STEM at Planet Homeschool | Spring 2023 To Publications / Articles - STEM at Planet Homeschool | Spring 2023
Posted 11/2/22
PHS Leadership Team | News & Updates
Fridays, 6 January–5 May 2023
16 weeks — no classes on Fri 17 Feb or Fri 7 Apr
Science
Biology
3rd Period (12:30 PM–1:45 PM)High School BiologyDr. Tom Anderson
Learn about the living world. Classes will consist of discussion of textbook material as well as some hands-on lab activities. The spring semester will cover macroscopic biology, including ecology, evolution, and the structure and function of organisms. This course will be based on Biology for AP Courses, which is a textbook produced by the OpenStax project at Rice University. The text is freely available online, and a printed version is also available. The fall semester explored microscopic biology, including the molecules of life and cell structure and processes. Because of the conceptual separation of the fall and spring semesters, it is possible for students to take the spring semester course without having taken the fall semester course. |
Chemistry
2nd Period (10:35 AM–11:50 AM)Middle School ChemistryDr. Tom Anderson
This fun hands-on class will give students a chance to learn about the natural and man-made materials in the world around them. We’ll also introduce skills in making careful measurements and observations in regular lab activities. This course is offered as two independent semesters with different material and activities covered each semester. Students may take the spring semester course without having taken the fall semester course. |
Physics
1st Period (9:15 AM–10:30 AM)Backyard Ballistics, Optics, and the Science of SoundRebekah Jorgensen
This course will teach practical physics applications. Topics will include ballistics and projectile motion, optics and light, and acoustics and sound. Through hands-on activities, exercises, and virtual labs and examples, students will explore how physics concepts are used in daily life. |
Multidisciplinary
2nd Period (10:35 AM–11:50 AM)Cooking BasicsPeter Hoh
Not really a science class but you can’t learn to cook without also learning a bit of chemistry and biology! Peter believes that everyone should know how to put together a meal that’s healthy, delicious, and relatively inexpensive. This course will introduce students to some of the fundamental skills of cooking. The class will cover food safety, knife skills, pantry staples, basic sauces, sautéing, roasting, and steaming. |
Engineering & Technology
1st Period (9:15 AM–10:30 AM)Principles of LEGO DesignDr. Tom Anderson
Want to take your LEGO-building skills to the next level? In addition to plenty of free-form activities to exercise students' creativity, this class will explore construction techniques and the design process, including the use of free computer-based tools. |
3rd Period (12:30 PM–1:45 PM)Design, Build, Test: StructuresPeter Hoh
Use the engineering design process to explore materials and structures. We will work collaboratively to build structures out of various materials such as paper, cardboard, and wood. Then we’ll test our structures to see how they respond to forces. We will analyze what works and what doesn’t to learn how we can make better structures. |
4th Period (1:50 PM–3:05 PM)Coding Club
A space for hobbyist and semiprofessional programmers to collaborate on club projects, assist each other through problems, and share progress on their personal projects. This is not a place to learn to program but a mutually supportive co-working space for programming in the company of others. |
4th Period (1:50 PM–3:05 PM)Freestyle Drone Club
It’s robotics-meets-Pinewood Derby-meets-Star-Wars with freestyle drone flying! Gain a hands-on understanding of the engineering behind this sensational new way to fly. Not only will you learn all the STEM subjects (mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, software engineering, aerospace engineering, video engineering, open source, math, physics, battery science, MacGyvering, and more) but if you can fly these little micro drones you can fly any drone, opening up a growing world of drone-related professions. |
5th Period (3:15 PM–4:30 PM)Micro Track Smash Tiny Whoop Drone Racing TeamSéa Blake (Eclipse) and Aurora Pass (ShyDragon) with Nic Rosenau
Micro Track Smash is a team competition from Youth Drone Sports Championships. The focus of class time will be on laying down times to submit to YDSC leaderboards and practicing for YDSC Regionals and Nationals. New pilots will begin flying virtually in the VelociDrone FPV Racing Simulator and will progress to flying IRL after passing a simple flight test to demonstrate they have control of their drone. |
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