. Some of the highlights were an octopus, brittle stars, sea stars, sea hares (although they move more like a tortoise), and flitting Garibaldi’s. Alana swears that the giant Limpet or whale’s eye does in fact taste like sweet potato, while Elizabeth was just happy to get the seven years of good luck that comes when you lick the mollusk. Yummy and good for you too! To bad the same can’t be said of Brussels sprouts. All the snorkeling was just a tease for what is to come on the boat trips which start tomorrow.

In the afternoon, team B entered the classrooms for the fish lab. The lesson started around the shark tank where the sea camp staff unveiled the future Sea World star Leopold the leopard shark who they have taught to do tricks. When the trainer commands it, Leopold will jumps out of the water near the side of the tank and splash the student who the trainer is pointing at. I was dubious at first, but as several students said, seeing is believing. After the short performance, Leopold allowed several eager students to touch his dermal denticles (skin). After the discussing sharks, students were treated to a fish dissection where they ventured into the fishes stomachs, heart, and swim bladder which makes a sound like bubble wrap when it is squeezed. The highlight of the lab was when Aiden and Maya tasted the slime from the Liker Limpet and the staff description of how the primitive agnatha fish would coat a fictional dead whale, named Brooke, on the bottom of the ocean with a slime that it secrets from its scale and then eat the entire carcass with nothing other than it’s rough tongue. Yikes!

In the end, our second day in not-so-sunny San Diego was tremendous fun and it has wetted our appetite for the adventures that are still to come. Check back tomorrow for a detailed account of marine life that team B encounters. Check the 8th grade blogsite for the url for pictures from the day.

Kirk and Kathy

Pictures from Sea Camp Day 1

Copy and paste the URL below for Pictures from Day 1:
If you need a password, it is seacamp

http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2145474028/a=3841102028_3841102028/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

-Sea Camp
Orientation
Dorm set up
-Birch Aquarium
Sea horse exhibit (photography restrictions)
Global warming exhibit (with examples of the exponential relationships we are currently studying, sorry for the graphs)
Tidal pool touch tank
Kelp Forest tank
-La Jolla Beach views
-Lunch games
-Boogie boarding (no pictures)

Check back for pictures from day two, snorkeling at Mission Point and the invertebrates lab.

Kirk Framke

ggg inv 1.3 summaries

Warm-up
ggg inv 1.3 wu part 1
ggg inv 1.3 wu 2ggg inv 1.3 wuq

investigation
ggg inv 1.3 sum b
ggg inv 1.3 sum 2

growing^3 investigation 1 - Summary 1.2 PlusScientific Notation

g3 inv 1.2 summary
scientific_notation

Homework Assignment Sheet and Algebra Sheet

Algebra sheet 4-1 first page


Algebra sheet 4-1 page 2

TWMM review sheet answers

Remember to do the problems FIRST and then check your answer.

twmm_unit_review_1
twmm_unit_review_2
twmm_unit_review_3\
twmm_unit_review_4
twmm_unit_review_5
twmm_unit_review_6
twmm_unit_review_7
twmm_unit_review_8
twmm_unit_review_9

146 of the best pictures of Budapest ever!

You will need to copy and paste this link into your browser.

http://www1.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2970319016/a=7951212_7951212/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Budapest Sub Plans

Thank you Ms. Ferrell for taking my place this week while I compete in the ITU Triathlon World Championships.

Here's how things should work, I am giving a list of work to be done in chronological order and the students should work through as much as possible. There is a benchmark on Thursday that will take place in the computer room with Mrs. Hatchett. There is a paper and pencil portion of the test which should be given as a warm-up on Friday. Each investigation has launch and summary videos which must be viewed. At some points, the videos ask you to stop them and let students work before you continue the video. Launch videos are seen before the investigation and summary videos come after all students have finished and students are given an opportunity to present their work. Simple.

Homework is on the blog. The new algebra sheets are on the desk and should be passed out. The old algebra sheets are in the turn in bins and should be returned.

Work:
Investigation 3.2 (may take a day and a half)
Launch
twmm inv 3.2 launch part 1
twmm inv 3.2 launch part 2
Summary
twmm inv 3.2 summary a and b
twmm inv 3 2 summary c

Investigation 3.3 (one day)
Launch
twmm inv 33 launch
Summary
twmm inv 33 summary all

Mathematical reflections investigation 3 (1/2 day)

In the student books after the ace questions
Students write discuss with partners for 5 min, then write at the quality that Mrs. Degi would accept. Then have 2 students read answers for each question.

Looking Back / Looking ahead (1 to 3/2 of a day)
Launch
twmm looking back looing ahead
There is no summary


If students finish an investigation early and are needing things to do, they they can do the algebra sheet or their homework. If everyone in the class is behaved and on task, then you may play mummy ball at your discretion.

Thanks,

Kirk

algebra sheet 8-4 practice masters help

This link is for the sheet if you need it printed
alg_sheet_8-4
Videos:
alg_sheet_8-4_ex_11
algebra_sheet_8-4_example_17

Similar examples from a different assignment:
algebra sheet 8 4 prob 22 and 26 (not graphed)
alg 84 problem 34

twmm inv 3 ace help

twmm_inv_3_problems_14_and_15
twmm_inv_3_problem_19
twmm inv 3 ace 34

Algebra sheet 3-6

alg 3 6 example for 7 9 15
alg 3-6 prob 17
alg 3 6 prob 19